The Steffen conundrum

Air Resistance said:
I think steffan is great - but I don’t think he’s ever going to be worth to us the rumoured wages he is on at Man City. So signing him long term isn’t really a conundrum in that sense.
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But he won't get those wages anywhere. So if he wants to play football, which I sense he does, he'll be on less
 
I think he is the best we have had for a while.
For me this is the how I would rate the keepers I have seen at the Boro.
1 Schwarzer
2 S. Pears
3 Given
4 Valdes
5 Randolph
6 Poole
7 Dimi
8 Walsh
9 Turnbull
10 Jones
11 Steffen
12 Steele
13 Lumley
14 Coyne
15 A. Pears
16 Bettinelli
 
Smoginexile said:
I think he is the best we have had for a while.
For me this is the how I would rate the keepers I have seen at the Boro.
1 Schwarzer
2 S. Pears
3 Given
4 Valdes
5 Randolph
6 Poole
7 Dimi
8 Walsh
9 Turnbull
10 Jones
11 Steffen
12 Steele
13 Lumley
14 Coyne
15 A. Pears
16 Bettinelli
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You have Turnbull and Jones above Steffen? 🤷‍♂️
 
coluka said:
This board has long since had a general blindspot on the importance of goalkeeping. Just because we are winning does not mean the team doesn’t have issues that clearly need improving on, starting with the keeper. Yes he makes occasional saves, sometimes makes a match winning save, but so did Pears, Lumley, Jones, Turnbull et al.

I remember posters often sticking up for Jones, Pears, even Lumley, we won some games despite them too. All players make mistakes, but the frequency and variety of gaffs with Steffen is worrying. I’d be amazed if he ever plays another PL game at City despite having a contract to 2025. Steffen is one of the poorest keepers in this league for me, yesterdays goal was a joke. We are stuck with him, but whatever happens this season we need a new goalkeeper next season, ideally someone who can actually command his area as well as find a teammates feet from time to time.

Another way of looking at things is thank goodness we have the players capable of covering for his many failings, perhaps we are doing well despite his clear and obvious flaws. He is a poor keeper with the ball at his feet, dreadful on crosses, his positional sense at times fills me with dread, the fact that he is a regular has to be either contractual or the standard of the others must be shocking. The results are great, way beyond my expectations and the group deserve plaudits, fans get carried away with outcomes though, but they also mask flaws that need improvement. As a fan I see every player as being potentially upgradeable, but the first position in this team I’d look to upgrade is the goalkeeper, the sad fact is we have been striving to do that year on year since Schwarzers days, only Dimi and Randolph have proven consistently capable for me, their gaffs existed like all players, but the frequency of them was much lower.
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Just to clarify you do mean Aynsley Pears right? Not Stephen? Because that would be a very strange view.🫣
 
sherlock1969 said:
You just seem so sure he’s costing us I thought you’d have a mental list of the times he’s supposedly done so
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Take a look at the recent highlights to remind you.

Terrible goal to let in yesterday v QPR.
Terrible mistake for the goal at Cardiff with a really bad trademark pass out.
Poor for the first Sunderland goal, far too late out, then trademark static feet for their second again at the near post. (Spilled the straightforward shot to Stewart earlier).
Poor for Blackburn's goal, totally static, just stood and watched it.
Badly beaten again at his near post for Benson's first at Burnley, then the second one (the cross) was pathetic.

That's without looking earlier in the season, or the mis-passes.
 
The Card Cheat said:
Just to clarify you do mean Aynsley Pears right? Not Stephen? Because that would be a very strange view.🫣
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Yes, Aynsley, I did refer to since Schwarzers days in my post i think. Steve was a class act and one of the top 3 keepers since Big Jacks days to the present. To suggest Pears Snr would have been a very strange point indeed, i agree 👍

It would be as daft as another poster claiming to be a long time super fan member of the Riley Mcgree fan club, yet posting only a few month previously that he was perhaps only fit to be an impact sub 🤷‍♂️
 
bumface said:
Stop being sensible mate. You'll only upset people.
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Missplaces the odd pass
Smoginexile said:
I think he is the best we have had for a while.
For me this is the how I would rate the keepers I have seen at the Boro.
1 Schwarzer
2 S. Pears
3 Given
4 Valdes
5 Randolph
6 Poole
7 Dimi
8 Walsh
9 Turnbull
10 Jones
11 Steffen
12 Steele
13 Lumley
14 Coyne
15 A. Pears
16 Bettinelli
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Game of opinion but Valdes?
 
Smoginexile said:
I think he is the best we have had for a while.
For me this is the how I would rate the keepers I have seen at the Boro.
1 Schwarzer
2 S. Pears
3 Given
4 Valdes
5 Randolph
6 Poole
7 Dimi
8 Walsh
9 Turnbull
10 Jones
11 Steffen
12 Steele
13 Lumley
14 Coyne
15 A. Pears
16 Bettinelli
Click to expand...

Where's Crossley and Ikeme?
 
I can't think of many (if any) champo GKs who are better than Steffan with the ball at their feet. He makes misplaced passes (which may be a concentration issue) and the QPR goal was a big mistake. Didn't realise it was so far out and that wide until I saw it again on the MFC site. However, I will give him the benefit of the doubt and put it down to general rustiness as he hasn't played regular first team football for about 3 or 4 years. I think this affects goalies much more than other players.
I think he will hopefully learn from his mistakes and has generally got better as the season has gone on. It's just that he is still making the odd mistake, but his general overall play is good. Certainly for the style we play, no-one is better.
Schwarzer was the best Boro keeper I have seen. Dimi had a good defence in front of him and didn't need to make many saves. Randolph an excellent shot stopper. However nowadays, you need to be good with your feet as a GK, and Steffan is easily the best we have had at that skill.
 
Steffen conundrum; longest word I could get is using five letters
Tense
Teens
I must be missing something as I have Fs left?
 
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