Whitey Grandad

Perhaps he knows where the greatest danger lies?

I can neither confirm nor deny that I used to do this when I was an active referee.

Because the 'stats' are meaningless.

This is the nub of it. The ball is simply getting too close to our goal and relying on any goalkeeper to keep out every shot is unrealistic no matter how good we might think they are. A good defence starts a lot higher up the pitch.

Too many cooks.

Stats 🤣

Kelvin wasn't all that great. But yes, in today's circumstances I don't believe that we are able to buy and pay the wages of a goalkeeper significantly better than those we already have. If we could, we would see Ramsdale between the posts. Let me put it another way. If your aim is to reduce the number of goals that we conceded where would our efforts be best rewarded? Cutting out the unopposed crosses and shots at source or recruiting a better keeper in the hope that he might save a couple more than either Gavin or Alex? It's our defensive shape and intensity that is the bigger problem.

Those figures are generated by a computer game.

Exactly. That was then and this is now.

And where is he now?

As I have said elsewhere, this tactic is now standard especially in the Premier League and only strong refereeing will stamp it out. Doe it happen as much in other leagues? Internationals?

That has become a common corner tactic at all levels of the game.

If anyone is expecting us to sign a much better goalkeeper whilst we are in the Championship then they are going to be disappointed. We are no longer dining at the top table. There are reasons why even a moderately talented goalkeeper like Ramsdale was loaned out to a Premier League team.

Their second? Have a look at it again and then try and say that he should have claimed it. He absolutely couldn't. You usually make some good points but this isn't one of them.

The Vincibles

We sacked him because we were declining.

Not liabilities but we really need better.

But then there shots wouldn't have gone where they did. They don't come in at random.

He falls over a lot. He's not good to us lying on the ground. There's an old football saying, "Stay on your feet"

Very sad indeed. Some things are far more important than football.

Meh New manager bounce, surely

We disagree.

What was Stephens thinking with that back header?

You're going out of your way to find criticism here. The third goal was through Manning's legs and looked to have been deflected off the inside of his left boot. That wax neot an "attempt to scoop it over" To find fault with any goalkeeper for that second is beyond churlish. A goalkeeper might save the first but that's not very likely. Why don't you find fault with the big gaping hole in our defence that allows their player to run into our box unchallenged and drill the ball into the far corner?

Ii would argue (and often have) that he is about average for this level. I've seen a lot worse this evening in the Premier League and to be honest none of the goalkeepers that we have faced of late has been better.