Most teams play their reserve keeper in Cup competitions and I think we should also. It's not as if he is an inexperienced keeper and his inclusion would reflect the togetherness of the whole squad.
@MindlessDrugHoover said:
Makes me wonder what Rocky needs to do to win some people over. He's a contender for player of the season so far.
It's a good question. I can't quite put my finger on it but it probably doesn't help his case that he doesn't appear to have the charisma of most of the rest of the squad. He never plays with a smile on his face, in fact he always looks quite surly when the camera focuses on him. That combined with his liberal application of time wasting devices (under instruction from the bench, without doubt) and obvious weak points in his game... and the fact that they're exposed more due to the uniqueness of the position he plays... that's why he struggles to win me over.
@MindlessDrugHoover Speaking for myself, he needs to be a presence in his penalty area, deterring the opposition from putting the ball in to the 6-yard box thinking they might well get a return from it and he needs to get off his line quicker to nullify a variety of threats.
His command of the area and confidence with crosses do seem to be the areas most see as his weakness, but who was the last keeper we had who was both commanding and a great shot stopper? I seem to remember Blackman being susceptible to low shots.
If we had a keeper who has every single attribute, he wouldn't be playing at this level. Shot stopping, distribution, handling are all excellent - I think his distribution is incredibly underrated, very rare to see him fluff a back pass, even when under pressure. He's not the best at commanding his box, as we know. But he's better overall than Stocks imo.
Maybe "at this level" is the wrong term, because obviously there are top class keepers at this level. But I doubt we could afford much better than Rocky who has been excellent this season.
@JohnBoy said:
If we had a keeper who has every single attribute, he wouldn't be playing at this level. Shot stopping, distribution, handling are all excellent - I think his distribution is incredibly underrated, very rare to see him fluff a back pass, even when under pressure. He's not the best at commanding his box, as we know. But he's better overall than Stocks imo.
Good point about his dealing with backpasses, he is very good at that. You never worry in the slightest when a ball is passed back to him (save this message for future reference)
Look, he's not a dreadful goalkeeper obviously. But he doesn't command his 6 yard box let alone his area, he almost never comes to claim a cross and I don't think he ever has games where he pulls off saves that you can't believe and is responsible for us winning points in the way that goalkeepers we've had in the past did (Martin Taylor, Nikki Bull, Matt Ingram spring to mind)
When does he ever make a save that leaves you wondering in disbelief how he made it?
And (and this is a small point and I also realise that he did save one ages ago) but he never looks like saving a penalty.
Again, make a note of this to mock me with tomorrow if he's our penalty shoot out hero.
All that said, the keeper before him never came off his line to take a cross either so it might just be the way our management team like to defend.
@eric_plant said:
Good point about his dealing with backpasses, he is very good at that. You never worry in the slightest when a ball is passed back to him (save this message for future reference)
@eric_plant said:
Good point about his dealing with backpasses, he is very good at that. You never worry in the slightest when a ball is passed back to him (save this message for future reference)
20 seconds in...
Ah we can laugh at it now.
Two horrible passes just before it.
Then very close to a howler from the gentle ball in a couple of seconds afterwards in the clip.
However, Stocky let one in from a gentle backpass in a friendly didn't he? Hardly a safer option from all the evidence so far.
Rocky’s strengths outweigh his weaknesses, and I’ve never heard anyone in football dismiss a keeper because he ‘lacks charisma’, but there’s always a first time for everything.
Actually, just so I'm sure of the @eric_plant gasroom rules, is relentlessly slagging off one of our own players more or less acceptable than occasionally complaining about a refereeing decision? I'm struggling to keep up.
@glasshalffull said:
Rocky’s strengths outweigh his weaknesses, and I’ve never heard anyone in football dismiss a keeper because he ‘lacks charisma’, but there’s always a first time for everything.
I didn't dismiss him, I just tried to answer the direct question of why he struggles to win people over.
If you don't think personalities matter in football then I'm surprised you've managed to string out a career in broadcasting for as long as you have.
@glasshalffull said:
Rocky’s strengths outweigh his weaknesses, and I’ve never heard anyone in football dismiss a keeper because he ‘lacks charisma’, but there’s always a first time for everything.
I didn't dismiss him, I just tried to answer the direct question of why he struggles to win people over.
If you don't think personalities matter in football then I'm surprised you've managed to string out a career in broadcasting for as long as you have.
If you bother to read what I said properly you will see that my quote was ‘I never heard anyone in football dismiss a keeper because he lacks charisma.’ As far as I know, you are not involved in the professional game but feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. Ability and character are far more important than being a ‘personality’ and I don’t see what your final jibe has to do with my career.
@drcongo "Relentlessly slagging off one of our own players"? Really? That's ludicrous. Like me, @eric_plant is just asking on occasion whether Rocky couldn't consistently assert himself more - something which other goalkeepers do successfully and, in my view, would significantly enhance our team.
