I agree, I dont think he's very good, but I think Pocchetino's rationale is to stick with one keeper until Boruc is back, to try and minimize the uncertainty and instability in the defence. Its not a slight on Cropper or an indication of Southampton's valuation of him
Putting a younger goalkeeper in goal isn't necessarily a foolproof plan. Also if you're talking about shaky, this is back from May: I'm rooting for Cropper but, while I haven't seen Gazzaniga, I find it hard to believe Cropper is the logical answer.
Do you have highlights of all the spectacular saves that Cropper made at the 2013 U-20 WC? Or do you just have a selective memory?
I think that just looking at the spectacular saves he made is having selective memory. After watching him throughout Toulon, qualifying, and the World Cup, he hasn't shown enough to give me any confidence in saying that he could find success at this level yet. That said, I'm not the one seeing him in practice every day, but based on what he's shown I am not getting my hopes up.
Every keeper has howlers. The real test for a keeper (especially a young one) is how he responds after one... Is he able to put it behind him? Or is he tentative and rattled? Cropper put that Toulon error behind him well, which is tells me he has mental toughness.
So you're using one mistake as proof? What about that OG Howard let in against Wigan a year ago or so? That was as bad as anything I've ever seen a keeper do. Let's bench Howard.
Ugh. The responses are exactly what I'm getting at. It's cool we have another American goalkeeper on the roster of an EPL team but Cropper hasn't done anything outside of making the bench. Not trying to bury the guy but calling for him to start isn't merited. Just for reference, here are more highlights of Cropper where in about every video he has goals he couldn't do anything about, some good saves, and a not great goal on him. If anyone else has videos on Cropper I'd love to see them. U20 WCQ - Feb 2013 - Haiti (full game, goal at 1:12:00) - Canada - Mexico (also arguably should have gotten a red card in the game) U20 WC - Ghana (two good saves, two goals he couldn't do anything on, and two bad goals) - Spain - France (different game than above) Southampton U21s - West Brom (Apr 2013) - Chelsea (Aug 2013) I can talk about his bad mechanics if someone's interested but I don't want to come across as I hate the guy. I really hope he does well and I'm rooting for him but he is very far from EPL level.
ONE person was calling on him to start. I think the majority of us are reasonable enough to realize he's a long way away from even being in the conversation. I agree with a lot of your points on his play but you kind of buried the kid in your earlier post, made it seem like he was garbage, which I disagree with. Cropper has all the physical tools to make it but he does makes some pretty horrific mistakes more often than one would like. He's a raw keeper, a project in my estimation, who with the right tutoring could become a very good shot stopper in time (there's a reason S'hampton picked him up off the Ipswich scrap heap). He has a high ceiling but a low floor. He could be a starting keeper in the EPL in six years or he could just as easily be a total bust and out of the game entirely by then, wouldn't surprise me either way. If I were a betting man I wouldn't bank on him being the next EPL GK from the US though. Ipswich clearly didn't think he was going to make it and it says a lot to me that they released him at such a young age. Personally, I think Steffen is a much better prospect and the next big thing in terms of top tier US goalkeepers.
And he's only on the bench due to injuries to other keepers. He's a 20 year old with limited experience. There is a very slim chance that Southampton turn to him right now. And that's not an indictment of his talent or his potential. He's just not ready yet. And there's no reason for people to over-analyze every single one of his mistakes. Keepers make mistakes, particularly young and inexperienced ones. You have to allow for that as part of the growing process.
I agree with that last part. My bad on coming off as harsh. Just trying to show how easily a goalkeeper can look bad. If Gazzaniga makes that mistake I doubt people are as quick to defend him. Best of luck to Saint Cropper.
Report from his clean sheet for the U21s this week: http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/saints-u21s-1-0-spurs-u21s-report-1389695.aspx
he's making the 18 in europe and younger than Rimando, bring him instead of rimando /sarcasticpinkfont
Boruc and Davis are hurt so the 3rd keeper, Gazzaniga got the start. Cody is the 4th keeper so thus he was on the bench.
This has probably been asked before but is Cody part of the academy or does he have an actual pro contract with the club? Cause if the latter, why not send him on loan somewhere rather than just stuck to being 4th keeper