Welshy
Player Valuation: £1m
They won't sell though, they'd just loan him back out again and will probably keep doing it until De Gea leaves. Chelsea loaned Courtois out for about 4 years until they decided they wanted him as no.1.
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They won't sell though, they'd just loan him back out again and will probably keep doing it until De Gea leaves. Chelsea loaned Courtois out for about 4 years until they decided they wanted him as no.1.
rochdaleblue
Player Valuation: £50m
I’d take Henderson on loan then persist with Pickford for another Season.
Papa Shango
Player Valuation: £70m
I don't really agree with this.
Pickford is not saying to himself "Do you know what? I have no competition for my place so I think I will play like a knobhead today, it's not like they can drop me"
He is playing crap because he is not that good.
andy4efc
Player Valuation: £60m
He's always been crap for commanding his box though, smaller keepers generally are (naturally they cant come and collect as easily for crosses).
It's the basic stuff that he's not always been crap at. Something has changed him for sure, I remember the rumours of coming back from the world cup with an inflated ego and Everton not being best pleased, always stuck with me that as it looks blatent sometimes.
If we have to stick with him for now I beg he gets his shot stopping back, that was his strength along with his reactions which are good. He's an OK kicker, not brilliant but probably better than most.
I just wish we had a keeper that could come and collect a cross. Think of how many goals go in around the 6 yard box that could be dealt with? Maybe better defenders solve that idk.
Or, if he had competition he would have been dropped and would be straining every sinew go improve.
Nobody should be unstoppable, but he is due to no competition.
Welshy
Player Valuation: £1m
Exactly it's nonsense and an excuse. Proper players play well and hold themselves to standards, they are playing for their own pride of performance etc. And keepers especially are usually angry if they've made a mistake, not laughing about it.
Southall had Jason Kearton as his 'competition' for years, which was basically the same as having Lossl or Stek. Didn't stop him from putting in consistent performances did it.
Kever10
Player Valuation: £20m
The conundrum with Pickford has been that while he has been poor, he was such an expensive and well publicised purchase, and combined with his England spot, we have found ourselves in a position where he has become undroppable.
As bad as he gets, he is still an expensive asset. The huge discrepancy between him and all of our other goalkeepers, both in stature and value, essentially being journeymen, free transfers and youth keepers, that dropping him for any of those understudies would totally undermine him publicly, potentially ruining his confidence further, and his worth as an asset, and certainly as England's keeper.
The only way he wouldn't play currently, is if he were injured, and the likelihood is, he would return as soon as he was fit again.
As I see it, this leaves us with 2 options.
1. To keep him, you go out and buy another big name for big money, to compete with him and give him competition. Competition that removes the certainty of him being the de facto Number 1.
2. You sell him for whatever you can get for him, try to make as much back on him as possible, or if you're lucky, perhaps a profit (unlikely), and sign another keeper, who is much less of a marquee signing, possibly an older keeper, or another free transfer, someone who is perhaps not world class, but is reliable, dependable and has a calming influence, and have him and Lossl compete for the spot with no media spotlight on the position.
Option 2 would be my choice. It would potentially add more to our transfer pot, and hopefully solve a problem position, and make no mistake, it is a problem position.
At this point, I think it's obvious he will never be the top keeper some people thought he might be when he was conceding 4 a game every week for Sunderland.
As bad as he gets, he is still an expensive asset. The huge discrepancy between him and all of our other goalkeepers, both in stature and value, essentially being journeymen, free transfers and youth keepers, that dropping him for any of those understudies would totally undermine him publicly, potentially ruining his confidence further, and his worth as an asset, and certainly as England's keeper.
The only way he wouldn't play currently, is if he were injured, and the likelihood is, he would return as soon as he was fit again.
As I see it, this leaves us with 2 options.
1. To keep him, you go out and buy another big name for big money, to compete with him and give him competition. Competition that removes the certainty of him being the de facto Number 1.
2. You sell him for whatever you can get for him, try to make as much back on him as possible, or if you're lucky, perhaps a profit (unlikely), and sign another keeper, who is much less of a marquee signing, possibly an older keeper, or another free transfer, someone who is perhaps not world class, but is reliable, dependable and has a calming influence, and have him and Lossl compete for the spot with no media spotlight on the position.
