SaintsBarry74

Very 0-9-esque defending that.

Lmao.

Lumley was the worst shot stopper in the Championship last season, not Baz-levels of poor stats but in the same category. I feel like our recruitment is just taking the piss.

The issue with Bazunu extends beyond the occasional obvious howler, which is expected from an average keeper from time to time. It's his consistent underperformance over two seasons. Despite this, fans perceive his performance as adequate, when in reality, it's quite poor. The statistics back this up - last season, he was the worst shot stopper in the league, setting a record for worst -xG EVER recorded by a keeper. This season mirrors the last, indicating no improvement. Why not consider playing an outfielder in goal instead? I wish Baz a speedy recover but I count this as a blessing in disguise, despite our poor back-up options.

Up until about a week ago Baz was the worst in the league. Now he's "only" the 2nd worst GK at claiming crosses in the league.

We're the strongest attacking side in the league. I am however a bit surprised by how poor Preston have been.

That's what I've been saying the whole time, he is by no means a goalkeeper, not when taking into consideration the level we're playing. We could have an average shot stopper in goal and fans would be raving about him like he's a new Gianluigi Buffon.

If the miracle does happen and we end up going up, then we're going to need a goalkeeper.

They've only had two shots on goal, clearly they don't know how to play us.

Come on Saints!

Snoozefest

Saving the best for last innit!

Nope not in the last 10 years, I wasn't bothered to look back any further, then again I couldn't find a team with a goal keeper underperforming this much and yet having as many points as we have now, it's quite incredible really. With Bazunu, it's not about blatant howlers, but rather consistent underperformance that has become the norm. Occasionally, when he does make a good save, it's perceived as extraordinary when, in reality, it's more often than not routine for the level of play we're at. Look at Danny Ward last season for Leicester, he was heavily criticized last season. Many Leicester fans would argue that him getting picked for as many games as he was, was a major reason for their relegation. The decision to bench him came late, the damage had already been done and ultimately they were done for. Now, Leicester boasts one of the league's top goalkeepers, acquired for a mere £5m and weekly wage of £10k. It was mentioned earlier that Bazunu transitioned from playing as a right-back to a goalkeeper relatively late in his development. This transition might explain why he appears more like an outfield player in goal. His positioning often seems off, and his approach to the ball lacks the agility expected of a goalkeeper; it's more like falling in the direction he anticipates the ball will come from.

Haha. I trust my toddler to do our recruiting better than this; what a mess! I'm tempted to put on some oven mitts and turn up tomorrow at the training ground for a shot at the goalie position.

In summary, our no1 set a PL record last season for the highest negative xG ever recorded. This season, he's on track to repeat this performance in the Championship, heading towards the lowest xG ever recorded in the league. Furthermore, our backup goalkeeper was the worst performer in the Championship last season, with an xG of -10.1 goals prevented, what is worse is that Baz has already done worse than Lumley and that's with eight games remaining. I know it's insane to say this given the level we're playing and the money involved, but I don't believe it's too late for Baz to change to another position given his age. There's no fucking way this man is a goal keeper, period.

I'm not sure why the academy decided GK was the right fit for Bazunu. Perhaps it's because he lacks pace? Personally, I think he might excel more as a CM or CDM. He's excellent with his feet, but he definitely doesn't seem to possess the basic attributes of a goalkeeper. Combined with Lumley, it's shocking business really. The worst goalies in tier 1 & 2 - you'll never sing that!

Joe Lumley ranked 55th out of 55 in the Championship 22/23. horrid. The worst shot stopper in the league last season. Who the fuck is in charge of our recruitement??

All of this doesn't matter when he's leaking goals out of his arse - he broke the record in PL for most goals let in that should have been saved. Simply put he's consistently the worst shot stopper in the league by a wide margin to the average GK. It's honestly gross neglegience at this point to keep starting him. He's so shit I believe the club is lowering his value by playing him.

Bazunu - Championship 2023/2024 shot stopping (xG), ranked 46 out of 46. Bazunu - Premier League 2022/2023 shot stopping (xG), ranked 39 out of 39. Consistently poor at shot-stopping, this has nothing to do with how good or poor the defense in front of him is. Statistically, any goalkeeper in the league would save more goals in the same situations as Bazunu. To put this in perspective, Rotherham's Viktor Johanson has let in 81 goals this season, which we all can agree is horrendous. Yet, his xG is only -1.1, so statistically, he's only let in one goal more than what's expected. There's a clear pattern here...

"But he's got great distribution" Bottom of every fucking goalkeeping chart there is.

Great rebound, need to keep the pressure. Baz again our weak link, poor at their goal. Need to put in a shift to prevent them from getting a shot past our shit keeper.

Get an average shot stopper in his place and we'll go up automatically. If by some miracle we do gain promotion this season, get an average shot stopper in his place and we'll avoid back-to-back relegation.

Change nothing else but the GK last season and I guarantee you we don't get relegated. xG of -15,7 with the 2nd worse keeper having "only" half of that ffs. Change nothing else but the GK this season and I guarantee you we'd be trailing Leicester on the table right now. We clearly have no problem scoring goals, our major issue is letting in goals we shouldn't be letting in.

Last season he finished with an xG of -15.7, the second worse keeper in the league, Danny Ward (Leicester) finished at -7.5. Now the same pattern continues in the championship, his distrubution is his strength, but as far as shot-stopping goes he's non-league level. If we do gain promotion this season, then I predict we're going right back down the season after if we persist with Baz in goal.