That may be a good point, but as I've already said, it turned out really well for us before. We can't use emergency loans any more so there'll be none of this nonsense recalling players early like Fulham and Sunderland did last season. I disagree about your keeper ratings there though. Jakupovic was over-rated when he was playing 'well'. As BS Man says, he just made easy saves look hard and then turned innocuous crosses into goals. Amos was equally under-rated, someone decided he was **** at the beginning and it caught on. Early on mistakes from other players were attributed to him and his awesome display at Leicester went unnoticed. Gulacsi had one truly appalling game and made one other error at Burnley which was also Hobbs' fault, again his ****ness was exaggerated.
Shay Given... Hmm. Don't really know if I'd have him here as Number 1. He'd be great back-up but it's clear he doesn't want the bench spot. He's a good keeper 'n all that, but should we be signing 37 year olds for the Premier League? Then again, his top-flight experience may come in pretty handy for our defenders development.
I wouldn't want Given anyway tbh His form peaked at Newcastle and that was years ago. Our defence are going to be on a pretty steep learning curve next season. The last thing they need is keeper who is well past is best behind them
Brad Friedel has improved every year for about the past 5 years. Didnt Dino Zoff captain his country a world cup win post 40? How do we know Given is 'past his best'?
Given has being No2 for the last few years for a reason. Brad Guzan has kept him out of a Villa team that let at least 1 goal in a game. Brad Friedel has being playing (until the last half of this season) pretty much every game so never had the chance to go rusty. Given has being sat on his arse for 2 years. Oh for what its worth, I've got a daft Geordie mate who claims even when he was at Newcastle, Harper was the better keeper. That's why they was no uprock when he pished off to Man City
Given has being No2 for the last few years for a reason. Brad Guzan has kept him out of a Villa team that let at least 1 goal in a game. At his age, you need to play week in week out or you lose it and its hell to get it back. Brad Friedel has being playing (until the last half of this season) pretty much every game so never had the chance to go rusty.
It'll be interesting to see who we end up with. I'd certainly be happy with Shay Given at 37 years old or even Schwarzer at 40 both much better than we've had in recent years.
It's true that Guzan took over from Given this season, Lambert obviously doesn't like him, so Given has been limited to only 9 appearances. But last season he was No.1 and made 46 appearances. The season before that, while at Man City, he made 14 appearances. The season before that he was Man City's No.1 and made 49 appearances. The season before that he was Newcastle's No.1 and made 55 appearances. It's bollocks that he's been sat on his arse for two years, he's been sat on his arse since January. He's a great keeper, I can't believe some of the bollocks posted on here, people seriously think we're going to sign a better keeper than Shay Given? Seriously?
From the Birmingham Mail: "Shay Given is set to join the exodus of Villa's big earners with the club ready to send him out on loan if a permanent deal fails to materialise" seen on : http://www1.skysports.com/transfer-centre/regional-papertalk
Sport on with all of it, Given is up there with the top keepers. He may not be getting any younger, but for City to sign him, it would be a great bit of business.
I think a loan is our only chance of getting him, he's on far too much money for us to sign on a permanent. Though I can't see Bruce being keen on another loan.
That's why posted it and highlighted the loan bit, probably Villa would have to pay half his wages? Depends of course on who else is available, probably someone we don't know about.
The way I remember it (I might be wrong, it's happened before) was there was genuine shock from the football fans and journos in the UK when Citeh sold him as he was classed as just about the best. That's only 2 years ago. Just to throw a complete new name in there, I wonder how gutted Almunia is about not going up? By all accounts he's been ace this season. Maybe some old grudges from our battles with Arsenal might put paid to that though...
It doesn't matter about his reputation, it's the here and now that matters. He's been dropped for a reason; he was poor at the beginning of this season and had a shocking Euro 2012 before that. Yeah he's a big name and everything, but the name won't keep the ball out of the net. I'd honestly rather have Stockdale, we know where we are with him.
He only played two games at the beginning of last season, you think that based on that, he's gone from one of the best Premier League keepers to being ****? He was dropped because Lambert fancied playing Guzan ahead of him, it's just what he wants for his team, just as Brownie thought that Kilbane should start ahead of Geo.
