[Archived] Paul Robinson

[tony gale's mic]

I think the problem fans have with Robbo is that he does make a few gaffs, but he doesn't balance them with any top-drawer saves. When the last time you heard about his acrobatics to keep us in the game? You'd be clutching at straws to name them.

Yep I've been trying to say the same for months. I agree Bunn may be a bit too much of a gamble at this stage but hopefully he'll be ready to take Robbo's place for next season.

[Hasta]

On the first goal why does he took his arms into his chest like he's scared of getting hit with the ball. He should be trying to make himself as big as possible.

The second goal is awful. Regardless of how well it's hit it is only a foot over his hand.

He might come across as a good lad but he's an average keeper.

[philipl]

Having seen the replay, Robinson should have had his arms out- Rooney's shot passes desperately close to him and if he had any extension as Rooney struck it he could have blocked.

On the second, sorry, Robo did brilliantly to get even close to it. Warnock incidentally is blocking a sideways pass to Scholes.

[whittle blue]

On the first goal why does he took his arms into his chest like he's scared of getting hit with the ball. He should be trying to make himself as big as possible.

I thought that as well, Hasta.

The more I see of Robinson, the less happy I am with him.

Maybe we've been spoiled with Friedel

[tony gale's mic]

I thought that as well, Hasta.

The more I see of Robinson, the less happy I am with him.

Maybe we've been spoiled with Friedel

We were spoiled with Friedel, but most of the other keepers in the league are performing better than him too.

[dr_awol]

Having seen the replay, Robinson should have had his arms out- Rooney's shot passes desperately close to him and if he had any extension as Rooney struck it he could have blocked.

On the second, sorry, Robo did brilliantly to get even close to it. Warnock incidentally is blocking a sideways pass to Scholes.

i dont blame robo for the goals, the first goal our defender, set rooney up and from close range you expect rooney to score againt any GK.

the other goal was a needless freekick that was very well taken.

[Hasta]

i dont blame robo for the goals, the first goal our defender, set rooney up and from close range you expect rooney to score againt any GK.

I don't blame Robinson for the first goal. If the ball breaks kindly for Rooney 8 yards out you expect he is going to beat you. However you don't have to be a goalkeeping rocket scientist to work out that if you spread your arms and make yourself big then you've more chance of stopping that kind of chance than if you pull your arms in and make yourself smaller. That's something that a goalkeeper should be able to learn.

I don't agree with Phillip on the second. Everyone around me in the pub knew he was going to shoot. A top flight keeper should be stopping that. It's not in the top corner, it's not placed out of his range. Someone mentioned after the Coventry game that Robinson reacts a bit slow and this was a prime example.

[Eddie]

Could he have saved the first? Yes, if he had been extremely lucky. The ball drops to Rooney and Robinson has a split second to react, 1/100 times that ball clips his arm and goes away, but you can't criticise or judge the way that he reacted to it.

Could he have saved the second? Yes, that was more saveable, but it was still a very well struck free kick. I think everyone knew he was going to shoot and Robinson did too, which is why his first movement was towards his near post, which then meant he couldn't save the shot itself. Had he not been expecting Ronaldo to shoot he probably would have saved it. I'm not going to be critical of him for letting that one in, it was hit with such pace and had late movement I think it would have gone in most of the time against every keeper in this league.

[dr_awol]

I don't blame Robinson for the first goal.

My point is it was more poor defending and not so much robinson at fault.

[John]

Sky's Andy Gray thinks Robinson should have done better with the second goal. Also questioned the wall (should have been two in the wall) and the person behind the wall (Warnock) who was blocking his view.

Gray also points out that Robinson was caught out similarly earlier in the season for Arteta's goal.

[thenodrog]

A wall 10 yards away can defend the near post. It cannot defend the far post because can go over and down which is what happened. A fourth defender in the wall would have had us outnumbered picking up players going for a dinked cross and completely obliterated Robo's vision of the ball.

Putting three in the wall prevents the striker from that angle from bending it around the outside of the wall and in.

1. The ball did not go over the wall it went around it at head height.

2. A fourth defender in that wall next to Grella would have been hit full in the face by the ball. If the existing 3 had taken one position to the left it would have had the same result. The near post hardly needs defending when a right footed player is taking a free kick from that position.

3. The only place where Ronaldo could reasonably have aimed that FK was exactly where he did. The fact that Robinson was nowhere bloody near the shot tells me that something was sadly wrong with his set up.

[Eddie]

Eh? A right footer can easily aim for the near post from that position, take a look at the Arteta goal earlier in the season or Beckham's goal a couple of weeks ago for AC Milan.

[thenodrog]

Eh? A right footer can easily aim for the near post from that position, take a look at the Arteta goal earlier in the season or Beckham's goal a couple of weeks ago for AC Milan.

