šŸ§¤āš½ Fraser Forster

Think thatā€™s modern GKs - not just FF. I mentioned this in the OP - are they coached not to attempt to catch the ball now, but to parry into space? If so - why?

Glad heā€™s had a good couple of games btw - long may it continue

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I suspect that modern footballs are harder to catch than the older, heavier ones and the risk of spilling the ball is considered greater than that of parrying it away. Modern footballs are light and very bouncy; they also tend to swerve about in the air much more readily, making a catch harder to judge. A light ball is much more likely to bounce out of a catcherā€™s grip, whereas a heavier one will stick in the hands much more easily. As a comparison, think of how much easier a cricket ball is to catch than a tennis ball.

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Finally- McCarthy in!

To not have been selected before he must have one arm or something- we shall see

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Wonder if Kelvin had anything to do with it?

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Iā€™d be very surprised if he didnā€™tā€¦otherwise whatā€™s he there forā€¦1st team coach must have an big input.

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I heard that Kelvin got Fraserā€™s arm between the slats of a bunk bed and stamped on it.

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A Southampton keeper just caught a cross near the penalty spot!!!

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I feel sorry for Fraserā€¦in reality itā€™s not his fault he was played for so long when in very poor form. Who decided to keeping him playing I wouldnā€™t know but I suspect it wasnā€™t just a manager decisionā€¦the coaching staff must have had an input.

What was noticable today was that McCarthy didnā€™t try to punch away one single shot or cross. The effect that had was a calming influence. When under pressure itā€™s great to see your keeper stnding at the edge of the penalty area with the ball in his arms, waving his defence forward while he chooses his way to set the next play in motion.

Fuck it certainly calmed meā€¦which was nice. :lou_lol:

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McCarthy has waited long enough for his chance. In any sport, especially at this level, it is all about taking the chance when you are given it. He certainly did that today. Forster is probably on twice the wages McCarthy is on, but no matter. McCarthy is in the box seat now and fair play to him. He looked like a proper goalkeeper today, something Forster hasnā€™t done for months. Iā€™m sure Kelvin made the decision to drop him and give McCarthy the nod. After all, thatā€™s his job now, making decisions that have the potential to backfire but making them anyway. Kudos to him, and to Pellegrino who obviously gave him his head to go ahead and do it. Given Forsters performances this season i think the chances of us getting a point at Old Trafford today with him in goal would have been nil. He will be hurting iā€™m sure, but if he is an honest professional he will know that he cannot complain. You are only as good as your last game, or in his case his last dozen games, where he surely must know he has not been good enough. Hopefully this will be the kick up the arse he needs to get back to the standards he showed when he first joined us. After all, Joe Hart is the England No 1 keeper and he canā€™t even get in the West Ham team so he is not alone.

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Well thereā€™s some real competition for the No. 1 jersey now - about time too.

Deffo want to see more of McCarthy, he seemed more calm and assured than FF has done all season.

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According to this story, Fraser has come off his line and successfully claimed Holly Valanceā€™s sister for a mate. Lets hope he can keep hold of her.

Fit.

In other news, he definitely wouldnā€™t have saved that free kick from Brunt.

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So FF has got off with the sister of someone famous?

Thatā€™ a bit like a mate of mine knows a bloke who knew someone who fucked someone famous.

never heard of her tbf @lets-b-drinking

But yep, fit.

Fraser back in the frame?

Fits in with what others have said re Ralph being impressed with him in training and preferring McCarthy to be sold insteadā€¦

IF he is mentally fit again then he is a good keeper. It would be senseless paying him Ā£4mil a year until 2022 he should play for us or play for someone else.
IF he is not mentally fit then in his own interests and for his recovery perhaps he should retire
Iā€™m all for him coming back IF he is back to his pre-knee injury best.

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Yes you did read that correctly ā€¦

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I laughed

The first word after Fraser Forster is ā€œimmobileā€

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He wonā€™t come back, why would he? European football, trophies and huge crowds.