[Albion] Bart Verbruggen SINGS a 5-year deal

[HastingsSeagull]

McGill has always struck me as that high floor, low ceiling type and you could argue that with us, Steele was the same. Ideal number 2 or 3’s. Excellent fundamentals and teacher’s/coach’s pet types.

The very best keepers are the huge, physical beasts who manage to develop those fundamentals plus the ‘x-factor’, but a lot of the promising ones never quite do.

Over simplified but would say we have a mix of both in the youth squads and that’s no bad thing. You also treat them differently for loans or sticking around I expect.

 

[Dr Q]

Forget his ability to stop shots or play the ball out, has he at any time been a soldier in the Dutch Navy?

 

[chaileyjem]

It would be astounding if McGill doesn't go out on loan.

He has less professional appearances than all of Scherpen, Rushworth and even Beadle.

Non-playing indeed.

Its hard to tell the thinking here. Not sure why the club have extended his contract - merely for him to go out on loan but perhaps that is the plan and then they would have to find another #3 . Perhaps they are happy with him performing that role and have extended the contract to continue in that vein next season. Hard to find GKs to do that - given their lack of gametime.

 

[edna krabappel]

Its hard to tell the thinking here. Not sure why the club have extended his contract - merely for him to go out on loan but perhaps that is the plan and then they would have to find another #3 . Perhaps they are happy with him performing that role and have extended the contract to continue in that vein next season. Hard to find GKs to do that - given their lack of gametime.

Exactly this. Never done anything to suggest he's a future #1, but gets on with things without making a fuss, is reasonably reliable and will play the DS games when younger keepers are out on loan, and can sit on the bench in games where the #2 keeper is temporarily promoted, ie cup matches. Every club needs one of those. It's why people like Scott Carson are still on the books of top clubs.

History is full of second or third string keepers who hang around for years, making barely an appearance. McGill appears to have settled for that. Perhaps deep down every keeper like him secretly hopes fate will gift them an appearance one day, in which they will be the star of the show and nail down the number one shirt forever.

 

[edna krabappel]

Not living in Burnley would be a major selling point from our recruitment guys.

I'm not a fan of this kind of argument. One, it's a bit unnecessarily derogatory. Two, it's not like their players actually live in Burnley, is it? They'll all be entrenched in the Cheshire footballer belt, or in barn conversions out in the countryside overlooking the Pennines. Not in some red brick two-up-two-down with an outside toilet, snacking on Betty's hotpot after training and parking the Ferrari in the alley out t'back.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Why do people think Burnley are going to get relegated? I'd be very surprised if they did. They absolutely smashed the championship last year. They had the best defence, the best attack, broke 100 points and only lost three times.

When a team gets promoted comfortably from the championship they more often than not stay up(us and newcastle being prime examples). Burnley didn't get promoted comfortably, they oblitereated the league. They'll be fine.

So them getting relegated shouldn't be a serious consideration for this lad.

In terms of game time with us, there'll be plenty to share round. If it's a 1a/1b situation with him and Steele, you make one the premier league keeper and one the cup keeper.

We have a guaranteed 8 cup games. Provided we finish at least 3rd in our Europa league group we'll be guaranteed another two games and we should be able to win a few games in the domestic cups so I reckon 14/15 games is a realistic number of games for the cup keeper. Potentially they'll get as many as 27(I think...15 in the Europa league and 6 each in the two domestic cups).

So that's one tick in each clubs camp. Maybe it'll come down to wages(which amazingly we might actually win) or how much he wants to work with Kompany again.

 

[Wellesley]

I'm not a fan of this kind of argument. One, it's a bit unnecessarily derogatory. Two, it's not like their players actually live in Burnley, is it? They'll all be entrenched in the Cheshire footballer belt, or in barn conversions out in the countryside overlooking the Pennines. Not in some red brick two-up-two-down with an outside toilet, snacking on Betty's hotpot after training and parking the Ferrari in the alley out t'back.

I don't think it was a serious argument, it was just a light-hearted quip.
Made me smile and I think that was all that was intended.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

I'm not a fan of this kind of argument. One, it's a bit unnecessarily derogatory. Two, it's not like their players actually live in Burnley, is it? They'll all be entrenched in the Cheshire footballer belt, or in barn conversions out in the countryside overlooking the Pennines. Not in some red brick two-up-two-down with an outside toilet, snacking on Betty's hotpot after training and parking the Ferrari in the alley out t'back.

Also, let's not delude ourselves that there are not areas of Brighton (and maybe even Hove) that are complete dumps.

 

[edna krabappel]

Also, let's not delude ourselves that there are not areas of Brighton (and maybe even Hove) that are complete dumps.

