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Goalkeeping Situation


Mitch
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We have two keepers on our books who are simply not good enough for SPL level. Looks very likely that we are going to be stuck with Nielsen until atleast the end of the season.

 

Hollis looks like he won't feature again due to injury and with his contract up in the summer I doubt very much that it will be renewed. Gunnar on the other hand was handed a two year deal on a very pretty penny and it looks extremely unlikely that we will manage to offload him in he summer. Do we stick with Nielsen and hope that he improves enough or do we try and bring in a first choice keeper in the summer?

 

Gordan Marshall should be shot over his recommendation for this imposter. I don't think I've seen a worse goalkeeper in my time watching us, with Mikko Kaven and Michael Fraser be only two that come close to this clown.

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It probably won't be sorted out until the summer so folk will just have to suck it up.

 

We don't have the crowds, we don't have the budget, we'll be top 4 if we continue as we are.

 

I might be wrong but I don't see the board bursting the bank.

 

For all his obvious foibles Gunnar had some very decent stops. Looks like it's confidence that's his biggest problem. Between the 1st and 2nd goals he seemed to step up a bit and cope with mostly everything that came his way.

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What about his attempted punch at a very simple cross? He gets in the way of the shots but pushes then back into the danger area. One of the most basic goalkeeping skills is to push it away from the danger area!

 

Due to his salary, I reckon we are going to be stuck with this clown for another 18months between the sticks. Our budget won't allow for another first choice keepers salary.

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Dunno SteveDiggle McCall did mention trying to get a keeper if Hollis had to have an op

 

You'd like to think he doesn't make the constant errors in training and maybe its a confidence thing. I want him to do well but nothing can defend some of his errors yesterday he's just got to step up and prove us wrong

 

 

 

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I think the back 4 have no confidence in him which effects there game. Every time the ball goes into the box I could feel the crowd getting anxious.

 

The Aberdeen players got a boost when they saw how poor he was, surely the time will come to field the u20 keeper.

 

I don't recall any good saves from Neilson yesterday other than shots hit straight at him.

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His inability to deal with pretty much anything other than, on occasion, a direct shot is embarrassing. It puts so much more, unwanted pressure on the defence. I believe we would have won yesterday if twardzik, for example, had been playing. Obviously don't see them in training, but surely Stewart cant be much worse?

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Gordan Marshall should be shot over his recommendation for this imposter.

To be fair our goalkeeping coaches have been pretty good at recommending keepers in recent years. Neilson looks to be sadly lacking in confidence, and like any profession the sight of someone coming in and performing well probably didn’t help the issue. I am sure Gordon Marshall will be working with Gunner on improving his game as like us they will be aware of his weaknesses. As said previously the ironic clapping when he catches a ball doesn’t help.

 

 

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Gordan Marshall should be shot over his recommendation for this imposter.

 

The merits of messrs Hollis, Nielsen and Twardzik have been well discussed but interesting you bring the name Gordon Marshall into the debate.

 

He's someone that's come to mind once or twice over the season given McCall's remarks in the summer, which I assume were (at least in part) in jest about him knowing nothing about goalkeepers and leaving that side of things entirely to Marshall.

 

There was a quote I remember attributed to Marshall earlier in the season that he and McCall both believed it was Hollis position to lose and if you take into account Nielsen's interview in the programme yesterday about building up fitness and confidence after his long-term injury, perhaps they hoped not to use him as much as they have whilst they worked on developing him. Nielsen obviously believes - a bit like Vigurs conceded also - that there are better performances in him than what he's shown so far.

 

I do wonder at how he came into Marshall's thinking in the summer given he didn't have a huge amount of senior appearances behind him and was off the back of a long time out. How much the fact that he spent time with two English top flight sides played I don't know.

 

Whatever the case, he is what we've got now, Hollis is still out and going by the report in the Dundee based paper during the week and suggestions from McCall there's not likely to be any incoming competition coming his way soon.

 

I don't particularly enjoy Gunnar's style of goalkeeping but we're going to have to go with it until Hollis returns to fitness or McCall has a chance to review the situation for next season. In the meantime, again like Vigurs, you hope that something seemingly from nowhere clicks and we get that increased level of performance.

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The goalkeeping situation was something I'd pointed out in the transfer thread a while back as being of prime importance. As Andy has mentioned - he hasn't had a huge number of senior matches prior to arriving at us, so how the decision making process to sign him panned out would be interesting to know.

 

He looks like he lacks some very important goalkeeping instincts such as anticipation and decision making. It wouldn't surprise me if he ended up in goals as a youngster on the pitches in the Faroese simply because he was tall rather than showing any major sort if outstanding goalkeeping instincts.

 

Anyway, neither are good enough to be the number 1 at an SPFL Premiership club in my opinion. Even as number 2 in my mind only Hollis makes it and he scraps it at that. Hollis is a average Championship keeper whilst Nielsen is, well I don't really know. I feel bad for saying that about the two as I don't like to criticise our players, but we can't go blind to such obvious weaknesses.

 

Gordon Marshall ha fucked this up a bit. And it could be the difference between winning and drawing or loosing matches, as in the case yesterday.

