How many points is Woods going to cost us?

[hoolahoop]

Poor from woods again for their goal!

load of b*llocks woods got down well and saved it no defenders following in

Of course he did , positioned himself brilliantly, gathered the ball in like Gordon Banks he did blah blah blah..............no more excuses sorry vic I'm not wearing them.
I've given this lad more latitude than most but that's it GAME OVER like our season if this continues.

One mistake = 3 goals - give over! Its not just  Woods and we were/are never going to go up that easily. Not only does the keeper make mistakes, the "strikers" don't score and it sounds like the defenders don't defend

You're right of course Vix , we are weak all over the pitch and tbf with that line-up and seeming lack of guile ; a result in our favour never sounded as if it was going to happen. The link iup play sounded as if it was non-existent tonight.
However we can't keep leaking goals like the 1st. one tonight whether they are leaked from lapses of concentration of the keeper/the defense and keeper combined.

I'm not sure I'm worried about leaking 1 goal (or failing to score one for that matter) its a combination of both, multiple times

To me we aren't as good as being top/second gives the impression - all over the pitch

I fear you've hit the nail firmly on the head, scraping a P/Off at this rate will [probably be the best we can expect.

[donnyallday]

if he cant hold em at least push them aside instead of straight infront off a standing striker ready to pounce.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

glosterred, your support and defence of Woods is extremely commendable and the vast majority of us would rather be talking about him in the same terms.

However, we all use this forum for football debate and the debate is about Gary's competence as a professional keeper, not whether we like the guy or support him because he's a Rovers player.

In terms of points he's cost us, you may be correct in that relatively speaking this is a small number however, he is playing in front of one of the most solid defences in the division.

I have not seen every minute of every game like most, but I think we've seen enough and heard enough from reliable sources that Gary has a problem.

For all the improvements he has made, and let's face it, without those improvements, we would have difficulty identifying what advantage he has over an outfield player playing with gloves on, he still has difficulty with one of the most important attributes a keeper needs. From what I have seen, the saves that he has made are ones that you would expect your professional keeper to deal with. I can think of may be 2 very good saves that he has made but I can't think of any exceptional saves.

Sure, it's a team game and other players make mistakes and we know we have players (well one!) who is incompetent.

However, to a point you can accept mistakes if improvement is forthcoming in a reasonable time frame but, if those mistakes continue to be repeated despite all the help, coaching and support then the manager has a decision to make.

To not deal with it has a negative affect on everyone and moral support for the player will decline and support for the manager will decline if doesn't seem to be improving.

On balance we are getting away with it at the moment but how much longer to we risk it. The longer it goes the more is at stake. If he's making these mistakes now, what will he be like under real pressure?

Not a simple solution unless there is scope in the budget, or Flynn feels Maxted is up to it.

As it happens after tonight, we are in doo doo again with our midfield, so Woods is likely to be persevered with.     

 

 

[Standanista]

Just got back, and Woods had a real shocker.  It certainly WAS his fault for the first goal from where I was sat (right behind it), failing to hold on to a shot to his right and with them then scoring off the fumble.  BUT, there were numerous other errors on top of that, including an early sign of things to come when he wavered on a cross that was flashed across the goal from his right, getting caught in no-man's-land accordingly and being lucky that the MK forward, having got goal side of his man, failed to connect with his head.  There was also the double whammy the same half when he managed only to parry a ball he'd tried to catch, then punched the resulting effort a full 3 yards before a defender cleared it.  As he was lining up for the free kick which hit the post, it was plain as day from behind the net as MK were lining it up that he'd positioned himself too far to his left, and it was by pure good luck that the resulting rebound and scramble ended up in his grasp.  He's certainly devoid of confidence, and while I would love the lad to come good, it surely must be time to get someone better in.

[Viking Don]

I honestly think he will make a good keeper in the future, I'm sure he doesn't make these kind of basic fumbles we've seen recently in training (or we surely would have got someone in by now already), so he obviously CAN catch and hold onto the ball, when there aren't a few thousand people watching and praying that he doesn't fumble it.

Send him out on loan and let him learn his trade in front of a new set of fans who have no bias, but FFS get someone in now to give us a chance of sneaking a 0-0 or 1-0 scoreline when the rest of the side haven't performed.

[PDX_Rover]

He's great in training.

[hoolahoop]

There must be some decent keepers out there that aren't getting games or are in lower leagues. I'm told Maxted isn't the best either and the other lad we binned 4 years ago (forgotten his name!!) along with an ageing keeper Sulli and young Woods is the best we've come up with over the last 5 years............it's dispiriting when year after year these concerns have been recognised by the supporters. 

