Gavin Bazunu G Southampton b.2002

[pineapple stu]

Not in the squad today; presumably picked up a knock?

Standard have transfer-listed the keeper who Bazunu replaced apparently, not that that's of any relevance to Bazunu of course. But he was back in the lineup today and seemed to do ok. Wonder could he keep the spot for the last couple of games?

[Jolly Red Giant]

Not in the squad today; presumably picked up a knock?

Standard have transfer-listed the keeper who Bazunu replaced apparently, not that that's of any relevance to Bazunu of course. But he was back in the lineup today and seemed to do ok. Wonder could he keep the spot for the last couple of games?
Bazunu is injured - and is apparently heading back to Southampton for treatment - and that is a concern.

In the last game he played I noticed that he slipped when kicking out the ball near the end of the game and when he got up he was limping. Here is hoping it is not a problem with his achilles tendon.

[elatedscum]

Ramsdale moving to Newcastle it seems, so presumably Bazunu will be first choice for Southampton this season

[Razors left peg]

Ramsdale moving to Newcastle it seems, so presumably Bazunu will be first choice for Southampton this season

Great news for him. An achilles tear for a goalkeeper in particular must be so hard to overcome so its a big season for him ahead. Bazunu, Ferguson and Omobamidele all must have injury free seasons and regain the hype/excitement that was around them in their late teens

[liamoo11]

Great news for him. An achilles tear for a goalkeeper in particular must be so hard to overcome so its a big season for him ahead. Bazunu, Ferguson and Omobamidele all must have injury free seasons and regain the hype/excitement that was around them in their late teens

Southampton forums not impressed with the idea of Bazunu starting for them. He needs to start well to keep them.off his back.

[Razors left peg]

Southampton forums not impressed with the idea of Bazunu starting for them. He needs to start well to keep them.off his back.

Hes never really been loved by the fans there, would be a good time to shut a few up

[SkStu]

Hes never really been loved by the fans there, would be a good time to shut a few up

100%. The only way for him to look at it. Huge season for him.

[Jolly Red Giant]

100%. The only way for him to look at it. Huge season for him.
Bazunu is still a kid in goalkeeping terms - and he has had his development stunted by the injury. As long as he gets through the season injury free it will be a positive for him. As for the Southampton fans - they are perpetual moaners - can't blame them really given they support a yo-yo club. While Still is a rather unknown quantity - Southampton have enough players to be in the mix for promotion and that will help Bazunu.

[SkStu]

Bazunu is still a kid in goalkeeping terms - and he has had his development stunted by the injury. As long as he gets through the season injury free it will be a positive for him. As for the Southampton fans - they are perpetual moaners - can't blame them really given they support a yo-yo club. While Still is a rather unknown quantity - Southampton have enough players to be in the mix for promotion and that will help Bazunu.

All reasons why it is such a huge season for him. This is one where he needs to stay injury-free, he needs to play a strong role in Southampton coming back up and he needs to reset his reputation in terms of being one of the top rated global prospects in the game only a few seasons ago. Its not make or break, far from it, but its one where you'd fear for his trajectory if it goes wrong.

[Eirambler]

Interesting to see James Trafford heading back to City for around £30m. They're the same year group and Bazunu was generally more highly rated when they were both at City a few years back.

There will be a English player premium attached to the Trafford fee, and the last time he was in the Premier League he was dreadful, but it still shows the ground Bazunu has lost in the last two years.

[Razors left peg]

Interesting to see James Trafford heading back to City for around £30m. They're the same year group and Bazunu was generally more highly rated when they were both at City a few years back.

There will be a English player premium attached to the Trafford fee, and the last time he was in the Premier League he was dreadful, but it still shows the ground Bazunu has lost in the last two years.

Kind of a key point is that Trafford didnt snap his achilleas tendon in fairness!

[liamoo11]

Kind of a key point is that Trafford didnt snap his achilleas tendon in fairness!

