Fraser Forster - Official: Signs for Spurs

[Chez]

  On 23/03/2022 at 09:10, DT said:

If we let him go as I fear we might, given our mystifying decision to award McCarthy a new contract, then the new keeper we get in must be a clear number 1, not an understudy to McCarthy. 

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Assuming the contract is true (it must be) McCarthy will be on number 1 wages. Doesn't mean he starts though. It could well be Johnstone coming in and they would then compete for the shirt.

[Chez]

  On 22/03/2022 at 09:34, spyinthesky said:

Forster has been playing well enough recently.

Need to sort out his wages but would rather spend £20m or so on an outfield player than on a 'keeper at the moment

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Got to say that with the club's lost income due to COVID and the debt we have, money could well be tight this summer, so spending £10m, £15m, £20m here, there and everywhere, without a major departure, might not be possible. I can see us resigning Long and attempting again to resign Forster. 

[JRM]

  On 23/03/2022 at 15:00, cloggy saint said:

By my reckoning there are 6 English first team 'keepers in the PL. Two are already called up, Ramsdale is injured. Foster is about 56 years old and Gunn is crap. Who else were they going to call up to sit on the bench for 2 games? If he's called up it's by default.

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I'd have thought Southgate will go with one for the future - Henderson? 

[Danbert]

  On 23/03/2022 at 15:29, Chez said:

Got to say that with the club's lost income due to COVID and the debt we have, money could well be tight this summer, so spending £10m, £15m, £20m here, there and everywhere, without a major departure, might not be possible. I can see us resigning Long and attempting again to resign Forster. 

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Other clubs will have financial issues - I love Shane, but I find it hard to believe there won't be better bargains around than him

[Chez]

  On 23/03/2022 at 16:03, Danbert said:

Other clubs will have financial issues - I love Shane, but I find it hard to believe there won't be better bargains around than him

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If he is on, say £70k a week and we have to offer the same again, then it doesn't feel good value to me, but as always its the total cost (transfer fee, signing on fee, wages) over the course of the contract that matters. Another factor is that by paying him, we cant take a punt on someone else that perhaps will a) be better b) increase their resale value.

[Ted Bates Statue]

Fraser Forster is about to get an England recall.

I guess the FA couldn't wait a week and a half for April 1st...

[Charlie Wayman]

I like him but it is probably best all round if he and the Club go their separate ways.

Too much baggage on here amongst fans for him to ever be able to completely redeem himself in their eyes;  what's the point if everyone is just waiting for the poor sod to drop a goulie.

[Chez]

  On 23/03/2022 at 19:07, Charlie Wayman said:

I like him but it is probably best all round if he and the Club go their separate ways.

Too much baggage on here amongst fans for him to ever be able to completely redeem himself in their eyes;  what's the point if everyone is just waiting for the poor sod to drop a goulie.

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not sure the majority of fans feel like that. Certainly not at SMS. When at a game I don't get that sense of dread or concern. I think there is usual nervousness when the ball is at his feet, but thats the same with most sets of fans with most keepers. I don't think making howlers has ever been the problem with Forster. Its more his lack of agility or movement off his line. McCarthy is more agile, but he is the one that drops the odd howler.

Maybe the bar has dropped, but I think most fans feel Forster is getting back to his best. He isn't more agile, but his positioning is great and he gets in the way of a lot (he makes the goal small) - he always been good at that.

I'd like a better keeper, and thought this summer was an opportunity, but on our budget, can we find better?

[danjosaint]

After somebody posted about the French keeper Lafont I had a little read and he seems a real talent 

[The Cat]

  On 23/03/2022 at 19:24, Chez said:

not sure the majority of fans feel like that. Certainly not at SMS. When at a game I don't get that sense of dread or concern. I think there is usual nervousness when the ball is at his feet, but thats the same with most sets of fans with most keepers. I don't think making howlers has ever been the problem with Forster. Its more his lack of agility or movement off his line. McCarthy is more agile, but he is the one that drops the odd howler.

Maybe the bar has dropped, but I think most fans feel Forster is getting back to his best. He isn't more agile, but his positioning is great and he gets in the way of a lot (he makes the goal small) - he always been good at that.

I'd like a better keeper, and thought this summer was an opportunity, but on our budget, can we find better?

