The Gr8 Keeper Deb8

[blueroyals]

Don't really understand this one.

McDemott starts out by saying "I decided to make a change and put Alex in, it was a tactical decision."

So Feds was dropped because he was playing shit. Fair enough.

"Adam has also got an issue with his knee so we need to have a real good look at that"

You mean the knee injury he recovered from during pre-season?

"He could be out for a little while"

Okay, so maybe it is a bad injury. Surely this would have been mentioned before the game though?

Asked if Adam was fit for selection against Spurs, Brian said, "It's a grey area"

So he has a terrible injury which means he can't play for some time, but it's a "grey area" whether he could have played today? But you just said you dropped him "for tactical reasons" and not because of injury?

"He certainly won't be playing at West Brom, like I said I don't know how long it will be, it'll be a while."

Okay, so he could have played today, but definitely not in 6 days time, because the injury gets worse as time goes on, right?


Something ain't right.

[Big Foot]

I genuinely hope this is the last we've seen of Federici in a Reading shirt

[TBM]

Don't really understand this one.

McDemott starts out by saying "I decided to make a change and put Alex in, it was a tactical decision."

So Feds was dropped because he was playing shit. Fair enough.

"Adam has also got an issue with his knee so we need to have a real good look at that"

You mean the knee injury he recovered from during pre-season?

"He could be out for a little while"

Okay, so maybe it is a bad injury. Surely this would have been mentioned before the game though?

Asked if Adam was fit for selection against Spurs, Brian said, "It's a grey area"

So he has a terrible injury which means he can't play for some time, but it's a "grey area" whether he could have played today? But you just said you dropped him "for tactical reasons" and not because of injury?

"He certainly won't be playing at West Brom, like I said I don't know how long it will be, it'll be a while."

Okay, so he could have played today, but definitely not in 6 days time, because the injury gets worse as time goes on, right?


Something ain't right.

I read that as the club don't think he's fit - Feds, however, feels he is.......

[blueroyals]

Don't really understand this one.

McDemott starts out by saying "I decided to make a change and put Alex in, it was a tactical decision."

So Feds was dropped because he was playing shit. Fair enough.

"Adam has also got an issue with his knee so we need to have a real good look at that"

You mean the knee injury he recovered from during pre-season?

"He could be out for a little while"

Okay, so maybe it is a bad injury. Surely this would have been mentioned before the game though?

Asked if Adam was fit for selection against Spurs, Brian said, "It's a grey area"

So he has a terrible injury which means he can't play for some time, but it's a "grey area" whether he could have played today? But you just said you dropped him "for tactical reasons" and not because of injury?

"He certainly won't be playing at West Brom, like I said I don't know how long it will be, it'll be a while."

Okay, so he could have played today, but definitely not in 6 days time, because the injury gets worse as time goes on, right?


Something ain't right.

I read that as the club don't think he's fit - Feds, however, feels he is.......

Fair enough if he has a small injury, he wants to play obviously and the club just want to get him 100%. But McDermott talks like he is going to be out for months, if the injury is that bad why does Feds seem to think he's fit?

[TBM]

a while may only be 3-4 weeks but then he has to get himself match fit which could add another couple of weeks......

[RoyalBlue]

Don't really understand this one.

McDemott starts out by saying "I decided to make a change and put Alex in, it was a tactical decision."

So Feds was dropped because he was playing shit. Fair enough.

"Adam has also got an issue with his knee so we need to have a real good look at that"

You mean the knee injury he recovered from during pre-season?

"He could be out for a little while"

Okay, so maybe it is a bad injury. Surely this would have been mentioned before the game though?

Asked if Adam was fit for selection against Spurs, Brian said, "It's a grey area"

So he has a terrible injury which means he can't play for some time, but it's a "grey area" whether he could have played today? But you just said you dropped him "for tactical reasons" and not because of injury?

"He certainly won't be playing at West Brom, like I said I don't know how long it will be, it'll be a while."

Okay, so he could have played today, but definitely not in 6 days time, because the injury gets worse as time goes on, right?


Something ain't right.

