Hi All What do we think of the keeper spot at Saints. My father and I have had several lively discussions on the no.1 shirt at ST. Mary's. My old man insists that Bart should take the number 1 spot straight away. Super Kelvin Davis does give me the wobblies from time to time, however he has now captured the clean sheet record (albeit that involves the defence too) and the other league 1 players did vote him in their team of the season. I also felt he got beat a few too many times at his near post too, yet still I can recall the games where he pulled off match winning saves. His distribution is sometimes suspect, but we have got promoted with a record number of nil goals against us. I remember how good Bart was in the run in to the Championship play-off semis under Burley (and then Kelvin had a shocker at Derby when brought back in), but I am really unsure what is the best way to go as all the stats point to his experience being a real benefit. What do you think?
The fact that he has been in the team of the year for two seasons running speaks for itself. For every goal he lets in at the near post he makes up for it with a penalty save or stopping a one on one. Bialkowski is a good keeper but Davis is the number one for me.
it's always a tough one for the keeper, as they can make 10 good stops over 3 games and then in the 4th game get beaten with a soft shot and that's the one that gets remembered. I do think my old man is being a little harsh, but have to admit to the odd frustration too.
Used to be a goalkeeper for my Sunday team when I was younger so I vaguely know what it's like! We really do need to replace Forecast though.
A keepers job is a thankless task...........Make a mistake anywhere on the field chances are we could/would recover without the loss of a goal. With a goalkeeping error the chances of a goal increase 100 fold. It is true Davis has made mistakes that have cost us goals....whether it cost us games is debatable. The other side of the coin is very clear Davis has kept us in the game on several occasions. (The save of the Brighton Penalty is one I remember) So for me he should keep his place. At least in the early days of the championship we have to see what his form is like at that level.
Probably the way to go that...starting with him anmd seeing where we go. Super Kelv does deserve a special place at Saints though for sticking by us in troubled times, when he could have gone to west ham for big bucks in the premier league. Credit to him for that.
That's true however would he have a job now after demotion? I somehow doubt it, he made a good decision by staying and probably has earned just as much money. Certainly that deserves a mention and consideration as well although there cannot be room for much sentiment in football........
Not a position I'm worried about. Davis should definitely be the first choice at the start of next season, and whenever the time comes that his performances start to decline, I reckon Bart is perfectly capable of stepping up. No signings needed.
All keepers have their moments. If they were at the level of a Cech or Van Der Saar, then they would not be in League 1/Championship. Put it this way, look at many of the first choice keepers in the Prem. Honestly, for all his faults, Kelvin is probably better than more than half of them.
I am happy with Kelv between the sticks. He's a great shot-stopper. His distribution is certainly not that great, and very slow. I am sure that he was under instruction to roll out to Fonte rather than punt upfield for a while, but that seems to have been abandoned. Bart will get his chances, and I agree that keeper is not our biggest concern. The only other thing is, I can't understand how he didn't get booked at one stage for time-wasting at goal kicks. All that moving the ball, etc. Even I was hoping the ref would have a word!
Kelv was very good in the Championship before and he will most likely be now - in the unlikely event he isn't, Bart can do a perfectly good job in his place.
