[Albion] The Goalkeeping problem since being in the Premier League.

[dwayne]

Apologies another negative thread.

Is it just me or can we not find a half decent goalie since promotion. Why is filling this position so difficult?

Matty Ryan. Short , average shot stopper, poor at crosses, average distribution. Since leaving Brighton career off a cliff.

Robert Sanchez. Good shot stopper. Pretty crap at everything else. Mugged Chelsea off and since... found out there.

Jason Steele. Good distribution, that's it. Serial career failure. Leader in the dressing room so maybe worth the salary for this role.

Verbruggen. Terrible at crosses, distribution nowhere near good enough, so many mistakes this season leading to goals. Doesn't even seem to save anything anymore . I know he may come good eventually and has a lot of potential but he's painful to watch at the moment. Despite real Madrid interest*

*Don't make me laugh.

 

[Bodian]

Jason Steele. Good distribution, that's it. Serial career failure. Leader in the dressing room so maybe worth the salary for this role.

Really harsh. Steele has not 'failed' here at all. He has been a great, reliable, back-up keeper. Not many teams have a second keeper who can play as well as him. We did some analysis with Han Solo that showed his goals per minute were pretty decent.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I think Bart is fine all things considered. He’s young, learning, only played 66 pro league games including the weird alternating thing last season and plays with an ever changing defense.

He has certainly had some good games as well.

 

[junior]

Bart has become so shit lately that we've recalled the kids from their loans to be options.

 

[Guinness Boy]

If only we had some other keepers knocking around.......

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Bart's drop off over the winter has been very sad.

 

[jackalbion]

Bart's drop off over the winter has been very sad.

Not necessarily symptomatic of just him though, the whole team has dropped.

 

[Normal Rob]

Apologies another negative thread.

Is it just me or can we not find a half decent goalie since promotion. Why is filling this position so difficult?

Matty Ryan. Short , average shot stopper, poor at crosses, average distribution. Since leaving Brighton career off a cliff.

Robert Sanchez. Good shot stopper. Pretty crap at everything else. Mugged Chelsea off and since... found out there.

Jason Steele. Good distribution, that's it. Serial career failure. Leader in the dressing room so maybe worth the salary for this role.

Verbruggen. Terrible at crosses, distribution nowhere near good enough, so many mistakes this season leading to goals. Doesn't even seem to save anything anymore . I know he may come good eventually and has a lot of potential but he's painful to watch at the moment. Despite real Madrid interest*

*Don't make me laugh.

Ignore - this is a parody account.

 

[The Fits]

Problem is we are obsessed with youth. Bart isn’t ready to be a first choice keeper at this level because over a full season what is basically a kid for that position will make a hell of a lot of mistakes. This is the premier league. Countless examples of excellent young gks who were expected to be first choice and constantly made mistakes. And countless examples of teams who get their gk right and over anchieve. Ideally any club wants a gk in their peak. Peak players make less mistakes. They’re more constistent. It’s not rocket science. We don’t need a 9 out of ten one week and then a 4 out of ten for two. We need a 7 every week. Most premier league teams have that and it makes a hell of a lot of difference.
The problem we have is we have three outstanding young gks. None of whom are anywhere near to being consistently reliable first choice gks. But ultimately we have to do something with them. It’s our model that’s the problem here. All are players are financial assets first and foremost and their value doesn’t increase unless they’re playing. But some positions are two important. Just like we wouldn’t drop Welbeck or Dunk for a kid our gk should be priorised for their consistency and experience.
People can always say ‘well he’s young, he’s bound to be inconsistent’ but what the hell is the point of that? If it’s that obvious- if it’s a total given he won’t be consistent - why not replace him with someone who is?
These decisions have direct impact on the pitch. And these decisions put pressure on Fab. Ultimately any manager would want that 7 out of ten player, all over the pitch. Should we not try and make his job as easy as possible for him?

 

[dazzer6666]

Apologies another negative thread.

Is it just me or can we not find a half decent goalie since promotion. Why is filling this position so difficult?

Matty Ryan. Short , average shot stopper, poor at crosses, average distribution. Since leaving Brighton career off a cliff.

Robert Sanchez. Good shot stopper. Pretty crap at everything else. Mugged Chelsea off and since... found out there.

Jason Steele. Good distribution, that's it. Serial career failure. Leader in the dressing room so maybe worth the salary for this role.

Verbruggen. Terrible at crosses, distribution nowhere near good enough, so many mistakes this season leading to goals. Doesn't even seem to save anything anymore . I know he may come good eventually and has a lot of potential but he's painful to watch at the moment. Despite real Madrid interest*

*Don't make me laugh.

Quite a few of us on here would be OK with a serial career failure like Steele.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Not necessarily symptomatic of just him though, the whole team has dropped.

