Aaron Ramsdale: return to Southampton confirmed

[Menace]

I just saw the highlights - absolutely pathetic on both goals to be honest.

[Zero]

He deserved a chance after those errors from Pope, especially if Pope is genuinely injured.

 

And he has no one to blame but himself if he performs like this. I know he has a bit of mental issues but as an established GK at that age you simply couldn’t perform like that and cost the team two precious points at dying moments.

 

Put it simple, another game like this, his career as a top flight GK is completely finished. No way we would take him permanently nor other teams would.

[Menace]

These mistakes that both keepers are making will be the difference between us making Europe or finishing top 10. Very frustrating.

[Magpie Mover]

Unfortunately in this era of set pieces, corners, long throws, set piece coaches and increasingly big physical teams the days when a goalkeeper the size of Ramsdale could be a success are probably gone.

What is the average height of a goalkeeper now? Football for a while now has been going the way of Rugby and Tennis among other sports you have to be big to play in a lot of positions.

[Gawalls]

Just checked and pope had kept 5 clean sheets in the premiere League alone for us this season and 26 in total, I genuinely don't think ramsdale had any in him. 

[pungen]

Am I right in saying he's got 1 save and 5 conceded in the two and a bit game he's played?

[Gola]

Think the main issue is GK is just an insanely difficult role. Who doesn't have a mistake in them? Everyone does, even Allison.

[Mazzy]

Personally I think that second goal was Thiaws  fault mostly and Burn slightly.

[Sibierski]

Punches it better it’s all avoided, but then there’s loads of players in between who then can deal with things better to not allow a CB to shin it on a bicycle kick inside the box. 

[kenlau88210]

2 minutes ago, Mazzy said:

Personally I think that second goal was Thiaws  fault mostly and Burn slightly.

 

Tend to agree. It seems Thiaw had a lapse in concentration. But Ramsdale's positioning seems poor and also should have punched the ball much further out if he and Burn communicated a bit better

[TRon]

9 minutes ago, Mazzy said:

Personally I think that second goal was Thiaws  fault mostly and Burn slightly.

 

I might be wrong, but I think Romero dragged Thiaw down in the build up so that might be why he was stood so close to Burn when Romero wheeled away into space before launching that shite bicycle kick. 

[Kid Icarus]

Maybe I've memory-holed it, but there's a huge gap between the obvious mistake in Marseille and Pope's other mistakes that are being a bit overstated in terms of how frequent and bad they were.

[Geordie Magpie]

5 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

Maybe I've memory-holed it, but there's a huge gap between the obvious mistake in Marseille and Pope's other mistakes that are being a bit overstated in terms of how frequent and bad they were.

There's been a good few but the Marseille one was the icing on the cake.

 

Nothing will ever top running about 40 yards out of goal and handballing it the game before a cup final however.

 

Think a new starting goal keeper is a big priority in the summer - odds on we go back in for Trafford

[Roids]

He wasn't dropped at Arsenal post top 3 finish and relegated with Southampton for nothing.

It is what it is, still a decent #2 but should at least temper those claiming he's our best keeper

[St1pe]

3 minutes ago, Roids said:

He wasn't dropped at Arsenal post top 3 finish and relegated with Southampton for nothing.

It is what it is, still a decent #2 but should at least temper those claiming he's our best keeper

Wasn’t he Southampton’s player of the season? 
 

Although im sure Elliot was ours when we went down 😬

[Kid Icarus]

1 hour ago, Geordie Magpie said:

There's been a good few but the Marseille one was the icing on the cake.

 

Nothing will ever top running about 40 yards out of goal and handballing it the game before a cup final however.

 

Think a new starting goal keeper is a big priority in the summer - odds on we go back in for Trafford

 

I think it says a lot that you have to go back nearly 3 years to think of his last indisputable clanger before Marseille tbh. 'Keepers will make mistakes and while I do think we need to upgrade, I do think Pope's weaknesses and mistakes are overstated while his strengths are completely taken for granted. 

[Geordie Magpie]

19 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

I think it says a lot that you have to go back nearly 3 years to think of his last indisputable clanger before Marseille tbh. 'Keepers will make mistakes and while I do think we need to upgrade, I do think Pope's weaknesses and mistakes are overstated while his strengths are completely taken for granted. 

