I'd gamble on him. Would be great to have a home grown #1.
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Really hope he starts tomorrow. I think he's earned it and looked solid, if unspectacular on tour.
And I'd much rather have a keeper like that then a mentalist like Romero
And I'd much rather have a keeper like that then a mentalist like Romero
If he does start tomorrow then there wasn't much point in signing Romero so as much as I would like to see Johnstone start I just can't see it.
which mistakes?
Not buying into all this hysteria about Romero, but I would love to see Johnstone start. Really feels like we might be on the threshold of a genuine period of youth promotion.
Not ready yet to play in this side at the highest level, can't kick or control the ball well enough which will potentially lead to a big mistake at this point especially with the style of football we play under LVG.
I'd start him over Romero tomorrow. Had a solid pre season, in my opinion.
We should play him IMO. He's had match practice in pre-season, was decent, showed potential and looks promising. Also, other options are not a clear upgrade on him either with Valdes out of club and De Gea not being played. Lindegaard, for me, never looked solid in any games he played eevn in the season when De Gea was in and out of the team. Romero didn't have any preseason and according to LvG philosophy, should not be playing tomorrow.
I would love this guy to start, I really do rate him and playing him will give him a load of confidence even if he is nervy to begin with.
The only reason he starts is if Romero's English is so bad that he can't realistically communicate with our back 4 yet in such a high-profile game. If he can communicate with them to a reasonable extent then he starts, not Johnstone.
Did you not watch the game?
According to Ian Ladyman (mail) he will start against Tottenham. He looked lively during pre season.
Johnston will start and deserves to after a cracking pre season. I missed the press conference earlier but I'm led to believe lvg said that Romero is unavailable due to lacking "match rhythm" I also thought that the fact that both valdes and romero didn't get numbered today was a dead give away seeing as everyone else did.
yeah I did, he did only one mistake throughout the whole tour and that was missing the ball when coming out from the goal. The second reasonable goalie mistake was DDG's in the first half, kicking the ball straight to opponent on the ground IIRC
What about his fitness? He hasn't had a pre-season. I'd play the kid
I really hope he starts. There's really no way of telling how good a keeper is unless you seem them play over a good number of games.
I agree, which mistakes are we talking about?
also no experience in English football and more importantly no games under his belt with team mates. Shouldn't throw him into the game when he just arrived. Johntone's much less of a risk and like Lingard and Blackett were given chance last year, this time it should be him who gets the chance. Not someone who trained with the team for a week..
He should be given a shot for sure. Romero should get his chance in the cup games.
If you have a look on Youtube at the game and go to 64 minutes you will see the first one which I might be being slightly harsh and would have forgotten about bar is not for the second one. Clearly though slightly naive getting caught off his line and if not for Blind clearing it after the PSG players lobbed him it would have been a goal.
The second one if you go to 70 minutes is the one that worries me more. Everybody here is saying how good he is off his line but he comes charging out and ends up in no mans land again takes a wild swipe at it getting nowhere near it, PSG player takes the ball past him and if not for the defender it's goal. This was from a long ball from the back simple stuff.
Goalkeeping is an unforgiving position, a mistake leads to a goal so we really can't afford to have goalkeepers who are still learning their trade.
I don't think fitness with goalkeepers is so much a problem as sharpness and "match-rhythm" so I guess it comes down to what LVG has seen in training. However if English is not a serious problem I would expect Romero to get the nod.
Unless the conditions I mentioned above are not in Romero's favor I really don't see LVG having much of an issue throwing in an International keeper who has recently played in a world cup final into his first premier league game.
The second one was because of the pitch. The ball would always slow up and hang on the bounce and the keepers and defenders from both sides were continuously getting caught out by it. It isn't a fair criticism at all as he can't be expected to perfectly read bounces on a shit pitch and no pitch in the Premier League will be like that was.
He has to come out on the first one too as if he stays on his line Cavani can take the turn and he is screwed. Its not an ideal situation to be in but the defenders shouldn't have left two players free in the box like that in the first place. The tracking of runs there was frankly embarrassing.
He has to come out on the first one too as if he stays on his line Cavani can take the turn and he is screwed. Its not an ideal situation to be in but the defenders shouldn't have left two players free in the box like that in the first place. The tracking of runs there was frankly embarrassing.
I think it's fair criticism. He can blame the pitch but if a goalkeeper isn't 110% sure he's getting it he shouldn't be coming that far out leaving himself in no mans land. Surely proffesional footballers have the ability to adjust to a pitch?
I was impressed with him overall I just see mistakes in him which shouldn't be something we are happy to settle for.
I was impressed with him overall I just see mistakes in him which shouldn't be something we are happy to settle for.
DDG wasn't exactly 'mistake free' in his first season was he?
We have to trust the manager to do what's right, and pick who he thinks is most up for it.
however, personally from what I saw in the pre season, I belive Sam Johnstone impressed. And certainly didn't look 'out of place'.
Whats more, there's no better place to learn than in the 'deep end'!
We have to trust the manager to do what's right, and pick who he thinks is most up for it.
however, personally from what I saw in the pre season, I belive Sam Johnstone impressed. And certainly didn't look 'out of place'.
Whats more, there's no better place to learn than in the 'deep end'!
Couldn't agree more.
"Sweeper goalies" are bound to make mistakes here and there because it's risky. Look at Neuer's blunder in the DFL Super Cup. It was very similar to Sam's mistake against PSG. Lloris also.
It's a risky approach from a goalie but sometimes you need it, especially teams with a high defensive line.
God I would love to see us give Johnstone a real go and for him to become the real deal.
It would be the perfect tonic to the bitterness of how things are ending with De Gea.
I can picture it now... Champions League Final - Cork 2017.
