Walton

[clippedgull]

Walton didn't seem fazed by the occasion and is an exciting prospect for sure.

 

[clippedgull]

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[Pogue Mahone]

I read a tweet from Moose from Talk Sport saying he wouldn't be disclosing the injury on air - Stockdale was guest summariser for Talk Sport.

Shaving his nutsack - that was Joe Mattock.

So it was. One of the more impressive excuses for missing a game.

I would love to ring up my work and ask for sick leave because I had a shaving injury around my special place.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Neil Ashton in the Mail makes him motm with 8.5.

Although he gives Dunk the Albion's lowest score (6) so not sure
how much attention it's worth paying to the palace supporting div.

 

[ali jenkins]

He played really well, and at no point did he fill me with the same old worried dread that others have.

I felt, though, that it was a shocking managerial decision to give him his debut in a game where we could, conceivably, have conceded shed loads, not through any particular failing on his part. His confidence could have been shot to pieces.

Was it a shocking decision?

Or was it Sami showing him that he has confidence in him to be able to handle a game like that. Also, why do you assume that if Walton had shipped 8 goals and none of them his fault that his confidence would have been shot to pieces?

I guess its just another reason to have a go at Sami though.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Was it a shocking decision?

Or was it Sami showing him that he has confidence in him to be able to handle a game like that. Also, why do you assume that if Walton had shipped 8 goals and none of them his fault that his confidence would have been shot to pieces?

I guess its just another reason to have a go at Sami though.

Yes, I thought it was a shocking decision.

Any young goalkeeper who concedes eight goals on his debut will have a severe knock to his confidence. This is why it is common practice to nurse young talent, and not just throw them in at the deep end.

Sami won't be here for long. I haven't criticised him before on here, but it's not going to work out for him. He may have been confident that Walton could handle it, but he had no evidence to go on, and it could have gone horribly wrong.

If he was so confident in him, why didn't Walton play against Cheltenham and Burton?

 

[spring hall convert]

Now, the key is here not to jump on the kid's back if he makes a couple of (inevitable) mistakes.

Some chance.

 

[ali jenkins]

Yes, I thought it was a shocking decision.

Any young goalkeeper who concedes eight goals on his debut will have a severe knock to his confidence. This is why it is common practice to nurse young talent, and not just throw them in at the deep end.

Sami won't be here for long. I haven't criticised him before on here, but it's not going to work out for him. He may have been confident that Walton could handle it, but he had no evidence to go on, and it could have gone horribly wrong.

If he was so confident in him, why didn't Walton play against Cheltenham and Burton?

Stockdale is our keeper for all competitions and would have played last night but for injury.

You make a huge assumption on Waltons mental strength there. You are being very unfair on him to suggest that he will not be able to cope with it.

He made a decision and it worked. Can't knock him for that. Walton is the England U20's first choice keeper. He is very highly thought of in the Football world. I am sure that Sami would have talked to him about it and if there was any doubt in either his or Waltons mind then Casper would have got the nod.

By all means, have a go at Sami when things don't work out (even though I think it's pointless) but you can't have a go at him when he makes a decision and it works.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Stockdale is our keeper for all competitions and would have played last night but for injury.

You make a huge assumption on Waltons mental strength there. You are being very unfair on him to suggest that he will not be able to cope with it.

He made a decision and it worked. Can't knock him for that. Walton is the England U20's first choice keeper. He is very highly thought of in the Football world. I am sure that Sami would have talked to him about it and if there was any doubt in either his or Waltons mind then Casper would have got the nod.

By all means, have a go at Sami when things don't work out (even though I think it's pointless) but you can't have a go at him when he makes a decision and it works.

I said that it was a bad decision before the game, and that I hoped Walton would come through relatively unscathed.

I make no assumptions about Walton's mental strength. It is not uncommon for kids (being 18, that is what he still is, pretty much) to find it tough to perform when pushed out in front of the headlights of an onrushing juggernaut. And this can be those same kids who exude confidence and bravado.

That he performed so well pleases me greatly.

And yes, I know Stockdale is the number 1 keeper in all competitions. However, for the simple reason that Walton may be needed in big games like last night, I think that this is a flawed policy. He should have played against Cheltenham and Burton.

 

[Hamilton]

Stockdale is our keeper for all competitions and would have played last night but for injury.

You make a huge assumption on Waltons mental strength there. You are being very unfair on him to suggest that he will not be able to cope with it.

He made a decision and it worked. Can't knock him for that. Walton is the England U20's first choice keeper. He is very highly thought of in the Football world. I am sure that Sami would have talked to him about it and if there was any doubt in either his or Waltons mind then Casper would have got the nod.

By all means, have a go at Sami when things don't work out (even though I think it's pointless) but you can't have a go at him when he makes a decision and it works.

18-year-old gets his first start and concedes a shed load of goals. Looking back on the performance he thinks, 'that was just what I needed.'

I think that if Sami is serious about blooding Walton carefully then there are better ways to do it.

Still, look at the positives. He played well. We like that. Let's focus on that.

 

[edna krabappel]

If he'd played Ankergren last night, I bet there would have been people on here questioning Hyypia for it and suggesting it was a backward looking move.

For what it's worth, I thought Walton had a fairly solid if unspectacular game, collected several crosses early on with apparent confidence. Flapped in no-man's land at one, and there was a cross-shot in the first half which he palmed out for a corner, where I'd maybe have questioned his positioning away from the post. An experienced keeper cops a little flak for those. Distribution clearly a work in progress (he's very, very left footed).

