Martin Dúbravka

[brownie21390]

I agree about Clark's impact in the Championship. When he came in I thought he always looked a liability during his Villa and Republic days but was surprised at how good he was (albeit at Championship level). Definitely say he was our best centre-half during that season (again how much Lascelles hernia affected him is up for debate) and was comfortable in position. Now he just reminds me of Williamson at how bad he is on the ball, and just seems to lump it aimlessly whereas Lejeune proved he was comfortable in possession against Premier League opposition and gives the team another dimension with his accurate cross field passes.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

Clark looked good as a footballer in the Championship due to the standard, Lejune as someone else stated, was that player for us in terms of the football and what he brought to the side, but in the Premier League. That’s his level. The Championship is Clark’s.

 

Dubravka seems to me to be a very good all-round ‘keeper, but he fills me with nerves on free-kicks and when it comes to his walls.

 

I spoke to an old mate of mine the other week who has been a goalie coach of kids for years (strictly grassroots kids’ footy) and we were talking about the standard of ‘keeping in the game today and he said foreign ‘keepers will always have the upper hand (no pun intended) because kids these days here in England often play on hard surfaces at school or in local parks and not fields. As such a lot of kids don’t want to play in goal and when they do they can’t dive about as they will hurt themselves.

 

We talked about how much Dubravka has improved us and he said it’s not because he’s a great shot stopper or commanding or even that good compared to say Shay, but because he’s confident and is proactive rather than reactive, and that fills others with confidence and can make all the difference. I could only agree.

 

Thus far, he’s been arguably Rafa’s best signing and along with Lascelles and Shelvey is our best player or most important, someone who makes us that much more stringer and better.

[Infinitely Content]

Thus far, he’s been arguably Rafa’s best signing and along with Lascelles and Shelvey is our best player or most important, someone who makes us that much more stringer and better.

 

Work it,

Make it,

Do it,

Make us,

Harder,

Better,

Faster,

Stringer

[loki679]

[Raconteur]

He nearly dropped a rick which cost us a point on Saturday, totally misjudged that cross at the end which left the open goal for the header. I mean he's obviously great for the money we've spent to keep it in context, but there's been the odd mistake creeping in.

 

Like virtually all of our players, his form isn’t where it was at the end of 17/18.

 

He’s kept two clean sheets and played 4 of the top 6 clubs from last season conceding 8. That’ll compare favourably with the majority of keepers this season.

 

He's one of the better keepers in the Premier, if you take value for money, probably the best. Even the top keepers will make the odd mistake.

 

Both of these comments are true, but it doesn't change the fact that he's not the same Schmeichel-esque player he was last year. He's conceded goals and dropped ricks that are surprising going on last season's form. It doesn't mean he's not an excellent keeper, and well worthy of the discussion about Rafa's "best buy".

[sbnufc]

Martin Dubravka hopes to start changing Newcastle’s fortunes for the better by airing some home truths at what promises to be a brutally honest players’ meeting this week.

 

Rafael Benítez’s side travel to Manchester United on Saturday having collected only two points all season and their Slovakian goalkeeper has initiated what he regards as a potentially watershed get-together.

 

“I’ve said to Jamaal [Lascelles, Newcastle’s captain] that we need to arrange a meeting with all the players,” Dubravka said in the wake of Newcastle’s bitterly disappointing 2-0 home defeat by Leicester City on Saturday.

 

“I believe we have enough quality to beat teams like Leicester but we need to change something – we need to analyse everything and be honest with each other. I don’t think we’ve done that until now. If we want to be successful, we need to change. You always have to give 100% because this is the Premier League; so I expect to see us putting in more. We have to react differently to going behind. Sometimes a players’ meeting can help the team.”

 

With Mike Ashley, the club’s owner, also said to be planning an unexpected, and unprecedented, “clear the air” dinner with Benítez and the first-team squad this week it seems likely a lot of talking will be done on Tyneside in the coming days.

 

Dubravka has been one of Newcastle’s better performers but several teammates are underacheiving and the former Sparta Prague goalkeeper acknowledges morale is low. After all, Benítez’s side have lost their past four home games, scored four goals all season, never taken the lead, had the fewest shots in the Premier League and failed to assume more than 49% possession in any fixture.

 

“Confidence is not high right now,” said Dubravka. “We have to sit down, all together and speak about which direction we need to go. We have to go in the same direction, every player. Everybody has to know which kind of system we play. Rafa has told us many times how we should do things but, against Leicester, we were a little bit confused in a few moments and we did not react well.”

 

Old Trafford is not always the ideal place for bright new dawns and Dubravka knows that, despite José Mourinho’s present travails, Manchester United are unlikely to be pushovers. “It will be a tough game,” he said. “But we have to bring the same attitude as when we beat them [at St James’ Park] last season and do the same things.

