The Aynsley Pears appreciation thread.

[Neal]

I've always been an admirer of this lad and actually thought he was deserving of keeping his place ahead of Kaminski at the time. I argued with many mates who were convinced Whalstedt was a better option when he's clearly not even in the same league. Don't get me wrong, he has made errors in the past and he did make some notable errors last season but he also had some great games that he was never given credit for because people had already made up their minds. 

 

Since he's come back in, he's been absolutely brilliant in my opinion. On Saturday he kept us in the game but the fans got on this lads back so quickly when he makes a small mistake. Seems some already made up their mind that they think he's sh*t and to me it just seems a hivemind mentality. 

 

I personally feel i'll always give credit and criticism where it's due and this boy for his recent performances deserves a lot more. There was a fella giving him pelters all game on Saturday but not once clapped him or gave him credit for keeping us in the game.

 

An English goalkeeper at 25 years old, giving us performances like he has done recently is someone I see as a real asset, he's made some mistakes but you have to make some to become better and to me he looks like he's improved a lot. Even the small things like watching his near post better, his starting positions and angles when closing down 1 on 1's. His distribution has always been good aswell. 

 

Was nice to hear a chant of "England's number 1" and I really hope the fans start to get behind him now because his best years are firmly in front of him. Keep that chant going. Last night's performance was a real display of how good he can be especially when he has the confidence of the fans behind him.

 

Well done Aynsley Pears. 

Edited February 28, 2024 by Neal

[alex l]

Don't think he's put a foot wrong since returning form injury. It might be argued the form of Leo means we appreciate what Pears does that bit more. Pears' speed off the line has been needed in recent games and he's not been rash in his judgement. Carry on like this for the remainder of the season and I don't think a new first choice keeper is on the list for summer recruitment. 

[Mattyblue]

Odd people at the ground will always have it in for certain players. My uncle used to go mad about MGP every week! First world problems ay!

But generally Pears has been supported just like all players are at Ewood. Very supportive crowd.

[tomphil]

Always shown signs he can be a steady number 1 behind a more pragmatic defensively organised team.

For me TK should have been reinstated last season and we might still have him now if that was the case but all that has been done and dusted.  Pears showed in his first stint he was ok as long as the team wasn't too open or dealing with too many set pieces and crosses.

JDTs style wasn't be the best for developing keepers in the basic art of goal keeping although it helped their footwork get some overtime !

End of the day they've made us into a development team so players in whatever position are learning on the job and unfortunately are going to make their mistakes, cost us and we have to lump it.  The ones with the real ability right mentality and coaching will come through it though and improve.  Biggest thing in the case of Pears is the change of style and tighter work on all defensive situations.

He needed to improve on set pieces/crosses and still does but nice to see he's adding Kaminski like reflexes to his armoury now as well.

Confidence is the real improvement tool though.

Although no point getting excited Waggot will have him out the door to pay the bills before he's anywhere near the finished article !

[Neal]

2 minutes ago, alex l said:

Don't think he's put a foot wrong since returning form injury. It might be argued the form of Leo means we appreciate what Pears does that bit more. Pears' speed off the line has been needed in recent games and he's not been rash in his judgement. Carry on like this for the remainder of the season and I don't think a new first choice keeper is on the list for summer recruitment. 

Yeah, don't get me wrong, are their better keepers out there? Probably. That we can afford? Probably not. Given his age and the fact he's got plenty of minutes of experience now under his belt, I think it would be silly to watch him go elsewhere and play the best years of his career. Some folk need to give him a fresh start IMO. 

[Groundhog]

When he got that standing ovation after his double save last night, it nearly brought a tear to my eye. Class.

[arbitro]

I think Pears was categorised by many (me included) after his nightmare performance at Wigan in the FA Cup a few seasons ago. Sometimes as supporters we judge far too early, I know I do. On the day at Wigan he was poor and was roundly criticised but in fairness to him he bided his time and once he got in took his chance. Last night was probably his best Rovers performance, perhaps the best of his career.