Option 2 would be my choice. It would potentially add more to our transfer pot, and hopefully solve a problem position, and make no mistake, it is a problem position.
At this point, I think it's obvious he will never be the top keeper some people thought he might be when he was conceding 4 a game every week for Sunderland.
firefighterblue
Player Valuation: £20m
Seems to be making a mistake every other game which in this league makes a huge difference to the points you get
Teams are on to him now. They put a man on him at corners which due to his size basically takes him out of the game at corners. Although it would help if we put a man on the man taking Pickford out of the game
Papa Shango
Player Valuation: £70m
Doesn't matter how much he tries to improve, if he aint good enough, he aint good enough.
Papa Shango
Player Valuation: £70m
The ego stuff strikes me as nonsense and I find ti really tedious (not from you but in general) loads of people seem to think that they are some kind of psychologist when it comes to this kind of thing.
Again if he did come back with an ego then why would that lead to being crap? "Look how brilliant I am, I will prove it by being rubbish"" it makes no sense.
I just don't think he is good enough, never really have been convinced as he has too many flaws in his game. He can pull off some brilliant saves, all goalkeepers can do that (Some more often than others obviously) but I like a goalie to be a leader on the pitch, a player not to be messed with, the defenders should be scared of getting a telling off from the goalie more than being scared of what he is about to do wrong.
andy4efc
Player Valuation: £60m
As I said it was just a rumour that came back. I think it can be an issue, no player goes out to play poorly, it's nonsense anyone suggesting it. Arrogance and ego can definately play a part in it though, you start believing your own hype and naturally you aren't striving to be at the best level for 90mins. Keepers being in bad form or not being the level is one thing but to be laughing at the mistakes is just pure arrogance.
Im not defending Pickford by the way, I agree he isn't good enough. He's had a fair crack of the whip and he hasn't sorted out the issues in his game. He CAN be a great shot stopper, but even then, is that worth not having any crosses collected? I'd rather have a good shot stopper, who can collect a cross and organise a defence. YES a world beater of a GK helps, but just a solid one with a brain goes a long way. Especially when your defenders can trust him.
The Palace game is a great example. He made an an absolutely worldie of a save from Benteke's header, but that only 'made up' for his howler earlier in the game. Regardless of whether he is good enough, he has been particularly worse this season than his usual level.
I do agree with you, but he was not that bad when he first arrived, (although I was never sold). His performances have dropped off considerably since then.
Given the contract he’s on, we’re stuck with him for a long time. So what do we do?
Can he recover any semblance of form?
Papa Shango
Player Valuation: £70m
The laughing thing...it could quite easily be nervousness or just a weird reaction he naturally has. I have laughed at inopportune times myself, it happens. For me I would say it's something he does to try and calm his team mates down but who knows? Again it's just people trying to assume stuff about his psyche, nobody but he will know why he does what he does.
I used to defend Pickford , and actually rated him when he first arrived (despite always having doubts about him on crosses). I also thought initially that his distribution was good
However lately , I have my heart in my mouth when the ball is heading in his direction. God only knows what it must be like playing as a defender in front of him.
I think that the issue about him laughing about his mistakes is simply a cover / defence mechanism (although it is bloody aggravating). It is his apparent lack of concentration that causes me major concern , and the fact that he never seems to learn from any of his mistakes.
I just hope that he gets his head down and shows some semblance of a return to form
However lately , I have my heart in my mouth when the ball is heading in his direction. God only knows what it must be like playing as a defender in front of him.
I think that the issue about him laughing about his mistakes is simply a cover / defence mechanism (although it is bloody aggravating). It is his apparent lack of concentration that causes me major concern , and the fact that he never seems to learn from any of his mistakes.
I just hope that he gets his head down and shows some semblance of a return to form
andy4efc
Player Valuation: £60m
possibly. I have to admit I do laugh when something goes wrong, so I laugh a lot. It could be put down to frustration I guess but it doesn’t help things really.
a Tough one for us really as for me he’s a mid table keeper, who we need to improve on but we have so many outfield issues to sort as well....
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