Mannone wasn't experienced at all, he's 23 and had played a grand total of 8 league games before he came to us.
Thats my point. Yet some posters are saying he is. Age is not the issue one little bit. Ability is. IF YA GOOD ENOUGH YOUR OLD ENOUGH. So Gulacsi - Davlin and Oxley are fine IF THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH. Joe Hart is England No.1 and he is only 24. Played for Birmingham City (on loan) at age 22 and last season @ Man City age 23. Turned 24 in April. HE IS GOOD ENOUGH, END OF.
The problem is, that Devlin has never played in a single league football match and Oxley has played just three league games on loan at Grimsby, nobody really knows if they're good enough or not, as they haven't been tested at all yet. Joe Hart has played 188 league games, so obviously is experienced, so they're hardly comparable. I can't see us taking on one keeper with a handful of games in League Two and League One, a keeper with 3 appearances in League Two and a keeper with no league appearances at all. If we take on Devlin, it will be to play for the reserves, so we can send Oxley out on loan to gain some league experience.
Thats my point OLM. The fact is that Joe Hart was allowed to show he was good enough and as you say he has played many games. The only way any of these will show us is by playing. It maybe that City take on all 4 both as they wont cost that much. Basso to be the experience just in case. I myself would like to see Gulacsi No.1 as if Liverpool rtate him thats good enough for me. Afterall, if he is any good the likes of Blackpool - Ipswich - Leeds - Crystal Palace and Reading should be the right test for him. The friendlies should give a fair idea of there ability anyway. There is still more than enough time before anyone has to press the Goalkeeper panic button. Leave it to NP/Big Joe C.
Didn´t Hansen make that comment the year Man U won the league with half a team of kids? We appear to apply different rules to goalkeepers than we do other players. If they are good enough they are old enough in my view. Basso is a very experienced keeper but was inexperienced once so somebody had to give him his chance which he obviously took because he is still playing. If they are good enough we need to give them an opportunity to claim their place. We have a very experienced goalkeeping coach to guide and assist them. In my view it is more important to have confidence in your goalkeeper regardless of age.
Because goalkeeper is a unique and specialised position. It's rare that a goalkeeper can make a mistake and get away with it. The goalkeeper needs to be the bravest player on the pitch, he has to have excellent decision making skills, he has to be physically strong, he has to be ultra confident, he has to be vocal, he has to be mentally strong enough to cope with mistakes and has to have incredible levels of concentration because he's generally only involved in a quarter of the game. It's not a coincidence that goalkeepers tend to blossom later or that not too many goalkeepers break through at a young age.
