[Albion] Steele and Webster

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Baldseagull

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2012
11,000
Crawley
You're probably right. It doesn't really make much sense though :shrug:

Bart is very good with his feet. So he immediately nullifies Steeles skills, begging the question why not play him more?
Only if you think he is a better shot stopper than Steele, I don't know that he is, if neither one is a clear improvement over the other, the only argument is whether rotation itself is a problem.
 








nwgull

Well-known member
Jul 25, 2003
13,899
Manchester
Only if you think he is a better shot stopper than Steele, I don't know that he is, if neither one is a clear improvement over the other, the only argument is whether rotation itself is a problem.
This is my main issue. I don’t make a secret of the fact that I think Steele’s keeping isn’t good enough for this level, but if RDZ thinks he’s our best keeper then I won’t argue. What I do strongly disagree with is constant rotation and can’t help but think that it buggers up defensive organisation playing with a different keeper every game.
 


Cowfold Seagull

Fan of the 17 bus
Apr 22, 2009
21,708
Cowfold
Only if you think he is a better shot stopper than Steele, I don't know that he is, if neither one is a clear improvement over the other, the only argument is whether rotation itself is a problem.
We don't know how good Verbruggen is yet, he has only started three games, give him a chance!
 






GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
46,980
Gloucester
I tend to agree with the OP, and I think we also need a bit of consistancy at the back. My preferred back five for an extended run wold be Verbruggen, Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk and Estupinan - although I think maybe Lamptey instead of Pervis for three or four games, to get him up to speed and to give Pervis a bit of time to rest and recover his mojo, which has been missing a bit of late.
 






mothy

Well-known member
Dec 30, 2012
2,138
May as well stick Gross in goal then.

No, we have a perfectly good young keeper in Bart.

Good shot stopper - good with the ball at his feet - and he's only going to get better.

Suspect RDZ will agree with me here, and he will be starting every game going forward.
Did you see Bart last Sunday?
 


One Teddy Maybank

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 4, 2006
21,793
Worthing
I don’t like singling out players but the amount of goals we are conceding needs to be addressed.

Steele might be good with ball at his feet but the amount of shots he concedes as a percentage of shots faced is ridiculous. I can’t think of any truly exceptional saves he’s made this season.

Webster is just out of form, two goals today he failed to block shots and that shoes a defender just a bit off it. Our two league defeats in which we have conceded 8 goals have come with him starting.

Ultimately today comes down to the wrong team selection but that very much includes picking these two.
Then don’t…..

Not one of those defenders covered themselves in glory and 5hat includes Dunk, Pervis and Veltman.
 






Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Jul 23, 2003
34,496
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
I was fairly drunk by the fifth, to be fair :)

But no, i don't think 'its fine' that he just saves the ones he should, because that just ends up with Everton scoring 5, Villa scoring 6, West ham scoring 3 off 20% possession, AEK scoring three the same way. Is it too much to ask for a keeper who can pick one out of the corner?

Our last memory of Sanchez is full length tipping a Rashford shot, bound for the bottom corner, around the post to preserve a clean sheet at Wembley. At least till we saw him keep a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge last week.

I have high hopes for Bart, let's leave it there.
My last memory of Sanchez is him gifting us the ball twice on Wednesday. Had we taken those chances as we should, we’d have beaten Chelsea
 








keaton

Big heart, hot blood and balls. Big balls
Nov 18, 2004
9,700
I think the one positive from today is that Steele will be dropped for the rest of the season.

Think we can all agree - great cup keeper, squad player, back up keeper - but light years from being good enough for a top 6 Premier League team.

Time to go all in with Bart. Give the defence constency - and develop one of our top young players, who is surely already good enough to be our number 1.
Wasn't he good enough for a top 6 PL team last year?
 


sussex_guy2k2

Well-known member
Jun 6, 2014
3,780
Look, I’m not Steele’s biggest fan. He isn’t what I want in a keeper at this level (yes, I know that doesn’t matter for those that disagree, as I’m not the manager) and I think a really good Prem keeper (who knows whether that’s Bart) would’ve saved at least 3 of their goals today.

But he wasn’t the real issue today - the manager was. His team selection was arrogant and showed absolutely no development or understanding of how Villa play.

I love how we play football most of the time, but the best managers adapt at least slightly to the opposition and he shows no sign of doing this.

Until he learns, results like this will continue to happen.
 


dwayne

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
15,143
London
Look, I’m not Steele’s biggest fan. He isn’t what I want in a keeper at this level (yes, I know that doesn’t matter for those that disagree, as I’m not the manager) and I think a really good Prem keeper (who knows whether that’s Bart) would’ve saved at least 3 of their goals today.

But he wasn’t the real issue today - the manager was. His team selection was arrogant and showed absolutely no development or understanding of how Villa play.

I love how we play football most of the time, but the best managers adapt at least slightly to the opposition and he shows no sign of doing this.

Until he learns, results like this will continue to happen.
Yer it's just incredible he's on Madrid's list of that really is true. Emery a far superior manager at the moment.
 








Not Andy Naylor

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2007
8,806
Seven Dials
I agree that Webster was at fault for the first goal and either the fifth or fourth (can’t remember which) but the main blame for the first surely falls on Mitoma, who failed to pick up Cash’s run. Veltman failed to control the ball for the second, the third was a foul, Gilmour gave the ball away before the fourth …

My point is that so many players were just that little bit off their best and they have to be almost flawless to play RDZ’s system properly. I thought Dunk was okay but surrounded by teammates making errors. It happens, and RDZ himself admitted there might be heavy defeats under his system.
 


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