Aaron Ramsdale...worrying

[SingaporeG88ner]

I think Rodders said it on the match thread but Ramsdale certainly gives me jitters when he gets the ball these days.

He’s not perfect, but he’s young , I like him and I’m balls deep in support for most of this squad including Ramsdale.

[Retro Gunner]

Think you're overreacting, looking for fault because the team are doing well. Two clean sheets in 3 games. He was a bit erratic a couple of times today, as was mad Jens who kept goal in 46 out the 49 game unbeaten run. He's doing well enough. Get off his back because he ain't perfect.

Wtf? If it's all the same to you Nos, I'll continue to express my opinion about the players and the club, just as everyone else is free to do on here. Frankly, given some of the inane bollocks that you post, you're the last bloke that ought to be criticising what anyone else has to say.

You get some stick for a lot of the stuff you come out with, but I've said a couple of times that as much as I might not agree with what you say, it's good to have a positive opinion on here. Well fuck that. For a grown man, you have the attitude of an eight year old kid, who looks at everything through red and white spectacles, regardless of good sense or what the weight of evidence suggests. You might be a totally committed supporter, but your understanding of the game is childlike.

That's proven again here by grabbing on to 2 clean sheets in 3 games as some sort of testament to Ramsdale's ability, despite the defence hardly being tested yet and when it has been, the keeper has been far from reassuring. We were coasting yesterday and yet he fucked up the first couple of things he had to do and could have cost us the positive start we'd made. Make those same errors against a decent side and it will definitely cost us.

You then use a juvenile comparison with Lehman as further evidence that Ramsdale is a sound keeper. What sort of fucking logic is "Jens was erratic, so it's ok if Aaron is erratic"? Lehman let himself down with his daft antics, but he was technically very sound and Ramsdale has a long way to go to reach that level. If you like I'll offer you Wilson, Rimmer, Jennings, Seaman and even the underrated Lukic, who were all far from erratic. Erratic is what you absolutely don't want in a goalkeeper mate.

You're in my sights Nos, so you better hope that Aaron doesn't fuck up and cost us, because I'll be sure to let you know.

And I'll express my opinion if that's alright. If you bothered reading my post last season I picked up on his worrying trend in his behaviour. However, 2 clean sheets, out three seems an odd time to pick holes in the team. Should we go and sign the Preston North end keeper?

I've no idea who the PNE keeper is, but using your yardstick, we ought to sign him, because he's just kept 3 clean sheets so must be better than Ramsdale eh? You're actually arguing against yourself here.

If you honestly think that the measure of a goalkeeper is purely the clean sheets in the previous 3 games, regardless of the opposition, regardless of how well the rest of the team plays and regardless of what your own eyes and football knowlwedge tells you, then I can't help you.

As I said, let's see how things go and make an assessment after 10 games or so, although I reserve the right to highlight any catastrophic howlers that might occur.

Absolutely, as long as you don't mind me highlighting when he doesn't. By howlers do you mean when a mistake leads to a goal, and a loss, or when he makes a bad pass because there are different levels to howlers? Just so I know your expertise in goalkeeping coaching and knowledge.

I think we all know what a howler is. He'll make howlers and get away with them, as he did on Saturday and he'll make those he won't get away with. Whether he gets away with it or not, he mistake remains the same.

I'm going to be very clear here...all players make mistakes and the best keepers make them too. The difference is, some make them far too frequently and as others have said, it's getting to the point where we're expecting one or two very bad mistakes from Ramsdale each game. That's far too frequent. I don't care about his age, because a team that is intent on competing at the top level, does not have a keeper who's still learning the trade.

This thread has got a bit out of hand, because I want the boy to succeed, but at the moment, I'm far from convinced that he's the answer.