That said: he's only eighteen, and for a goalkeeper in particular, that's incredibly young to be in the first team. Moving from playing with teenagers to grown men is a huge step in such a key position, where you simply can't hide, unlike, say, a winger who can just float out of the game and nobody will notice. I was generally impressed and hopeful for the future. His saves may have been largely routine, but plenty of young keepers at the Albion and elsewhere have let those soft shots beat them early in their careers (Will Packham, anyone?).

So overall, very impressed, and fingers crossed, we've got a good one on our hands.

 

[Hamilton]

If he'd played Ankergren last night, I bet there would have been people on here questioning Hyypia for it and suggesting it was a backward looking move.

For what it's worth, I thought Walton had a fairly solid if unspectacular game, collected several crosses early on with apparent confidence. Flapped in no-man's land at one, and there was a cross-shot in the first half which he palmed out for a corner, where I'd maybe have questioned his positioning away from the post. An experienced keeper cops a little flak for those. Distribution clearly a work in progress (he's very, very left footed).

That said: he's only eighteen, and for a goalkeeper in particular, that's incredibly young to be in the first team. Moving from playing with teenagers to grown men is a huge step in such a key position, where you simply can't hide, unlike, say, a winger who can just float out of the game and nobody will notice. I was generally impressed and hopeful for the future. His saves may have been largely routine, but plenty of young keepers at the Albion and elsewhere have let those soft shots beat them early in their careers (Will Packham, anyone?).

So overall, very impressed, and fingers crossed, we've got a good one on our hands.

Given the amount of work and concentration he had to put into the game, unlike Michel Vorm, he did very well. Agree on your point with regards Casper. I'd have still played Stockdale last night, if only because I think he needs as much game time with us as possible.

 

[The Wizard]

He told seagulls.co.uk, “It is obviously his first game but he has probably been getting words of encouragement from everyone before the match just to settle him down.

“But he comes for his first cross and that speaks volumes. He takes that and straight away you could tell he was confident.

“His decision-making when to come for the ball, and his shot stopping on a slippery surface when the ball is bobbling around, where he was gathering it and keeping it, was excellent, so you couldn’t ask for a better debut from a young keeper.”

Hughes is on the WaltonWagon

 

[dejavuatbtn]

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For those of you who went to John Bishop last night, I did hear that Stockdale didn't do this as a result of showering in first Class on an Emirates flight to Australia.

 

[edna krabappel]

Given the amount of work and concentration he had to put into the game, unlike Michel Vorm, he did very well. Agree on your point with regards Casper. I'd have still played Stockdale last night, if only because I think he needs as much game time with us as possible.

Stockdale was reportedly injured though, so it's not a case of deciding to play him or not. He just wasn't fit (thought I heard he had his finger strapped up). I'm sure he'd have played if he wasn't injured. But happily, we've lost nothing we wouldn't have expected to lose anyway, by playing Walton, and hopefully we'll gain a lot more, as he's already over that huge hurdle of playing his first game.

Having such a young lad in goal can be quite nerve wracking for the fans too, but if he goes on to do well (and I'd assume Stockdale would be back in for Bournemouth, if fit), then everyone will be over the moon, and not just pleased to have Walton there, but very proud too.

 

[Hamilton]

Stockdale was reportedly injured though, so it's not a case of deciding to play him or not. He just wasn't fit (thought I heard he had his finger strapped up). I'm sure he'd have played if he wasn't injured. But happily, we've lost nothing we wouldn't have expected to lose anyway, by playing Walton, and hopefully we'll gain a lot more, as he's already over that huge hurdle of playing his first game.

Having such a young lad in goal can be quite nerve wracking for the fans too, but if he goes on to do well (and I'd assume Stockdale would be back in for Bournemouth, if fit), then everyone will be over the moon, and not just pleased to have Walton there, but very proud too.

True. I'd forgotten the old finger injury.

 

[Mackenzie]

I thought he was exceptional considering the circumstances. We've really got to try and keep hold of him, imagine how good he'll be in 10 years time!

 

[edna krabappel]

I thought he was exceptional considering the circumstances. We've really got to try and keep hold of him, imagine how good he'll be in 10 years time!

More importantly, we need to look after him and back him, as they used to say the same about Alex Smithies at Huddersfield, and he's nowhere near the keeper he promised to be. Playing in goal, especially at a young age- can be a punishing business, and plenty of youngsters have fallen by the wayside after being predicted to be England's future number 1. Look at Richard Wright.

Walton needs everybody's support, regardless of how good he might be, and to be allowed to develop without fear of being over-hyped or having his head turned.

 

[Javeaseagull]

Excellent decision by Sami to play Walton in goal last night. Far from putting him in the shop window it tells the lad he has a chance of first team football with us. It was also better for him to play against Spurs because he didn't face hulking Championship players treading on his feet at corners and blocking him off. The lad played well and knows his manager has faith in him.
This view will be far too positive for some on here, I know, but there you go.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

Excellent decision by Sami to play Walton in goal last night. Far from putting him in the shop window it tells the lad he has a chance of first team football with us. It was also better for him to play against Spurs because he didn't face hulking Championship players treading on his feet at corners and blocking him off. The lad played well and knows his manager has faith in him.
This view will be far too positive for some on here, I know, but there you go.

Incorrect, should have started him 2 months ago and saved £1m