To be fair to Trafford he was appalling in the Premier league absolutely horrific but he got himself together and had an excellent season last season in the championship. Last summer burnley fans absolutely wanted rid of him just like Southampton fans want Gav gone now. Gave basically needs to do the same this season and show the fans he is the man for the job

[Eirambler]

Ramsdale leaves Southampton for Newcastle to potentially free up the starting jersey for Bazunu, but only on loan. So, if Bazunu has a good season and Southampton gets promoted, there's still a chance Ramsdale could come back in for a fifth career relegation the following season.

[seanfhear]

Ramsdale leaves Southampton for Newcastle to potentially free up the starting jersey for Bazunu, but only on loan. So, if Bazunu has a good season and Southampton gets promoted, there's still a chance Ramsdale could come back in for a fifth career relegation the following season.Like losing, 4 husbands or 4 wives, getting relegated five times would start to look down-right careless !

[elatedscum]

Ramsdale leaves Southampton for Newcastle to potentially free up the starting jersey for Bazunu, but only on loan. So, if Bazunu has a good season and Southampton gets promoted, there's still a chance Ramsdale could come back in for a fifth career relegation the following season.

Newcastle do have an option to buy, so he’d need to do badly enough that Newcastle don’t want to keep him, and well enough that he keeps Bazunu out.

Sadly it’s not as unlikely as it sounds

[pineapple stu]

Like losing, 4 husbands or 4 wives, getting relegated five times would start to look down-right careless !
Let's not forget Bazunu has already been relegated three times and is four years younger...

[John83]

He's unlikely to add to that total this year anyway. I don't see much point in worrying about future seasons now. He needs to have a good steady season to quiet any doubts over lingering effects of his injury. We'll know a lot more after three or four rounds of matches, and that division kicks off next week.

[Eirambler]

Let's not forget Bazunu has already been relegated three times and is four years younger...

It's only two isn't it? Rochdale and Southampton. The second Southampton one he had no involvement in, was injured for the first half of the season and out on loan for the remainder.

[Jolly Red Giant]

Bazunu has had a very good pre-season and has made quite a few cracking good saves. There is also a bit of a vibe off him around him being more vocal and commanding in the area.

[liamoo11]

Bazunu has had a very good pre-season and has made quite a few cracking good saves. There is also a bit of a vibe off him around him being more vocal and commanding in the area.

Fantastic one on one full.lenght save now stayed on his feet didn't rush out excellent

[liamoo11]

Outrageous free kick from.ryan Manning to equalise been very good since he came on

[liamoo11]

Outrageous free kick from.ryan Manning to equalise been very good since he came on

Manning Does excellently to set up.the winner now

[Eirambler]

It was a great save alright, one on one from close range and down low to his left, a save that he had no right to save really.

[Stuttgart88]

Super save in its own right and even more important was the context. 0-2 was game over but instead he made a key contribution to a home win. I feel he really needed a good start to the season with a new manager and some sceptical fans and it really couldn't have gone better for him. I hope it continues from here as there's pressure on him now to develop from "great keeper for his age" to established high level keeper.

[Eirambler]

Beaten by a free kick from at least 25 yards just there against Watford, and in truth he didn't even get close to it. Not like it was right in the corner either, his starting position was very poor.

[Stuttgart88]

I think the first was saveable too. Did the ball go over his hands rather than beyond them?

[ifk101]

Think both Watford goals are great strikes more than what ifs for Bazunu. Of the two, the first is the more questionable given the angle the striker shoots from. And the free kick is curled into the top corner, no? The Liverpool goal from last night is more savable imo and don’t think there's an opinion that’s an error on Raya’s part.

[Stuttgart88]

I think rather than saying he was at fault, it's more a case of missed opportunities for making great saves. But his starting position did seem to invite the shot that resulted.

[zero]

dropped today by the looks in favour of alex McCarthy.

[irishfan86]

McCarthy looked very good versus Liverpool in the cup, suspect that got him in. Hopefully a temporary situation.

[pineapple stu]

Bazunu got a bit of stick for his performance last week against Hull, especially the opener, when he parried a header straight into an incoming attacker. Down at the bottom of the goalkeeper stats again already too.

