Official Swindon Town Vs Colchester United Matchday Thread

[Rich Pullen]

I'd like to think a new signing, perhaps a loanee could be in the proverbial mix by Saturday.

[glos_robin]

You should never go in feet first as your asking to be sent off if you get it wrong and it negates a goalkeepers main advantage........being able to pick up the ball. If you go in feet first the ball will rebound off somewhere unless your lucky and it sticks under your body whereas if you go in with your hands you always have a chance of being able to grab the ball. The only thing is it goes against all your natural instincts to protect yourself and you will always pick up a few knocks to your face.......last season i had cuts all over one side of my face after getting raked by someones studs for example.

Unfortunately I think both our keepers are overrated and it just seems when Brez is in goal people want Smith, and when Smith is in goal people want Brez.

Brez is prone to the odd mistakes and his decision making is nervous and gets him into trouble, I'm sure his injury still plays on his mind when going for crosses too and he severely lacks confidence.
Smith is equally as dodgy, I've never seen this command of his area that people describe he flaps at crosses to the same degree just look at the Cardiff friendly for example. When he was our regular number one we shipped in endless numbers of goals from crosses (especially set pieces) which was our achilles heal which doesn't suggest commanding his area to me. He is also prone to getting beat from distance partly due to his lack of footwork and positioning and partly due to obviously having a far shorter reach.

There's not much between the 2 really and don't get me wrong were lucky to have 2 keepers with some experience at this level but neither remotely deserve a billing as 2 of the best outside the Prem as some people used to say.

Also I've said it before and I'll say it again I don't think Mr Granville does much to help matters as he barely had any experience as a football league keeper and doesn't seem to be sorting out the basics for either Brez or Smith. He got let go by Wycombe as part of a 'cost cutting' exercise which shows how much his expertise was valued at the time.

[DV]

Maybe....still I dont think the players are the problem. On paper we look to have a decent squad. Its getting them to play as a unit. Still if I were picking the team for Saturday...

Phil Smith

Kevin Amankwaah
Jerel Ifil
Hansey Aljofree
Jack Smith

Jon-Paul McGovern
Craig Easton
Lee Peacock
Michael Timlin
Anthony McNamee

Simon Cox


Subs: Brezovan, Kanyuka, Nalis, Paynter, Marshall.

I generally hate 4-5-1 and see it as a formantion for teams that are shit and cant win. Which sums us up perfectly away from home. No point trying to run before we can walk and a point at Franchise would be more than good enough.

Go there pack the midfield battle hard, hopefully having a middle 3 may give our wingers and bit more space. Cox will put the work in up top on his own. If we can still be in the game with 20/25 minutes to go then take off one of the middle 3 and throw Paynter on and go 4-4-2.

Ideally I wouldnt have Jack Smith at left back....but who else have we got? Vincent is injured and Casal so far has been awful. Aljofree did alright there Saturday but big Pat didnt convince me in the middle.

...but...I dont pick the team and Malpas does, so it will be something completely different to that anyway, so there was no point in this post at all really...

[JPC82]

Brez is class end off, all keepers make bad mistakes, overall id say he has saved us alot more points than he has cost us.

[Rich Pullen]

I like Brezovan - I don't think he's class because we simply would not have been able to keep him. He's got that potential I grant you. This is where we must ask questions of his coaches as, if I'm honest, he seems to be going backwards as opposed to going forward.

Smith's handling scares the hell out of me.

[glos_robin]

If he was class he wouldn't be here end of.........he has the POTENTIAL to be class but at this moment in time he is miles away from the polished finished article.

For what it's worth I do think he is our number one and is the better keeper but at the same time that is as much to do with my own opinion that Smith isn't as great as is made out by alot of people.

[Reg Smeeton]

Brez is class end off, all keepers make bad mistakes, overall id say he has saved us alot more points than he has cost us.

 Brez is dodgy and has been for some time end of.

[glos_robin]

Brez is dodgy and has been for some time end of.

And so is Smith which is why both play for us...

[Arriba]

brez doesn't command his box and lacks communication.i think he is the better of the two keepers purely on his abilty to make brilliant saves and has good handling.smith is a pretty good allround keeper,but is no frills.

[Reg Smeeton]

And so is Smith which is why both play for us...

 For my money Smith is steadier, kicks the ball better, is better on one on one, and can make saves...crosses not so good, but Brez for a big fella is poor as well.

[JPC82]

going by the keepers who have played for us over the last few years, Phil Smith, Rhys Evans, Bart Griemink, Andy Lonergen, Tom Heaton, Brezovan is better than all of them, at the time they played for us i mean, Heaton looks alot better now than he did when he was here

[JPC82]

For my money Smith is steadier, kicks the ball better, is better on one on one, and can make saves...crosses not so good, but Brez for a big fella is poor as well.

Smith better one on one? give it a rest Reg, u on a wind up?

[Rich Pullen]

We've not a had a genuinely great keeper since Sir Fraser of Digby... Brezovan, it can be argued, is our best keeper since... this doesn't make him class though.

[glos_robin]

going by the keepers who have played for us over the last few years, Phil Smith, Rhys Evans, Bart Griemink, Andy Lonergen, Tom Heaton, Brezovan is better than all of them, at the time they played for us i mean, Heaton looks alot better now than he did when he was here

Agreed but lets face it, Rhys Evans was garbage and lived off a reputation of being at Chelski, Griemink was a cheap shot stopper so did a job, Lonergan was recovering from an injury, Heaton had no experience, was very young and in an awful team. Brez is the best out of all of them yes by far but he is not a 'class' keeper........Buffon, Cech etc are class.

[DV]

Brez is a way reminds me of Rhys Evans - looked pretty handy when he came here but has got worse rather than progressed.

I mean for Rhys he obviously had top class goal keeping coaches and Chelsea and then dropped to Swindon where we didnt have one.

No idea what Brez had at his old club. I know the injury played a part but any co-incidence that his best spell was when Wise, Poyet and the bald goal keeper coach whos name I never knew but he also fucked off to Leeds, I wonder if hes still there now Wise and Poyet have gone...was here?