Nick Pope

[Mattoon]

33 minutes ago, et tu brute said:

Little concerning that he looks like a nervous wreck at set pieces currently, especially when it was one of his strong areas last season. 

 

Only team in the PL not to have conceded from a set piece this season btw

[McDog]

12 minutes ago, Mattoon said:

 

Only team in the PL not to have conceded from a set piece this season btw

 

 

I thought he was shit from reading things here.

[et tu brute]

1 hour ago, Mattoon said:

 

Only team in the PL not to have conceded from a set piece this season btw

Doesn't change the point I was making. All I'm doing is comparing him at set pieces to last year. 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2023 by et tu brute

[magvicar]

Pope is human and all humans make mistakes, even the very good ones.

Pope is an excellent keeper and is a massive part of why we are where we are.

Of course Popes game isn't perfect but then again he's dealing with a lot more pressure to be as perfect as some over expectant fans want him to be.

We paid 10 million for this lad and he's every bit as good and much better than 95% of keepers in the premier league.

I wouldn't swap him just yet. His game can get even better, I think.

[Guest]

Pope's fine, think we were just spoiled by "pre-Liverpool red-card" Pope being absolutely world-class. He's still been okay since then, just probably more his true level. 

[Superior Acuña]

He's a decent keeper and has served us well, but I agree that I think we'll have our eye out for an improvement. I don't think there's an urgent need for one but definitely think there's potential for improving on him and if we want to be one of the very top teams, we'll go for that if someone's available - and I imagine there well could be.

[Max Cherry]

Can't pass, goal kicks get booted out of play, flaps and punches when he should catch it, nervous wreck. Definitely needs replacing. Tend to agree he's been this way since the Liverpool red card. 

[ExiledGeordie]

1 hour ago, Optimistic Nut said:

Pope's fine, think we were just spoiled by "pre-Liverpool red-card" Pope being absolutely world-class. He's still been okay since then, just probably more his true level. 

I think his recent form post international break has been crucial on this run. 

[Groundhog63]

7 minutes ago, Max Cherry said:

Can't pass, goal kicks get booted out of play, flaps and punches when he should catch it, nervous wreck. Definitely needs replacing. Tend to agree he's been this way since the Liverpool red card. 

Max Cherry = Fruit Loop

[KDT]

7 hours ago, McDog said:

 

 

I thought he was shit from reading things here.

 

It's a wonder we've not been relegated if you carried on with that theme.

[Miggys First Goal]

31 minutes ago, Max Cherry said:

Can't pass, goal kicks get booted out of play, flaps and punches when he should catch it, nervous wreck. Definitely needs replacing. Tend to agree he's been this way since the Liverpool red card. 

And yet still infinitely better than someone like Onana. 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2023 by Miggys First Goal

[Lish007]

8 minutes ago, Miggys First Goal said:

And yet still infinitely better than someone like Onana. 

 

 

 

Yep, my thoughts exactly. Those thinking Pope needs to be replaced... careful what you wish for. 

 

I think most Man U fans would have De Gea back in a heartbeat now. 

[SteV]

His kicking has been utter shit since day one. Nothing has changed since Liverpool except other people’s nervousness towards it.

 

Fortunately, he’s very, very good at actually keeping the ball out of the net, which, as the clown at Man Utd is currently demonstrating, should always be the main attribute we focus on with keepers.

[STM]

Pope is fantastic and I love him but don't think for a second that signing Aaron Ramsdale hasn't crossed my mind.

[Kid Icarus]

This time last year he was pulling off worldie saves to keep us in matches. This season he's not really needing to, or the saves are a bit more straightforward for him, which isn't his fault. In a lot of cases this season my lower ratings for him are because he's had little to do and his kicking has been poor.

 

Emerson's first touch makes him playing sweeper look bad, but I think at the point of the ball being played you can argue it's the right thing to do and if it's not then it's at least understandable.

 

Lascelles doesn't pressure Antonio enough, then when the ball is played tries to hold the line instead of running back in. If Pope has made a mistake then it's to atone for Lascelles's. 

