Gavin Bazunu

[Whitey Grandad]

4 hours ago, Sheaf Saint said:

Oh Whitey, how many times do you need to have it explained to you that they are not 'randomly' generated, and xG is not just some bloke watching video replays and plucking a number out of thin air.

The best stat to measure goalkeeper performance is post shot expected goals (PSxG) vs goals conceded. PSxG is calculated by assessing loads of different factors like shot distance, angle, power, curl, and keeper position, and then compared against a massive historical database. It's more accurate than ordinary xG because it doesn't take into account the multitude of factors leading to the creation of the chance and instead focuses solely on those after it's been hit.

For two seasons in a row, our Gav was bottom of the table for PSxG vs GA, and by some considerable margin each time. This completely supports the evidence of my own eyes, which is that he is a very poor shotstopper who rarely saves anything that isn't straight at him.

But if you want to believe that he's just the very unfortunate victim of some completely made up stats - coincidentally two seasons in a row (what are the chances!) then you carry on.

Oh but that's exactly what they are. It's a computer algorithm, and one based one based on very limited input data. The variance in output results is frightening. This is not a case of some team of experts analysing every nuance. 

[Whitey Grandad]

3 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Watford away was pretty feeble

Wasn't that Ramsdale?

[Whitey Grandad]

2 hours ago, egg said:

Ha! It's a shame you missed the semis and the final. You'd have seen performances from McCarthy that Baz wouldn't have put in. 

McCarthy was nothing special in those games.

[Whitey Grandad]

1 hour ago, S-Clarke said:

It's not about the howlers, I've said that. He's a strange keeper in that you cannot name a huge amount of howlers he makes (but he has made some), but on the flip side you can't really name any match winning or game saving saves he makes.

As others have said, from a pure spectator POV and not on stats, you are often sat there after a goal went in and wondering ''should he have got to that?' - for one or two, yeah...debatable, but when pretty much every goal leads to those questions then you've really got to believe your gut. There's something not right there.

The stats just backup what we've all seen to be honest. He lets in goals he should saved, not howlers per say, but a decent/capable keeper would probably pull of a 'great save' to keep it out. He doesn't seem capable of 'great saves', which is why he'll never really amount to much and why he shouldn't be front and centre for a promotion bid in any uncertain terms.

There you go again. Trust your own eyes. Not some random number generating alorithm.

[egg]

6 hours ago, Whitey Grandad said:

McCarthy was nothing special in those games.

I never claimed he was special. He did better than Baz would have done though and we got the results we needed.

At the end of the day, neither Baz or McCarthy are good enough, but there's no denying that Baz getting injured in the push to promotion was a blessing. 

[notnowcato]

22 minutes ago, egg said:

I never claimed he was special. He did better than Baz would have done though and we got the results we needed.

At the end of the day, neither Baz or McCarthy are good enough, but there's no denying that Baz getting injured in the push to promotion was a blessing. 

Thanked my lucky stars when that 5th went in v Leicester. What a blessing I thought. 

[AlexLaw76]

7 minutes ago, notnowcato said:

Thanked my lucky stars when that 5th went in v Leicester. What a blessing I thought. 

Felt the same as when the 5th went in at Sunderland?

[egg]

23 minutes ago, notnowcato said:

Thanked my lucky stars when that 5th went in v Leicester. What a blessing I thought. 

Baz would have kept one of his famous clean sheets, and added a load of world class saves to his highlights reel. Or something.

 

[goodymatt]

 

[Greenridge]

1 minute ago, goodymatt said:

 

He doesn't sound convinced...

[trousers]

13 minutes ago, goodymatt said:

 

Hmm... Still is very good at beating about the bush, isn't he...? My fence-sitting crown could be in jeopardy here...

Edited Tuesday at 09:58 by trousers

[AlexLaw76]

10 minutes ago, goodymatt said:

 

Very different from the backing received from the manager 2 years ago

[trousers]

2 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Very different from the backing received from the manager 2 years ago

You mean he's no longer the best keeper in the division....?

[Holmes_and_Watson]

40 minutes ago, goodymatt said:

 

 

39 minutes ago, Greenridge said:

He doesn't sound convinced...

No, he certainly doesn't.