All square after 120 minutes, all square after 9 penalties apiece.
"and it's the goalkeeper De Gea who steps up, he looks nervous.. or confident... or just gormless. He strikes it to the left...
...and JOHNSTONE!!! What a save that is! A miraculous stop from the young keeper!
Manchester United become the first team to retain the Champions League and the scenes are incredible here Geoff, the Spanish keeper is inconsolable down on the pitch. The United players have lifted their keeper up and are parading him around the field.."
I can't wait.
It would be the perfect tonic to the bitterness of how things are ending with De Gea.
I can picture it now... Champions League Final - Cork 2017.
All square after 120 minutes, all square after 9 penalties apiece.
"and it's the goalkeeper De Gea who steps up, he looks nervous.. or confident... or just gormless. He strikes it to the left...
...and JOHNSTONE!!! What a save that is! A miraculous stop from the young keeper!
Manchester United become the first team to retain the Champions League and the scenes are incredible here Geoff, the Spanish keeper is inconsolable down on the pitch. The United players have lifted their keeper up and are parading him around the field.."
I can't wait.
The 64th minute isn't fair criticism at all. It isn't even close to a "mistake". The 70th minute incident is poor communication between him and Darmian. Hard to know who to blame there, without knowing whethere there was a call or not.
The fact that we have to get to this level of nit-picking to find a single possible error from his whole pre-season speaks volumes about how assured his actual performances were. DDG has made a whole heap of errors in his United career so far. Last season really stood out as being far more error free than the previous two but they were there, if you analyse his performances as closely as you're analysing Johnstone's.
Until now I'd always had Johnstone down as one of those way too good to release yet not quite up to a starting place so I guess the day has arrived when all the talk about his potential to make the first team can stop.
I wouldn't deny that I have a slight concern as to whether he can properly handle the glare of such a prominent fixture as a seasons opener at home given the expectation on the team as a whole. This remains a defence, bar Darmian, that over worked De Gea last season - and the one before. Johnstone is a kid in goalkeeping terms and we can't expect him to be up to bailing us out time and again in matches in the way DeGea did. In youth football for a keeper you're generally kept more occupied as it's more basketball style football in there being less possession and seemingly more even attacks. As with all keepers eyes at the very top clubs - and especially one where possession appears everything - he has to develop the mindset whereby he could spend vast chunks of the game a spectator but then very called upon to make a game changing save.
Really wish him all the luck in the world and as others have said how great would it be to see one of our own establish himself as first team keeper.
I wouldn't deny that I have a slight concern as to whether he can properly handle the glare of such a prominent fixture as a seasons opener at home given the expectation on the team as a whole. This remains a defence, bar Darmian, that over worked De Gea last season - and the one before. Johnstone is a kid in goalkeeping terms and we can't expect him to be up to bailing us out time and again in matches in the way DeGea did. In youth football for a keeper you're generally kept more occupied as it's more basketball style football in there being less possession and seemingly more even attacks. As with all keepers eyes at the very top clubs - and especially one where possession appears everything - he has to develop the mindset whereby he could spend vast chunks of the game a spectator but then very called upon to make a game changing save.
Really wish him all the luck in the world and as others have said how great would it be to see one of our own establish himself as first team keeper.
I don't want to go overboard, as I've seen little of him, but he was extremely impressive on tour and by all accounts is a talented young keeper. Does anyone believe he could have a career trajectory akin to Joe Hart where he's introduced to the Premier League fold and takes it by storm like Hart did at Birmingham all those years ago?
I think it's probably the romantic in me, as I'd love to see a homegrown #1 between the sticks, even though the chances are unlikely.
I think it's probably the romantic in me, as I'd love to see a homegrown #1 between the sticks, even though the chances are unlikely.
He's been mainly playing senior football for the last few years. You're right that playing for United is a different ball-game, mainly because the keeper is so rarely involved and needs to keep their focus while hardly ever touching the ball. Which is tricky. Of course, if our defence is as ropey as you imply he should feel right at home!
Indeed, before the De Gea situation yesterday Johnstone was being praised by many during his preseason games, now some are looking for mistakes or errors to justify that big stick they need to beat our "un-favoured" players with. I think you're being very generious by saying its nit-picking, I’d say those looking for reasons to justify their criticisms are pathetic, we haven’t even kicked a ball in anger yet FFS
If Johnstone does start today, I hope for his sake he has a fantastic game, otherwise his error will be brought up time and time again on the Caf.
If he does play you have to say the best scenario would be for us to win 1-0 and him to see plenty of the ball and make a couple of heroic saves. His confidence and that of his teammates in him would soar and one match could suddenly become career defining.
Who was our last homegrown keeper to 'make it' ? I might have missed a really obvious one but I have to go back to Gary Bailey. We've had a fair few poor ones who briefly flirted with the first team. Anyone remember the calamitous Paddy Roche ? It's unthinkable that the modern day monster United are now had such a poor keeper on their books in those days.
Zeiler is probably the best keeper to come through our academy recently. Before then you'd have to go back a very long time to find a United trained keeper of real quality. I'd actually struggle to name any names.
Foster maybe. He sort of came through although I know we paid a fee for him. Even then he never made it here although you have to say he has carved a top career elsewhere.
He cost a million quid, went out on loan to play senior football as soon as we signed him and went straight into our first team after that. Never played for our academy and was 22 when we signed him. Don't think we can consider him homegrown.
I suppose what I meant was that he was unknown in top flight terms prior to his time with us. We can't really claim yo have schooled him from boy to man but his career effectively took off from his time with us. But you're right not homegrown.
I'm just being pedantic tbf. It's true we hardly ever produce any top keepers from our academy, so the odds are against Sam. Although the same is probably true of almost every other PL club.
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