McCarthy isn't a medium-term option of course - he's nearly 36 and has his own dodgy moments. Be interesting to see what Southampton do in terms of keeper. Their forum wasn't one bit upset with the change.

[Eirambler]

I don't see it working out for Bazunu at Southampton at this point. If he does come good, and there's no guarantee that he will, it will likely be at another club. Looks to be no more than a below average Championship keeper at this point in time, but it would be an awful step backwards for him if he has to drop down to League 1 again. He's already tried the continent and that didn't really work out either.

[liamoo11]

Bazunu got a bit of stick for his performance last week against Hull, especially the opener, when he parried a header straight into an incoming attacker. Down at the bottom of the goalkeeper stats again already too.

McCarthy isn't a medium-term option of course - he's nearly 36 and has his own dodgy moments. Be interesting to see what Southampton do in terms of keeper. Their forum wasn't one bit upset with the change.

McCarthy had that awful error during the week for the liverpool goal so disappointing to see him replace gavin.

[pineapple stu]

Another new manager at Southampton - the eighth since Bazunu joined, including caretaker managers. Bazunu restored to the starting line-up, but that may not last too long after another howler cost Southampton a goal. Seems he nearly blundered an equaliser too, and then conceded a corner for holding onto the ball too long. Southampton forum not remotely impressed, and if that's any way indicative of the general fan view, then he really needs a new break (as Eirambler suggested above)

Azaz came off the bench and got an assist, while Manning (who's been in and out of the starting line-up) started and nearly scored, so all very iffy for us there.

[Fixer82]

Stick Bazunu up front maybe. He looks good in the air from a corner

[Jolly Red Giant]

Ah, the old "It's always the defence" defence.


Yes, the closing down is poor, but that's what happens. If he's at full stretch and can't get to a ball that's about a yard inside the post, then he's not doing great. And he's not been playing very well since coming back into the team. He has a complete brain fart that cost a goal against QPR. He conceded a corner for holding onto the ball too long against Sheffield Wednesday, was also booked for timewasting at 3-1 up, and was weak for their goal (again from distance). He's right down the bottom of the league in the main metrics like PSxG, claiming crosses, making saves. He just never seems to pull off a great save that earns a point or three - you're far more likely to be looking at the shot that he maybe should have done better for but never seems to.


You really do have it in for Bazunu - what is your problem?


When teams score it is the striker that gets the praise - when teams concede it is always the goalkeeper who gets the blame.


After the QPR game I made the point that Bazunu should have come out and taken out the QPR player - the problem is that these days doing something like that in the box can lead to a penalty. Despite your assertions Bazunu pulled off a great save at the end of the game against QPR to maintain Southampton's lead - he was directly responsible for winning the game despite his earlier error.


Against Sheff Wed Banzunu pulled off 4/5 really good saves - but again - what is your focus - timewasting, which every single goalkeeper does in football. Furthermore, he was not 'weak' for their goal - the striker was unchallenged, he partially scuffed the shot which created a spin on the ball and it bounced just in front of Bazunu and then spun away from him. It would have been an oputstanding save if he made it. Of course what you also don't mention is the really good save he made a couple of minutes later to keep Southampton in the lead.


Bazunu had very little to do against Charlton and the Charlton goal was a free header from a corner.


Against Leicester Bazunu was outstanding - making several really good saves - including one outstanding one when the score was 1-0


I disagree with you about the first goal against Millwall - for Bazunu to get that he would have had to make an outstanding save. He did make an outstanding save a few minutes before that goal getting down to the post on a deflected shot and pushing it out for a corner. He didn't have a hope for the second goal and the third goal was one of those things. This game was the worst Southampton game since Eckert took over - and it was them lapsing into their old bad habits. It is the job of defenders to defend and one of their main tasks is to stop strikers taking free shots on goal - Southampton are very poor at that - you hardly ever see a Southampton player throwing themselves at the ball to bloc a shot. The Southampton defence allowed 21 shots on goal during that game.



