Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
Saints Fans Need Patience ! Not A New Keeper
Thursday, 19th Dec 2013 11:03

In a Daily Echo Poll a majority of fans want to see the club bring in a new keeper in the transfer window, however is this just a knee jerk reaction to our recent poor run.

Up until his injury Artur Boruc was one of the most consistent performers in the Premier league this season, having seen most of the games we have played I cant say have seen a better one in any other Premier League team, his individual performances against Liverpool and Swansea did more than any other player that day to ensure we took all three points when a 3 or 4 goal defeat would not have been unfair on us.

Some supporters feel he has made errors, yes the goal at Stoke wasnt great but it was a freak goal and apart from that error at Arsenal his judgement and handling has been pretty much spot on, however some supporters seem to feel that isnt good enough, they feel that we should have a better keeper.

Ironically many of those berating Boruc a few weeks ago then changed direction when he got injured and Paulo Gazzaniga had to deputise, despite it being exactly a year between his last first team appearance and his substitute role against Chelsea a lot of Saints fans seem to have already made up their minds that Gazzaniga is not good enough, knee jerk reactions across websites demanding emergency loans abounded with many supporters suddenly forgetting the policy of bringing on youth team players and demanding a big signing or at least an experienced premier keeper as back up.

But has Gazzaniga really done that bad ? I would say no, against Villa he didnt make any errors and the three goals conceded were as much the fault of a defence suddenly leaking goals as anything else, since that Villa game he has played against two of the most in form attacks in the Premier and only conceded a single goal in each game, yes there have been the odd dodgy moment, but what can you expect when an inexperienced keeper is in effect suddenly thrown to the wolves, like last season Gazza has made mistakes, but no more than any other Saints keeper and if he gets his confidence up then he is a good keeper, in all of his games there has been nothing wrong with his handling and decision making and that is a good sign.

So why do so many Saints supporters want a new keeper to be signed, a combination of the above is the answer, there are some who want Boruc replaced, I would say that we would struggle to find a keeper of a similar standard at a reasonable price, I would also say that we would struggle to find a better keeper who would be willing to come here, we might harbour hopes of Champions League qualification etc, but I would say there are few outside of Southampton who share our optimism, I would be interested to see who they think might come here, I think we have a gem in Boruc we wont get much better.

There are those that just dont have confidence in Gazzaniga as a deputy, again I feel they are just lacking in patience, football teams evolve they arent built overnight, Gazzaniga has let nobody down either last season or this. Last year he was thrown to the wolves with the defence he was asked to play behind, he had a better goals per game ratio than both Davis and Boruc, he definately had a better points per game ration than Kelvin, of course he had dodgy moments but he cant be that bad otherwise both Man City and Newcastle would have had a field day, yes he had an error in each game, but neither resulted in a goal, perhaps he is a lucky keeper and that has a part to play.

So why should we upset a perfectly good plan for building a squad by spending monsy on a new goalkeeper, there are positions we need to address before we do that and indeed there are games that we need to give Gazza a chance in before we start a knee jerk demand for a keeper, Gazzaniga now has at least four games ahead of him possibly more before Boruc returns, by then we should know whether he is a capable deputy or whether we need to consider a more able back up whilst giving the youngster more time to learn and grow in confidence possibly on a loan move.

Till then we should hold judgement and give him our support, in January both Davis and Boruc will return, given Boruc's usual fitness levels etc he isnt going to need a deputy that much hopefully.

Photo: Action Images



Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.



stmichael added 12:13 - Dec 19
GAZZA is like driving without brakes.
Eventually you will hit a wall.
Having said that I like him and he has a good attitude.
I think he will be our number 1 in the future.
At the moment he spreads fear and panic amongst suporters and team mates - eventually that will cost us.
Goal keepers save you points by making saves that are unexpected.
At the moment if its on target theres a good chance its going in.
Just because it doesnt go through his legs doesnt mean he couldnt have saved it.
I think he could have done better with at least 3 maybe 4 of the goals he has conceded and cant rememeber a single save worth mentioning.

As for Artur , he is brilliant and does not need replacing.
He does need to work on his concentration as to be honest he had made errors which at this level are not acceptable.
0

SaintNick added 12:25 - Dec 19
Actually I dont think shot stopping is the dodgy area of his game, in his last three games he dealt with everything competently shot at himand didnt have a chance with any of the goals.

His main issue is his kicking at the moment
0

slynch added 13:10 - Dec 19
Gazza's about 9 foot tall. He needs the confidence to come out and catch a few crosses then he'll be worth his corn. And StNick his kicking is the best in the league! if you don't think so, watch this...

0

brady100 added 15:06 - Dec 19
Anyone that thinks Boruc should be replaced needs their head testing...particularly when you consider his replacement would most likely be a 35 y/o brazilian on 90k wages a week. Brouc is as good a shot stopper and much better at commanding his 6 yard box than Cesar. Signing a new GK makes no sense both from a football point of view or a financial one.
0

brady100 added 15:09 - Dec 19
In the meantime we all need to get behind Gszzaniga o Saturday. He does make mistakes yes, but he also has the potential to become a very good GK and needs our support.
0

JDawg added 16:44 - Dec 19
Boruc is a quality keep and I do not believe we can do any better. Hopefully he will be our number 1 for years to come.

Gazza is a work in progress and I'm not sure he is quite ready for this level yet, to me his reactions seem slow, coming out, getting down etc. But I think his biggest problem is keeping his defence in order and focused, something Boruc excels at and something our defenders most definitely need!

Maybe he needs some time out on loan in the Championship (L2 - > PL is a big leap for anyone!), so come the day Boruc hangs his boots up we have a ready made replacement.

Having said all of that I have more confidence in Gazza than Davis! So if we absolutely definitely have to buy a new keeper then it should be a new number 13. Personally I'd rather see a new centre back, in fact I think it is essential we get one in January. The extra money he'll cost in Jan will easily be made back by the extra couple of places he'll earn us. As long as we buy right, Lescott could be an option...

In the meantime lets get behind Gazza and the rest of the team. COYR!!
0

schatfield added 17:19 - Dec 19
borus is class, but i dont agree with your article because gazza puts the fear of god in those that play around him - he simply doesnt command his area, which in turns spreads panic amongst the defense. thats why we DO need to buy another GK, for competition to Boruc and back up when 1 is injured.
-1

ElSanto added 00:52 - Dec 20
0

ExiledSupporter added 09:12 - Dec 20
Agree with all you say Nick, spot on

Madness to replace Boruc, unreasonable to exercise no patience with Gazzaniga (he's not been primarily responsible for any of our recent defeats)

Personally I would always prefer Gazza before Kelvin whose has for years been unable to command his six yard box with dire consequences for our defence's confidence.

I just hope some of the serial idiots in the crowd don't get on Gazza's back (like they have done with Guly) and damage his confidence and so stunt his development. The goalkeeper more than any other player is one who needs our wholehearted support.

Jdawg, Lescott is a seriously over-rated player, I'd rather stick with Hooiveld than install him!
0


You need to login in order to post your comments

Blogs 31 bloggers

Knees-up Mother Brown #22 by wessex_exile
Knees-up Mother Brown #18 by wessex_exile

Derby County Polls

About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© FansNetwork 2024