[A11M11]

I can see both sides of the argument
, He is young and rash and does make the odd ricket but I am not sure who we could get that's better.
When we had the Leno / Martinez situation I backed Martinez but since he has been at Villa to my mind he is just as prone to getting caught as Ramsdale.
Looking around the league City /Liverpool and Chelsea have all spent on keepers that have made cock ups and the England hopefuls of Pope and Pickford don't inspire me much so are they much better ?
In the past we've seen good keepers behind shit defences and Southall comes to mind and average keepers behind good defences like Allison. We just have to hope that our defence continues to improve to allow for any shortcomings and. that the coaches work on his positioning and distribution. I can't see the point in throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

[Retro Gunner]

I can see both sides of the argument
, He is young and rash and does make the odd ricket but I am not sure who we could get that's better.
When we had the Leno / Martinez situation I backed Martinez but since he has been at Villa to my mind he is just as prone to getting caught as Ramsdale.
Looking around the league City /Liverpool and Chelsea have all spent on keepers that have made cock ups and the England hopefuls of Pope and Pickford don't inspire me much so are they much better ?
In the past we've seen good keepers behind shit defences and Southall comes to mind and average keepers behind good defences like Allison. We just have to hope that our defence continues to improve to allow for any shortcomings and. that the coaches work on his positioning and distribution. I can't see the point in throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

To be honest A11, I don't see the evidence for Martinez getting "caught" as you say. I remember a proper howler from him near the end of last season, but he always looks very solid to me and makes some cracking saves. Villa shipped 3 to Palace this weekend, but watching the highlights, Emi played very well. Made some good saves to keep Villa in it and even saved the penalty, although Saha scored the rebound.

I don't know much about Pope, saw little of him at Burnley and from what I saw of the newcastle game yesterday, he did ok, but looks very unorthodox and his kicking was dreadful. I've never been a fan of Pickford...like Ramsdale, he'll make reaction saves, but similarly he's chaotic and his positioning and decision making is iffy imo.

As for who's better than Ramsdale, well we had better and sold him, but I've been told not to go on about Martinez. There's better out there imo, but let's wait and see, he might surprise me.

[A11M11]

I thought that Martinez commanded his area better then Leno and gave much needed confidence to the defence and was sorry to see him go. However Villa did let in 54 league goals last season which was 6 more than Arsenal .
As i said before it's sticks and stones because of the different defences . I believed that Martinez was a step up from Leno , but I also believe that so is Ramsdale.

[Nos89]

The challenge Ramsdale is facing this season is maintaining his concentration when he's not busy. He's used to playing in teams that haven't been defensively solid, therefore, he's always been busy. We are becoming more solid defensively so Ramsdale needs to be concentrating when not facing a shot for an hour, like what happened on Saturday. He's probably 4th choice English goalkeeper but he's at a top 6 club, playing in Europe. He's got time on his hands to be England's no.1.
Lukic was never England's no.1 yet won 2 league titles, so, it doesn't matter if he's not the best keeper in the world as long as he's part of a winning team at our club, I'd excuse the odd "howler".

[Retro Gunner]

The challenge Ramsdale is facing this season is maintaining his concentration when he's not busy. He's used to playing in teams that haven't been defensively solid, therefore, he's always been busy. We are becoming more solid defensively so Ramsdale needs to be concentrating when not facing a shot for an hour, like what happened on Saturday. He's probably 4th choice English goalkeeper but he's at a top 6 club, playing in Europe. He's got time on his hands to be England's no.1.
Lukic was never England's no.1 yet won 2 league titles, so, it doesn't matter if he's not the best keeper in the world as long as he's part of a winning team at our club, I'd excuse the odd "howler".

I probably shouldn't bite at this stuff, but you make some very peculiar comments. If its a struggle and a challenge for a keeper to keep his concentration when playing behind a solid defence, then that keeper shouldn't be playing for a top team. Maybe better playing for relegation candidates, where he'll be nice and busy...oh, wait a minute, that's where he was playing isn't it?

You throw all these red herrings in about not having to be England's No.1, or not having to be the "best keeper in the world" to be part of a successful side, but everyone understands that and no one claims otherwise. What I'm concerned about (and it seems I'm not alone) is his unreliability and the likelihood that he'll fuck up once or twice per game, which will ultimately cost us success. I hope he improves, but for me, the jury is very much out. We'll see.