I don't believe that is the line Brian took, nor all/the exact words he used in the post match interview with BBCRB. He made it very clear that Feds has a knee injury. Feds still felt he was able to play and wanted to do so against Spurs but Luke Anthony had made it very clear that from a medical point of view he shouldn't. Brian said he obviously had to act upon Anthony's view, rather than Feds' as Anthony was the medical expert and Brian and the club had a duty to look after a player's wellbeing.

Brian also made it quite clear that the injury was not of the type that could be fixed in a few days and that Feds was likely to be out for at least a couple of weeks.

No doubt the conspiracy theorists will say that this was just a cover story dreamt up by Mr Mortimer to mask Feds' suspension for refusing to be on the bench against Spurs.

[Hoop Blah]

At the game I felt Mac wasn't at fault for the first two goals, but thought third looked a bit easy.. rewatching on sky I'm thinking the exact opposite. Defoes first was a scuff, fairly down the middle, and with less pace than intended. Two defenders are blocking the way, so Alex dives only when he sees the ball, which is just fractionally too late and his hand nearly got it. I have a sneaky feeling federici would have anticipated the near post was covered and dived slightly quicker, which would have saved it.
Second is a total mishit, bale shoots with his right but its an air kick and his left chips it unintentionally, McCarthys gone too early this time and its slowly over him, no great pace, no great height and again nowhere near the corner.

So you're saying he went too early for the second, whilst having a little pop at him for going too late for the first? Bit tough for him to get it right then isn't it?

I agree that on a different day he may well have saved either (as might Federici of course) but I don't think either are really mistakes as such although I too don't like to see us concede from saveable shots it is inevitable.

My bigger concerns are that a) McDermott/his staff played Federici for the first few games when he probably wasn't fit to do so and that's cost us already (it may also be a little sign of weakness in their group decision making process) and b) that Federici is already kicking off at the idea that he isn't an automatic pick and undisbuted number 1. If he can't accept being dropped after the start he's made to the season then he never will, and that's not the type of character that McDermott seems to want around the squad is it?

[RoyalBlue]

As mentioned previously, the second part of that save was only necessary because he parried the first shot out in front of him and right out into the centre of a keeper's 'no go zone' instead of out to the side.

Rather like Federici, you forget that the rather more important "no-go zone" is the one behind the keeper.

Just like Federici I understand that the best way of protecting that more important "no-go zone" is to not parry a previous shot back out to a striker in the centre of your area. Sure, McCarthy made the first save (Feds has made plenty of similar ones in the past) but it wasn't an extremely difficult one to make and he didn't parry it out wide, as I'm sure he would have wanted to himself. That was not the only time in the game that he did it either.

I'm not saying he is a poor goalkeeper but merely pointing out to all of his fans that he is perhaps not as great as they made out and, in yesterday's game, performed no better than Feds has been doing.

[cmonurz]

'...to all his fans' ?

[Royal Ginger]

Nothing against the chap, he had a good spell for us as cover, and did well at Leeds, but he had a pretty poor time of it at Ipswich. He's young, he'll get better, but i wouldn't call him our number 1 yet. Feds played a blinder last year, and we've got to hope he gets back to that form and doesn't revert to the sort of displays he put in as Hahnemann's understudy.

[Royal Rother]

I know they are all prone to do it but what irritated me yesterday was that, after that woeful 1st touch which 9 times out of 10 would have gifted a goal, rather than put his hand up and apologise, he chose to berate the defender who passed it back who was utterly blameless imo.

[PistolPete]

I know they are all prone to do it but what irritated me yesterday was that, after that woeful 1st touch which 9 times out of 10 would have gifted a goal, rather than put his hand up and apologise, he chose to berate the defender who passed it back who was utterly blameless imo.

Annoying I agree, but if it makes him feel better and in turn more confident, then let him!

McCarthy will be a great keeper, and only game time will allow that. Federici is nearly a great keeper, but a couple of stinkers will have hurt his confidence. I'd say that McDermott is sensible enough to know that any keeper will make a mistake (McCarthy has now made ONE) and that he is allowed one more in the very near future or he will be dropped for Federici if he is fit or Taylor if not.

We've got two excellent options and we'll come out of this stronger.

[Focher]

in summary apart from a great start for him in yesterdays game, McCarthy was absolute garbage.