Right now, even allowing for him still only being 23, it's very hard to see him ever laying down a meaningful challenge to Kelleher for the Ireland jersey. Unless maybe towards the end of Kelleher's career. Caoimhin just looks to have kicked well clesr of the pack. An interesting battle for second choice though between him, Keeley, O'Leary and Travers. Any of those five would likely be the first choice keeper for some other mid rank European teams.
Absolutely - Kelleher is a much better goalkeeper - remembering that Kelleher is about 3 1/2 years older than Bazunu and didn't have his development completely disrupted for a year with an injury (never mind being at a club that completely imploded). In my view Bazunu is the clear no.2 - Travers is 26 and seems to have opted for the money of being a back-up in the PL (and no criticism of him here for that) - O'Leary is 29 and while a solid Championship goalkeeper, has probably peaked at this stage and cannot get back into the team against Vitek - and Keeley is only a year younger than Bazunu, didn't have his development disrupted by injury, and is not playing particularly well in a poor Luton team. Killian Cahill has also bee decent for Orient this season. Now I think Keeley has a lot of potential - but so has Bazunu. People do not realise the negative impact of missing a year with injury of a developing goalkeeper, including the loss of confidence given the seriousness of the injury and its propensity for reoccurance (something that would probably end his career).


There are very few goalkeepers that do not have weaknesses - and Bazunu does have weaknesses - and despite being behind Kelleher (who I would argue is probably the best keeper that Ireland has ever had - yes - ahead of Shay Given) - Bazunu is in the top four best Irish goalkeepers of all time - behind Given and Tommy Farquarhson - and he still has the potential to catch Kelleher given his age. A lot of factors will come into to play to determine that outcome.

[pineapple stu]

You really do have it in for Bazunu - what is your problem?
I don't have it in for Bazunu - I just have it in for nonsense analysis. For example:


Against Sheff Wed Banzunu pulled off 4/5 really good saves
No he didn't. Wednesday had three shots on target in the whole game, one of which went in.


Against Leicester Bazunu was outstanding - making several really good saves
Again, this is not true. Leicester had one shot on target in the game.

You see how this sort of guff just doesn't help the debate?


Furthermore, he was not 'weak' for their goal - the striker was unchallenged, he partially scuffed the shot which created a spin on the ball and it bounced just in front of Bazunu and then spun away from him.
Ah he was though. It's a 25-yard plus effort with not a lot of pace that he has plenty of time to react to, slight nick or not, but he doesn't manage it.


There are very few goalkeepers that do not have weaknesses - and Bazunu does have weaknesses - and despite being behind Kelleher (who I would argue is probably the best keeper that Ireland has ever had - yes - ahead of Shay Given) - Bazunu is in the top four best Irish goalkeepers of all time - behind Given and Tommy Farquarhson
I think it really undermines your credibility when you keep prattling on about Tommy Farquarhson - a player you've never seen play. I don't think any goalkeeper of the 20s can really be compared to a modern keeper - the game has changed far too much. You just have to watch some of the early European Championship games or European Cup games to see top keepers of the era - 30/40 years after Farquarhson - stuck to their lines while forwards rush in to see that.

Bottom line, for the past four years now, under about five different managers at Southampton plus a loan spell in Belgium, Bazunu has never been anything other than poor, has had fans frustrated at his lack of ability in the air or in terms of how rarely he pulls off a really good save, and has been down the bottom of the main goalkeeping metrics.

To call that out isn't to have something against him. And when you make stuff up to defend him, it doesn't help your case.

[Jolly Red Giant]

I don't have it in for Bazunu - I just have it in for nonsense analysis.

Oh - yes you do.

You are constantly harping on about every single perceived error he makes and never give any credit for the good work he does do. A demonstration of this was the 'blunder' for the QPR goal - yet ignoring his outstanding save near the end of the game that won the game for Southampton.


For example:

No he didn't. Wednesday had three shots on target in the whole game, one of which went in.

This is what you get when you look up the stats on BBC or wherever you are getting them - instead of actually looking at the game.