To an extent. But if we played Newcastle away again with the current version of Verbruggen, we'd have been spanked.

Sometimes you need your keeper to bail you out when under the kosh and win you a point or 3.

He did make a couple of good saves at Ipswich, but the kind that you'd have been disappointed if they'd gone in. But he's been poor for a while now.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Bart has become so shit lately that we've recalled the kids from their loans to be options.

We've recalled the kids because Steele is out for a month. Sorry to spoil your negative rant.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Been left out to dry by our defence too often. His distribution is poor but again it's the tactics that do not help. We are far too predictable with everything we do. Options for the keeper are easily cut out.

That said how long since a penalty was saved by one of our keepers (not shoot-outs)?

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Has Maty Ryan's career really gone off a cliff since leaving here#? Ok he hasn't been a regular anywhere other than AZ but he has played in all 3 European competitions since leaving us. He's now at Lens, a side competing for European football again next season, currently just 2 points off of the Champions League places. Oh and he's captain of his country too. Not a bad career really.

We've recalled the kids because Steele is out for a month. Sorry to spoil your negative rant.

Not sure either of our recalled goalkeepers count as kids anymore, especially as both are older than our current first choice keeper.

 

[ROSM]

We had Button and Kruhl too in that mix.

My own opinion is that Verbruggen has the potential to be a great keeper. But he isn't being helped by the system and the relentless focus on short passing out. Steele is in my opinion a better all round keeper at the moment but not the long term better. His performance at Norwich was solid but as the OP said, what he delivers to the team in terms of calm authority isn't bettered at this point in time.

I won't get started ln the sanchez piece again. As for Ryan, I liked him and was a key part of us staying up in our 1st two seasons in the prem

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Problem is we are obsessed with youth. Bart isn’t ready to be a first choice keeper at this level because over a full season what is basically a kid for that position will make a hell of a lot of mistakes. This is the premier league. Countless examples of excellent young gks who were expected to be first choice and constantly made mistakes. And countless examples of teams who get their gk right and over anchieve. Ideally any club wants a gk in their peak. Peak players make less mistakes. They’re more constistent. It’s not rocket science. We don’t need a 9 out of ten one week and then a 4 out of ten for two. We need a 7 every week. Most premier league teams have that and it makes a hell of a lot of difference.
The problem we have is we have three outstanding young gks. None of whom are anywhere near to being consistently reliable first choice gks. But ultimately we have to do something with them. It’s our model that’s the problem here. All are players are financial assets first and foremost and their value doesn’t increase unless they’re playing. But some positions are two important. Just like we wouldn’t drop Welbeck or Dunk for a kid our gk should be priorised for their consistency and experience.
People can always say ‘well he’s young, he’s bound to be inconsistent’ but what the hell is the point of that? If it’s that obvious- if it’s a total given he won’t be consistent - why not replace him with someone who is?
These decisions have direct impact on the pitch. And these decisions put pressure on Fab. Ultimately any manager would want that 7 out of ten player, all over the pitch. Should we not try and make his job as easy as possible for him?

I'd suggest the problem is we are obsessed with distribution aka dicking around at the back. Few keepers (or defences) look comfortable being ordered to do that. I want a keeper that is first and foremost a good shot-stopper. Then one who is good at crosses. Don't give a shit what his distribution is like. One day that particular fad will pass into the dustbin of history. Sooner the better, really

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Not necessarily symptomatic of just him though, the whole team has dropped.

Quite.

 

[Weststander]

Rubbish Jason Steele, central in getting us to Europe. Little wonder the bloke doesn't do social media.

 

[ROSM]

Quite a few of us on here would be OK with a serial career failure like Steele.

We also have a 100% league record with him this season

 

[GT49er]

Apologies another negative thread.

Is it just me or can we not find a half decent goalie since promotion. Why is filling this position so difficult?

Matty Ryan. Short , average shot stopper, poor at crosses, average distribution. Since leaving Brighton career off a cliff.

Robert Sanchez. Good shot stopper. Pretty crap at everything else. Mugged Chelsea off and since... found out there.

Jason Steele. Good distribution, that's it. Serial career failure. Leader in the dressing room so maybe worth the salary for this role.

Verbruggen. Terrible at crosses, distribution nowhere near good enough, so many mistakes this season leading to goals. Doesn't even seem to save anything anymore . I know he may come good eventually and has a lot of potential but he's painful to watch at the moment. Despite real Madrid interest*

*Don't make me laugh.

The fact remains that Robert Sanchez, despite his faults (of which 'crap at everything else' is a very poor and inaccurate analysis!) and despite the vituperation generated by his falling out with the one-time deity who could do no wrong (then anyway) that was RDZ, he is still a better GK than Jason Steele (who is also chronically under-rated by your analysis, by the way) and a better GK than Bart Verbruggen is, at this present time anyway.