Indeed, and I'm willing to bet my life savings that none of our players live in those areas.

 

[nwgull]

I'm not a fan of this kind of argument. One, it's a bit unnecessarily derogatory. Two, it's not like their players actually live in Burnley, is it? They'll all be entrenched in the Cheshire footballer belt, or in barn conversions out in the countryside overlooking the Pennines. Not in some red brick two-up-two-down with an outside toilet, snacking on Betty's hotpot after training and parking the Ferrari in the alley out t'back.

I don't think it was a serious argument, it was just a light-hearted quip.
Made me smile and I think that was all that was intended.

No, I actually thought that Ashley Barnes had left leafy Sussex to live in a 2-bed flat above one of the tanning shops in Burnley town centre.

Joking aside though, I do think that geographical location, and in particular proximity to London, is a factor for foreign players.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

No, I actually thought that Ashley Barnes had left leafy Sussex to live in a 2-bed flat above one of the tanning shops in Burnley town centre.

Joking aside though, I do think that geographical location, and in particular proximity to London, is a factor for foreign players.

I can't remember if it's been discussed on here, but I recall a discussion on one of the radio stations about the impact of a 'northern' club having it's training base in/around London. The thinking being that players are only in/at said 'northern' club once every one or two weeks, so they could effectively be based anywhere. There certainly are plenty of negatives about it, but I wouldn't rule out the likes of one of the bigger teams up there contemplating it in the future...

 

[nwgull]

I can't remember if it's been discussed on here, but I recall a discussion on one of the radio stations about the impact of a 'northern' club having it's training base in/around London. The thinking being that players are only in/at said 'northern' club once every one or two weeks, so they could effectively be based anywhere. There certainly are plenty of negatives about it, but I wouldn't rule out the likes of one of the bigger teams up there contemplating it in the future...

Wasn't it Sunderland??

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Wasn't it Sunderland??

I think there was some talk of that years ago, but this conversation was about back in April or May this year. Like I say, I think it was more a suggestion, rather than a team contemplating it.

 

[albionalex]

Exactly this. Never done anything to suggest he's a future #1, but gets on with things without making a fuss, is reasonably reliable and will play the DS games when younger keepers are out on loan, and can sit on the bench in games where the #2 keeper is temporarily promoted, ie cup matches. Every club needs one of those. It's why people like Scott Carson are still on the books of top clubs.

History is full of second or third string keepers who hang around for years, making barely an appearance. McGill appears to have settled for that. Perhaps deep down every keeper like him secretly hopes fate will gift them an appearance one day, in which they will be the star of the show and nail down the number one shirt forever.

Jason Steele being a great example.

 

[junior]

Not living in Burnley would be a major selling point from our recruitment guys.

You don't have to live in Burnley to play for them.

 

[albionalex]

It would be astounding if McGill doesn't go out on loan.

He has less professional appearances than all of Scherpen, Rushworth and even Beadle.

Non-playing indeed.

There's quite a lot of keepers that spend years without really playing.

Kelleher at Liverpool being an example of one, and he's being linked with moving for a pretty decent fee.

 

[junior]

Exactly this. Never done anything to suggest he's a future #1, but gets on with things without making a fuss, is reasonably reliable and will play the DS games when younger keepers are out on loan, and can sit on the bench in games where the #2 keeper is temporarily promoted, ie cup matches. Every club needs one of those. It's why people like Scott Carson are still on the books of top clubs.

History is full of second or third string keepers who hang around for years, making barely an appearance. McGill appears to have settled for that. Perhaps deep down every keeper like him secretly hopes fate will gift them an appearance one day, in which they will be the star of the show and nail down the number one shirt forever.

Or like me, dream of getting paid lots of money for doing bugger all.

 

[chaileyjem]

There's quite a lot of keepers that spend years without really playing.

Kelleher at Liverpool being an example of one, and he's being linked with moving for a pretty decent fee.

yes. and he's been linked with us FWIW .

 

[Echo the Seagull]

I can't remember if it's been discussed on here, but I recall a discussion on one of the radio stations about the impact of a 'northern' club having it's training base in/around London. The thinking being that players are only in/at said 'northern' club once every one or two weeks, so they could effectively be based anywhere. There certainly are plenty of negatives about it, but I wouldn't rule out the likes of one of the bigger teams up there contemplating it in the future...

Seem to remember somebody saying Lewes have training in London area as the players were based that way
Sure somebody can confirm

 

[BevBHA]

Scherpen + Cash possibly??

I know the old football manager/fifa p/ex don’t happen very often but it would work pretty well for both sides?

Cash plays for Villa