At 2-0 Bazunu made an outstanding save after the ball ricocheted off the leg of a defender (his best save of the day) - it wasn't a shot from Wednesday, it wasn't included in the stats, but it would have resulted in a goal if he hadn't saved it.

At 2-1 Bazunu pulled over a very good save from a shot by Cadamarteri (again a shot that the defenders made little effort to block)

At 2-1 Bazunu made a fingertip save to deflect the ball over the bar from a shot

At 3-1 Bazunu pulled off another save from a wicked deflection with the ball spinning in the air. The shot looked to be going wide but if he hadn't pushed it out it could easily have bounced and spun into the bottom corner - again wasn't included in the stats.



Again, this is not true. Leicester had one shot on target in the game.
And like above - stop looking at the stats and look at the actual game. In one incident very early in the game there were four shots in a row by Leicester inside the Southampton box - all on target and all blocked by a Southampton defender, rebounding back to the strikers again and again - and the same thing happened at least two other times. Yet none of those shots were counted in the stats as being on target. Bazunu made an incredible save from a header by Jordan James in that game.


You see how this sort of guff just doesn't help the debate?
You see what happens when you rely solely on dodgy statistics rather than looking at what actually happened in the game.



Ah he was though. It's a 25-yard plus effort with not a lot of pace that he has plenty of time to react to, slight nick or not, but he doesn't manage it.
A striker 20 yards out was given an eternity to set-up and strike the ball - Bazunu was a bit late getting down but he also had to keep an eye on another Millwall player who had broken free into the box on his left, but it would still have required an outstanding save from Bazunu to keep it out - one which unfortunately he didn't make.


I think it really undermines your credibility when you keep prattling on about Tommy Farquarhson - a player you've never seen play. I don't think any goalkeeper of the 20s can really be compared to a modern keeper - the game has changed far too much. You just have to watch some of the early European Championship games or European Cup games to see top keepers of the era - 30/40 years after Farquarhson - stuck to their lines while forwards rush in to see that.
Just because football has changed over the decades does not mean that keepers today are better than their predecessors. Goalkeeping is different today than in the past but that does not mean that the likes of Ricardo Zamora, Frank Swift, Vladimir Beara, Lev Yashin, Gordon Banks or Pat Jennings weren't among the greatest goalkeepers of all time. I don't need to have seen Tommy Farquharson play to know how highly regarded he was by his fellow professionals or the fact that he was the best goalkeeper to play for Ireland for a period of 60 years (not to downgrade how good Tommy Breen and Jimmy O'Neill were - but they were the only to keepers to play any decent number of games in the top division in England during the interveening period). So much has changed in every aspect of football that you cannot compare like with like - you can only compare goalkeepers (and other players) with their peers at the time - and Tommy Farquharson was one of the best in England and Wales at the time and the best that Ireland had for decades after.


Bottom line, for the past four years now, under about five different managers at Southampton plus a loan spell in Belgium, Bazunu has never been anything other than poor, has had fans frustrated at his lack of ability in the air or in terms of how rarely he pulls off a really good save, and has been down the bottom of the main goalkeeping metrics.
Bottom line - the kid has found himself in the worst possible situation that he could have over the past THREE and a HALF years - a Southampton team that has had EIGHT different managers (including caretakers who have managed for now more than 30 games - with ten managerial changes) since he joined - a team that completely imploded in his first season - that left him exposed by Russell Martin's determination not to play defence in his second season - that saw him suffer a potentially career ending injury before the end of that second season - that saw him miss almost all of his third season and tentatively come back in Belgium only to get injured again - and who this season was lumbered with a guy playing football manager as his head coach. Since Bazunu has been reinstated Southampton have won four games on the trot before losing yesterday and Bazunu deserves credit for his role in those wins.


