Harry Isted - yet another keeper ....

[david in sweden]

Now we have signed young Harry Isted......this makes SEVEN keepers on the books.

 

Boruc is (obviously) first choice keeper, and what we've seen in the last 18 months neither the dedicated KD, or Gazzaniga are likely to seriously challenge him in the future.

 

Cody Cropper is USA's U21 keeper and was called up for their first team squad in the last game. Any jokes about American " Soccer " are unnecessary.

He has played in a rota with the others named below in the " Development Squad / U21s" and was unfortunate enough to be between the posts in some of their biggest defeats (not apportioning blame, btw)

 

Chris Johns originally came as a N.I. U17 keeper and has played well in U18/U21 games, and looks a good prospect.

 

Will Britt U18 keeper has been around a while, but is now out on loan to a Conference side ..(Bognor)?

 

I think Harry Isted impressed even as a 16 year-old, now plays regularly for Doddsy's U18's and has come on well enough to be given a pro-contract at 17.

 

 

As I am not alone in saying that we need to sign ANOTHER international keeper to challenge for / cover the first team squad, they'll need to be " a bit of sorting out" to do in the summer, methinks.

 

Having EIGHT keepers on the books would be more than a joke.

Edited 13 March, 2014 by david in sweden

[melmacian_saint]

Do you fail to see the concept of a youth and a U-21 team?

We need keepers for these, so if you put it like this you must include all our current U-21/U-18 squads and their players when talking about all the positions.

 

Cropper is the U-21s keeper. Isted and Britt are/were in the U-18s, and Johns rotates between both (mostly the U-21 these days). 4 keepers for two squads is not a lot, it is the right number.

Most of them are also either playing above their age level or already "outside" the age level boundaries altogether, and you can't have them around in youth contracts anymore.

 

Plus we haven't signed Isted. He was already with us and has simply been promoted into a professional contract. Very different from signing someone who is unattached or came from another club today.

 

Sorry if I'm being precious but I found your post very misleading. You seem to want to discuss the first team options, but use the youth keepers as back-up for your argument.

[CB Saint]

Good keepers are like rocking horse sh ite. If we have half a dozen u21s coming through the ranks, then there is a fighting chance that one of them may just make it.

[toofarnorth]

Young players are cheap. If there is a chance they will be a future first teamer, prudent to sign them up for a couple of years for probably less than we're paying Gaston each week.

[Saint_clark]

Now count the amount of strikers we have at every level.

[Crazy Diamond]

Sweden sounds pretty damn boring.

[david in sweden]

Sweden sounds pretty damn boring.

 

 

football-wise, you're not far wrong. Season start is in April ....and then the quality isn't much better than Championship level.

[david in sweden]

Do you fail to see the concept of a youth and a U-21 team?

We need keepers for these, so if you put it like this you must include all our current U-21/U-18 squads and their players when talking about all the positions.

 

Cropper is the U-21s keeper. Isted and Britt are/were in the U-18s, and Johns rotates between both (mostly the U-21 these days). 4 keepers for two squads is not a lot, it is the right number.

Most of them are also either playing above their age level or already "outside" the age level boundaries altogether, and you can't have them around in youth contracts anymore.

 

Plus we haven't signed Isted. He was already with us and has simply been promoted into a professional contract. Very different from signing someone who is unattached or came from another club today.

 

Sorry if I'm being precious but I found your post very misleading. You seem to want to discuss the first team options, but use the youth keepers as back-up for your argument.

 

 

well giving a 17 year old keeper a pro. contract suggests to me they have longer term plans for him. Can't be sure about the others.

 

I wasn't suggesting that ANY of them was a likely replacement for Boruc, but having half-a-dozen others doesn't give any of them much game time, (and then only U21 at best).

 

I've been campaigning for a second quality keeper since we came up from the Championship. I hope we will sign a good (international) second string keeper, but that will mean 8 keepers which is daft:lol:

 

Some Prem. sides have 3 international keepers and only Nigel Adkins thought KD ws a Prem.standard keeper....and that Gazzaniga would be a good back-up. Clearly neither is the case.

 

Someone / two will have to go if the rest are to be allowed to develop.

Edited 14 March, 2014 by david in sweden

[SuperMikey]

Les Reed was talking about pro contracts on TV the other week - signing a pro contract at 17 is pretty standard business and he'll be on the same deal as the other 17 year old pros at the club.

[david in sweden]

Les Reed was talking about pro contracts on TV the other week - signing a pro contract at 17 is pretty standard business and he'll be on the same deal as the other 17 year old pros at the club.

 

It's good that we sign promising players at such an age (Chris Johns was a previous example), but as KD is just seeing out his time..it's puts a lot of pressure on Gazzaniga and Cropper to prove themselves as I can't see both of them staying after the summer.....and I still don't see a likely successor / challenger to Boruc as no.1......and we can't afford more lapses in form - as we had after he was out injured.