There's been plenty of mistakes this season and the last couple of seasons hence the calls for him to be dropped, I'm sure a "highlight reel" of them was posted somewhere

 

Maybe not so much mistakes but plenty of soft goals he could of done far better to save.

 

Don't get me wrong he's an unreal shot stopper but he can't kick a ball and has quite a few mistakes in him.

[Hanshithispantz]

Pope's been at fault for a few this season, although outside of the Marseille one (which I can sort of forgive given he usually sweeps up really well) I agree there hasn't been anything comical. 

 

The Paqueta one for example is a great strike that he should get to, but keepers get caught out by stuff like that now and then - trying to get 2 hands on it was weird.

 

His limitation is that he cannot kick a ball and it's hard to quantify just how damaging that is. I want Ramsdale to be given a proper chance knowing his save percentages and collections aren't going to be anywhere near as good, but he cannot be throwing games away with shit like we saw yesterday too often.

 

 

Edited December 3, 2025 by Hanshithispantz

[mayubeproud]

He started only 4 games this season so the sample size is obviously small, but we look more confident with our build up play and more dominant overall in those games. I would still prefer him over Pope, at least for the moment.

 

We got 2 average keepers so we need to buy a better one.

[Lush Vlad]

14 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

I think it says a lot that you have to go back nearly 3 years to think of his last indisputable clanger before Marseille tbh. 'Keepers will make mistakes and while I do think we need to upgrade, I do think Pope's weaknesses and mistakes are overstated while his strengths are completely taken for granted. 

 

I agree on the last bit and have said it for ages.  However he has been making too many blunders this season, to go with his horrendous kicking. 

 

Not Marseille levels of shite.  But West Ham he was crap for Paqueta's goal.  Punched under no pressure and then got beat from 20 odd yards when he shouldn't have been.  Arsenal he had a double fuck up late on after playing brilliantly all game before it.  Brentford he came for a punch and got nowhere near it.  Although I still think Botman was more to blame on that one.

 

Most the gripes this season seem to be around him electing to punch and not try and catch everything.  Sometimes I agree with that, but the catch isn't always on.  Night and day at set pieces with him in nets, mind.  Even if you have the odd heart attack with him coming for crosses.  At least he is proactive.  Two games in a row teams have just bombarded the 6 yard box and Ramsdale is nowhere to be seen.   

 

I think/hope we will see the benefit of Ramsdale in games when teams try to press us.  We didn't really need his ability on the ball last night.  Maybe Leverkusen will be the game that we notice it.  I don't think Burnley or sunderland will press really high or aggressively against us.

 

 

[On the Grid]

How anyone can say he should have done better from a bullet header into the bottom corner from 6 yards is mad...the second was one of those where if he doesn't shin and bobble it and connects properly, it probably doesn't go in.

[Kimbo]

I don’t really see the first as an issue, the second didn’t look great but you could argue he was blocked. Our only option is to give him time to see if he’s any good, Trafford looked shakey at the start of the season and trying to find a really good keeper is a nightmare.

[Coffee_Johnny]

First goal he'll be disappointed to be beaten at the post he is standing on, and it isn't in the corner (more slightly under his hand). Reactions don't look slow but nevertheless I think he saves that more times than not. Scrappy second goal and a real kick in the nads, but having watched it a few times now not sure he is sighted once the Shinner is hit (four players in eye line). Punch goes off side rather than meat of his fist, he isn't really impeded, only Dan Burn slightly in the way, so again he'll be disappointed to only clear it 12 yards (and given how much he catches suspect if Burn wasn't there that is what he would have done/attempted). 

[TRon]

9 minutes ago, On the Grid said:

How anyone can say he should have done better from a bullet header into the bottom corner from 6 yards is mad...the second was one of those where if he doesn't shin and bobble it and connects properly, it probably doesn't go in.

 

I sort of agree with this. I feel maybe he could have done better on the second one, but the criticism is a little harsh. Pretty sure if the defenders weren't blocking his sightline he would have saved the second one. 

 

I would like to see him coming out and catching the high crosses, but that's also a criticism of Pope as well this season. 

[madras]

9 minutes ago, TRon said:

 

I sort of agree with this. I feel maybe he could have done better on the second one, but the criticism is a little harsh. Pretty sure if the defenders weren't blocking his sightline he would have saved the second one. 

 

I would like to see him coming out and catching the high crosses, but that's also a criticism of Pope as well this season. 

Not many keepers can do it consistently as part of the set piece is to stop the keeper.