Man Utd Put Ben Foster Up For Sale

Good. He doesnt have the mentality for a club like United yet, and at 27(?) it is unlikely that he is ever going to.

I think at a "lesser" club like Birmingham (who have done brilliantly this season) he will prove to be a success, but he doesnt play well under pressure.

Hopefully this is the signal that we are in the market for a long term replacement for VDS. Fergie should really have learnt his lesson from the post-Schmeichel stage where we got through half a dozen keepers in quick succession looking for a replacement for the (first) Great Dane. With any luck, Fergie will take the clever choice this time, and get in a replacement for VDS this summer - there are several highly rated young keepers around in Europe at the moment (Adler, Neuer, Mandanda, Lloris, Akinfeev to name a few) and by giving them a year with VDS still #1, the new keeper can fill in for some matches to get used to the team, as well as settle in the country, meaning once VDS retires there will be a readymade replacement for him.

Finally, just a quick comment on the style of keeper we need. Several of the typical "shot-stoppers" we have been linked to etc, havent proven that successful. We have a great back four meaning our keepers generally dont have to make many saves - even against the top teams. What we really need from our #1 is leadership and concentration. Good distribution and catching crosses is also good, but there have been plenty of keepers like Foster who simply arent right for us. Foster makes some heroic saves, but his mentality isnt there and he doesnt command his area. For a weaker team, that can be great if they are being hammered and having dozens of shots against them, but we need a different style of player between the sticks.
 
Amir said:
PIG is not our new number 1. As long as Edwin is around, he's clearly better, and even if he's gone PIG will not be enough.

A year ago PIG also spoke of his unhappiness and we thought he was off, but he stayed. So I'm not so certain this time around.
Click to expand...

PIG is not good enough neither. He did not do to many mistakes this season, but he only had a total of 14 appearances, Foster did more mistakes, at his 13 matches this season but if you look at their careers overall I think they are similar, PIG has made mistakes in the past too, and in the long run he has not proven good enough at least that is my opinion.

Foster's career is about to begin, he is only 27, as you see in modern goalkeepers they often go to they are almost 40. PIG will probably stay on the bench another season. When they retire 10-15 years from now, my bet is that Foster will be the man with the better achievements.
 
I know that keepers are different to field players, but I just don't accept the idea that just because they can play when they are older, they shouldn't be seriously judged when they are younger. Van der Sar was a class, european winning Goalkeeper at 24. Casillas was a Real regular before 20. Buffon, class from the start. Foster may make a decent, Howard-like, career out of it, but he's NOT just starting.
 
Amir said:
PIG is not our new number 1. As long as Edwin is around, he's clearly better, and even if he's gone PIG will not be enough.

A year ago PIG also spoke of his unhappiness and we thought he was off, but he stayed. So I'm not so certain this time around.
Click to expand...

I agree he's got absolutely no chance of being our number 1, so after reading those comments I've had him down as leaving. If Foster goes too then we need 2 more backup keepers.
 
VoetbalWizard said:
you overrated our negotiation team.

we were mugged for becks, ruud, forlan, ronaldo....we buy high, sell low.
Click to expand...

seems true sadly. We always tend to pay over the odds, whilst the "Man Utd rejects" go on the cheap. Compare it to the likes of Spurs.
 
Walrus said:
seems true sadly. We always tend to pay over the odds, whilst the "Man Utd rejects" go on the cheap. Compare it to the likes of Spurs.
Click to expand...

That's a totally different situation. They were in the strong bargaining position as they had the players on contract and had no desire to sell.

We got an excellent deal for Ronaldo, I can't understand how people can dispute that.
 
datura said:
That's a totally different situation. They were in the strong bargaining position as they had the players on contract and had no desire to sell.

We got an excellent deal for Ronaldo, I can't understand how people can dispute that.
Click to expand...

not just Carrick and Berbatov, and Ronaldo was the BPITW under contract for several years himself.
With Berbatov, we had been chasing him all summer, he was sulking and almost refusing to pay for him, and we still ended up forking a club record £32m. (and we knew about City's spending power from Robinho the previous summer).

Fergie's mindset is to go single-mindedly for the player he wants, and get that player at all costs. The result of that is that we pay over the odds, and whilst Fergie is a great manager, he still makes bad calls, and when that happens it costs us quite dear.
 
Walrus said:
not just Carrick and Berbatov, and Ronaldo was the BPITW under contract for several years himself.
With Berbatov, we had been chasing him all summer, he was sulking and almost refusing to pay for him, and we still ended up forking a club record £32m. (and we knew about City's spending power from Robinho the previous summer).

Fergie's mindset is to go single-mindedly for the player he wants, and get that player at all costs. The result of that is that we pay over the odds, and whilst Fergie is a great manager, he still makes bad calls, and when that happens it costs us quite dear.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Fergie's single-minded drive to get what he wants has destroyed this club.



A good move for Foster. He's going to end up as England #1 over the next few years and people will end up moaning that we let him go too cheap. But as with players like Forlan before him, he just didn't do enough for United when the pressure was on.
 
Holy crap, what do you expect to get for someone who started the season as number one and ended up as number three? 4m with clauses taking it to 6m is a good fee. Potential won't get you far after a season like that.
 
Think it's a good deal for all parties really - we get a nice profit from someone who was a failure in the end, Birmingham get in another talented young keeper to replace Joe Hart for a very affordable fee and Foster gets to play regularly for his shot at England.
 
evra said:
To be fair to VoetbalWizard we do seem to get shafted quite often.
Click to expand...

