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Goalkeeping Situation


Mitch
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His lack of confidience/ability puts the fears into his team mates and the fans alike. He can be a good shot stopper but consistently pushes the ball into areas where the following in players can easily tap the ball in the back of the net. Oh for guys like Ruddy and Randolf that could actually make a save and keep hold of the ball as well, as some of the saves that he makes close to his body should be getting smothered rather than parried or pushed away.

 

He had at least one excellent save yesterday and was able to collect the ball cleanly from crosses so he can do it. So the issue is either between his ears or he is just not that good a keeper..

 

 

He is making the same mistakes time after time though which begs the question of what exactly is going on in training with Gordon Marshall. He has got the height where he should be trying to command the goal area grabbing catchable crosses and taking some pressure off of the players around him and slowing down play when we are under a bit of pressure. The goals that we have lost at the far post with him not even attemting to try to get to the ball have been numerous and frustrating to watch.

 

Hate to say this about another person that I have never met, but we are stuck with him. If he doesn't have the ability to improve then we should get shot of him but that won't be any time soon. Hopefully he picks but not very optimistic on that.

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The goalkeeper is really beginning to concern me. Every corner yesterday was some sort of crisis and whilst Aberdeen are maybe the biggest team we need to play for a bit we can't go on like this because that sort of defending will cost us so much. Throw in the ability to parry at will to strikers of the opposing team and it is a concern. It is the same mistakes that are happening and in any other position you can rejig the team to take him out the firing line for a bit but when your only deputy is injured it is a problem. I'd love him to turn it around but there is only so long this is a confidence thing and not that he isn't good enough. I'm beginning to really believe it is the latter. If we want to cement third and compete for second we are going to have to invest.

 

It is no coincidence that Twardzik has been in goal for just over a third of our victories this season yet has only played in just over one fifth of the games. It may not be him that comes but someone better needs to or it is going to be costly to our ambitions.

 

 

 

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McCall was going nuts at the fans in the main stand who we're jeering him every time he got a touch.

 

Some fat guy in the main stand was repeatedly shouting at McCall for a few minutes to "get rid of him, he's f*cking sh*te" (ironic considering the same fat guy had been shouting at someone else in the main stand to "watch their language, there's kids about" a few minutes earlier, not sure what for, I was too busy supporting the team). McCall then, rightly IMO, started shaking his head and asked the guy if he wanted him to 'do it just now?, do you want me to take him off just now?'. The guy never replied until McCall turned to focus back on the game and then the fat guy just shouted the same abuse again.

 

Couple of things with this:

 

1. The fat guy needs to have a look at his double standards over his choice of language

 

2. More importantly, and I'm all for constructive criticism, that level of abuse, and booing him off at full time too, is not merited IMO. Goalkeeping is a 'confidence' position, and this level of abuse can not do any good whatsoever.

 

 

 

 

 

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Comparing the Nielsen situation to vigurs is laughable. Vigurs was outstanding for his previous club, so it was a matter of time before he clicked. Nielsen hasn't done anything of note at any club to suggest he will suddenly become good.

 

To be fair, neither had Ruddy. Goalkeeping is a strange one, especially for a club like us. Most of the time, if we bring in a keeper, it's going to be some other team's backup. Nothing wrong with that, as there are many more keepers than starting slots, but it's always going to be a bit more of a gamble.

 

The biggest irony in this situation is all the experts we have in our fan base who wanted Neilsen in immediatey to replace Hollis and are now screaming for him to to be replaced.

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The goalkeeper is really beginning to concern me. Every corner yesterday was some sort of crisis

 

Given the stature of our defence, there is really no need for that though. In all the years I watched Jim Leighton play, he barely came out of his 6 yard box, and never came to claim a corner.

 

Yet that was one of the most difficult defences to play against I have ever seen, because guys like Big Eck and Rougvie took care of the cross balls and let Leighton concentrate on the shot stopping.

 

There is no excuse for guys like McManus and Hutch not to do the same.

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The biggest irony in this situation is all the experts we have in our fan base who wanted Neilsen in immediatey to replace Hollis and are now screaming for him to to be replaced.

 

Do you think it was unreasonable for people to want an international goalkeeper to start the season in front of Hollis, who hadn't really impressed up till that point?

 

I don't think anyone was saying we should play Nielsen in perpetuity no matter how he performed.

 

Having seen both keepers over a similar number of games I think most would place Hollis ahead of Nielsen but if we hadn't seen Nielsen perform there would be no yardstick.

 

Nielsen looks weak on crosses but how many goalkeepers these days actually deal with crosses? Goalkeeping in general is at a low ebb. Even top clubs have pure haddies between the sticks.

 

What concerns me more about Nielsen is a lot of his poor mistakes aren't ability linked, they are decision making mistakes. Maybe this guy just isn't mentally tough enough when the pressure is on.