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The bar has dropped. We're used to watching average keepers week in week out at Saints. Forster's positioning is good compared to someone like Pickford, but the rest of his game is largely poor.

Another standard which is low, and maybe skews people's judgement, is the lack of quality amongst English keepers in general. Most reasonable size nations have much stronger depth in quality than we do.

[S-Clarke]

Confirmed he's been recalled, certainly won't play but to his credit it's a great come back on his part.

Should help him earn himself a decent club in the summer. I can see him topping up the English quota at a Top 6 club tbh.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

Really pleased for him. He's come back from a lot to earn it.

[skintsaint]

  On 23/03/2022 at 19:52, danjosaint said:

After somebody posted about the French keeper Lafont I had a little read and he seems a real talent 

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Well he fits the bill, moved to a better league and made a number of high level errors (wiki facts) before returning back to France. Need the next scapegoat. 

[JRM]

  On 23/03/2022 at 22:42, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Really pleased for him. He's come back from a lot to earn it.

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England's number 1, England's England's number 1. 

When you look at some of the goals Pickford and Pope have conceded it's not like England have a clear outstanding keeper at the moment. Pleased for Forster. 

[Master Bates]

I remember what happened last time we had 3 players in the England squad.

[JRM]

  On 24/03/2022 at 08:37, Master Bates said:

I remember what happened last time we had 3 players in the England squad.

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2017? I remember we had 4 players in the squad, Forster, Bertrand, JWP and Redmond 

[Master Bates]

  On 24/03/2022 at 09:29, JRM said:

2017? I remember we had 4 players in the squad, Forster, Bertrand, JWP and Redmond 

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Yeah as you say that was 4. Whereas I said when we just had the 3 😁 

[once_bitterne]

Shame we've already given McColander a new deal and will be letting FF go.

[Nordic Saint]

  On 24/03/2022 at 10:04, once_bitterne said:

Shame we've already given McColander a new deal and will be letting FF go.

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I've been watching Saints since 1963 and in that time we've only had 3 goalkeepers better than Forster - Shilton, Flowers and Niemi - and the number of international caps our goalkeepers have had in that time would tend to support this view.  It's bizarre that some fans think we can just get rid of him and replace him with someone who'll be better and that it will also save the club money when the reality is we could waste at least £20 mill on a transfer fee + similar wages to Forster's on a goalkeeper who'll turn out not to be as good as him.

Edited 24 March, 2022 by Nordic Saint

[Miltonaggro]

  On 24/03/2022 at 10:29, Nordic Saint said:

I've been watching Saints since 1963 and in that time we've only had 3 goalkeepers better than Forster - Shilton, Flowers and Niemi - and the number of international caps our goalkeepers have had in that time would tend to support this.  It's bizarre that some fans think we can just get rid of him and replace him with someone who'll be better. The reality is we could waste at least £20 mill on a transfer fee + similar wages to Forster's on a goalkeeper who'll turn out not be as good as him.

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In my time, I think I'd have Artur Boruc and Paul Jones in the first 11 before Forster, and possibly the Terry Gennoe V.1 that existed prior to the 1979 League Cup Final.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

  On 24/03/2022 at 10:48, Miltonaggro said:

In my time, I think I'd have Artur Boruc and Paul Jones in the first 11 before Forster, and possibly the Terry Gennoe V.1 that existed prior to the 1979 League Cup Final.

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Think I would have Kelvin Davis before Paul Jones

[once_bitterne]

  On 24/03/2022 at 10:55, Lee On Solent Saint said:

Think I would have Kelvin Davis before Paul Jones

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And Maik Taylor before all of them.

[Golac's Cunning Stunts]

  On 24/03/2022 at 10:29, Nordic Saint said:

I've been watching Saints since 1963 and in that time we've only had 3 goalkeepers better than Forster - Shilton, Flowers and Niemi - and the number of international caps our goalkeepers have had in that time would tend to support this view.  It's bizarre that some fans think we can just get rid of him and replace him with someone who'll be better and that it will also save the club money when the reality is we could waste at least £20 mill on a transfer fee + similar wages to Forster's on a goalkeeper who'll turn out not to be as good as him.