[Rogerb]

The sign of an improving goalkeeper is when you reflect on the match and consider his performance has saved you points. In my opinion Pears is starting to do this whereas previously this was not so.

[Hasta]

2 hours ago, Neal said:

I've always been an admirer of this lad and actually thought he was deserving of keeping his place ahead of Kaminski at the time. I argued with many mates who were convinced Whalstedt was a better option when he's clearly not even in the same league. Don't get me wrong, he has made errors in the past and he did make some notable errors last season but he also had some great games that he was never given credit for because people had already made up their minds. 

 

Since he's come back in, he's been absolutely brilliant in my opinion. On Saturday he kept us in the game but the fans got on this lads back so quickly when he makes a small mistake. Seems some already made up their mind that they think he's sh*t and to me it just seems a hivemind mentality. 

 

I personally feel i'll always give credit and criticism where it's due and this boy for his recent performances deserves a lot more. There was a fella giving him pelters all game on Saturday but not once clapped him or gave him credit for keeping us in the game.

 

An English goalkeeper at 25 years old, giving us performances like he has done recently is someone I see as a real asset, he's made some mistakes but you have to make some to become better and to me he looks like he's improved a lot. Even the small things like watching his near post better, his starting positions and angles when closing down 1 on 1's. His distribution has always been good aswell. 

 

Was nice to hear a chant of "England's number 1" and I really hope the fans start to get behind him now because his best years are firmly in front of him. Keep that chant going. Last night's performance was a real display of how good he can be especially when he has the confidence of the fans behind him.

 

Well done Aynsley Pears. 

Great sentiment, and I have been strenuously saying he's far better than Wahlstedt. His mistakes are now very infrequent and he is improving with age and confidence.

However your first paragraph is bollocks. Kaminski was "not in the same league" as Pears. Lol.

[Andy]

I’ve been on a bit of a rollercoaster with Pears.

When he was number 2 to TK, I always said he was a decent backup, despite the odd clanger.

Then, as first choice, he dropped a few more and I was pleased to see us bring in Leo.

But since returning from injury, he’s barely put a foot wrong. Last night was the best GK performance I’ve seen from a Rovers stopper in as long as I can remember. Immense.

That double stop at the end was worth the entrance fee alone.

[roversfan99]

Don't like the angle of implying that hes had a hard time from the supporters and thats what has stopped him in his tracks, he has been supported like everyone. 

Also cant agree that it was right to play him over Kaminski, Kaminski is a Premier League keeper and a big upgrade on Pears.

Pears had a really poor run of form earlier in the season with a number of mistakes but since his return, his performances have been beyond merely being better than the bombscare that is Wahlstedt. Last night he was brilliant and lets hope he can continue to impress.

[ben_the_beast]

Had Pears not picked up his injury we'd be placed far higher in the league. He's not of the standard of Kaminski but he's a good goalkeeper at this level. Given the drop off to Wahlstedt he's arguably our most important player along with Szmodics. 

I'm pleased he's beginning to gain some of the credit he deserves. He was outstanding last night and after his horror show a couple of years back against Wigan has continually improved. 

He seems like a key member of the dressing room as well. Hopefully this security and confidence will see him continue to get better and better.

[Eddie]

This is a very revealing thread.

It combines both those acknowledging that they were perhaps to quick to judge Pears and those stating that Wahlstedt is a dud.

Lesson learned.

[matt83]

For me he’s a shit keeper. Wigan away and Ipswich this season are up there with the worst individual performances I’ve seen in a rovers shirt. Did he have a good game yesterday - absolutely yes. Is he doing any more than you’d expect from a professional in the 2nd tier of English football - in my opinion he falls well short of what should pass for an acceptable standard for a keeper. 

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

This is a very revealing thread.

It combines both those acknowledging that they were perhaps to quick to judge Pears and those stating that Wahlstedt is a dud.

Lesson learned.

Or doesnt it show that people can make predictions and judgements even within the first season after a player has joined, as long as if they are proven somewhat wrong, then they have the flexibility to change their opinion should performance dictate. The problem would be if people double downed against evidence and stuck to it.