 

So Hollis needs to be let go in the summer and we need to try and offload Nielsen. A new goalkeeper is a must. I expect Marshall has started his homework already in preparation for compiling a list if targets for the summer. And if he hasn't, then that's a frightening thought.

 

On the ironic cheering - that's cringeworthy and very very bad for a goalkeeper to hear. We are only shooting ourselves in the foot by doing it.

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What keepers have he recommended? Ruddy was through Gannon's contacts and Randolph was a Brown signing on he recommendation of Christian Daily.

My mistake, I had assumed that our goalkeeping coaches had a major input in selecting our recent keepers. Maybe we should out source any future keepers through Gannon or Christian Dailly.

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No chance we'll bringing in another keeper in this window!

 

I'm still surprised we were able to extend Ainsworths loan and sign Anier permanently!

 

The ironic cheers aren't nice and certainly won't help. What about that slap/ punch though?!?! I've seen amateur goalies deal with stuff better than that! His keeping for the first goal was criminal and probably cost us the win.

 

We look good for a top 6 finish, but the keeper could cost us a euro spot.

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Comparing the Nielsen situation to vigurs is laughable. Vigurs was outstanding for his previous club, so it was a matter of time before he clicked. Nielsen hasn't done anything of note at any club to suggest he will suddenly become good.

 

What I want to know is why isn't our young under 20 Keeper even being considered. If Mccall brought in another keeper when Hollis and Nielsen were injured, it suggests he either doesn't think he is up to scratch or isn't quite ready. Why has he been on the bench so much then?

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The more the fans got on his back, the worse he got.

 

He's scared to come for balls as he has no confidence, I'd blame the comical punch on him lacking any confidence due to the mistakes he had already made and the lack of support from the fans.

 

Let's get behind the guy, he's the best we've got, and perhaps with a bit of support, encouragement he will get more confident and make less mistakes.

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Comparing the Nielsen situation to vigurs is laughable. Vigurs was outstanding for his previous club, so it was a matter of time before he clicked. Nielsen hasn't done anything of note at any club to suggest he will suddenly become good.

 

What I want to know is why isn't our young under 20 Keeper even being considered. If Mccall brought in another keeper when Hollis and Nielsen were injured, it suggests he either doesn't think he is up to scratch or isn't quite ready. Why has he been on the bench so much then?

 

I don't get the comparison with Vigurs either.

 

Regarding the young keeper, from what I've heard he is nowhere near ready for the step up. Few keepers are at his age.

 

Marshall's coaching career doesn't exactly cover itself in glory given the spell be had at Easter Road but I very much doubt he recommended Neilson. Given that Neilson had a previously spell at the club you'd expect that a longer standing member at the club thought he was worth a shot.

 

If Hollis in injured for a while, surely the Insurance money would square up the wage for an interim replacement?

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Shame we cannot get twardzik back on loan but we do not have any financial leeway.

 

A home support of 4500 for arguably one of our most important games of the season sums up our problems. I know things are tough, but in times gone by at least 6000 home fans would have turned up for such an important game. The weather probably knocked another 500+ off from both teams.

 

Neilsen had a couple of good saves yesterday and one in particular in the 1st half, so for some on here not to even accept that is disappointing. That said he was culpable for both goals. The 1st - someone correctly pointed out that were it not for Lawson sleeping he would not to have had to deal with any shot - but that is what goalkeepers are there for - to deal with the odd defensive lapse. As for the second - the cross was virtually on his line and he was found stuck behind a few players. When it was eventually punched into the net he was several yards away looking bemused. Not good enough.

 

I also believe he is culpable for our cup defeat to Albion Rovers - it was a shot that was very savable and would have expected Twardzik and even Hollis to have done better.

 

When all is said and done - we have little alternative to get behind him and help with his confidence. He will no doubt continue to make the odd mistake, but I believe the team is strong enough to help us into the top 3 regardless.

 

Neilson was not even our 1st choice. If I recall we were going after Samson and he chose Killie over us. I expect Hollis to be released in the summer and we need to get someone else in. I would not be unhappy with Twardzik as 1st choice with Neilsen as back up. That is about as much as we can expect on our budget....

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Nielsen obviously believes - a bit like Vigurs conceded also - that there are better performances in him than what he's shown so far.

 

 

Comparing the Nielsen situation to vigurs is laughable.

 

 

I don't get the comparison with Vigurs either.

 

I don't see what you don't get guys?

 

The comparison is simply that both players stated in public they believe they could be doing better.

 

Vigurs:

It's a bit sticky at the moment for me personally. I haven't scored yet and I haven't played to what I know I can.

 

Nielsen:

I know I can be more consistent than this. I know I can play better than this

 

Vigurs has delivered on that recently. My hope, seeing as he's likely to be our number one for the remainder of the season, is that Nielsen can do the same.

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If Gunnar is to be our number one for the remainder of this season then we have to support him. Yes he's nowhere near the ability of Ruddy or Randolph but we can do wonders for his confidence by vocally backing him. It can only help his game and might even secure us a few extra points.

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