Sam Johnstone - now retired

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

Johnstone promptly kicks the world out for a throw in.

Haha. Very good.

[Ads]

there must be somewhere out of here, said the joker to the thief?

It's the red x at the top right of the screen.

[brontebilly]

Johnstone was our best keeper for years. Sure has a few areas that he needs to improve on but given his age that is to be expected. Must mean Ben Foster is off somewhere else.

Steer looked ok the few times I saw him in cup games. Will hardly be the same standard as Johnstone though. Bunn is laughably poor.

[SoccerHQ]

Foster joined Watford last night.

I didn't rate Johnstone in his first loan spell but he was much better last season although crosses still a weak point.

Anyway Jed Steer has been at the club since 2013 so time he got a shot at number one imo. Sign an old experienced keeper on free to cover (dare I say someone like Kuszczak might not be a bad option) just in case Steer can't handle it.

[mr underhill]

In no possible measure was Johnstone our best keeper for years. He was k, no more no less, hampered to aspire to mediocrity by not being able to kick the ball at all. if anything his kicking got worse last season.

[paul_e]

Johnstone was our best keeper for years. Sure has a few areas that he needs to improve on but given his age that is to be expected. Must mean Ben Foster is off somewhere else.

Steer looked ok the few times I saw him in cup games. Will hardly be the same standard as Johnstone though. Bunn is laughably poor.

Johnstone isn't as good as Given or Friedel and, personally, I think Guzan was better for 90% of his career.

[saunders_heroes]

Johnstone was our best keeper for years. Sure has a few areas that he needs to improve on but given his age that is to be expected. Must mean Ben Foster is off somewhere else.

Steer looked ok the few times I saw him in cup games. Will hardly be the same standard as Johnstone though. Bunn is laughably poor.

Johnstone isn't as good as Given or Friedel and, personally, I think Guzan was better for 90% of his career.

Guzan was absolute garbage.

[Damo70]

I thought that Guzan started off well but ended up punch drunk in the end by all the goals that went in past him in a couple of seasons. He obviously has to take some responsibility for those goals but he was playing in a team that was shambolic defensively. I think it ruined him as he hasn't impressed me at Boro since he left.

[Risso]

Johnstone was our best keeper for years. Sure has a few areas that he needs to improve on but given his age that is to be expected. Must mean Ben Foster is off somewhere else.

Steer looked ok the few times I saw him in cup games. Will hardly be the same standard as Johnstone though. Bunn is laughably poor.

Johnstone isn't as good as Given or Friedel and, personally, I think Guzan was better for 90% of his career.

Guzan was awful. The only thing Johnstone was arguably poorer at was kicking.

[paul_e]

People are thinking back to the last season he was here and forgetting how he played when he first broke through, in my opinion.

Johnstone was a very good shotstopper but I think the rest of his game was average at best, he's definitely not the best keeper we've had for a while unless 'a while' means 2-3 seasons.

[Clampy]

I liked him a lot. Albion have got themselves a decent keeper who I think will get better as he get's older.

[SoccerHQ]

I thought that Guzan started off well but ended up punch drunk in the end by all the goals that went in past him in a couple of seasons. He obviously has to take some responsibility for those goals but he was playing in a team that was shambolic defensively. I think it ruined him as he hasn't impressed me at Boro since he left.

Yep. Guzan was great in 12/13 and decent enough 13/14 and then his form fell off a cliff.

I think it's pointless comparing anyway as Johnstone is just facing championship strikers whereas all our other keepers in last 20 odd years were against top level players who can punish a mistake.

[Risso]

I thought that Guzan started off well but ended up punch drunk in the end by all the goals that went in past him in a couple of seasons. He obviously has to take some responsibility for those goals but he was playing in a team that was shambolic defensively. I think it ruined him as he hasn't impressed me at Boro since he left.

He didn't impress them either, which is why he's been at Atlanta in the MLS for the last year.

[brontebilly]

Johnstone was our best keeper for years. Sure has a few areas that he needs to improve on but given his age that is to be expected. Must mean Ben Foster is off somewhere else.

Steer looked ok the few times I saw him in cup games. Will hardly be the same standard as Johnstone though. Bunn is laughably poor.

Johnstone isn't as good as Given or Friedel and, personally, I think Guzan was better for 90% of his career.

I respectfully disagree !

Given and Friedel's best days were long passed before they joined us. Given only had the one season as first choice for us under McLeish, got injured before Euro 2012 and was never the same keeper again. Got dropped for Guzan a couple of matches into Lamberts reign. I never rated Friedel for us, no presence at all from crosses, not that Given ever ventured far off his line often either, Johnstone was a much better shot stopper for us.

As with others, I didn't see much improvement from Gollini in Johnstone's first spell but he improved out of recognition last term. There was hardly a better keeper in our division. Needs to be a lot more commanding at set piece time but last season will stand him in good stead. Hope I'm wrong but if he was going to West Ham instead of West Brom, I doubt he would be getting the same criticism on here.

[paul_e]

Johnstone was our best keeper for years. Sure has a few areas that he needs to improve on but given his age that is to be expected. Must mean Ben Foster is off somewhere else.

Steer looked ok the few times I saw him in cup games. Will hardly be the same standard as Johnstone though. Bunn is laughably poor.

Johnstone isn't as good as Given or Friedel and, personally, I think Guzan was better for 90% of his career.

I respectfully disagree !

Given and Friedel's best days were long passed before they joined us. Given only had the one season as first choice for us under McLeish, got injured before Euro 2012 and was never the same keeper again. Got dropped for Guzan a couple of matches into Lamberts reign. I never rated Friedel for us, no presence at all from crosses, not that Given ever ventured far off his line often either, Johnstone was a much better shot stopper for us.

As with others, I didn't see much improvement from Gollini in Johnstone's first spell but he improved out of recognition last term. There was hardly a better keeper in our division. Needs to be a lot more commanding at set piece time but last season will stand him in good stead. Hope I'm wrong but if he was going to West Ham instead of West Brom, I doubt he would be getting the same criticism on here.

Look back I had the same concerns with him when people were talking about him being our first signing if we got promoted. He was playing behind one of the best defences in the league and didn't concede many but he played a big part in the odd moments of utter panic we did see from set pieces and his dreadful distribution played a big part in us being utterly shite at holding on to the ball.

I agree that Friedel and Given were past their best but both arrived as better players than Johnstone was at his best but did drop off after a year or 2.