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Adam NCFC

Norwich to bid £2m for Forster..

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Says The Sun!http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3660670/Norwich-want-Newcastle-keeper-Forster.html

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Now there''s a surprise ;-)

I knew we would, but just hope Newcastle actually let him go. Not sure what Pardew thinks of him yet.

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Having spoken to a friend of mine whos within the media that follow NCFC, and a good friend of a first team player, he seems to be under the impression that forster is always in contact, and is genuinely hoping for a move down here!

I would love it if that happened!! (no kevin keegan pun intended)

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[quote user="ms miggins"]hope its true, thats a steal[/quote]

 

Is it?  Really?  It COULD be a steal.  Yeah hes young and he shown hes a good shot stopper, but hes still got a heck of a lot to learn, especially in the top flight.  His loan spell at Celtic was a bit of a waste of time. 

 

I think Ruddy done a very good job last season after the first 10 games or so and deserves a chance in the top flight.

 

To be honest, i''ll be a little surprised if this comes off

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If we get Forster, it could be another stroke of genius from Paul Lambert.

I in no way think Forster should replace Ruddy. I am behind Ruddy 110%. But think about it, Ruddy said himself in an interview that he had to win over the crowd by shaking off the ghost of Forster from the previous season.

Who better to challenge for a place, than your predecessor? It could lead to Ruddy really going the extra mile, really really wanting to prove that he is better than Forster.

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I don''t think this would be THAT good of a signing.   It would be a kick in the teeth to Ruddy and I thought he was excellent for us at the end of the season.   It took him a while to live up to the standard that Forster had set for him, he even mentioned it in a few interviews if I remember correctly.How is he gonna feel if the ''messiah'', as some people seem FF, returns ?   It doesnt make any sense to have 3 very young inexperienced goalkeepers in your squad for a Premiership season.   Ruddy is already here and already our player.  He won promotion last year just as much as FF did the year before but for some reason people don''t hold them in the same regard.  Slightly baffling to me.

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Fraser Forster aged 23

John Ruddy aged 24

Declan Rudd aged 20, England U16, U17, U19, U20 international

Jed Steer aged 18 England U16, U17, U19 international (and who has already been linked with some top clubs)

If we have £2 million to spare I feel there are other parts of the squad that could benefit more than Goalkeeper.

I would agree that another keeper is required but not another young keeper. I would suggest that what is needed is an experienced older, stop gap, keeper until all three of our young keepers can mature further and show their true worth and not just show their potential.

The bit I find it difficult to get my head around is that, perhaps, the easiest position on the pitch to evaluate is a goalkeeper. But we are talking about a keeper who has been out on loan for the last four seasons, who has been managed by a number of managers but he is still rated third (or possibly fourth) at his own club, a lower middle team in the same league as us.

Stephen Harper is now 36, his understudy is another 23 year old Tim Krul with highly rated 20 year old Ole Soderberg also at the club.

Fraser Forster is unproven in anything above League One here. Although he played for Celtic last season (and their fans have mixed views) it must be realised that he was little more than a spectator for half of last season due to the ''competition'' of that league.

Don''t get me wrong, Fraser Forster did well when he was with us, two divisions lower, but is he £2M better than John Ruddy, and what would be done with him?

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One thing that really gets me about goalkeepers is this phrase "being proven at a certain level". In my opinion (and it may be wrong), at any level, a shot is a shot. Players at the professional level of the game are capable of finding the corners of the goal with a strike. With goalkeepers, again, in my opinion, it comes down to positioning, reflexes, bravery and agility. If a goalkeeper has those attributes he''s pretty well equipped to perform at any level. Sure, the higher the level you''re playing at the more likely a player is to attempt to dribble it round you, or perhaps attempt an unorthodox finish, but to most intents and purposes a shot remains a shot.

Fraser is an excellent shot-stopper. And on top of that, he''s a huge man, he fills the goal, but this doesn''t hinder his reflexes or agility. He can get to the corners of the goal, but he''s also brave and positions himself well in one-on-one situations. Sure, he''s not the finished article, there was obviously a question mark over his kicking, and his command of the penalty area sometimes was lacking, but overall I think he was absolutely superb for us. The number of one-on-one blocks and flying saves he pulled off was ridiculous. I remember one home game towards the tail end of the season he must have pulled off 3 one-on-one saves in one half in front of the Barclay. You can''t teach that, he just had the knack of getting himself in the right position to block the shot.