You would never dampen down people saying a player looks good quickly after arrival. For some reason, if people dont like the look of a player early doors or dont think hes good enough, they should withhold that opinion though.

[Ossydave]

The Wigan game went a long way to tarnishing his reputation and many have found it hard to forget even now!

I think last night probably went some way to setting the record straight though, just a shame he couldn't be the ultimate hero in a shootout win.

He's been bob on since his return from injury to be fair and I dare say we would have conceded more under Leo, who simply needed to come out of the firing line - Hopefully he can recover from his torrid time.

[Ewood Ace]

It wasn't just the Wigan game whenever he played in his first two seasons he looked dreadful and the Wigan game was just the final straw. But he improved massively last season and continued to go from strength to strength ever since. He is now without a doubt our undisputed number 1. 

[bluebruce]

I'm always willing to revise my opinion when a player does well or poorly, but history has to be taken into account too. We've seen Pears at his worst, and probably at his best, and we've had him for years now so I think we can form some general opinions with a decent degree of accuracy. Here's mine.

Pears has excellent reflexes, and he distributes the ball well. He gets back up quickly to make a second save if needed, or has done recently at least. However he's also shakey at dealing with crosses, has poor positioning (improved a little lately though, especially at one on ones where his placement has been good recently), and seems to struggle with shots that aren't close to him, perhaps because his arms don't seem to have much length on them for his height, but also because he doesn't really propel himself with much vigour. He is better than Wahlstedt at avoiding parrying a shot back into the danger zone, but it's still a slight weakness in his game. We know he has an utter clanger or two in his locker.

He's a confidence player. Everyone is to a degree, but you know what's meant by that. His form will fluctuate enormously based on his confidence levels. Right now he's thriving, a fuckup or two and we might go back to saying things have gone Pears-shaped most weeks.

For me, he's a good backup keeper for this league. Maybe a very good backup keeper for this league, and with potential to improve. But he still hasn't shown the consistency over a long enough period for me to say I'm comfortable with him being number one for a full season. As I said, I'm always willing to revise my opinion. If he can maintain good form until the end of the season I'll be much more comfortable with him for next season, but there are also areas of his game that I really want to see improve. Mostly positioning and crosses.

I do think there's been an element of fortune in his recent form - a lot of shots have gone close to him, so he hasn't had to get to full stretch or leap across the goal too often, which as I said I think he struggles with. Quite a few of the saves I've seen people praising him for really didn't take much to save, although his improved positioning for one-on-ones has helped that.

He's much improved and long may it continue. We all want all Rovers players to do well. Thought he was MOTM last night btw.

Edited February 28, 2024 by bluebruce

[Neal]

8 hours ago, Hasta said:

Great sentiment, and I have been strenuously saying he's far better than Wahlstedt. His mistakes are now very infrequent and he is improving with age and confidence.

However your first paragraph is bollocks. Kaminski was "not in the same league" as Pears. Lol.

Think you mis-read that one.

[Neal]

People mentioning the Wigan game, I could be wrong but wasn't that when he was thrown in due to injuries? At 25 now I'd like to think his experiences since that game at 23 years old have helped him to improve. 

[Tom]

This is a club I never thought I’d be part of!

For me there’s no way he should have been in ahead of Kaminski but since his return recently he’s been brilliant and was phenomenal last night 

[simongarnerisgod]

never thought id`e ever see an aynsley  pears appreciation thread😁

[jim mk2]

Pears is improving without a doubt and is streets ahead of the Swedish lad who is one of the main reasons we are in relegation trouble. He still only 25 - young for a goalkeeper, and his game is beginning to mature.

I'd like to see him more dominant in the 6-yard box from crosses and corners - several times last night he should have come out to catch or punch the ball away but stayed on his line. 

 

[Hasta]

29 minutes ago, Neal said:

Think you mis-read that one.

Yeah I did. Posting when you should be working is dangerous. Sorry 😀

[Upside Down]

Raya, Tommy K now Pears.

Maybe Ben Benson does know what he's doing after all.

Pears was immense yesterday. A number one performance if ever I saw one.