To call that out isn't to have something against him. And when you make stuff up to defend him, it doesn't help your case.
I don't make stuff up - I go and look at the games and see what actually happened - not stick my nose in a bunch of stats that never could tell the real story. And you have had something against him from day one - you have constantly criticised Bazunu yet in comparison rarely utter any word of criticism for any of the other Irish goalkeepers. Maybe I go a bit over the top in defending Bazunu - but that is only in an attempt to redress the balance of the hypercriticial approach that you take whenever you make a comment about the kid.

Now I will reiterate again - Bazunu's development has stalled - for the reasons that I have outlined above - and its not rocket science. He is still only 23 and has another 6/7 years of development to get under his belt to see if he can fulfill the potential that has been there for everyone to see as a 16 year old kid. The biggest thing that he needs now is a stable environment - he has 18 months to go on his contract and hopefully Southampton will not make another daft decision on the manager - Eckart looks like he knows what he is doing and I think should be given a shot. But if things continue to be a mess there then Bazunu needs to get out of the place as soon as he can and find a more stable situation (somehwere on the continent might be a good idea). I am still optimistic that we will eventually see him playing at PL level with Kelleher - and I have confidence that if he is needed in the Ireland team in the meantime we have one hell of a good keeper for the job who won't let us down.

[pineapple stu]

Oh - yes you do.
Eh, I'll answer for myself, thanks. So when I say I don't have anything against any given player, you get to accept that.


At 2-0 Bazunu made an outstanding save after the ball ricocheted off the leg of a defender (his best save of the day) - it wasn't a shot from Wednesday, it wasn't included in the stats, but it would have resulted in a goal if he hadn't saved it.
No it wouldn't - it was going wide. Hence why it wasn't included in the shots.

The problem with the rest of your comments is you have no concept of what's a routine save and what's an outstanding save - every save is outstanding to you it seems. I'd class them as routine. Similarly, every goal seems to be unstoppable, which is also hard to credit.


And like above - stop looking at the stats and look at the actual game. In one incident very early in the game there were four shots in a row by Leicester inside the Southampton box - all on target and all blocked by a Southampton defender, rebounding back to the strikers again and again - and the same thing happened at least two other times. Yet none of those shots were counted in the stats as being on target.
Of course they're not included as being on target. They were blocked - that's a different thing. The key difference of course being that Bazunu didn't even have to save them, so when you claim Bazunu made really good saves, you can't count the blocks FFS. Leicester had one shot on target, as I said.


Just because football has changed over the decades does not mean that keepers today are better than their predecessors. Goalkeeping is different today than in the past but that does not mean that the likes of Ricardo Zamora, Frank Swift, Vladimir Beara, Lev Yashin, Gordon Banks or Pat Jennings weren't among the greatest goalkeepers of all time.
Ah it does though. There's not a single sportsman from the 20s who would compete today - in any sport. Joe Davis was an eight-time world champion before making a century break in the competition. Jesse Owens' world records (at least one of which was wind-assisted) wouldn't qualify him for the Olympics today. Rene Lacoste wouldn't stand a chance in tennis today - Bjorn Borg effectively tried that experiment in 1991 when playing with a wooden racquet, and could barely win a set. Capablanca would likely be an anonymous chess Grandmaster, but nowhere near world champion standard. Every single sport has moved on hugely in the last 100 years - with Owens and Davis and Lacoste and Capablanca hugely to thank for that of course. But they wouldn't compete today. (Bizarrely, in the same breath, you contradict yourself by saying "you can only compare goalkeepers (and other players) with their peers at the time", which I agree with.)

To suggest that a goalkeeper from the 1920s is comparable to today's players is to so far ignore the evolution of the goalkeeper role - from the invention of narrowing the angle to gloves to the backpass rule to the evolution of the sweeper keeper, and also taking in the lighter footballs (in the wet at least), more powerful opponents, better boots to induce spin, and so on - as to render your view on Farquarhson risible. As I say, have a watch (you like that, don't you?) of some of the early European Championship games, and you'll see keepers who'd get pilloried today. They were absolutely the best of their time, but time has moved on hugely since then. Paddy Kenny, Dean Kiely, Gerry Payton, Kieran O'Hara - all betters keepers than Farquarhson, in absolute terms.