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How can you leave The Kat off that list

[Turkish]

  On 24/03/2022 at 10:29, Nordic Saint said:

I've been watching Saints since 1963 and in that time we've only had 3 goalkeepers better than Forster - Shilton, Flowers and Niemi - and the number of international caps our goalkeepers have had in that time would tend to support this view.  It's bizarre that some fans think we can just get rid of him and replace him with someone who'll be better and that it will also save the club money when the reality is we could waste at least £20 mill on a transfer fee + similar wages to Forster's on a goalkeeper who'll turn out not to be as good as him.

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Boruc was better as well. 
 

i do agree with your second point though, unless you’re signing proven quality which we can’t afford it’s a gamble and the idea we can just let him go and sign better for less is naive. We might do but it’s a risk. In truth there are very few decent keepers out there these days. I’m not exactly inspired by signing the West Brom keeper as a replacement.

Edited 24 March, 2022 by Turkish

[Turkish]

  On 24/03/2022 at 14:31, once_bitterne said:

And Maik Taylor before all of them.

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Signing Dave Jones mate Paul Jones was ridiculous when we already had Taylor at the club 

[notnowcato]

  On 24/03/2022 at 16:27, Turkish said:

Boruc was better as well. 
 

i do agree with your second point though, unless you’re signing proven quality which we can’t afford it’s a gamble and the idea we can just let him go and sign better for less is naive. We might do but it’s a risk. In truth there are very few decent keepers out there these days. I’m not exactly inspired by signing the West Brom keeper as a replacement.

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Is Forster proven "quality"??  His quality is proven and many would say we should be looking for better.

Anyway, this could all be irrelevant as Fraser might decide a change of scenery is what he wants.

[Whitey Grandad]

  On 24/03/2022 at 16:28, Turkish said:

Signing Dave Jones mate Paul Jones was ridiculous when we already had Taylor at the club 

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He was signed precisely because he was his mate. Taylor was much the better keeper.

[DT]

Debating getting rid of a keeper who has just been picked to play for England while honouring a ropey old mistake-monger like McCarthy with a new contract instead is the kind of Saintsness I thought we had left behind.

Forster must either have a very bolshie agent or we are grumbling at paying 'over the odds' but his performances over the last period are one of the main reasons we are where we are and probably worth the extra. But someone is clearly digging their heels in. All a bit of a shame. But if he has to go, again, I hope we get a new number 1, rather than muddling through on the cheapskatery.

[CB Fry]

John Burridge is in absolute bits reading this thread 😪

[Turkish]

  On 24/03/2022 at 18:27, CB Fry said:

John Burridge is in absolute bits reading this thread 😪

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Heard his just taken his anger out by doing 10 handstand push ups 

[Badger]

  On 24/03/2022 at 10:29, Nordic Saint said:

I've been watching Saints since 1963 and in that time we've only had 3 goalkeepers better than Forster - Shilton, Flowers and Niemi - ....

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Eric Martin was a favourite of mine when I first started following Saints. Remember the "Eric for Scotland" chants when Scotland had a decent team, early 1970's.  Not up to the three you mention but in his prime I'd say he was no worse than FF.

  On 24/03/2022 at 10:48, Miltonaggro said:

In my time, I think I'd have Artur Boruc and Paul Jones in the first 11 before Forster, and possibly the Terry Gennoe V.1 that existed prior to the 1979 League Cup Final.

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Had an incredible run didn't he? I really though Lawrie had pulled off a masterstroke signing him, but his confidence dissolved in that game and after.

  On 24/03/2022 at 14:31, once_bitterne said:

And Maik Taylor before all of them.

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Agreed. Always felt he was unfairly cast aside after we signed Paul Jones.

[Miltonaggro]

  On 24/03/2022 at 18:27, CB Fry said:

John Burridge is in absolute bits reading this thread 😪

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Nonsense, Budgie will self-motivate with ten motivational press ups, some squat thrusts, and a hang from the banister for half an hour to come up to the commanding height of five foot eight.

[once_bitterne]

  On 24/03/2022 at 17:55, Whitey Grandad said:

He was signed precisely because he was his mate. Taylor was much the better keeper.

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And Taylor was still playing in the PL 5 years after Jones' final top flight game.

[VectisSaint]

  On 24/03/2022 at 18:03, DT said:

Debating getting rid of a keeper who has just been picked to play for England while honouring a ropey old mistake-monger like McCarthy with a new contract instead is the kind of Saintsness I thought we had left behind.