He''s 2 years older now, more experienced in big games and I think that £2m would be a great deal for us if it happened.

John Ruddy is a good goalkeeper, but I don''t think we can go into the season with just one fully-fledged senior keeper. I think Fraser is an excellent choice to add competition in that area of the pitch.

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You need two decent keepers in this league plus another in case.  Say we just had Ruddy and the inexperienced younger ones.  IF Ruddy was injured for 3-4 matches could we really rely Rudd for and length of time?  History tells us what happened when Gunn was injured and for whatever reason (we know really but that''s not the point) we didn''t have decent back up.

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Decent signing. Ruddy was excellent last season but we did concede a lot of goals. Is it Ruddy or the defence, or the lack of a combatitive midfielder.

Decent signing. Would certainly create a hunger and desire to fight for the place.

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[quote user="Stephen Frys Evil Twin"]

One thing that really gets me about goalkeepers is this phrase "being proven at a certain level". In my opinion (and it may be wrong), at any level, a shot is a shot. Players at the professional level of the game are capable of finding the corners of the goal with a strike. With goalkeepers, again, in my opinion, it comes down to positioning, reflexes, bravery and agility. If a goalkeeper has those attributes he''s pretty well equipped to perform at any level. Sure, the higher the level you''re playing at the more likely a player is to attempt to dribble it round you, or perhaps attempt an unorthodox finish, but to most intents and purposes a shot remains a shot.

Fraser is an excellent shot-stopper. And on top of that, he''s a huge man, he fills the goal, but this doesn''t hinder his reflexes or agility. He can get to the corners of the goal, but he''s also brave and positions himself well in one-on-one situations. Sure, he''s not the finished article, there was obviously a question mark over his kicking, and his command of the penalty area sometimes was lacking, but overall I think he was absolutely superb for us. The number of one-on-one blocks and flying saves he pulled off was ridiculous. I remember one home game towards the tail end of the season he must have pulled off 3 one-on-one saves in one half in front of the Barclay. You can''t teach that, he just had the knack of getting himself in the right position to block the shot.

He''s 2 years older now, more experienced in big games and I think that £2m would be a great deal for us if it happened.

John Ruddy is a good goalkeeper, but I don''t think we can go into the season with just one fully-fledged senior keeper. I think Fraser is an excellent choice to add competition in that area of the pitch.

[/quote]

 

 

You''re not wrong. This is a point I''ve made before, that you can assess goalkeepers no matter what the level. And your assessment of Forster is spot on. He isn''t perfect positionally (which is a worry) but is simply a better shot stopper than Ruddy, and commands the area a bit better. Ruddy''s virtue is that he''s a decent enough shot stopper (mid-table Championship level) but positionally is hopeless and doesn''t commnand his area.

 

 

Forster is the better keeper. Whether we should be going for him is a question of how much money we have to spend, and priorities, but goalkeeper is a crucial position. If we have the money to improve then we should.

 

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I decided (yes, I decided!) standing behind the goal at The Valley last year that Forster would one day play for England.

L1 & SPL aren''t great standards, but he has the makings of a great keeper and would be a good signing while he''s still slightly ''under the radar''.

However, as someone mentioned I think it''d be hard for Ruddy given how popular Forster is here. Would be a big challenge for him.

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All of the above - plus, how much do we think Forster will be worth if he gets a full season in the Prem and plays like we think he could? More than 2 mil anyway. If we do get relegated (and I don''t think we will) he will be sought after and at potentially a profit. I''d write a 6-7mil release clause into his contract if he so wished.

Besides Ruddy and Forster will push each other all the way to get the number 1 spot and to hold it!

