Goalkeeper situation now Rafael injured

[From Despair To Where?]

I was giving the Southwood situation a bit of thought and I got thinking, not so much about our other younger keepers, but people like Graham Stack. He has played a similar number of games at a similar age to Southwood when he signed for us.

Stuart Taylor played 75 games in a 19 year career.

I don't think Southwood would get half as much scrutiny if he wasn't an academy graduate. At the same time, I also think people will be more patient with him. If he can get 15 games under his belt this season without any howlers, then 1st choice next season is probably his to lose. He's certainly an upgrade on someone like Jonathan Bond or Sam Walker.

[Snowflake Royal]

There does at times seem to be a school of thought that a signing is automatically better than an academy player.

Though of course there are those for which the reverse is more true. I lean more to the latter personally.

[From Despair To Where?]

I would like to think that with the strong likelihood of Rafael not being here next year, there's no reason why he should automatically get back into the side unless Southwood bombs.

[Forbury Lion]

There is a story doing the rounds that he threw a punch at Morrison in the dressing room and has been suspended by the club.

Was probably aiming for the whiteboard though.

[Forbury Lion]

I've always wondered why an assault on a football pitch is outside the jurisdiction of the police.

Same with boxing, two people literally punching the crap out of each other yet you never see the police step in and break it up

[Millsy]

Just watched the goals back and while Southwood was good on Tuesday night, if Rafael concedes that goal, he gets no end of pelters.

Nonsense.

No it isn’t.

I’m not saying Southwood should’ve saved it, I’m just saying that if Rafael had conceded it, he’d be getting loads of shit for it as seems to be the agenda with some fans at the moment.

There might be something to that. Southwood, much as I love him, did a ridiculous short clearance that went straight to a Fulham player but noone's mentioned it before this post and I wouldn't have either was it not to reply to this. If that was Rafael it'd get a few mentions.

There's definitely an element of forgiving things for players you like and being more critical of those we don't, of course, we're human, it's what humans do.

But the reason Rafael is in the position where it's glass half empty for him but half full for the likes of Southwood is because he's had enough such cockups for us to be critical of him but Southwood hasn't (yet). He got himself into the situation, not the other way round. He's otherwise a perfectly pleasant likeable chap from what I can tell we and we would have no agenda against him.

It's basically now Southwood's spot and for him to lose.