@MindlessDrugHoover I think Bull and Ingram, as well as Blackman, both came off their line better than Rocky early in their careers with us, as well as being excellent shot-stoppers. Like others, I also feel like they did that less well later on and wonder whether it hasn't been discouraged by successive management regimes. I think that would be disappointing, if true, because you can see you it reduces our own scoring options when an opposition keeper comes to claim balls, as well as how it reassures the defence.
Comments
Makes me wonder what Rocky needs to do to win some people over. He's a contender for player of the season so far.
Come for crosses / command the 6yd box. Then he would be a contender
Most teams play their reserve keeper in Cup competitions and I think we should also. It's not as if he is an inexperienced keeper and his inclusion would reflect the togetherness of the whole squad.
It's a good question. I can't quite put my finger on it but it probably doesn't help his case that he doesn't appear to have the charisma of most of the rest of the squad. He never plays with a smile on his face, in fact he always looks quite surly when the camera focuses on him. That combined with his liberal application of time wasting devices (under instruction from the bench, without doubt) and obvious weak points in his game... and the fact that they're exposed more due to the uniqueness of the position he plays... that's why he struggles to win me over.
@MindlessDrugHoover Speaking for myself, he needs to be a presence in his penalty area, deterring the opposition from putting the ball in to the 6-yard box thinking they might well get a return from it and he needs to get off his line quicker to nullify a variety of threats.
His command of the area and confidence with crosses do seem to be the areas most see as his weakness, but who was the last keeper we had who was both commanding and a great shot stopper? I seem to remember Blackman being susceptible to low shots.
If we had a keeper who has every single attribute, he wouldn't be playing at this level. Shot stopping, distribution, handling are all excellent - I think his distribution is incredibly underrated, very rare to see him fluff a back pass, even when under pressure. He's not the best at commanding his box, as we know. But he's better overall than Stocks imo.
Maybe "at this level" is the wrong term, because obviously there are top class keepers at this level. But I doubt we could afford much better than Rocky who has been excellent this season.
Good point about his dealing with backpasses, he is very good at that. You never worry in the slightest when a ball is passed back to him (save this message for future reference)
I can't think for a minute why he might appear a bit surly having been slagged off since day one.
He is better than some and not as good as others.
Look, he's not a dreadful goalkeeper obviously. But he doesn't command his 6 yard box let alone his area, he almost never comes to claim a cross and I don't think he ever has games where he pulls off saves that you can't believe and is responsible for us winning points in the way that goalkeepers we've had in the past did (Martin Taylor, Nikki Bull, Matt Ingram spring to mind)
When does he ever make a save that leaves you wondering in disbelief how he made it?
And (and this is a small point and I also realise that he did save one ages ago) but he never looks like saving a penalty.
Again, make a note of this to mock me with tomorrow if he's our penalty shoot out hero.
All that said, the keeper before him never came off his line to take a cross either so it might just be the way our management team like to defend.
20 seconds in...
Ha ha very good
May I suggest that you were able to remember this so readily because it was so rare?
Ah we can laugh at it now.
Two horrible passes just before it.
Then very close to a howler from the gentle ball in a couple of seconds afterwards in the clip.
However, Stocky let one in from a gentle backpass in a friendly didn't he? Hardly a safer option from all the evidence so far.
I think massive errors like those just have to be put to one side.
If any keeper was in the habit of making those regularly then the would obviously never get a game
@eric_plant
How do you explain David James’ career?!
There were a couple of those in the play-off final IIRC.
There was more than one in just the playoff games.
Rocky’s strengths outweigh his weaknesses, and I’ve never heard anyone in football dismiss a keeper because he ‘lacks charisma’, but there’s always a first time for everything.
This.
Actually, just so I'm sure of the @eric_plant gasroom rules, is relentlessly slagging off one of our own players more or less acceptable than occasionally complaining about a refereeing decision? I'm struggling to keep up.
You literally ban people from here. Pipe down
I didn't dismiss him, I just tried to answer the direct question of why he struggles to win people over.
If you don't think personalities matter in football then I'm surprised you've managed to string out a career in broadcasting for as long as you have.
This cats got claws.
He was a superb goalkeeper for a great many years
He also gave away that daft penalty in the game at Fleetwood..
Didn't think it was at the time & still think the same!
Home v Sunderland near the end of the game?
If you bother to read what I said properly you will see that my quote was ‘I never heard anyone in football dismiss a keeper because he lacks charisma.’ As far as I know, you are not involved in the professional game but feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. Ability and character are far more important than being a ‘personality’ and I don’t see what your final jibe has to do with my career.
@drcongo "Relentlessly slagging off one of our own players"? Really? That's ludicrous. Like me, @eric_plant is just asking on occasion whether Rocky couldn't consistently assert himself more - something which other goalkeepers do successfully and, in my view, would significantly enhance our team.
@MindlessDrugHoover I think Bull and Ingram, as well as Blackman, both came off their line better than Rocky early in their careers with us, as well as being excellent shot-stoppers. Like others, I also feel like they did that less well later on and wonder whether it hasn't been discouraged by successive management regimes. I think that would be disappointing, if true, because you can see you it reduces our own scoring options when an opposition keeper comes to claim balls, as well as how it reassures the defence.