[dickos1]

Poor from woods again for their goal!

load of b*llocks woods got down well and saved it no defenders following in

Of course he did , positioned himself brilliantly, gathered the ball in like Gordon Banks he did blah blah blah..............no more excuses sorry vic I'm not wearing them.
I've given this lad more latitude than most but that's it GAME OVER like our season if this continues.

One mistake = 3 goals - give over! Its not just  Woods and we were/are never going to go up that easily. Not only does the keeper make mistakes, the "strikers" don't score and it sounds like the defenders don't defend

You're right of course Vix , we are weak all over the pitch and tbf with that line-up and seeming lack of guile ; a result in our favour never sounded as if it was going to happen. The link iup play sounded as if it was non-existent tonight.
However we can't keep leaking goals like the 1st. one tonight whether they are leaked from lapses of concentration of the keeper/the defense and keeper combined.

I'm not sure I'm worried about leaking 1 goal (or failing to score one for that matter) its a combination of both, multiple times

To me we aren't as good as being top/second gives the impression - all over the pitch

I fear you've hit the nail firmly on the head, scraping a P/Off at this rate will [probably be the best we can expect.

Dear god, we've just taken 7 points from 9 with 3 good performances were top of the league and your talking about scraping into the playoffs with ten games to go!!!

[the vicar]

GO ON THEN ITS ALL wOODS FALT I GUESS HE WAS THE ONLY ONE ON THE PITCH I DONT SEE ANY ONE BLAMING ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE TONIGHT WHEN WE DINT SCRAP FOR A WIN WE WAS SECOND TO EVERY BALL AND WHEN WE DID GET IT WE COUL;D NOT KEEP IT FOR MORE THAN ONE PASS THEY WAS ALL SHIT

[roversam]

GO ON THEN ITS ALL wOODS FALT I GUESS HE WAS THE ONLY ONE ON THE PITCH I DONT SEE ANY ONE BLAMING ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE TONIGHT WHEN WE DINT SCRAP FOR A WIN WE WAS SECOND TO EVERY BALL AND WHEN WE DID GET IT WE COUL;D NOT KEEP IT FOR MORE THAN ONE PASS THEY WAS ALL SHIT

WOODS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH AT THIS LEVEL   FACT!

[donnievic]

Woods is good enough at this level FACT,

[donnievic]

Just got back, and Woods had a real shocker.  It certainly WAS his fault for the first goal from where I was sat (right behind it), failing to hold on to a shot to his right and with them then scoring off the fumble.  BUT, there were numerous other errors on top of that, including an early sign of things to come when he wavered on a cross that was flashed across the goal from his right, getting caught in no-man's-land accordingly and being lucky that the MK forward, having got goal side of his man, failed to connect with his head.  There was also the double whammy the same half when he managed only to parry a ball he'd tried to catch, then punched the resulting effort a full 3 yards before a defender cleared it.  As he was lining up for the free kick which hit the post, it was plain as day from behind the net as MK were lining it up that he'd positioned himself too far to his left, and it was by pure good luck that the resulting rebound and scramble ended up in his grasp.  He's certainly devoid of confidence, and while I would love the lad to come good, it surely must be time to get someone better in.

give you the one he spilled which he recovered but the others one was hit across with pace which everyone missed snmd the one he punched not sure how you expect him to catch the ball when going over jones or McConnell for the ball.As for the free kick where do you think he should be standing out of interest????

Sum others there don't even know the rules shouting at their keeper to stop time wasting when he has it on the floor in open play ,not upto him to get rid in the so called 6 second rule.

[roversam]

Woods is good enough at this level FACT,

ARE YOU RELATED TO HIM BY ANY CHANCE STEVE 

[Standanista]

Just got back, and Woods had a real shocker.  It certainly WAS his fault for the first goal from where I was sat (right behind it), failing to hold on to a shot to his right and with them then scoring off the fumble.  BUT, there were numerous other errors on top of that, including an early sign of things to come when he wavered on a cross that was flashed across the goal from his right, getting caught in no-man's-land accordingly and being lucky that the MK forward, having got goal side of his man, failed to connect with his head.  There was also the double whammy the same half when he managed only to parry a ball he'd tried to catch, then punched the resulting effort a full 3 yards before a defender cleared it.  As he was lining up for the free kick which hit the post, it was plain as day from behind the net as MK were lining it up that he'd positioned himself too far to his left, and it was by pure good luck that the resulting rebound and scramble ended up in his grasp.  He's certainly devoid of confidence, and while I would love the lad to come good, it surely must be time to get someone better in.

give you the one he spilled which he recovered but the others one was hit across with pace which everyone missed snmd the one he punched not sure how you expect him to catch the ball when going over jones or McConnell for the ball.As for the free kick where do you think he should be standing out of interest????

