OK so do we need another keeper in the window? KD is 39 and no disrespect but he no longer cuts it at the top level. Gazza has potential but surely if Ron rated him he would have started yesterday? Fraser is still a long way away from a return so that leaves Will Britt and Harry Isted as alternative back ups to Stek. What do you all think?
Few clubs will ever lose one goalkeeper to injury during the season. Even fewer will lose two. The fact that we found ourselves having to rely on Davis yesterday (or Gazza, had selection been different) was very unfortunate. But I can accept that. I guess there is an argument for saying that we could/should sign a permanent second choice keeper, so that this season they're available as back up to Stek, and next season they're back up for Forster. But who is there that would be willing to fill that role, who we would want? And who is to say that Stek wouldn't be interested in staying here next season to fill that role (ie as Fraser's back-up, but all the while trying to get the jersey off him) himself?
Wishful thinking. Good keepers won't come to Saints (at the moment) to be a second string keeper...Stek only came because he was going to get a whole or nearly whole season...will he stay to be Forster's understudy? If Gazza is really behind Davis, he must be very poor....unless RK just wanted experience. Davis made some good stops, which would have been great usually because our keepers are rarely under pressure (did you know Stek has only had to make 8 saves in 7 games!!), but this was a game that needed good kicking from the keeper. Will Stek be back for Liverpool?
Stekkers was back up at Monaco for a season. I can see him staying another season, especially if Fraser misses all of this one. It's a nice place to be. He's appreciated, doing well, presumably enjoying himself and in a nice set-up.
But so was Boruc at Fiorentina, I can see Skeks wanting to be first choice in a team, after having a season to reacquaint himself as being No1.
It depends on the offers Stek gets, if one seems better than here he'll leave, and good on him if he does. But in the scheme of things, we are pretty high up the tree, so I doubt they'll be a better proposition than us this coming summer. He's been a top loan signing for us, so I have no complaints either way.
We're Saints. Having 3 top notch keepers on our books is just fantasy. We have two. Let's not be too greedy eh? Stek should be back next week so no real problem. KD did a decent job for a 39 year old but clearly his absence did not help the communication with defence! I think they have high hopes for Gazza otherwise they would not have given him a new contract.
Unrealistic. To have an experienced player like Davis as a third choice keeper is fine with me and noone is going to come in just to sit on the bench. Teams like Man City and Chelsea have just the same e.g. a Richard Wright just in case.
It's stick-or-twist time for Stekelenburg; if he stays with Saints for another season and doesn't get much game time, he's going to have to resign himself to being a backup through his twilight years. Few clubs are going to offer a multi-year deal to a 34 year old who has spent as much time on the bench as Stek has since '12/'13, so this loan spell is probably his last, best chance to springboard to a starting role elsewhere. His contract expires after '16/'17; he's likely going to want to play as often as possible heading into its expiration. Now, a lot of keepers wouldn't be too unhappy with being a good-team backup, if his other option is being a starter at a lower salary. That said, whether we're interested in keeping on a well-compensated backup is another matter entirely.
We also have to consider his wages. From what I can remember when his name first came to light this summer, he was a bigger earner (£60k per from memory) which would be ridiculous for a back up keeper. Sad to say but Super Kelvin should hang up his gloves, great servant and we all love him but time to go. If Gazza isn't better than Kelvin then time to move him on too
Or we can just pretend to be positive like me for the next 7 months .... Or he'll be a free agent in 16/17 so another year won't hurt him that much Or we'll need two quality keepers as we'll have Europa league proper next season Or what you said. He will either stay or go .... at a guess
Davis had the misfortune of running into a hot team. They took a ton of shots, so the failure was less in the goal keeping than in the defending. He would likely have done just as well as Steklenburg the games prior as I cant remember him facing anything other than routine saves (and not even many of those). I guess I just don't really see an issue. I don't know why Davis has to hang up his gloves, considering this is his last season and he seems quite happy not starting. If we wanted to bring someone in, I doubt he would have a problem with it. OTOH, I'm not sure we are going to get a keeper mid-season better than Davis. And Steklenburg's injury appears to be minor.
Did you watch the game? He was at fault for the equalising goal. He gave it directly to Leicester in a dangerous area of the pitch. Regardless of whether he should have saved the shot or not (answer: no), he was to blame for that goal. Bizarrely enough, they didn't show that run of play on MOTD (similarly bizarrrely, they didn't show Mane round Schmeichel and take too long with his shot early in the second half).
The thing is, Davis didn't really have to make any saves, as Leicester, for all their chances, couldn't get much on target. We would have lost about 5-2 otherwise.
Leicester still had a lot to do after SKD's clearance went to their man. I wouldnt say he was totally at fault for that goal. Some of our outfield players should have been trying to get on the end of his kick and at least hassling their guy once he got the ball. Our lot were well knackered by then after 40 mins or so of being given the run around by Leicester.
Harsh. He made some good stops earlier but lack of game time meant he did not command his area like Stek or Fraser. I think it was the nervousness that spread through the defence cost us the game. Gazza would probably have been no different. That is, it was the absence of Stek that cost us the game not the presence of Davis. To be honest, we should be better than that. I said to a friend going into the game that the absence of Stek should not make too much of a difference since we allow fewer shots on goal than most teams in the league. It shows that we still have some maturing to do. At the end of the day, I just wish people would give Leicester the credit they deserve for a fantastic second half display. If we do something like that at Liverpool next week, we would be spitting bullets if people were claiming it was because Liverpool were poor rather than us being good.
Its wrong to blame Davis for the equalising goal. No goalkeeper, however good a kicker he may be is going to make hoofs up the pitch go directly to a teammate. At best its 50/50. The fault was with others not competing for the ball.
They converted it pretty quickly into the back of the net. Within about five seconds by my reckoning. My view is that Kelvin gave Leicester the ball in our half. It went from being Saints possession to Leicester possession to goal in no time at all. I'm not angry with him - even at the time I was deflated but not angry. I can;t see past it being ultimately his fault, though.
