[Albion] The BIG keeper debate

[GT49er]

Given that he wouldn't follow RDZ's instructions, was often late, sulked massively and has been woefully, comically bad for Chelsea, I reckon you could say we have.

In terms of improved performance/results/defending though? Yes, I get the unforgiveable sin of falling out with de Zerbi which makes him public enemy no.1 on NSC, but ........... how much actual improvement?

He's saved a few points for Chelsea too, despite playing behind a shambolic defence in a crappy team.

 

[Weststander]

You made the point last night, that it was a vendetta against him, that shots he should save havent really gone through him, and maybe its based on prejudices due to his issues at Sunderland etc.... I very rarely disagree with you my friend, but I really do on Steele with the gloves.

He is probably my second favourite player at club after Dunk, I love him as a man, he's humble, does a lot for the club/community and is an all round top bloke. Truth be told, I would love Steele to be number 1 over Bart based on who he is as a person, and he may be the very best in the PL at playing with his feet?

But there have been a Good few goals imho, that he should've saved and certainly appear to go though him or be near enough that you'd expect a different outcome from a good PL keeper. That's no vendetta, it's being objective at what you see.

It's a thankless task being a keeper, mistakes like last night are costly and magnified, but I do genuinely believe that Steele isn't that great/upper PL with his general glovework/shot stopping (he's not totally shit either), it's his top character and ball playing that earn him starts and inspite of, not because of, his glove work.

You may not agree with that, thats cool, and if hes your number 1, I respect you more than most, but there's no vendetta against a fantastic human being nor does anything that happened at Sunderland (which is irrelevent) come into my own subjective opinion.

I can't work out which one is best overall as I see positives and weakness in both.

The people who would rather another keeper over Steele, perhaps fall into different categories:

- like you and a reasoned opinion.
- those with an irrational vendetta, the lower league at best Sunderland thing has been mentioned many a time in put the boot into Steele threads or similar.

 

[Guinness Boy]

In terms of improved performance/results/defending though? Yes, I get the unforgiveable sin of falling out with de Zerbi which makes him public enemy no.1 on NSC, but ........... how much actual improvement?

He's saved a few points for Chelsea too, despite playing behind a shambolic defence in a crappy team.

Results and defending are two completely different things. We've not kept a PL clean sheet all season. We are, however, 8th after 18 games and topped our group in the Europa League. We've only lost six games all season and only once in Europe.

Nor have our keepers been particularly at fault for our lack of clean sheets (though last night was one of them). Injuries and suspensions to key defenders and siging a 38 year old with the legs of a 90 year old instead of full back cover, trying to play 'draw the press' with no pivot and missing key players at key times (no Dunk in our only Europa League defeat) are at the root of it all.

There's undoubtedly a feeling among the support that we need to choose one keeper and stick with it (see poll) but literally no one, with the exception of you, is positing that we should have kept Sanchez (who, you might remember, literally threw the ball in at Palace last season).

 

[peterward]

Chopping and changing. Ongoing uncertainty. Disagreement among NSCers over who should be the no.1 if we stop chopping and changing. I sometimes wonder what we have actually gained from the decision to dump Sanchez in the first place.

Whislt there's a mistake in all 3.

I'd suggest in order of Gloves. It's.

Sanchez, BV, Steele.

On distribution. Its

Steele, BV, Sanchez

So for overall keeping there still is no clear winner and with RDZ style and build up, Steele is the best in that facet.

Sanchez unfortunately comes top in the dickheads test, though great shot stopper he is (but not without his own goal gifting scheme!!)

 

[jcdenton08]

This is this morning’s hot topic (hot topic!)

 

[redoubtable seagull]

they need to recognise when the press trap is on, it's working (they have no options) and the outlet is to leather it up field or out of play. you cant always play it out.

Especially when you’re playing out time in the final seconds of the first half.

 

[redoubtable seagull]

Whislt there's a mistake in all 3.

I'd suggest in order of Gloves. It's.

Sanchez, BV, Steele.

On distribution. Its

Steele, BV, Sanchez

So for overall keeping there still is no clear winner and with RDZ style and build up, Steele is the best in that facet.

Sanchez unfortunately comes bottom in the dickheads test, though great shot stopper he is (but not without his own goal gifting scheme!!)

Sanchez tops the dickhead list, surely….

 

[peterward]

Sanchez tops the dickhead list, surely….

Yep, that was was my own goal keeping error! Corrected!

 

[Weststander]

Was Sanchez a great PL shot stopper?

