Worst post-Southall regular no.1

[bring back the catt]

I don't know what the problem was tbh. Obviously goalkeeper is challenging in that it's not a position where you can really give minutes to young players off the bench, so any game time tends to come on loan, and I'm a long way from convinced that the PL habit of chucking youngsters out on loan does the first bit of good in terms of preparing them for the first team. It's just quite stark that we signed a lot of keepers who were getting England honours at u19 and u21 level, and not a single one of them did anything for us.

Not as generic as your thread, but more a generalisation
Promoting players from any U23's team to first team is a massive step up in terms of ability and confidence and temperament. Nothing is going to change I know, but pitting one's skills against like players in the same age group,is just that. Players of near equal ability/strength/stamina/experience etc. What it doesn't prepare them for are 'hidden' side of the game by players with more nous.
The Central League, for all it's faults, would see younger players being up against more senior professionals from an earlier age. The step up to first team football wouldn't be such a culture shock and could possibly help in their mental and physical development. It would also assist in bringing along the 'late' developers who were not deemed ready by the age of 23. Leon Osman being a prime case. Streuh, being on the' not wanted' list at 23 could crucify this category of player and I think it is both unfair and unjust.
That said, it could possibly put more off, but those who did succeed in this transition may be more able to cope with the demands of first team football..
As you rightly state, this avenue could help in the development of goalkeepers more than most other positions.

 

[flibbyflob]

Has to be Wright, like Pickford was signed specifically as the main man and flopped miserably. One of the worst signings we made in the last 20 years and there have been numerous of them but at the time he was expensive and was useless.

 

[Gilbert..]

@Gilbert..

Answer yourself.

Lol, i went myhre.
Martyn was quality.

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

Going to apologise here, the term no. 1 might not have been the best characterisation. Take the point a lot of them were never what you might call undisputed first team keepers, often being in competition with others. However they all got regular runs of games which others, like Mucha or Wessels didn't. This is based on my memory, which is flawed. Just a bit of fun to idly pass the time.

Plus I wanted to see if Pickford, and shock horror, Martyn got votes. Who voted Martyn? Bad person, you!

 

[Nymzee]

Lol, i went myhre.
Martyn was quality.

My bad, clicked the wrong M.

Answer yourself @Hariefc

 

[TGW89]

My bad, clicked the wrong M.

Answer yourself @Hariefc

"Free signing" isn't he.... was it the same bloke who said our last derby win was April 2011 and then said J.S after that? Far too many bellwhiffs on here I tell thee.

 

[Cameron Manning]

I tried to make it a dead heat between Paul Gerrard and Richard Wright both terrible goalkeepers, although Richard gave me a load more unintentional laughs, he was funnier than Frank Spencer and more accident prone, Gerrard was well ahead on being useless, he did my bleedin’ head in.

 

[Hariefc]

My bad, clicked the wrong M.

Answer yourself @Hariefc

Obviously meant to click Wright!

 

[chrismpw]

Hang on, who's Evertom?

 

[Cameron Manning]

I will never ever forgive the mcallister free kick. Unbelievable.

Everyone in the ground could see where McCallister was going to put that free kick, after he snidely moved the ball ten yards further than it should have been, except Gerrard.

 

[hktoffee]

Gerrard.

 

[NathDogg]

Who voted for Robles?

I'd swap him for Pickford today.

A proper 'steady eddie' between the sticks.

Basically everybody between Southall and Martyn were absolutely gash.

Martyn was good, Howard was OK and Robles was OK, never had a prolonged run to fully settle.

100% all of this - have Robles over Pickford in a heartbeat.

 

[davids]

I tried to make it a dead heat between Paul Gerrard and Richard Wright both terrible goalkeepers, although Richard gave me a load more unintentional laughs, he was funnier than Frank Spencer and more accident prone, Gerrard was well ahead on being useless, he did my bleedin’ head in.

Getting injured in the warm-up is hard to beat.

 

[Charles Plastusz]

I seem to remember some absolute dunce in the wall just walking away from that free kick too. God we’ve had some poor players

Alexanderson i think but not sure and i’m certainly not having a look to check

 

[bring back the catt]

Alexanderson i think but not sure and i’m certainly not having a look to check

Yes, it was St. Nicholos. Wasn't even a foul, it was just the usual falling over a shadow that lot practice.
Irrespective, Alex the Great (ahem) should have stood his ground to stop the ball being moved and even taken a yellow for dissent to give the team time to sort themselves out. Saying that, a proper unbiased official should have seen that a free kick being given in one half and then miraculously being taken 10 metres inside the other half must be wrong.
Gerrard was still a limp wristed galoot though for not guarding the only part of his goal which was exposed.