"I've not seen any calamities since I joined, but he's statistically the worst keeper in his last 2 Saints seasons. The club seem incredibly, obsessively, keen to start with him, but I'm hoping the guy we bring in as third choice, will be a.miracle worker. It's a specialist role, but I no longer trust my 'keeper coach telling me, we'll be fine with Baz."

[Chez]

43 minutes ago, goodymatt said:

 

Does "check for numbers" suggest more that we only really have two senior keepers, so probably now need to get a third (choice) in rather than a new number 1? 

[saintant]

30 minutes ago, trousers said:

You mean he's no longer the best keeper in the division....?

If he's no longer the worst keeper in the division he'll have made progress 🙂

[Chez]

6 minutes ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

The club seem incredibly, obsessively, keen to start with him

The manager decides who starts. But Will Still doesn't exactly have a lot of choice. I don't want to get into Ramsdale's departure here, but obviously there were financial reasons. What is now the option? Unless there is interest from somewhere to take Baz off our hands (he only went last time because his former coach at City was at Standard Leige), are we really going to add another high earner to the goalkeeping department? If McCarthy wasn't on the books, you could bring in another and push Baz down to reserve, but not sure we can have three here in the championship. 

[saintant]

2 minutes ago, Chez said:

The manager decides who starts. But Will Still doesn't exactly have a lot of choice. I don't want to get into Ramsdale's departure here, but obviously there were financial reasons. What is now the option? Unless there is interest from somewhere to take Baz off our hands (he only went last time because his former coach at City was at Standard Leige), are we really going to add another high earner to the goalkeeping department? If McCarthy wasn't on the books, you could bring in another and push Baz down to reserve, but not sure we can have three here in the championship. 

Yeah, Will Still has to be a bit diplomatic here. It looks increasingly like he's got Baz as his number one whether he likes it or not so he's no choice but to come out and give him some sort of positive endorsement. Not sure he's all in on Baz though and he'll have done plenty of his own research on him.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

11 minutes ago, Chez said:

Does "check for numbers" suggest more that we only really have two senior keepers, so probably now need to get a third (choice) in rather than a new number 1? 

Yeah. If Baz keeps his form, he'll play. If he doesn't, he'll need competition. But that doesn't seem to be McCarthy. Despite the last time we played McCarthy resulted in a noticeable improvement over Baz. The numbers may also indicate how much we're willing to pay.

So, SR might want a third choice keepers wages, despite him automatically being considered as better than our second choice, and needing to compete as first choice. 🙂

[Holmes_and_Watson]

6 minutes ago, Chez said:

The manager decides who starts. But Will Still doesn't exactly have a lot of choice. I don't want to get into Ramsdale's departure here, but obviously there were financial reasons. What is now the option? Unless there is interest from somewhere to take Baz off our hands (he only went last time because his former coach at City was at Standard Leige), are we really going to add another high earner to the goalkeeping department? If McCarthy wasn't on the books, you could bring in another and push Baz down to reserve, but not sure we can have three here in the championship. 

 

1 minute ago, saintant said:

Yeah, Will Still has to be a bit diplomatic here. It looks increasingly like he's got Baz as his number one whether he likes it or not so he's no choice but to come out and give him some sort of positive endorsement. Not sure he's all in on Baz though and he'll have done plenty of his own research on him.

Yup. Still picks the side. But only from what SR have, and are willing to, give him.

Behind the scenes, managers know full well the club expectations, and status of certain players. From players not starting because the club wants them fit for an upcoming transfer to being told that they expect certain players to be massively valuable in the future.

[Whitey Grandad]

1 hour ago, Greenridge said:

He doesn't sound convinced...

I don't think any of us are.

[S-Clarke]

2 hours ago, Chez said:

Does "check for numbers" suggest more that we only really have two senior keepers, so probably now need to get a third (choice) in rather than a new number 1? 

We've lost Lumley and Ramsdale so far, so almost certainly we'll bring another in. I don't see it as third choice, second choice or 1st. Just target a good goalkeeper and then let him battle it out with Bazunu.

McCarthy is fully squad keeper for me, emergency cover if required. It's about the competition for Bazunu, genuine - not just squad fodder.

[SWLondon Saint]

5 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Very different from the backing received from the manager 2 years ago

This is the thing that gives me some confidence in what's going on at least. Part of the reason Martin was so infuriating was that he had his favourites and they could basically do no wrong - Baz among them. Still says if he keeps performing as he has done so far, he'll be fine, otherwise he'll be on the bench. Very different.