 

“It’s no good just talking about things again and again. … If we want to change, we have to start it off by doing it ourselves. It is down to us, no one else. We need to be honest with each other. Of course, we need to stick together as a team but let’s have this meeting and talk.”

 

Ashley is sufficiently concerned to have attended the past two matches in person – after an absence of more than a year – and is proposing the bridge‑building dinner. He has met Benítez – who is refusing to extend a contract which runs out in the summer in the wake of the owner’s transfer market parsimony – only three times and had also been engaged in a long-running dispute with the squad over bonuses.

 

It appears that the contract issue is exerting a debilitating all-round effect. Matt Ritchie looked distinctly unimpressed and asked his manager “What for?” as he walked off following the decision to replace him with fellow winger Jacob Murphy during the Leicester game. Newcastle fans seemed equally puzzled and took the step, hitherto unconsidered, of booing Benítez’s decision.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/oct/01/dubravka-newcastle-players-meeting-winless-start

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Hopefully a meeting where everyone says ‘we’re not good enough for this league lads’ will be more helpful than it initially sounds.

[Zero]

I don't think a players meeting is something nice under Rafa.

[Tiotes Witch Doctor]

Surely when one or two players are out of form or having a bad patch then that happens, but when the entire team seem to be under performing and can't see to string two passes together then they have to look further, to themselves and the coaching staff and manager also need to shoulder blame as to how its become like this.

[Bimpy474]

I don't think a players meeting is something nice under Rafa.

 

Pretty sure Rafa doesn't mind the players doing this sort of thing, not something to worry about imo.

[Guest]

Sounds more like the players getting things off their chests with each other "You're not working hard enough to track back." "You're holding the ball too long." etc. The kind of shit that used to happen all the time at half-time and full-time between players in the dressing room.

[Infinitely Content]

Surprised this hasn't been bumped. He was outstanding, the best goalkeeper we've had in my lifetime (& I'm a Shay Given fanboy) and alongside Shelvey our best player.

 

The spine of Dubravka, Lascelles & Shelvey is what will keep us up this season if all 3 can play like they did today. Tremendous from the trio.

[Guest]

Given was awesome pretty much from the ricks he dropped against Troyes & Chelsea in the same week up to when he left.

[Heron]

Fantastic keeper and an absolute bargain. Really like the chap.

[Doctor Zaius]

Good keeper, great signing, nowhere near the level of Given though. Shay was outstanding for years.

[Guest chopey]

I'll feel so proud when he's playing for Spurs next season.

[thenige]

Has done well for us, but realistically is only the kind of standard all our first choice players should be. The fact he looks so much better than a lot of his teammates and the keepers we've had over the last few years is a damning example of the club.

[mrmojorisin75]

he was class yesterday, wasn't a fan of his positioning on the free kick though tbh

[Pilko]

He always seems to offer loads of the goal on direct free kicks like.

 

He's superb really, but it's canny irritating conceding so many goals that way.

[Guest firetotheworks]

He's been great, very solid, very vocal, I really like him. Daft to bring Given into it though, he's a club legend.

[Heron]

Tin hat here - but I don't think Shay Given was that great as an all round keeper. World Class shot-stopper like. Dubravka commands his box better and uses his feet better. 

[Guest neesy111]

Tin hat here - but I don't think Shay Given was that great as an all round keeper. World Class shot-stopper like. Dubravka commands his box better and uses his feet better. 

 

Completely correct.  Given was a top class shot stopper but thought over parts of his game were poor.

[Infinitely Content]

He's been great, very solid, very vocal, I really like him. Daft to bring Given into it though, he's a club legend.

 

How's it daft? It's my opinion that he's a better all round goalkeeper than Given, as much as I love Given and he's probably still my all-time favourite NUFC player (I even got my hair cut like him when I was like 12/13 - as I thought his receding hairline was just his style  ). I personally don't see the problem with comparing two players of the same position, with the utility of showing how much I rate Dubravka.

 

Given's shot stopping was second-to-none at the time, but Dubravka has the whole package. Feel so confident with him in goal.

[Guest firetotheworks]

He's been great, very solid, very vocal, I really like him. Daft to bring Given into it though, he's a club legend.

 

How's it daft? It's my opinion that he's a better all round goalkeeper than Given, as much as I love Given and he's probably still my all-time favourite NUFC player (I even got my hair cut like him when I was like 12/13 - as I thought his receding hairline was just his style  ). I personally don't see the problem with comparing two players of the same position, with the utility of showing how much I rate Dubravka.

 

Given's shot stopping was second-to-none at the time, but Dubravka has the whole package. Feel so confident with him in goal.

 

Mainly because it's 9 months of playing well vs 12 years of being one of the very top goalkeepers in the league.

[Altamullan]

Tin hat here - but I don't think Shay Given was that great as an all round keeper. World Class shot-stopper like. Dubravka commands his box better and uses his feet better.

loved Shay, but totally fair comments.