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I just hope this is true because to me Forster has all the attributes of a world class keeper. Sorry Ruddy still has a long way to go . Do not get me wrong he is a decent keeper, but the problem I have with him is he never looks unbeatable and produces a save that makes the oppo think we are never going to get past him. Forster does look at the Charlton match where we went up he was unbelievable

I am afraid in the Premier League you can not afford to start without a solid team, and we spilled far too many soft goals last season we urgently need a great goal keeper and center half

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I agree with some of the above views regarding the two million pounds. I would rather it spent elsewhere on team strengthening and we get in a cheaper, older experienced keeper as back-up. For example, there might be one available from Portman Road in the near future. To have two like-for-like young keepers and be two million out of pocket strikes me as an unecessary extravagence. Ruddy is shaping up well enough for me, and should he get injured an experienced man as stand in would be enough.

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I think FF did a good job for us in league one but the premiership is a totally different kettle of fish as the saying goes, I think that it could be more beneficial to bring in an older keeper who has experience in the premiership to allow Ruddy to develop more and be given advice from someone like Hannamen I thought would have been a perfect signing, don’t get me wrong I think having two young keepers with points to prove could have the same impact but could also be detrimental to Ruddy as said previously.

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But won''t we then have four young keepers with points to prove, two of whom are England (not Welsh, Scottish or Irish where the competition isn''t as great) youth internationals.

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I don''t have a clear opinion on this one. Part of me thinks, if we are to buy another keeper, should it really be another young keeper? We already have Ruddy, Rudd and Steer who are all good prospects, so it might be worth buying an older keeper to give us some competition for a few seasons whilst Rudd and Steer take turns to be loaned out and may eventually get given their opportuniy here, a young keeper like Fraser Forster along with already having Ruddy could limit the chances of Rudd and Steer to develop, so in effect would we be spending money to make it harder for our young keepers to break through? Also Ruddy made no secret of how it was tough shaking off the ghost of Fraser Forster, so his arrival could knock his confidence and performances, on the other hand however, he would need to rise above this and not take it personally that it''s fan''s favourite Forster which has been brought in but just another player to bring about competition, which could work the other way and actually make Ruddy perform better. I also think that Forster is still being talked about amongst us supporters for a reason, despite mainly being a spectator last season at Celtic, for us he was brilliant although his distribution would need to improve. I believe his girlfriend is from Norwich and he enjoyed his time here which makes us just as attractive to him as he is to us. I remember him saying in an interview though that he would not be willing to go back to Newcastle to sit on the bench, he wants first team football; so as long as he would accept he isn''t first choice, nor would he automatically be sitting on the bench and that it''s about competition, I would welcome this move but do have slight reservations.

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Would be a great bit of business to get Forster. He is a terrific young keeper and I think well capable of playing in the premiership. He is wiorth a goal a game with his ability on one on ones and shot stopping ability. Also brings an air of calm to the defence as he rarely gets flustered or flaps too much.

Ruddy did well in many games last season and improved a lot as the season went on but I for one was never 100% confident or comfortable with him in the same way i was with Forster in goal. I just felt we let in a lot of goals that I was surprised to see hit the back of the net because my initial reaction when the shot was hit was that the keeper ought to get there. Whether thats unfair on Ruddy I don''t know but its how I felt.

Having both would leave us in a strong position but i know which keeper I wopuld rather see in goal next season.

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[quote user="BroadstairsR"]I agree with some of the above views regarding the two million pounds. I would rather it spent elsewhere on team strengthening and we get in a cheaper, older experienced keeper as back-up. For example, there might be one available from Portman Road in the near future. To have two like-for-like young keepers and be two million out of pocket strikes me as an unecessary extravagence. Ruddy is shaping up well enough for me, and should he get injured an experienced man as stand in would be enough.[/quote]

Come on guys we are not poor and in the championship any more. £2 million pounds is not a major outlay for us now, particularly when you are acquiring an asset that is only likely to go up in value over the next few seasons.

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[quote user="Jim Smith"]Would be a great bit of business to get Forster. He is a terrific young keeper and I think well capable of playing in the premiership. He is wiorth a goal a game with his ability on one on ones and shot stopping ability. Also brings an air of calm to the defence as he rarely gets flustered or flaps too much.

Ruddy did well in many games last season and improved a lot as the season went on but I for one was never 100% confident or comfortable with him in the same way i was with Forster in goal. I just felt we let in a lot of goals that I was surprised to see hit the back of the net because my initial reaction when the shot was hit was that the keeper ought to get there. Whether thats unfair on Ruddy I don''t know but its how I felt.