Also I think Still has a different GK coach now compared to the last 2 seasons, who he hopefully trusts.

[pimpin4rizeal]

Johansson is available to leave stoke, this is such a obvious upgrade that 90 percent of fans would probably agree on .. why gamble on bazunu after he’s been one of the worst shot stoppers in the divisions for last three years ..? 

[Badger]

4 hours ago, SWLondon Saint said:

Still says if he keeps performing as he has done so far, he'll be fine, otherwise he'll be on the bench. Very different.

Also I think Still has a different GK coach now compared to the last 2 seasons, who he hopefully trusts.

That might also depend on who we have to replace him.

The GK coach is an interesting one. Wonder if he can rapidly detect Bazunu’s limitations from a few weeks training drills,or will he need to witness the kind of regular feeble dismays that we did two years ago ? 

[Badger]

2 hours ago, pimpin4rizeal said:

Johansson is available to leave stoke, this is such a obvious upgrade that 90 percent of fans would probably agree on .. why gamble on bazunu after he’s been one of the worst shot stoppers in the divisions for last three years ..? 

Stands out like a proverbial dogs bollocks. But probably not to our recruitment team. 

[Weston Super Saint]

16 minutes ago, Badger said:

That might also depend on who we have to replace him.

The GK coach is an interesting one. Wonder if he can rapidly detect Bazunu’s limitations from a few weeks training drills,or will he need to witness the kind of regular feeble dismays that we did two years ago ? 

Could he not watch the recordings?  Comedy gold some of those.

[gio1saints]

The Will Still comments on Gavin are NOT a glowing endorsement. They’re the kind of comment you would make if you did not want to say anything bad but do not have much on the upside. 
 

Because they are NOT a glowing endorsement either Will Still does not do glowing endorsements ( he does- see Sesay) or he is of the school if you not got anything good to say say nothing(much). 

Referencing recent matches as “ proof” does not fool anyone either. Gav made maybe 3 saves let 3 in was it? It’s not proof it’s a figleaf to enable us to suspend disbelief until he finally sorts out this goalie position. 

Seems to me Still plays his cards close to his chest , is potentially effing ruthless and his heart is most definitely not on his sleeve. It’s in his head. Good. Gav will start Wrexham but will Gav still start by windows end if he lets in a bad one or two ? Because most pundits would agree Johannesson is certainly >or better than GB. 

[hypochondriac]

16 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

The Will Still comments on Gavin are NOT a glowing endorsement. They’re the kind of comment you would make if you did not want to say anything bad but do not have much on the upside. 
 

Because they are NOT a glowing endorsement either Will Still does not do glowing endorsements ( he does- see Sesay) or he is of the school if you not got anything good to say say nothing(much). 

Referencing recent matches as “ proof” does not fool anyone either. Gav made maybe 3 saves let 3 in was it? It’s not proof it’s a figleaf to enable us to suspend disbelief until he finally sorts out this goalie position. 

Seems to me Still plays his cards close to his chest , is potentially effing ruthless and his heart is most definitely not on his sleeve. It’s in his head. Good. Gav will start Wrexham but will Gav still start by windows end if he lets in a bad one or two ? Because most pundits would agree Johannesson is certainly >or better than GB. 

Nah. He's probably being diplomatic depending on what sort of other keeper we get. If we don't get a first choice then Bazunu is the one for the season but if we do he hasn't guaranteed anything. I'd hope that what he's said about Bazunu is the same for everyone in the squad - no one has a place set in stone and has to keep performing to stay in the team. 

[Gloucester Saint]

12 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Nah. He's probably being diplomatic depending on what sort of other keeper we get. If we don't get a first choice then Bazunu is the one for the season but if we do he hasn't guaranteed anything. I'd hope that what he's said about Bazunu is the same for everyone in the squad - no one has a place set in stone and has to keep performing to stay in the team. 

I’m somewhere in between you and Gio in that I think he’s saying ‘no crisp packet wrists in the first 3 games or we will need to bring genuine competition in. We’ve got a new keeping coach and we are giving you better development that you had 22-24 but no excuses’

Edited Tuesday at 20:19 by Gloucester Saint

[Oisin]

Excellent stuff today - save at 0-1 ultimately earned us 3 points. Plus it was low to his left!!!