Only if you focus on a few very high-profile signings.

We tend to get very good fees for the products of our academy and we've picked up plenty of bargains under Fergie's reign. All the people whining about the fee we got for Ronaldo seem determined to ignore how little he cost in the first place.

That's beside the point though. Fergie's dedicated himself to building three (nearly four) great football teams, not trying to make money by buying and selling footballers like used cars.
 
samabachan said:
I am afraid if we sell him that he'll be 'the one that got away', but, paradoxically, if he stays I don't think he'll ever gain the experience to be good enough for us.
Click to expand...

Bit like Tim Howard.

Fwiw, I don't think he'd be half the player he is today if he'd stayed at United. No doubt Foster will turn out the same.

I think Howard's a better keeper, mind you.
 
032Devil said:
Definitely better than Foster. And what's England got to do with United?
Click to expand...

I'm simply pointing out that he could become a good goalkeeper for us and can become better than the likes of Hart etc.
 
Nate Dogg said:
I'm simply pointing out that he could become a good goalkeeper for us and can become better than the likes of Hart etc.
Click to expand...

Well to be fair, Hart is quite a bit younger, and will only get better too. I do think Foster will become a much better keeper, but it isn't going to be here. A sale for £6m (or even £4m) is decent business for all parties.
 
samabachan said:
I am afraid if we sell him that he'll be 'the one that got away', but, paradoxically, if he stays I don't think he'll ever gain the experience to be good enough for us.
Click to expand...

Howard never got away.. he just left a club which is better suited to his level.. to be a keeper for this club you have to be genuinely world class.. Howard even now is far from that.

Foster will be the same, he can become one of the premierships finest with a bit of luck.. but playing for United on a regular basis is beyond him, just doesn't handle the pressure of playing for us well.
 
We will hugely regret it if we sell Ben Foster.. We should loan him over selling him.. If he doesn't do well out on loan then we should sell him next summer..
 
Chirag said:
We will hugely regret it if we sell Ben Foster.. We should loan him over selling him.. If he doesn't do well out on loan then we should sell him next summer..
Click to expand...

I don't see the point. Even if he goes to Birmingham on loan and does well, it will not convince me he can do it at Old Trafford and if Edwin retires next summer and we start 2011/12 with Foster back as number one, I'd be worried as hell.
 
Amir said:
I don't see the point. Even if he goes to Birmingham on loan and does well, it will not convince me he can do it at Old Trafford and if Edwin retires next summer and we start 2011/12 with Foster back as number one, I'd be worried as hell.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

He's already proven at Watford that he's good enough for a team lower down the league, where he sees more of the ball and isn't under the same pressure/scrutiny.

Another succesful loan wouldn't tell us anything we don't know already.
 
Fair enough you guys are due your own opinions but I still think he could one day be the number 1 at United..
 
The only loan that would be useful would be to a team challenging for all the major honours and none of them are foolish enough to loan him and play him.
 
at his best he's not good enough to lace VDS boots

decent shotstopper but dodgy on crosses, doesn't dominate his box and his kicking is going to put you in trouble as well

one of the best things about foster was that he is english but he simply isn't good enough

mistakes early on contributed to us losing the title
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Exactly.

He's already proven at Watford that he's good enough for a team lower down the league, where he sees more of the ball and isn't under the same pressure/scrutiny.

Another succesful loan wouldn't tell us anything we don't know already.
Click to expand...
A loan move to Birmingham, a team that will fight for top 7 or realistically at top 10 spot, under Alex McLeish is the right move in the present circumstances. We will need a good goalkeeper in the very near future, and Ben Foster should very much be considered for that role at the time that need arises. And I can't see a better team right now in the premier league that will take in Foster on loan as their main GK.
 
He's already had one succesful loan. What diference will another make?

The doubts will remain regardless and we could do without watching his rabbit in a headlight act again at United.

He's no Joe Hart but he'll do ok at Brum. Good luck to him. I hope the move works out.
 
What harm is there in allowing Foster on a loan deal to Birmingham preferably. Give them an option of making it a transfer next year in anycase.
And Pogue, were you of the same opinion regards Foster last year around?

If Sir Alex has hopes of him till last year then wouldn't they have known better than let go without taking another chance.
 
Foster needs to go, it has become evident that he won't make it here, ever, the only reason to loan him out would be to add a few million to his price tag, but I say let by gones be bygones, so see ya later Foster
 
The Taurean said:
What harm is there in allowing Foster on a loan deal to Birmingham preferably. Give them an option of making it a transfer next year in anycase.
And Pogue, were you of the same opinion regards Foster last year around?

If Sir Alex has hopes of him till last year then wouldn't they have known better than let go without taking another chance.
Click to expand...

Yes.

Having watched every game for United since he came back to us from Watford (including pre-season, first team and reserves games) it's not hard to see the technical deficiencies that meant he didn't play regular first-team until his mid twenties (at any level)

He's got great reflexes, is strong, brave and quick, which is enough to stand out at a club like Watford. However, his foot-work is so poor that his reflexes aren't always put to best use and he's not actually as good at shot-stopping as some people think. His decision making on crosses is poor, his kicking with his strong foot is erratic and the less said about his right foot the better.

He's not United quality. That won't change with another season on loan. That's no shame though. Few keepers are.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.