 

His save at the end was excellent and I have no idea where this idea that he looks shaky on crosses comes from because while his decision making has come into question and his kicking is poor, he's remained consistently reliable at dominating more or less any cross that comes near him.

 

Still an excellent, largely reliable 'keeper, just poor with his feet and exposed (as would most 'keepers be) when teams manage to both beat our high line and play it outside of his sweeping area basically.

 

 

Edited October 9, 2023 by Kid Icarus

[OverThere]

1 hour ago, Max Cherry said:

Can't pass, goal kicks get booted out of play, flaps and punches when he should catch it, nervous wreck. Definitely needs replacing. Tend to agree he's been this way since the Liverpool red card. 

Wtf, is this a wind up?

[Dr Venkman]

22 minutes ago, STM said:

Pope is fantastic and I love him but don't think for a second that signing Aaron Ramsdale hasn't crossed my mind.

[Kid Icarus]

I can't think of a 'keeper in living memory that's been more overhyped than Ramsdale. Nothing remotely calming about him, decent with his feet, but often a liability and an unreliable/over hyped shot stopper.

[Dr Venkman]

I have no opinion on Ramsdale, just loved the way @STM phrased that post.

[The College Dropout]

Pope is definitely upgradable but i'm telling you, it will be super difficult. Until you get to a damn-near world-class level, you're trading upgrading his weaknesses for downgrading his strengths.

 

Ramsdale isn't a better goalkeeper. He's worse from crosses and an inferior shot-stopper. But sure he's better on the ball. It's not an overall upgrade like Pope was for Dubs.

 

I trust the management here to only move for a new keeper - who will be a definitive improvement.

That might be next summer. That might be in 2 or 3 years. In that time, we need to support and give confidence to the best GK we've had in my lifetime. It's his confidence in particular we need to build on as a fanbase. Show him love.

[80]

4 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

That might be next summer. That might be in 2 or 3 years. In that time, we need to support and give confidence to the best GK we've had in my lifetime. It's his confidence in particular we need to build on as a fanbase. Show him love.

He'd probably benefit from tackle-style roars when he makes interventions like punches.

[Conjo]

It's not so much his kicking as his first touch and passing that annoys me. Our defenders are reluctant to pass to him to alleviate opponents high pressing, and when he does get a pass back he's a nervous wreck when he receives the ball, usually with a lot of time, but spends so much time controlling the ball and getting into a position to pass it that he ends up being under pressure and has to boot the ball away. We lose possession so many times each game due to this. It's honestly baffling, even for a keeper, to be so bad at controlling the ball after playing football for what must be at least 25 years  In this aspect I can't think of one regularly starting keeper in the league as bad as him. 

 

In every other aspect he is very good, and I doubt we'd be able to find a keeper as good at anything other than the above, so the question is if it's worth it. I think it maybe is, as it's crucial to counter a high press in todays game, and would indirectly lead to fewer interactions needed by our keeper by not giving the ball away so often...but I'm not sure.

 

I'll probably complain about Popes fault from time to time, but I'm in no rush to replace him, same as I am with our team in general right now.

[The College Dropout]

3 hours ago, Superior Acuña said:

He's a decent keeper and has served us well, but I agree that I think we'll have our eye out for an improvement. I don't think there's an urgent need for one but definitely think there's potential for improving on him and if we want to be one of the very top teams, we'll go for that if someone's available - and I imagine there well could be.

Chelsea have spent 150m on GK's since selling Courtois - who isn't a sweeper keeper and doesn't come for as many crosses as Pope.

 

It's a tough position to recruit for. The role is constantly evolving, and most elite GKs have glaring weaknesses. Ederson isn't an elite shot-stopper; he would look bad in our setup.

[The College Dropout]

5 minutes ago, 80 said:

He'd probably benefit from tackle-style roars when he makes interventions like punches.

Aye. SJP is a tough place to have as a home if the fans don't have upmost confidence in you.

[The College Dropout]

The only GK I think is definitively better than Pope (for our system) in the league is Allison. Shot stopping, crosses, composure, sweeper keeper, passing and touch. Almost as good or way better across the board.