 

I don't think it's helpful for anyone if fans get on players backs, especially a goalkeeper, but Nielsen has to show some improvement instead of making the same stupid mistakes over and over. Palming a shoot back into the middle of the goal is schoolboy stuff.

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Some fat guy in the main stand was repeatedly shouting at McCall for a few minutes to "get rid of him, he's f*cking sh*te" (ironic considering the same fat guy had been shouting at someone else in the main stand to "watch their language, there's kids about" a few minutes earlier, not sure what for, I was too busy supporting the team). McCall then, rightly IMO, started shaking his head and asked the guy if he wanted him to 'do it just now?, do you want me to take him off just now?'. The guy never replied until McCall turned to focus back on the game and then the fat guy just shouted the same abuse again.

 

Couple of things with this:

 

1. The fat guy needs to have a look at his double standards over his choice of language

 

2. More importantly, and I'm all for constructive criticism, that level of abuse, and booing him off at full time too, is not merited IMO. Goalkeeping is a 'confidence' position, and this level of abuse can not do any good whatsoever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exactly this. I was about to post the same thing. McCall was responding directly to this fat bell end - not the stand itself.

 

The guy in question and his wee group of mates are some of the most ill informed, idiotic non-supporters I have ever had the ill-pleasure of sitting near. Unfortunately a couple of them also have kids and they already spout the same shite their dads do. The incident prior to the McCall one came about when McFadden was subbed and one of the fat guy's mates shouted abuse at McCall and that Anier was shite. Anier obv came on and made the goal and someone a few rows in front when cheering turned round and gave the guy verbals. That turned into a wee shouting match and the fat lad waited till it died down and then stood up and embarrassingly shouted "I'm watching you, think your a hard man mate, I'm watching you" to the guy who had gave his mate verbals. It was fucking cringeworthy.

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Brazil always used to have dodgy keepers but it never stopped them wining the world cup. While it can make a big difference to have a good goalkeeper it seems that we are in the position where the rest of the team are going to have to make up for our shortcomings in the goalie department. work extra hard in defence to deny the opposiiton opportunities and put away our chances up front to make sure we end up scoring more goals than our opponents. Of course the midfield have to chip in at both ends.

 

Even with the goalkeeping situation as it is, I still think the team as a whole, are capable of finishing second or third.

 

 

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Exactly this. I was about to post the same thing. McCall was responding directly to this fat bell end - not the stand itself.

 

The guy in question and his wee group of mates are some of the most ill informed, idiotic non-supporters I have ever had the ill-pleasure of sitting near. Unfortunately a couple of them also have kids and they already spout the same shite their dads do. The incident prior to the McCall one came about when McFadden was subbed and one of the fat guy's mates shouted abuse at McCall and that Anier was shite. Anier obv came on and made the goal and someone a few rows in front when cheering turned round and gave the guy verbals. That turned into a wee shouting match and the fat lad waited till it died down and then stood up and embarrassingly shouted "I'm watching you, think your a hard man mate, I'm watching you" to the guy who had gave his mate verbals. It was fucking cringeworthy.

 

Witnessed this pish myself, handbags as it was. But some folk going to the games really need to get some therapy, perspective and chill the fuck out.

 

Dude at the back and his posse talk utter shite all game and feel the need to hurl unlimited abuse at any player or manager that they feel needs to hear there in depth expertise, opinion and abusive motivational tactics . Was funny as fuck that when McFadden was subbed, he was hurling abuse at McCall that it was unbelievable to take McFadden off and replace him with Arnier. Next thing Arnier skins his man puts in an excellent cross and Sutton scores. Near pished myself lauging. Guy next to me was spot on shouting back at him "ironically" that it was unbelievable. Then it gets personal, guy next to me is told to watch his language, oh the irony, then someone else from the mad squad tell him "I'm watching you big man" - You really couldn't make this pish up.

 

Next it was telling McCall to get Nielson to fuck then McCall responds to him asking if he wanted him to do it right now, makes you want to weep at how pathetic this pish is, was as funny as it was pathetic.

 

Tam Cowan mentioned it on his show today as well.

 

If this how going to the footie affects some people, then just stay in the house and kick fuck out of your TV,

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We have a paid goalkeeping coach. It's his job to point out where he needs to improve, and this has been obvious since he signed. Stop punching and start catching, and get in about it.

 

I don't believe for a minute that Marshall isn't aware of and working on neilsens weaknesses.

 

There is only so much a coach can do.

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Next it was telling McCall to get Nielson to fuck then McCall responds to him asking if he wanted him to do it right now, makes you want to weep at how pathetic this pish is, was as funny as it was pathetic.

 

 

 

 

we still had a sub left at that point. might not have been a bad idea.

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