To get it over a wall and down at pace from that distance is well nigh impossible and I've only seen the like of it done once........ ironically by Ronaldo with the free kick last year that defied the laws of physics.

As I say either the set up of the wall was wrong or Robinson's attempts to save it were pathetically amateur. Either way it's down to him.

[Neil Weaver]

1. The ball did not go over the wall it went around it at head height.

Wrong. Not the best of vids, but Ronaldo goal

2. A fourth defender in that wall next to ped would have been hit full in the face by the ball. If the existing 3 had taken one position to the left it would have had the same result. The near post hardly needs defending when a right footed player is taking a free kick from that position.

Wrong. Even if Samba had been the fourth man in the wall it would have gone over him. Near post doesn't need defending? As Eddie says, remember Arteta's goal against us?

3. The only place where Ronaldo could reasonably have aimed that FK was exactly where he did. The fact that Robinson was nowhere bloody near the shot tells me that something was sadly wrong with his set up.

Wrong. It could have gone near post - see above - or far post, or anywhere in between come to that. Quite a few of Ronaldo's free kicks this season I seem to remember have had more power than placement and often are fairly central.

Despite the reasoning being completely amiss, I'd agree that if Robbo had another chance in this situation he'd do things a bit differently.

[AggyBlue]

To get it over a wall and down at pace from that distance is well nigh impossible and I've only seen the like of it done once........ ironically by Ronaldo with the free kick last year that defied the laws of physics.

I'd like to see him try it with my old casey.

[Eddie]

To get it over a wall and down at pace from that distance is well nigh impossible and I've only seen the like of it done once........ ironically by Ronaldo with the free kick last year that defied the laws of physics.

As I say either the set up of the wall was wrong or Robinson's attempts to save it were pathetically amateur. Either way it's down to him.

I guess the laws of physics aren't what they used to be.

[thenodrog]

Wrong. Not the best of vids, but Ronaldo goal

How can you say that after watching your own video evidence? Look again at the last view from behind the kicker. It went 2ft to Grella's left at about face height. It did NOT go over the wall.

[thenodrog]

I guess the laws of physics aren't what they used to be.

Watch that again eddie, in fact use the pause facility ....... imo the two man wall was covering the side netting and one was even jumping out of the way! Just like with ours the wall was simply in the wrong place for a right footed player who can 'bend it like Beckham'. Your clip proves my point precisely. Thanks.

[Eddie]

Actually, no, it doesn't. You argued that it wasn't really possible for a right footer to score from that sort of a position. It quite clearly is.

[Neil Weaver]

How can you say that after watching your own video evidence? Look again at the last view from behind the kicker. It went 2ft to Grella's left at about face height. It did NOT go over the wall.

Gord, can I borrow your glasses please....... if that's face height (after Grella's jumped about a foot) then Andrews is a world class midfielder.

[dingles staying down 4ever]

Having watched the youtube clips again, I like to amend my views.

The ball does not go over the wall as I thought yesterday. It does go to the left of Grella but at a height above the wall. I still maintain the wall is an hinderence because with the power that Ronaldo hits the ball and the position that robbo takes all the wall achieves is to hide the free kick taker from the keeper.

The positioning of Warnock makes the situation worse but I can understand why he was stood there to block the side ways pass.

With a keeper who can't get any trojectory on his jumps like Robbo then his positioning and reactions are key. Both were lacking on Saturday.

BTW, having watched it again someone on the backpost area would have reduced the amount of target that Ronaldo had to hit but a more agile keeper than Robbo would have saved it.

[thenodrog]

Gord, can I borrow your glasses please....... if that's face height (after Grella's jumped about a foot) then Andrews is a world class midfielder.

I'm not suprised cos they obviously work better than yours Neil. Just stop and pause after 32 secs. That ball was rising sure enough but I still maintain that when it passed Grella it passed at head height, albeit Grella had jumped at the time, but that is what he is supposed to do. If the 3 had been stood a yard to their left the goal could have been prevented whilst at the same time the near post would have been adequately covered from a right footed inswinger.

This might provide a clearer view from behind the kicker. Pause on 11 secs.

http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/2122490/

It's clear that a defender retreating to the back post would not have stopped the shot either.

[Amo]

I remember John Filan pulling off some heroics during our shambolic 98/99 season, so it's not just we were spoilt with Brad.

[tony gale's mic]

I remember John Filan pulling off some heroics during our shambolic 98/99 season, so it's not just we were spoilt with Brad.

Yep Filan was a very good keeper. I'd say goalkeeper has been our strongest position for the years I've been following Rovers.

[The Prof.]

I can't think of a time when we've had a truly terrible keeper. We always used to have two good ones with people like Chris Pearce (probably just a bit too small) and Shay Given in reserve. This needs sorting very fast or we'll be down.

Anyway Robbo has the potential to be an excellent keeper!