Having both would leave us in a strong position but i know which keeper I wopuld rather see in goal next season.[/quote]

With the greatest of respect to people who keep saying how good FF is at one-on-ones there is a slight difference between saving a one-on-one with League One''s Jamie Cureton bearing down on you than there is with Rooney, Hernandez, Torres or Van Persie bearing down on you.

FF is unproven, as is John Ruddy, against such opposition.

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Right player, wrong time. Forster is a fantastic keeper and may well go on to be England number one, but so is Ruddy. Behind our 24 year old first choice keeper we have 2 excellent young prospects who look like they might also get caps later in their career.

What would it say to not only Ruddy, but Rudd and Steer if we bought in another young keeper? If you were Rudd would you really be happy to be 3rd choice when the two above you have another 10-15 years of high level play in them? Especially when you are probably a year or 2 away from the point at which you should be playing most weeks.

The only way I can see it working is if we sell Ruddy, and that doesn''t seem fair or likely.

As others have said what we need is an experienced Premiership keeper in the twilight of his career.

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I would be quite happy if this rumour turns out to be true. Ruddy would still have the chance to be first choice keeper but would have stiff competion for his place, which would be a healthy situation for the team.

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In my opinion Forster is by far and away the better keeper. He has a great presence and reading what players said about him when he was here, 2 mill is a bargain.

He stills visits Norwich (think his girlfirend is local) and from a quick word I had with him last year he would love to come back.

Ruddy is not a bad keeper but that''s not good enough for the top league and as others have said, he does make me a tad nervous during games.

The key is that Lambo rates him highly.

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[quote user="Mahogany"]Right player, wrong time. Forster is a fantastic keeper and may well go on to be England number one, but so is Ruddy. Behind our 24 year old first choice keeper we have 2 excellent young prospects who look like they might also get caps later in their career.

What would it say to not only Ruddy, but Rudd and Steer if we bought in another young keeper? If you were Rudd would you really be happy to be 3rd choice when the two above you have another 10-15 years of high level play in them? Especially when you are probably a year or 2 away from the point at which you should be playing most weeks.

The only way I can see it working is if we sell Ruddy, and that doesn''t seem fair or likely.

As others have said what we need is an experienced Premiership keeper in the twilight of his career.[/quote]

What is would say to Ruddy (or any other player for that matter) is that we are a premiership club, there is no room for sentiment if we are going to stay in the prem and he therefore needs to up his game to show he is worthy of retaining the number 1 spot ahead of Forster. If he can''t do that then he should expect to lose his place as we are in the big league now. Sames goes for all our heroes from last season. They will all be given a fair chance, some will take it and some will make way for new signings as we are now playing at a higher level. Thats football. Personally I hope tyat we see the bulk of last season''s team featuring regularl;y next season but in certain key areas we definitely need to strengthen. i think that goalkeeper is one of those along with a defensive midfielder.

Rudd will go out on loan next season, possibly Steer too.

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Well, it looks like my wish and prediction is coming true. Forster is a much better keeper than Ruddy, and  also a future England keeper, as time will prove. Two million will prove to be an absolute bargain.

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[quote user="paul moy"]Well, it looks like my wish and prediction is coming true. Forster is a much better keeper than Ruddy, and  also a future England keeper, as time will prove. Two million will prove to be an absolute bargain.[/quote]

 

Totally agree Paul.  [Y]

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Whilst I agree that Ruddy and others have earnt a chance to play in the Prem, do not underestimate the ruthlessness of Lambert.

Remember that only four of the League One team played in that final game against Coventry.   Korey, Nelson, Doc, Russell, Drury (I know he was a fifth as a sub but even so) and Askou were all put aside before or during last season.  Others who Lambert clearly rates such as Chris Martin and Lappin were still unsentimenatlly moved aside to allow other players the chance.

If Lambert feels he can get better then no one is actually safe not even Holt or Hoolahan.   If Lambert feels Fraser gives him better options then any sense of responsibility or debt to Ruddy for all he achieved last season will not get in the way.   It will be tough on Ruddy just as signing Barnett was tough on Nelson but that will not stop Lambert doing it.

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