Maybe there’s hope for him (and us) yet!

[Gloucester Saint]

Key for Gavin is to keep it going - match winning save today, not lots of work to do but solid with what he did have. It was a decent penalty but something to improve with the positioning. 

[saintant]

Kudos to the Chef 🙂

[CamSaint]

35 minutes ago, Oisin said:

Excellent stuff today - save at 0-1 ultimately earned us 3 points. Plus it was low to his left!!!

Indeed it was, but it only goes to highlight the fine margins between success and failure.

He got just enough on the ball to divert it round the post. Slightly less power on the deflection and it would have crept inside the post and once again he'd have been vilified on here as the worst keeper in the universe and those hilarious 'crisp packet wrists' quotes would have been back with a vengeance.

I am not a particular fan of Baz but there is no denying that he has played well in pre-season and has continued that form today. Having said that, I do hope that we will get another keeper in who will challenge Baz for the shirt. That should keep him really focused on maintaining this form and if he doesn't, we would have a competent alternative to take over.

[Harry_SFC]

1 minute ago, CamSaint said:

Indeed it was, but it only goes to highlight the fine margins between success and failure.

He got just enough on the ball to divert it round the post. Slightly less power on the deflection and it would have crept inside the post and once again he'd have been vilified on here as the worst keeper in the universe and those hilarious 'crisp packet wrists' quotes would have been back with a vengeance.

I am not a particular fan of Baz but there is no denying that he has played well in pre-season and has continued that form today. Having said that, I do hope that we will get another keeper in who will challenge Baz for the shirt. That should keep him really focused on maintaining this form and if he doesn't, we would have a competent alternative to take over.

I agree. Not a massive fan but he's still very young for a keeper and certainly has some good attributes. Whilst I acknowledge his save ratio is poor, the abuse he's received to date is OTT in my opinion.

[S-Clarke]

2 hours ago, CamSaint said:

Indeed it was, but it only goes to highlight the fine margins between success and failure.

He got just enough on the ball to divert it round the post. Slightly less power on the deflection and it would have crept inside the post and once again he'd have been vilified on here as the worst keeper in the universe and those hilarious 'crisp packet wrists' quotes would have been back with a vengeance.

I am not a particular fan of Baz but there is no denying that he has played well in pre-season and has continued that form today. Having said that, I do hope that we will get another keeper in who will challenge Baz for the shirt. That should keep him really focused on maintaining this form and if he doesn't, we would have a competent alternative to take over.

Yes, this is a good post. It really did highlight the fine margins.

I'm pleased for him that it fell his way though, it's weird to say that a save in the 85th min with us 1-0 down contributed to us winning the game. It was a big moment though!

Like you say, I hope the keeper we bring in is more than just squad fodder. We need someone to pressure him and be good enough to step in. 

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

4 hours ago, Oisin said:

Excellent stuff today - save at 0-1 ultimately earned us 3 points. Plus it was low to his left!!!

Maybe there’s hope for him (and us) yet!

And when they had their penalty, I said to my son, they'll have done their homework and his weak side is his left, so he should dive to his left - and he would probably have saved that penalty too!

Ball distribution again good and he's now got choices to play it long or short. And it's one thing to do a confidence making save, it's another to do one that saves us the game and from there we get three points. Thanks Baz!

[Maggie May]

On 25/07/2025 at 06:13, Maggie May said:

Bazunu is going to be a revelation this year. 

👀

[Turkish]

6 hours ago, saintant said:

Kudos to the Chef 🙂

Best get ordering those chefs hats  the Chef is cookin 🧑‍🍳🧑‍🍳🧑‍🍳🧑‍🍳

Edited 18 hours ago by Turkish

[Gloucester Saint]

17 minutes ago, Maggie May said:

👀

Gavin had a good game today, very good, and the late save was as ultimately match winning as Manning’s free kick or Jack’s late winner.

One swallow doesn’t make a summer but it’s a good foundation for him to build from. He will still make mistakes as all keepers do but the key is that we see continued progress in the basics going forward and a growing sense of security and presence.

Another keeper to push him along such as Ryan would help too. McCarthy is not as good as he was in 23/24. 

