Embarrassment of riches: who is Ireland's best goalkeeper?

[ifk101]

Would like to see the "penalty" situation again but think Travers was forced into a decision in full knowledge that any contact was a penalty but no action was a goal. But regardless, what a season it has been for Travers, strong rumours Bournemouth were on the look out for a goalie at the season's start but he hung in there and made the position his own.

[Eirambler]

It was definitely a pen, I think there was a chance for him to avoid the contact and the forward was going to be left with a very tight angle, so the right decision would have been to stay on his feet there.

It will be forgotten though because he got away with it and Bournemouth won the game. But obviously with him in the Premier League next season he wouldn't get away with that, VAR would have overruled it.

It's been a few years now since we had a regular first choice keeper in the Premier League (Kenny and Given in 2011/12 were the last to play 25+ league games in a season) so hopefully he retains his spot, I think he will be given the chance to start the season in goal anyway. Bournemouth will probably be fighting relegation though, so he'll need to keep his standards at least as high as they have been this season to keep his place, it might be tempting for Parker to switch keeper if/when they have a bad run.

[seanfhear]

Well Travers can learn from that incident, and the bonus is he got away with it.

[samhaydenjr]

It’s funny, my first thought was this guy must be American :D

Police Academy, wasn’t it? :)

Actually, with the Murphy part, we could have a Police Academy/Robocop mash-up... box office gold! © samhaydenjr

[Kingdom]

Harry Halwax named on the bench for QPR tonight
1520096840775000066

Murphy Mahoney - wtf sort of spoofery is this? Were his parents "The Quiet Man" fans?
Albert Adomah
Ilias Chair
Harry Halwax
Osman Kakay
Dom Ball
Lyndon Dykes

Are QPR taking the jizz out of everyone, is it some kind of Pre Fifpro Proevo style fake names, or is this genuine?

[SkStu]

Murphy Mahoney - wtf sort of spoofery is this? Were his parents "The Quiet Man" fans?
Albert Adomah
Ilias Chair
Harry Halwax
Osman Kakay
Dom Ball
Lyndon Dykes

Are QPR taking the jizz out of everyone, is it some kind of Pre Fifpro Proevo style fake names, or is this genuine?

Its like a list of characters from Harry Potter: The Lost Generation

[ontheotherhand]

Well Travers has gone from premier league starter to being one step closer to non-league football as mypost predicted. Bazunu is going nowhere fast as the youngest ever premier league #1.

And Kelleher.....is still sitting on the bench.

I feel bad for Travers. He doesn't seem to have done anything wrong.
Bazunu has adapted to the level as well as you'd hope. He will only get better with games.
Kelleher....well nothings changed. If anything it's another year lost. I know he'll get his league cup run and he's still young but....sigh. He'll develop a bit and I still think the argument that maybe he's just a different type of person for whom observing and training is fine at this stage but....I think that argument gets weaker every year.

It's still Bazunu, Kelleher, Travers for me.....although you could swap the 2nd two and I wouldn't complain.

[Eirambler]

The most likely thing to happen here is that one keeper will just end up kicking clear of the others and while the others will also have good careers and occasionally challenge for the first team spot, there's still going be a clear number 1 most of the time.

Similar to when Given won out over Kelly and Kiely after it had been up in the air for a while. This time Bazunu is likely to win out with Kelleher playing the Kelly role of capable backup and Travers filling the Kiely role of capable but frustrated third choice.

I don't think Bazunu is quite the youngest ever Premier League number 1, because I think Paul Gerrard was number 1 for Oldham at 19. But he's not far off it and that was a very different era in the league. So, while Kelleher and Travers are doing generally well, what Bazunu is doing at 20 sets him apart.

[nigel-harps1954]

Joe Hart is probably the other near example, being first choice at 19/20 when he was at Man City.

[tommy_c12000]

Bazunu is clear. Solid start to the season. Distribution continues to improve. Travers has been solid, just been unlucky with the overall team performances. He is clearly number 2. Let’s see what Caoimhin does, he is back training now according to Klopp, his biggest ambition this side of the January transfer window will be trying to wrestle that bench spot away from Adrian it seems. He is my number 3

[Eirambler]

Joe Hart is probably the other near example, being first choice at 19/20 when he was at Man City.

Meslier as well, was a month or two younger than Bazunu is now in the 20/21 season when Leeds played their first season back in the top flight.

[third policeman]

Bazunu is clear. Solid start to the season. Distribution continues to improve. Travers has been solid, just been unlucky with the overall team performances. He is clearly number 2. Let’s see what Caoimhin does, he is back training now according to Klopp, his biggest ambition this side of the January transfer window will be trying to wrestle that bench spot away from Adrian it seems. He is my number 3

Kelleher was making noises about a possible loan before he got injured. I think demoting him to number 3 is a bit harsh. Performances for Ireland count for something in my calculation, and it seems as if Travers will now also be on extended bench duties understudying a much left talented number 1 than Allison.

[ontheotherhand]

The most likely thing to happen here is that one keeper will just end up kicking clear of the others and while the others will also have good careers and occasionally challenge for the first team spot, there's still going be a clear number 1 most of the time.

Similar to when Given won out over Kelly and Kiely after it had been up in the air for a while. This time Bazunu is likely to win out with Kelleher playing the Kelly role of capable backup and Travers filling the Kiely role of capable but frustrated third choice.

I don't think Bazunu is quite the youngest ever Premier League number 1, because I think Paul Gerrard was number 1 for Oldham at 19. But he's not far off it and that was a very different era in the league. So, while Kelleher and Travers are doing generally well, what Bazunu is doing at 20 sets him apart.

Twitter turns out to be an unreliable source? Maybe the distinction is that Bazunu started the season as #1 while Gerrard was backup until midway through? Wrong regardless so thanks for the correction.

[Eirambler]

Twitter turns out to be an unreliable source? Maybe the distinction is that Bazunu started the season as #1 while Gerrard was backup until midway through? Wrong regardless so thanks for the correction.

Pretty much, yes. There is a stat going around which is that Bazunu is the youngest keeper to start the first three league games of the season. I think it is correct, but only because a) Gerrard didn't play the first three games that year, but became first choice as the season went on and was 19 at the time and b) Meslier did play the first three in his debut EPL season two years ago, but the start of the season was delayed to September that year because of Covid. So Bazunu was a few days younger playing the first few games as a result making that particular stat correct.

But over the course of the season Gerrard and Meslier were both first choice and were both younger than Bazunu is so he's not really the youngest ever EPL first choice keeper.

Not trying to take anything away from him or anything, he's doing great, but I can see this being a thing where he's called the youngest first choice keeper forever more, when it's not actually true!

[ontheotherhand]

Yeah important to correct it internally before we go claiming it on the world stage....

Didn't realise Meslier was that young. Fare few youngins in the EPL goals these days. Come on Kelleher, go get yours lad.