Brad Guzan

[eddiemunster]

I didn't realise, that we got rid of this waste of space on the 23rd May 2012, when his contract ran out.......only for some fucking idiot to go and re-sign him on 16th July 2012. And that was just 46 days before we signed our "Midfield Superstar" Ashley Pointing-Westwood from Crewe.
Dario Gradi must have pissed himself, laughing all the way to the bank.

[SheffieldVillain]

You're ignoring that Guzan actually played really well from 2012-2014. It's only the last two seasons when he has gone downhill rapidly.

And as for Westwood, we signed a player with potential. That hasn't been the problem - the problem has been the utter lack of ability to develop players and the fact that he's been a first team regular from the start rather than a squad filler developed slowly.

[Steve67]

If I remember rightly, Guzan had a good record of saving penalties too.  He looked like a really capable number two, but not a first choice keeper.  Sadly this is still the case.

Westwood, has at least been consistent throughout.  Just simply not good enough for this level of football.

[Nelly]

Guzan doesn't come in for the same level of dislike as Richards in my opinion. He's well short on confidence and it does cause errors and yeah that's cost us many more times than normal. He's been let down by his defences and poor management which has almost exposed his frailties, rather than encouraged his strengths.

[AV89]

Guzan is one of the lesser evils at the club.  It's not his fault that he is ultimately not up to the standard required.  Sherwoods gross mismanagement of him at the end of last season hasn't helped mind

[tomd2103]

Guzan is one of the lesser evils at the club.  It's not his fault that he is ultimately not up to the standard required.  Sherwoods gross mismanagement of him at the end of last season hasn't helped mind

I'm not sure dropping him because he kept making howlers could be considered "gross mismanagement".  What was gross mismanagement by Sherwood was giving up on buying a first choice keeper after failing to sign Begovic and starting the season with Guzan as number one again.

[nigel]

You're ignoring that Guzan actually played really well from 2012-2014. It's only the last two seasons when he has gone downhill rapidly.

And as for Westwood, we signed a player with potential. That hasn't been the problem - the problem has been the utter lack of ability to develop players and the fact that he's been a first team regular from the start rather than a squad filler developed slowly.

Agree.
Along with Benteke he kept us in the Prem 2 seasons on the bounce.

It hasn't helped having a defence with more holes than a colander and with the pace of a sloth in front of him.

I noticed yesterday the amount of time Cortois failed to hold on to the ball. We failed to punish this on several occasions.

[appyarryampton]

I didn't realise, that we got rid of this waste of space on the 23rd May 2012, when his contract ran out.......only for some fucking idiot to go and re-sign him on 16th July 2012. And that was just 46 days before we signed our "Midfield Superstar" Ashley Pointing-Westwood from Crewe.
Dario Gradi must have pissed himself, laughing all the way to the bank.

Funny how our memories play tricks on us.
Guzan has been a decent but not outstanding keeper until the last 18 months. However for best part of 4 seasons he has played behind the worst Villa defence in the Premier league era. Now he is shot and needs to move on. I certainly would not pillory any member of the club for re-signing him in 2012.

[peter w]

I was never a fan of Guzan and wasn't impressed at re-signing him. But then he had a great season and as much as benteke and his goals he played a huge part in keeping us up. That save from Samba v QPR was as pivotal as any benteke goal. But then last season he started to wane but I think it was a mistake to drop him after Man City and his form this season, and at times his attitude, have been just rotten. One of the ones that need to be dumped. If Chelsea's reserve keeper is up for it I'd go for him - if not maybe Myhill.r

[KevinGage]

I thought Given was very unlucky to be dropped after one ropey game against Everton at home, when he had been our best player in 2011/12.

That said Baby Brad came in and became undroppable.   A very good keeper with us for a number of years, who I am sure could have forced a move if he had Bacuna levels of self delusion.

He started going off the boil last season and needed to be replaced. Maybe not bombed out completely at that stage, but no longer a guaranteed no 1.

Not getting Adebeyor and deciding not to try for any other forward and doing the same after Begovic has probably relegated us.

We would have still been a struggling side I reckon even with a better keeper and forward this season, but we would have been more competitive.

As it stands, we don't look like we have a goal in us and we have a keeper who always looks capable of throwing one in. It is very difficult to work around one of those handicaps. Two means we are where we are.

[PeterWithesShin]

He was excellent the first season under Lambert, very good the second and has been in decline the last two. His confidence must be shot though playing behind our defence for the last 4 years.

[Dave]

I thought Given was very unlucky to be dropped after one ropey game against Everton at home, when he had been our best player in 2011/12.

Eh? He was really good in one crucial late match against West Brom. Other than that he was nothing more than mediocre.

If you want to talk about people being unlucky to be dropped, Guzan should have been our keeper from Christmas onwards in 11/12, as he performed much better than what had gone before, only to be punted back to the bench once Given was fit again.

[saunders_heroes]

Never rated him from day one. Sure we can dig out class saves but you can do that to any keeper out there, but he was never up to the job for me. Both him and Westwood sum up our decline for me. We let him go when we realised he wasn't good enough only to resign him when we realised we couldn't afford a better keeper.
The sooner he's gone the better.

[KevinGage]

I thought Given was very unlucky to be dropped after one ropey game against Everton at home, when he had been our best player in 2011/12.

Eh? He was really good in one crucial late match against West Brom. Other than that he was nothing more than mediocre.

If you want to talk about people being unlucky to be dropped, Guzan should have been our keeper from Christmas onwards in 11/12, as he performed much better than what had gone before, only to be punted back to the bench once Given was fit again.

Given kept us in quite a few games that season.

He was always a bit of a pussy when it came to crosses and dominating the area, but as a shot-stopper he was still as good as anything in the country at that time.

Stephen Ireland got Player of the Season for a decent second half to the campaign. If Keane had stayed longer, he would have walked the thing.

But Given over the course of that season was our most important player for me.  A side that didn't score many and didn't create a whole lot of chances needed a good keeper, and thankfully we had one back then.

[Chris Harte]

I was never a fan of Guzan and wasn't impressed at re-signing him. But then he had a great season and as much as benteke and his goals he played a huge part in keeping us up. That save from Samba v QPR was as pivotal as any benteke goal. But then last season he started to wane but I think it was a mistake to drop him after Man City and his form this season, and at times his attitude, have been just rotten. One of the ones that need to be dumped. If Chelsea's reserve keeper is up for it I'd go for him - if not maybe Myhill.r

Wow, really? He was absolutely negligent for Man City's first goal in that game, and not for the first time. To me it was about time.

Overall, he'd played well for two seasons after Given had rightfully been dropped for that ropey early-season game against Everton, but for the last two years has been poor.