[Trequartista20]

There does seem to be a definite sense of every perceived mistake by Bazunu being gleefully seized upon and highlighted by certain people, whereas you don't really see that with Ireland's other backup keepers like Travers, O'Leary, Keeley, etc.

[rebelmusic]

I think Bazunu is in a very tough development spot. He became a No.1 at a very young age and it shows. More than anything else, he's been responsible for some absolute howlers and they have put a negative sheen on his overall game.

He splits opinion at the same level of American politics as evidenced here and on the Southampton forums. The reality is that he plays behind a woeful defence but also is capable of very poor decision making at times.

If he was playing behind a half decent defense then there would be far less debate but he'd still be capable of the odd howler. It's a bit of a lose lose situation. All I can really add is that he has clearly improved over a couple of years ago and hopefully that development will contine. The kid is only 23 so he has a couple of years before he should be written off. He has a massive opportunity now though while he's no.1 at a promotion chasing club and it really is his to lose. Here's hoping he gets on top of the issues and gives Kelleher a run for his money.

[Eirambler]

I think he's inevitably judged more harshly than Travers, Keeley and O'Leary because he was so much more highly regarded when he first came through. I'm not actually convinced that he's any better now than he was four years ago, and that's a real shame because when he broke through first it looked like he could really go on to great things. Of course, development isn't linear and (particularly as a keeper) he still has plenty of time to come good. But in the 2021-22 season he was one of the best keepers in League 1 and in 2025-26 he's statistically one of the worst in the Championship, so there isn't much of any progress at all over a lengthy time period. We can't just pretend that isn't the case.

[Nesta99]

Southmpton defensive stats need a look at for context too.

[pineapple stu]

If Travers, Keeley and O'Leary were making mistakes, they might be judged harshly. But by and large they're not even playing, which makes that comparison a bit pointless.

If people would stop pretending that every goal he concedes is unstoppable and every same he makes is outstanding and that he's one of our top four goalkeepers of all time (behind a guy from the 20s), then there'd be a more level debate. The last two posts in the thread are much more balanced for me (albeit there's an inherent contradiction with rebelmusic saying Bazunu has clearly improved over the last couple of seasons and Eirambler saying there isn't much of any progress at all over a lengthy time period). But that's a point that can be debated.

[irishfan86]

Given his status as No. 1 is no longer a debate with Kelleher taking his game to another level, and given his injuries and club experience, I’m diverting away from intense critical analysis of Bazunu — and becoming more of a cheerleader for him given the adversity he’s faced.

He’s still young and has the raw ingredients to create a meaningful competition for Kelleher but at this moment it looks to me like he will be in a fight to be a starting goalkeeper at a meaningful level, let alone competing for the No. 1 Ireland shirt.

I don’t know how Travers looks in training but frankly I would lean toward him in the event Kelleher is unavailable given Bazunu’s seemingly unsolvable issue with dealing with shots from distance.

[rebelmusic]

To clarify, Im not saying he's improved over that period when he burst on the scene rather his first season with Southampton which wasn't great. I'm basing that purely on memory so I'm open to being corrected. He's worked his way back into the starting lineup which in and of itself is progress...however small that progress might be.

[Fixer82]

Kelleher is clearly our no.1 but with Bazunu and Travers we have decent back-up. I'd personally have Travers above Bazunu in the pecking order at the moment.

[Jolly Red Giant]

There does seem to be a definite sense of every perceived mistake by Bazunu being gleefully seized upon and highlighted by certain people, whereas you don't really see that with Ireland's other backup keepers like Travers, O'Leary, Keeley, etc.
Spot on



The reality is that he plays behind a woeful defence but also is capable of very poor decision making at times.
Every goalkeeper makes poor decisions at times - there have been very few keepers - ever - who were noted for sheer consistency (Pat Jennings was one). The big question is can a goalkeeper develop to the point where the bad decisions are few and are completely outweighed by the ability to stop the ball going into the goal.