1. The one which "everyone missed", there was only him, their striker and our defender (in third place and off the pace) anywhere near it.  Woods did a jig, first taking a couple of steps to close it down then backtracking and being nowhere in a position to knock it over/out when it was whipped in.

2. He only found himself in a position to be flapping over other players for the ball because he'd failed to claim it immediately before, with his attempted catch parrying it into the path of their player.

3. He should have been stood further to his right, as was obvious to myself and everybody around me before they'd even taken the free kick, so as to have a chance of getting anywhere near the ball when it was hit predictably into the near post.  Alan Rough had better positioning.  Are you his PR man, out of interest?

[donnievic]

No I'm not related to him or his pr man,use to be a keeper so would say i know know better than most about goalkeeping which is a very skilled position which can be picked upon very easily for people having ago at him.for me he was only just just left of centre for the free kick which was the correct position.also last night was when ever he hit a mid placed ball even from a bad back pass fans were still moaning at him yet when rob jones hit 2 or 3 balls out of play when there was a simple ball on then nothing,woods is just another scape hosting my eyes.

[Standanista]

I didn't think his kicking out was too bad at all, they clearly had a plan for him to hit it over towards the left channel on his goal kicks and punts out.  The big problem for me is that he was nowhere near up to scratch commanding his box and coming for balls in the air.  I can't remember him catching one all night in a pressure situation, it was that bad, but I vividly remember several times when he either dropped it, parried it, half-punched it or otherwise failed to hold on to the ball, including for the first goal.  Look, I'm not trying to make the lad a scapegoat for last night's performance because the midfield and Flynn for his tactics need to shoulder the lion's share of blame, and I've never got on his back during a game, but we've seen enough by now to know that either he's not ready to be playing week in week out at this level or else never will be, IMO.  We need a new keeper.

[Standanista]

PS To add to that, you can bet that teams will now be coming with a gameplan to test Woodsy with high balls, because they will have seen that he his often found wanting dealing with them.

[donnievic]

On the other hand I can only remember the the one from the long shot that he fumbled and then pounced in which he actually dropped all game apart from the goal that is but I wouldn't class that as a drop anyway.Im not trying to stick up for woods but alot of stick is uncalled for yes Shrewsbury was his fault and the Yeovil Also but that ball shouldn't of been allowed to get there in the 1st place and last night the defenders wasnt alert enough for the rebound.We know he isn't the best at long range shots or crosses but his that all down to him or the coaching staff aswell???cant actually remember a keeper we have had that has been good on crosses.

[Filo]

On the other hand I can only remember the the one from the long shot that he fumbled and then pounced in which he actually dropped all game apart from the goal that is but I wouldn't class that as a drop anyway.Im not trying to stick up for woods but alot of stick is uncalled for yes Shrewsbury was his fault and the Yeovil Also but that ball shouldn't of been allowed to get there in the 1st place and last night the defenders wasnt alert enough for the rebound.We know he isn't the best at long range shots or crosses but his that all down to him or the coaching staff aswell???cant actually remember a keeper we have had that has been good on crosses.

Well. Easter is on the way, I think he`d make a good subject for a crucifixion

[Albert Trousers]

Steve, I was also a keeper for 20+ years at the same level as you (& played against you many times) In my opinion he will never make a half decent keeper at this level let alone any higher as long as he has a H in his A. Only my opinion & I hope it is one I'm wrong on but I think deep down the players in front of him trust him about as much as the fans do.

[BillyStubbsTears]

On the other hand I can only remember the the one from the long shot that he fumbled and then pounced in which he actually dropped all game apart from the goal that is but I wouldn't class that as a drop anyway.Im not trying to stick up for woods but alot of stick is uncalled for yes Shrewsbury was his fault and the Yeovil Also but that ball shouldn't of been allowed to get there in the 1st place and last night the defenders wasnt alert enough for the rebound.We know he isn't the best at long range shots or crosses but his that all down to him or the coaching staff aswell???cant actually remember a keeper we have had that has been good on crosses.

