Guzan To Re-Sign

[PaulWinch again]

Am I the only one that think Guzan is nowhere near good enough to be the number one for a reasonable EPL side?

I don't think he's nowhere near good enough, but I do think he's helped by the 'for the sake of it' mentality that seems to arrive every time a reserve keeper steps in and has a couple of decent games.

Agree I think it's somewhere in the middle. Given played very well towards the end of the season and I'm not sure why some people think Guzan should start next season as first choice. It should be based on performance in training etc, if Guzan looks better at the start of the season he should start, if Given looks better he should start.

[eastie]

I prefer shay at the moment but no doubt guzan has improved a lot and i am happy to let them battle it out for the top spot- competition for places is healthy and fully agree with lambert on everything hes done so far- cant wait for the new season!

[pr_N'villa]

I think it is a good move having guzan back, we needed a new keeper, there probably isnt a better choice available. So getting guzan in saving a transfer fee for a different position is good sense. Plus he is a decent keeper and will finally get a proper chance

[paul_e]

Very happy about this, I think he's a very solid option, he's still young for a keeper and could easily be at the club another 10-12 years, depending on how he keeps himself fit (but american sportsmen tend to be very good at that side of the game).

What impresses me the most is that he had a torrid time under the high ball against Blackburn and was written off by many but then came in last year and looked very strong in those situations so he's clearly seen a flaw and worked on it with the coaches to improve his game.  That's a great attitude to have and I think that he's likely to get better and better over the next few years, wouldn't be suprised to see him as first choice within a year.

[Toronto Villa]

Am I the only one that think Guzan is nowhere near good enough to be the number one for a reasonable EPL side?

I don't think he's nowhere near good enough, but I do think he's helped by the 'for the sake of it' mentality that seems to arrive every time a reserve keeper steps in and has a couple of decent games.

It's a little the backup QB mentality that happens in the NFL. As soon as the recognised starter has any kind of issues, whether entirely his fault or not, there is this groundswell of support for the back up. The back up comes in and has a couple of good games and he is seen as being ready. That is until he's named the starter and goes on to prove as to why he was a back up on the first place.

Like I said, I'm glad Guzan is coming back and that he'll get a chance to win the job. But in 8 weeks, nobody signed him when they had the chance and there must be a good reason for that. I just don't think Given was that bad and he had a complete circus in front of him and off the field which didn't help at all.

[Matt C]

Sounds like Cuellar-syndrome to suggest Guzan should be number one.

Given is the best keeper but whoever is in form should get the nod, just as it should be in every other position. Guzan has obviously been given that assurance now. Good to have him back.

[villastikz]

For all the comparing of Given and Guzan and the opinions on how good they both are or not this is a table of stats for keepers who played in the EPL last season that I found online, I removed all the ones who had only played a few games and kept the regulars and I copied it and reordered the list using the "minutes per goal" and "save percentage" (just ignore the other columns) to show how well Given done against other EPL keepers - I left Guzan in there although he only played a handful of games just to show how he did.

Given in green and Guzan in blue.

Minutes per goal



Save percentage

[Toronto Villa]

That sample size for Guzan is tiny. Given played 5 times the amount of games. It doesn't tell you anything about opposition, nor the types of goal conceded. It assumes that all conceded goals are the fault of the keeper and doesn't apportion any responsibility to the clowns in front. Guzan played really well at Stoke, but so did the entire defence (for once). He cannot be given all of the credit for that just as Given cannot be held entirely responsible for every goal conceded.

[villastikz]

I wasn't exactly comparing Given and Guzan, (he was just added to show how he done in his few games) more comparing Given and the rest the EPL keepers and my point was more that people keep claiming that Given is a fantastic shot stopper but on the save percentage he was only 13th best in the EPL last season.

[Legion]

With our Laurel and Hardy defence from last season, he needed to be a fantastic shot-stopper.

[Toronto Villa]

I wasn't exactly comparing Given and Guzan, (he was just added to show how he done in his few games) more comparing Given and the rest the EPL keepers and my point was more that people keep claiming that Given is a fantastic shot stopper but on the save percentage he was only 13th best in the EPL last season.

Thing is his save percentage doesn't tell you whether he is a good shot stopper or not. I think his reputation is more to do with his agility.

[Matt Collins]

I'm not sure this has been confirmed has it?

Read the first post in this thread.

I did. The phrases, "Lambert wants to sign" and Lambert saying "its near" suggest it hasn't been finalised. That's why I asked the question!

[SoccerHQ]

Am I the only one that think Guzan is nowhere near good enough to be the number one for a reasonable EPL side?

Our results weren't that bad with him in the side. Won at Chelsea and Bolton and drew 0-0 at Stoke where Guzan was commanding.

Over the xmas period he was in, there wasn't one goal he let in that I thought "yep Given would've saved that."

We should also remember Ruddy was number one at Norwich under Lambert and I reckon Guzan is as good as him.

[Legion]

I think he's better.

[villastikz]

With our Laurel and Hardy defence from last season, he needed to be a fantastic shot-stopper.

But he wasn't...