Dont really understand why a player of Taylor's experience wasnt used yesterday

[RoyalBlue]

Jesus Christ, get over yourself, I thought McCarthy was doing perfectly allright, it's just all these people with a man crush on Federici want him back in, so they create this false truth about McCarthy's performance.

I thought he was allright, and unlike Federici he did not cause one or two goals. Had we had Feds in goal we would have lost 5-1 or 6-1.

How can you say he was doing 'alright'?

His distribution was absolutely dire, constantly kicking it out (and yes, Feds used to do the same when he was younger/inexperienced) or giving it straight back to Spurs, thus never relieving the pressure. We then had his suicidal roll out in the vague direction of Legs (really lucky Spurs didn't score from that) and doing his utmost to set up a goal for Defoe by appalling ball control which led to him playing a gentle short pass straight to Defoe's feet (a certain goal but for Pearce's great goal line save). He got lucky yesterday, Feds didn't with his mistakes. Added to that, some of the saves he made were not as good as I am sure he aspires to, with the ball rebounding back into the danger area - dealt with by his defenders (and yes, that is part of the reason they are there).

No false truth at all about that assessment of his performance. He will need to improve dramatically and quickly now he has his chance in the team - I remain open minded as to whether he can or not.

[Focher]

Jesus Christ, get over yourself, I thought McCarthy was doing perfectly allright, it's just all these people with a man crush on Federici want him back in, so they create this false truth about McCarthy's performance.

I thought he was allright, and unlike Federici he did not cause one or two goals. Had we had Feds in goal we would have lost 5-1 or 6-1.

i think is is only one way to sum up this post:

[Royal Rother]

McCarthy might well be a future England international, somehow I suspect Feds' future is more League One level.

Right.

If the Mc was an indication of any Scottish ancestry then I suppose he just MIGHT have had a chance but as that doesn't appear to be the case, I would suggest there is very little chance of him matching Federici's notable achievement in winning full international caps.

[sandman]

McCarthy might well be a future England international, somehow I suspect Feds' future is more League One level.

Hart and Butland have the England keeper position sewn up for the next 10-15 years and both are already far better than McCarthy will ever be.

[Hoop Blah]

I know they are all prone to do it but what irritated me yesterday was that, after that woeful 1st touch which 9 times out of 10 would have gifted a goal, rather than put his hand up and apologise, he chose to berate the defender who passed it back who was utterly blameless imo.

I can't picture it in my head now, but was it because they played it to his wrong foot?

Even so, I think the touch should've been better but the pass back into him may well have given Defoe more of a sniff because of the angle, but I do agree with the point about keepers always turning the blame onto somebody else.

[RoyalBlue]

I know they are all prone to do it but what irritated me yesterday was that, after that woeful 1st touch which 9 times out of 10 would have gifted a goal, rather than put his hand up and apologise, he chose to berate the defender who passed it back who was utterly blameless imo.

I can't picture it in my head now, but was it because they played it to his wrong foot?

Even so, I think the touch should've been better but the pass back into him may well have given Defoe more of a sniff because of the angle, but I do agree with the point about keepers always turning the blame onto somebody else.

Self protection. Confidence is more vital in that position than anywhere else. Keepers have a really tough time (and I know I've been critical of his performance yesterday). People are very quick to portray them as the villain yet rarely (in comparison to the strikers) are they portrayed as the hero. You will find loads of very good keepers who berate their defenders/team-mates when they concede (fairly in many cases as often they get into trouble because of mistakes made elsewhere). When was Scmeichel ever to blame for conceding a goal?!

[SCIAG]

McCarthy might well be a future England international, somehow I suspect Feds' future is more League One level.

Hart and Butland have the England keeper position sewn up for the next 10-15 years and both are already far better than McCarthy will ever be.

Wow, this is almost as laughable as Ideal's post. McCarthy is at least as good as Butland right now, for my money he's better. Hart will be England's #1 for a long time, but to suggest McCarthy will never be as good as Butland... at least you didn't say Federici is a League 1 goalkeeper after him being the best goalkeeper in the Championship for two years, mind.

McCarthy is eligible for Ireland btw, but I think he could get an England cap in a friendly, or if Hart picks up an injury. If Ruddy and Butland can then McCarthy can.