[Albion] Steele and Webster

[Baldseagull]

I think a lot of fans think it's enough for a keeper to only save the expected... if it's a decent finish against them, 'fair enough, not a lot he could have done about that one'.

No, that's absolutely the wrong way to see things at this level. Premier League keepers need to be expected to make incredible saves. They're not going to save every great finish - but they should be expected to save at least some of them. It's literally the difference between success and failure.

Having a quality shot stopper in goal is SO IMPORTANT at this level, where shots are so often so precise and clinical.

You may not have noticed, but for our keeper, it is SO IMPORTANT to be able to play with your feet, would have been great if Sanchez had been willing to stick around and develop that ability more, but he wasn't.

 

[albionalex]

Not sure I agree with that last sentence. It’s nice when a keeper makes no-right-to-save-that type of save. It’s as good as scoring a goal. Sanchez made one the other night and also in the FA Cup semi when he kept out Rashford’s deflected shot.

And how is Sanchez's play with the ball at his feet?

 

[Mustafa II]

You may not have noticed, but for our keeper, it is SO IMPORTANT to be able to play with your feet, would have been great if Sanchez had been willing to stick around and develop that ability more, but he wasn't.

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.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

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.

That’s the first I’ve heard of causation between possession stats and probability a goalkeeper should make saves. I’m going to suggest there is no such thing.

 

[albionalex]

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.

I am pretty sure come the end of the season Bart will have established himself.

But I would be shocked if he starts every game going forward.

 

[Robinjakarta]

For poor performances you can add Ferguson. Did nothing of note.

Yep. And Mitoma, Welbeck, March, Gilmour and so on. One of those days. It happens, especially at Villa Park. Well done, Emery, Watkins and special mention for Attwell and his contributions in keeping the score up. However, we played badly as a team, and with so many poor performances, we were never going to get anything out of that match. It's easy to come on here and be an Internet football manager, and I don't know any more than anyone else here whether RDZ got things wrong. With so many having off days, none of us knows how it would have ended up if we'd played anything like what we're capable of.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

That’s the first I’ve heard of causation between possession stats and probability a goalkeeper should make saves. I’m going to suggest there is no such thing.

I'm not making that link, so don't worry. But they're is a correlation between possession and number of shots.

Would you agree that scoring the first goal is important in games where teams sit back against us? So it follows that if our keeper can pull off a worldie preventing the other team scoring first, that might have a very important bearing on the game?

 

[Baldseagull]

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.

I suspect you are wrong about that, you will be seeing plenty of Steele.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I'm not making that link, so don't worry. However, would you agree that scoring the first goal is important in games where teams sit back against us? So it follows that if our keeper can pull off a worldie preventing the other team scoring first, that might have a very important bearing on the game?

Definitely. Even better would be one of the outfield players scoring a first minute hat trick.

 

[Mustafa II]

I suspect you are wrong about that, you will be seeing plenty of Steele.

Rotating keepers is not a good idea, the defence needs consistency. I think we can all be certain RDZ will not continue doing it for much longer, if at all.

I suspect RDZ wanted Bart to watch more games first - to get a better understanding of what to do in possession.

I pray to God RDZ feels he is ready, as Steele will cost us too many points.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Definitely. Even better would be one of the outfield players scoring a first minute hat trick.

Now you're just being silly

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I suspect you are wrong about that, you will be seeing plenty of Steele.

You're probably right. It doesn't really make much sense though

Bart is very good with his feet. So he immediately nullifies Steeles skills, begging the question why not play him more?

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Rotating keepers is not a good idea, the defence needs consistency. I think we can all be certain RDZ will not continue doing it for much longer, if at all.

I suspect RDZ wanted Bart to watch more games first - to get a better understanding of what to do in possession.

I pray to God RDZ feels he is ready, as Steele will cost us too many points.

Costing us points isn't the issue, he doesn't really make mistakes to my memory. What Steele doesn't do is WIN us points, but i hope that Bart can do that

 

[CaptainDaveUK]

Steele was clearly not the reason for the defeat. I’m not sure blame would be right for RDZ either. If we back his style of play it encompasses days like today alongside the good days. Everton last year. Villa this year.

Let me be clear, I do back his style of play, but today the way we set up from the off with Welbeck and Ferguson up front is the reason we lost, so that’s on RDZ not individual players. Genuinely think we could have played that line up / formation ten times and we’d lose quite a few more than we’d win. So today, if we’re proportioning blame it’s RDZ 80% Players 20%

 

[Farehamseagull]

I’m going to anyway.


seriously, what is the benefit of a thread like this?

every single one of them was shit, and it all stems from the crappy set up.

All on RDZ this one, not Steele, nor Webster.

This. Surely it’s not a day to criticise any individual players when the whole unit was so abysmal.

All on RDZ today as the man himself said.

 

[Baldseagull]

Rotating keepers is not a good idea, the defence needs consistency. I think we can all be certain RDZ will not continue doing it for much longer, if at all.

I suspect RDZ wanted Bart to watch more games first - to get a better understanding of what to do in possession.

I pray to God RDZ feels he is ready, as Steele will cost us too many points.

No points were dropped because of Steele today, and Verbruggen was in goal for the other 3 points dropped in the league.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Let me be clear, I do back his style of play, but today the way we set up from the off with Welbeck and Ferguson up front is the reason we lost, so that’s on RDZ not individual players. Genuinely think we could have played that line up / formation ten times and we’d lose quite a few more than we’d win. So today, if we’re proportioning blame it’s RDZ 80% Players 20%

I agree about Welbeck and Ferguson. And tbf to RDZ he did take the responsibility, which is your point.

 

[Weststander]

It’s the system/starting line ups.

We’ve got away in many games starting two light weight/slow technicians as our CM. Whilst opponents, even Plucky, swamp us with three powerhouses.

At this stage we’ve definitely not replaced the bite, nouse and power of Biss/Mwepu/MacA/Caicedo.

Defensively; duos of variously Gross, Gilmour and Milmour couldn’t lace their boots. They lack the power and pace required for that role. Each game doing that is a roll of the dice. Dyche, Emery and the AEK coach were elated in seeing a CM with no power.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

What about Dunk? He was awful today, Or estupinian, who was awful today. Or veltman.....

Yes agreed, pointless blaming just a couple of individuals, it was a collective thrashing, all eleven players were culpable.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

It’s the system/starting line ups.

We’ve got away in many games in starting two light weight/slow technicians as our CM. Whilst opponents, even Plucky, swamp us with three powerhouses.

At this stage we’ve definitely not replaced the bite, nouse and power of Biss/Mwepu/MacA/Caicedo.

Defensively; duos of variously Gross, Gilmour and Milmour couldn’t lace their boots. They lack the power and pace required for that role. Each game doing that is a roll of the dice. Dyche, Emery and the AEK coach were elated in seeing a CM with no power.

Hard to argue with what you say.