If he was playing behind a half decent defense then there would be far less debate but he'd still be capable of the odd howler. It's a bit of a lose lose situation. All I can really add is that he has clearly improved over a couple of years ago and hopefully that development will contine. The kid is only 23 so he has a couple of years before he should be written off. He has a massive opportunity now though while he's no.1 at a promotion chasing club and it really is his to lose. Here's hoping he gets on top of the issues and gives Kelleher a run for his money.
That is the problem - he ended up in a very bad situation that was compounded by a very serious injury. If Eckert gets the job there is a chance that he will improve the defence.



I think he's inevitably judged more harshly than Travers, Keeley and O'Leary because he was so much more highly regarded when he first came through. I'm not actually convinced that he's any better now than he was four years ago, and that's a real shame because when he broke through first it looked like he could really go on to great things. Of course, development isn't linear and (particularly as a keeper) he still has plenty of time to come good. But in the 2021-22 season he was one of the best keepers in League 1 and in 2025-26 he's statistically one of the worst in the Championship, so there isn't much of any progress at all over a lengthy time period. We can't just pretend that isn't the case.
I would agree about the judgement - and, as you said, goalkeepers tend not to develop at an even pace. Is he better than four years ago? - I would argue yes - simply because of everything he has been through - it is a situation that could have broken many another player. I would caution against reading too much into statistics - this season I see a kid who has matured, is more vocal than he was and someone still recovering from a serious injury and clearly needs to regain full confidence (that achilles injury is a 2-3 year timeframe back to full health)


If Travers, Keeley and O'Leary were making mistakes, they might be judged harshly. But by and large they're not even playing, which makes that comparison a bit pointless.

Josh Keeley is playing - he has played each one of Luton's 18 games and conceded 22 goals in the process. At times Keeley has been very poor this season - Luton lost 5-0 to Barnsley a couple of weeks ago and Keeley was directly responsible for 3, if not 4, of the goals - at fault for both goals in the 2-0 loss to Stevenage - letting the ball run through his fingers against Plymouth that luckily ended up as a corner - yet where has been the criticism? Now - I like Keeley - he has a lot of potential and I think he will come good - but he was much better at Orient last season and is not close to Bazunu despite only being a year younger and not missing a year through injury. Indeed it could be argued that Cahill is having a better season at Orient this year than Keeley at Luton. Now - there is a lot of pressure on Keeley - Luton paid £1m for him precisely because of what he showed last season at Orient and to be a crucial piece in getting them back into the Championship - but Luton have been a hot mess at times this season, sacking Bloomfield and replacing him with Jack Wiltshire who has still to prove he knows what he is doing.

O'Leary cannot get his place back from a 22-year old loanee from Man Utd who played in Austria last season and for Accrington Stanley the year before. And while I like Travers - he has some serious well-known flaws that have limited his ability to be nothing more than a good Champsionship / PL back-up - nothing wrong with that, he is still better than most of the keepers who have played in an Ireland shirt - but his is still limited and the flaws, at 26, are going to be tough for him to ovecome if he is not playing football at a high level.

Now - the upshot of all of this is that Ireland have one keeper playing at a very high level - the best we have ever had - two other keepers who are up there with the best to have played for Ireland and a further three who are also playing / have played at a level that few Irish keepers have achieved. Its a pity a few of them couldn't play in midfield

[John83]

There's no criticism of Keeley because there's no spotlight on him. There are posters in this thread who have rated Bazunu among the very best keepers we've ever had, maybe better than Tommy Farquarhson - if one could believe it - which is the kind of hype that draws scrutiny.

[pineapple stu]

To clarify, Im not saying he's improved over that period when he burst on the scene rather his first season with Southampton which wasn't great.
I think that's fair alright. Although his first season was in the Premier, and since then he's not really performing in the Championship, and how do you rate the two.

I think he's less prone to absolute howlers compared to that first Southampton season (though they're not gone from his game), but there's concerns around more subtle yet fundamental stuff like facing shots from distance (remember France deliberately targetting him on that basis a couple of years back) and dealing with crosses which just haven't gone away.