I liked him, he was far better than Ryan, but I never had this feeling of wow, we’ve a Grummitt or Alisson.

 

[Dibdab]

For the way RDZ wants to play Steele is the best keeper in England and possibly the world. His distribution is top top tier and with him we pop it round the back under immense pressure and never look like giving it away. Bart is an accident waiting to happen every game at the moment and has a long way to go before he’s really at the level to deliver what we’re trying to do. If we were playing a different way it might be a different argument but if you understand RDZ football then there really is only one conclusion.

 

[Giraffe]

Stick with one. The rotation is nonsense.

And that one would be Steele for me. On the basis that as a keeper there is little between them but Steele is by far the better kicker. We miss his distribution when he doesn’t play.

 

[redoubtable seagull]

No clear number 1 in my eyes yet although one assumes the plan is that Bart will assume that role at some point this season or for the start of the next.
There are plenty of mistakes in our style of play. Sadly last night’s lead to a goal. It frustrates to see such stupid lack of game management when a kick it long or out for a throw was the obvious choice given it was the 45 min.

Still, it was not as bad an error as dropping the ball whilst under no pressure at all and gifting Palace a goal like last year…

 

[peterward]

Was Sanchez a great PL shot stopper?

I liked him, he was far better than Ryan, but I never had this feeling of wow, we’ve a Grummitt or Alisson.

He did pull off some fantastic saves but inconsistent too and agree, he's certainly not the best we've had or comparable with best in the league.

 

[GT49er]

Whislt there's a mistake in all 3.

I'd suggest in order of Gloves. It's.

Sanchez, BV, Steele.

On distribution. Its

Steele, BV, Sanchez

So for overall keeping there still is no clear winner and with RDZ style and build up, Steele is the best in that facet.

Sanchez unfortunately comes top in the dickheads test, though great shot stopper he is (but not without his own goal gifting scheme!!)

Yes, I understand the dickhead thing - but strangely I don't think anybody even dreamt of classing him as a dickhead before de Zerbi arrived. And I know I'm out of step with some aspects of modern football thinking, but I'd still prefer my GK to be an excellent shot-stopper first and foremost.

 

[peterward]

Yes, I understand the dickhead thing - but strangely I don't think anybody even dreamt of classing him as a dickhead before de Zerbi arrived. And I know I'm out of step with some aspects of modern football thinking, but I'd still prefer my GK to be an excellent shot-stopper first and foremost.

Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale, Jordan Pickford.

All good with gloves but more limited distribution skills.

 

[Acker79]

When De Zerbi took over and we started faffing around at the back as a tactical choice, it was always said this would lead to occasional mistakes that could cost us a goal or two. Of course one of those mistake would happen against Palace making it seem even bigger than it is.

But how many times has this happened to us? I can only remember it happening in one other game (Bournemouth?) this season.

To the question of the thread, I'm conflicted, because I'd prefer we stick with one keeper. But I'm not convinced either are good enough at enough aspects of what we need to claim a clear number one.

 

[Kosh]

I’d sign De Gea … as I’m not sure either Bart or Jason are genuine top 10 GKs … Bart can develop, but under Roberto hmmm playing out like we do, it’s just going to undermine his confidence.

De Gea if confident could return to his best, but (again) under the demands of Roberto his sweeper ability would be laid bare…

However, if I had to pick from our two… it’d be Jason.

 

[beorhthelm]

Was Sanchez a great PL shot stopper?

I liked him, he was far better than Ryan, but I never had this feeling of wow, we’ve a Grummitt or Alisson.

yes, and great command of the box. remember some seriously thought he was shoe in for Spanish no1, then he went wayward at somepoint.

 

[London Irish]

It’s two critical game-changing errors in 5 days, I’m really not sure what more evidence people need. And it’s not as if it’s the first time it’s happened this season so far either.

Getting the team to 6th place last season, it baffles me what Steele is doing wrong to deserve this

 

[rippleman]

I’d sign De Gea … as I’m not sure either Bart or Jason are genuine top 10 GKs … Bart can develop, but under Roberto hmmm playing out like we do, it’s just going to undermine his confidence.

De Gea if confident could return to his best, but (again) under the demands of Roberto his sweeper ability would be laid bare…

However, if I had to pick from our two… it’d be Jason.

Sorry but De Gea was a total disaster when Man Utd tried to do "fannying about at the back". He was totally incapable. I dread to think of the horrors which would ensue if we signed De Gea to play DeZerbi-ball