Oh and I know you'll "excuse the odd howler". I think you'd mount a defence for him throwing the ball in his own net twice every game. Anyway, interesting to know what your idea of the frequency of the "odd howler" might be? Is one per game acceptable? One every 3-4 games, or maybe one in ten? I'll wait for your cryptic answer, no doubt full of qualifications about whether the fuck up leads to a goal or not etc etc.

[g88ner]

I think Rodders said it on the match thread but Ramsdale certainly gives me jitters when he gets the ball these days.

He’s not perfect, but he’s young , I like him and I’m balls deep in support for most of this squad including Ramsdale.

I agree

[the playing mantis]

This thread is shite!!

Retro isn't convinced others are, others on the fence.

Lock it down luke

Post something useful like the name of the bird always in our changing room during all or nothing!!

[BobbyPires7]

This thread is shite!!

Retro isn't convinced others are, others on the fence.

Lock it down luke

Post something useful like the name of the bird always in our changing room during all or nothing!!

She’s going out with Ramsdale. He did well to catch her initially. But he’s dropped her a few times recently during nookie and his positioning is also suspect. She’s now looking elsewhere.

[Retro Gunner]

This thread is shite!!

Retro isn't convinced others are, others on the fence.

Lock it down luke

Post something useful like the name of the bird always in our changing room during all or nothing!!

She’s going out with Ramsdale. He did well to catch her initially. But he’s dropped her a few times recently during nookie and his positioning is also suspect. She’s now looking elsewhere.

I'll bet she is. His handling was clearly suspect? Did he start to come and then stop? Was he hollering and shouting at her and waving his arms manically, while fumbling his foreplay?

Seriously, this thread is becoming too polemic. I don't agree with Mantis that it should be locked down, because I think it's going to be a genuine issue, but while he's right to say that I'm not convinced, that doesn't mean that I've written him off. I have serious doubts, based purely on what I've seen and because, unlike some, I don't just look for the positives in everything the club does and in every player who pulls on the shirt.

I'm desperate for this club to succeed and having witnessed 15 years of mismanagement and poor decision making, I'm fucked if I'm going to sit quietly and not comment on issues that might hold us back. We have the most passive and docile supporters imaginable, who confuse childlike loyalty with an unwillingness to make a proper analysis of the shitshow that our club has been in recent years.

As much as I've raged against Xhaka and insisted that a team can't succeed with a weak centre midfield, there are two positions on the pitch that can get you wins and draws that you don't deserve and also cost you games that you should have won or drawn and that is the centre forward and goalkeeper. Get those positions right and you'll put many undeserved points on your season's total...get them wrong and you'll lose points you should have had. Those two positions should be your start point and perhaps the goalkeeper most of all.

[wilson2.0]

He hasnt dropped a proper clanger like Mendy did against Leeds, & I havent seen him make the kind of errors De Gea makes on a regular basis such as balls spilling through him.

Given managers dont want the keeper to hoof it up the field, goalkeepers are now de-facto outfield players and must try to retain possession even under pressure. He does this well where others have failed (see Mendy v Leeds). That being said he does have a weakness at his near post. That James Maddison goal was soft, again getting beaten from a tight angle at his near post/through the legs.

Still though, compared to most other keepers he is doing well

[g88ner]

I think Rodders said it on the match thread but Ramsdale certainly gives me jitters when he gets the ball these days.

He’s not perfect, but he’s young , I like him and I’m balls deep in support for most of this squad including Ramsdale.

Well said mate

[Killi]

Doesn't feel like that long ago we had Floppyhandski and Almunia...there's definitely been an improvement in the goalkeeping recruitment and skills as of late.

[DB10GOONER]

Doesn't feel like that long ago we had Floppyhandski and Almunia...there's definitely been an improvement in the goalkeeping recruitment and skills as of late.

This ^^^.