So, to summarise, apart from a propensity to fumble powder puff efforts, an inability to collect crosses and being vulnerable to long shots, he's not a bad keeper?

In one of O'Driscoll's final press conferences, he said that he picked Woods because he had good distribution. I assumed it was one of his droll witticisms at the time. Now I'm thinking he was being serious.

[timdrfc]

Just seen the goals conceeded against MK Dons ALL should have been defended better, Woods 1st one , harper air shot clearance & Spurr missed clearance , come on lads lets not blow it.

[donnievic]

Yeah just seen them for 1st time since last night,a real howler still?????pherhaps could of palmed it away but harder when bounces near you rather than in the air,main fault for me is still players not closing down and defenders not reacting quicker

[hoolahoop]

On the other hand I can only remember the the one from the long shot that he fumbled and then pounced in which he actually dropped all game apart from the goal that is but I wouldn't class that as a drop anyway.Im not trying to stick up for woods but alot of stick is uncalled for yes Shrewsbury was his fault and the Yeovil Also but that ball shouldn't of been allowed to get there in the 1st place and last night the defenders wasnt alert enough for the rebound.We know he isn't the best at long range shots or crosses but his that all down to him or the coaching staff aswell???cant actually remember a keeper we have had that has been good on crosses.

So, to summarise, apart from a propensity to fumble powder puff efforts, an inability to collect crosses and being vulnerable to long shots, he's not a bad keeper?

In one of O'Driscoll's final press conferences, he said that he picked Woods because he had good distribution. I assumed it was one of his droll witticisms at the time. Now I'm thinking he was being serious.

He dresses well for a keeper that's about all I can say and of course it says 'keeper' on his resume. However he will never make a keeper unless he has ANY of the qualities of a keeper. On this occasion we can't polish a turd........he's history and knows it hence the increasing errors in his game.
Even the basics are rarely done well by him. Yes the rest of the team may have let him down by not scoring at least one goal to get a possibl draw or two to be certain of a win but decent keepers give you a fighting chance.
Woods is often KO'd in Round 1 and thereby puts needless pressure on the rest of the team. Shite performances by the team can get you unmerited draws even wins but not with this loose cannon firing at our team rather than the opposition.
He is a dream for the oppsition to play against and that won't give us a shot at promotion unless we deal with it now.

[hoolahoop]

Yeah just seen them for 1st time since last night,a real howler still?????pherhaps could of palmed it away but harder when bounces near you rather than in the air,main fault for me is still players not closing down and defenders not reacting quicker

Of course the defense and midfield needs sorting out but not on nearly every occasion like the worry we have with the keeper.
We need someone with experience in pronto and perhaps loan him out to see if he has the skills to do it Steve. If you're right and most of us are wrong then of course we will have to backtrack on our assessment of him until then .......I remain totally unconvinced of his ability and more importantly his decision making and concentration levels.

[donnievic]

So then hoola which keeper would you bring in???

[DRNaith]

I realise it's too late to bring back a player that we've let go, Wilson aside, but I really rated Andy Warrington.

[hoolahoop]

Do then hooka which keeper would you bring in???

Shouldn't you be asking an experienced scout who has many contacts that question i.e. the manager ?
We have struggled for a long time with this position even when Sulli was here.
We need 2 decent keepers at this level, many have pointed that out for years and 3 managers have overlooked this important position ; it's not even as if the keeper is the highest paid player in the squad is it ?

[MachoMadness]

TWD I think it was summed it up really well for me last night. How many times have we seen opposition keepers come to the Keepmoat and have what appear to be absolute blinders? Are they really having blinders or are they simply doing their jobs, which should be expected of any competent L1 keeper? Compare that to Woods who flaps and fumbles at everything and you start to see a real problem.

The mark of a good side is to scrape draws and 1-0 wins when not playing well. Those points add up over the course of a season. With Woods in goal we really limit our chances to do that unless the defence is rock solid and doesn't let the other team have a shot, which luckily has been the case for much of the season. Not saying this was the case last night because obviously the team as a whole was poor, but we can't keep turning the other cheek and pretending there isn't a problem. How many other keepers, maybe even players in general, would keep their place after all the high-profile gaffes Woods has made this season? That's not even getting into his generally poor decision-making, positioning, and other basic skills.

[Chris Black come back]

I realise it's too late to bring back a player that we've let go, Wilson aside, but I really rated Andy Warrington.

Ok unless ball came in from a half-decent cross then certain goal.