Forster must either have a very bolshie agent or we are grumbling at paying 'over the odds' but his performances over the last period are one of the main reasons we are where we are and probably worth the extra. But someone is clearly digging their heels in. All a bit of a shame. But if he has to go, again, I hope we get a new number 1, rather than muddling through on the cheapskatery.

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Debating all this is a complete waste of time. As far as I understand it is already all sorted. Forster and McCarthy were both offered new contract last summer, but there was no guarantee they would be No 1 after this season. Forster turned it down, McCarthy accepted (and allegedly signed). Forster effectively said he would let his contract run down and leave on a free transfer. I imagine that he is already sorted for next season given the time he has had to find a new club. Whether we want to keep him now is almost certainly immaterial, he is going and we will have a new keeper. The only complication is whether McCarthy will be welcomed back into the squad for next season after his behaviour in the game he got injured, Ralph was clearly incensed, and it is strange to me that he is still "injured", is he, or is he now just persona non grata. We have Caballero who we could turn to for a backup next season by offering him a new contract. 

[Ldnsaint]

Let go! I can't believe the talk about keeping him. Have to upgrade if we want to progress.

Keeper would be my priority in the summer with a left sided midfielder 

[The Left Back]

  On 24/03/2022 at 18:27, CB Fry said:

John Burridge is in absolute bits reading this thread 😪

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As is Bruce Grobbelaar unless he put a few quid on the outcome

[TWar]

He's really making a case for himself, today was amazing.

[Saint_clark]

It's so typical of this club that we're keeping McCarthy and letter Forster go for nothing.

[washsaint]

Cannot believe we are keeping McCarthy and letting Forster go.  Unbelievable

[TWar]

  On 16/04/2022 at 16:01, Saint_clark said:

It's so typical of this club that we're keeping McCarthy and letter Forster go for nothing.

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We'll see. There may be a world where we keep Forster and try to shift Macca. He doesn't need to be released to leave. Might be able to send him to the Championship on a free if his new deal isn't too high wage.

[Turkish]

Shop window performance by the sounds of it. Will go to a decent club on a free and we’ll be stuck with McCarthy and whoever else we get in from the bargain bucket 

[hypochondriac]

Once again showing how much better he is than Mccarthy. I said that last year and some were trying to say that there is no difference. 

[rooney]

Brilliant display today and generally since he got back in the team. Take back that which I have said previously🤔

[The Cat]

He's had 2 good games in a row and people are getting carried away. He's still inconsistent and his distribution is poor.

We can do better.

[VectisSaint]

  On 16/04/2022 at 16:01, Saint_clark said:

It's so typical of this club that we're keeping McCarthy and letter Forster go for nothing.

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It's what happens when you offer someone a contract and they turn it down. Reckon he has next season sorted already and has had for some time. To be honest up to the game where he got injured McCarthy was absolutely fine. Then he made a complete twat of himself. Wouldn't surprise me if we move Macca on as well as Forster and the other guy who's name escapes me, and go with Willy as a backup to a new no 1 next season.

[TWar]

Important not to be too reactionary about this I guess. Forster has had good spells before before falling back into mediocrity. His form following his injury comes to mind. Would still be unhappy going into next season with Forster and McCarthy but if we can have Forster as our cup keeper/second keeper and a new guy we'd have some very good options.

[Turkish]

  On 16/04/2022 at 16:54, The Cat said:

He's had 2 good games in a row and people are getting carried away. He's still inconsistent and his distribution is poor.

We can do better.

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What’s his Xsaves been?

Edited 16 April, 2022 by Turkish

[badgerx16]

  On 16/04/2022 at 16:54, The Cat said:

He's had 2 good games in a row and people are getting carried away. He's still inconsistent and his distribution is poor.

We can do better.

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True, but McCarthy isn't.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

  On 16/04/2022 at 16:54, The Cat said:

He's had 2 good games in a row and people are getting carried away. He's still inconsistent and his distribution is poor.

We can do better.

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Yes we can do better, whether the club can afford to do better is another matter.

[ErwinK1961]

  On 16/04/2022 at 16:54, The Cat said:

He's had 2 good games in a row and people are getting carried away. He's still inconsistent and his distribution is poor.

We can do better.

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Some sense at last.