Alex Smithies

Didn't David seaman say that as well? I like him and hope he does commit long term.

 

Those are the words we want to hear. That at least means he's hanging around for the rest of the season. But it's also good to know that he's enjoying his time there and that it's actually possible for players to be enjoying their time here.

 

Very pleased to read this!

 

Delighted......best keeper we've had in years......

 

... and actually playing well!

 

On the surface very welcoming. The cynic in me says that this is asking for a pay rise or he might have to look elsewhere!

 

Am I the only one who thinks he is playing at his natural level? Whatever happened to his supposed move to Liverpool? I do not see him as a PL goalie because in my opinion, he's not good enough. He is better than Greeno and Cesar ever were but every now and then we concede goals that I feel he should save but doesn't.

 

All goalkeepers do though. When you look at some of the dross playing in the Prem he is definitely capable of playing for half the league.

 

Keepers that don't make any mistakes are a mythical beast I reckon.

 

It's also a myth, usually perpetuated by a commentator who has never played in goal, that a keeper should never be beaten at his near post.

 

Great news to hear. As someone else mentioned, he's the best keeper we've had for many years.

 

The last one that was as good for me was Paddy Kenny.

 

Like Griffin McMaster perhaps:-
Griffin McMaster is an Australian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for FC Bulleen Lions in the National Premier Leagues Victoria.

 

Kenny had one outstanding season during our Championship winning year and a decent following season in a side in a relegation battle, when he was in his 30's and at his prime for a keeper.......What age is Smithies? 25? 26? and he IMO is far ahead of Kenny in ability already, with another 8 to 10 years to reach his peak if he avoids injury. We should get him signed up to a new contract asap because before long Prem clubs will be sniffing around, I'd say that he's already better than the keepers at Swansea, Hull, Sunderland, West Ham, Boro, Watford, Bournemouth, Stoke, Palace, Liverpool.......

The last keeper who was at this level of ability in his mid 20's was Seaman who was good for us but bloody brilliant for Arsenal and England........

 

Do you really think Smithies was as good as Seaman? He hasn't even played a Premiership game yet, never mind played for his country with such distinction as Seaman did. Paddy Kenny played a number of seasons in the PL and was also capped at International level on a few occasions (we'll forget the 5-2 against Cyprus which probably ended his international career). His shot stopping was as good as Smithies is but to me, although he made the odd mistake, he was less prone to making major mistakes. I suppose all players are only as good as other clubs see them and to date, the fact that a PL club hasn't come calling for his services or the fact that he hasn't been capped at underage level, tells me all I need to know. If and when that happens in the future, I may change my view of him.

 

No read what I posted again.....I said that the last keeper who was at this standard at Smithies age was Seaman, I didn't say anything about him playing Premier League games or International, from memory Seaman didn't get International recognition until he was with Arsenal........I'm not that bothered about what Kenny did before he came to us, I'm judging them on their performances for us alone.........otherwise someone will say the Ceasar was the finest keeper we had because of all the trophies he won elsewhere etc, when for us he was nowt short of a disaster, playing wise and financially.......

I rate the lad and believe he will go on to better things when he peaks in his late 20's early 30's.......

 

Give him a pen, very quickly.

 

bet he'd save it