[SaintBobby]

He was excellent today. Very good with the ball at his feet too. I'm content that he's our default No 1 keeper for the season.

[Turkish]

17 hours ago, Oisin said:

Excellent stuff today - save at 0-1 ultimately earned us 3 points. Plus it was low to his left!!!

Maybe there’s hope for him (and us) yet!

It was a fricking awesome hand denial. He’s going to be a great goal minder 

[Lord Duckhunter]

11 hours ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Gavin had a good game today, very good, and the late save was as ultimately match winning as Manning’s free kick or Jack’s late winner.

What about Jacks last ditch tackle, without that it would have been 2 nil when Baz made his wonder “match winning save”. 
 

Baz made a save, well done, finally. But let’s not go overboard. He contributed to the win with a good save, but Manning won the game for us…

He had 2 things to do, one he didn’t very well, and the other was picking the ball out the net. The fact people are going overboard about one decent save, shows how fucking pony he’s been from day 1. 

[Gloucester Saint]

Just now, Lord Duckhunter said:

What about Jacks last ditch tackle, without that it would have been 2 nil when Baz made his wonder “match winning save”. 
 

Baz made a save, well done, finally. But let’s not go overboard. He contributed to the win with a good save, but Manning won the game for us…

He had 2 things to do, one he didn’t very well, and the other was picking the ball out the net. The fact people are going overboard about one decent save, shows how fucking pony he’s been from day 1. 

I’m no fan of his, you’ll know that and I’ve clashed with Lighthouse about him, but I hope he kicks on now and shows the basics for the next 4-6 games and builds from there. I said I would give credit when it was due and I have.

Would still be criminal not to bring in genuine competition this month though.

And yes, some of the pro-Bazunu posting and crowing from a small minority is OTT and the gloating very immature. It is one game, Kelvin, Boruc, Antti, Timmy, Shilts - they did it for whole seasons and years. Shows how standards and expectations at the club need re-setting and raising. 

[Weston Super Saint]

I hope he's practiced the basics all summer - positioning, shot stopping, being a goalkeeper - rather than the passing practice he did previously.

Get those right and he may be a better player than the last time we were in the Championship.

[Whitey Grandad]

He has a lot to work on.  I felt that his positioning was a bit lopsided at times but hopefully that fame will have done his confidence some good. 

[James]

1 hour ago, Whitey Grandad said:

He has a lot to work on.  I felt that his positioning was a bit lopsided at times but hopefully that fame will have done his confidence some good. 

Agree about positioning. I thought that contributed to him not saving the penalty. Did the hard part and guessed right and seemed to be a full stretch but didn’t really cover that side of the goal. Struck me that his starting position was too far over. 

[Badger]

23 hours ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Key for Gavin is to keep it going - match winning save today, not lots of work to do but solid with what he did have. It was a decent penalty but something to improve with the positioning. 

We questioned his attempt at the penalty at the time, . The odds are always stacked in favour of the penalty taker but he seemed a bit slow to get down to it. Perhaps harsh.

No denying his late save though, important stop. Hope he builds on it.

Not convinced despite yesterday’s performance. He’s no Hannah Hampton ! 

[Lord Duckhunter]

8 minutes ago, James said:

Agree about positioning. I thought that contributed to him not saving the penalty. Did the hard part and guessed right and seemed to be a full stretch but didn’t really cover that side of the goal. Struck me that his starting position was too far over. 

My son in law is a GK coach at an academy, he’s a fan of Baz and reckons I’m too harsh on him. However, he’s pointed something  out, reckons he wasn’t set correctly as Windas struck the ball. He’d just come down from a little bounce and also his feet were too square, because of this he couldn’t get a strong take off from his standing foot. If you watch keepers now they seem to leave one foot behind the line and dive out and push off that foot hard. Having gone the right way and where the ball went in (not in corner), he thinks he’ll be disappointed he didn’t get anything on it. Obviously our coaching staff will be looking at the video and they may come to the same conclusion…….

[Midfield_General]

5 hours ago, Turkish said:

It was a fricking awesome hand denial. He’s going to be a great goal minder 

'Custodian'. Shoot magazine always used to call goalies 'custodians', but you never hear them called that any more, do you? 

I'm bringing it back. 

Custodian.