Ex Player Jack Stevens

Think it’s quite easy to suggest this now, but at the time we’d been hammered on the opening day and subsequently lost the second when Eastwood was hurt in the warmup. There was no way we could’ve gambled on Stevens if the coaching staff felt he wasn’t ready, and given the run of form and results that came over the first dozen games it could well have destroyed the kid.

The Shearer issue, though, was pretty shambolic. Really bad if he’s not even good enough to play football anymore yet was kept on as the number two. The fact we had to loan another keeper in, rather than our second choice goalie being able to play for ten games max, meant we had to sacrifice a final attacking signing that was planned and resulted in us having nothing up top for half a season bar a barely fit Jamie Mackie. For me that was a huge part in our terrible opening few months.

Hopefully Stevens turns out to be worthy of being a proper second choice, and capable of actually playing a few games if required in the future. I don’t care how much of a cracking lad old ‘Shagger’ may be - being a right old laugh can’t make up for depriving your team of a single fit striker for 20-odd games!
 
I think we should keep Eastwood in as much as we can and extend our good run. If Stevens plays a blinder today maybe one more game, and use Eastwood for the Luton game.
A good run now may be important for morale at the start of next season.
Stevens looks good as a back up
 
Only just found this thread - while I am always keen to give our young lads a chance, I do agree that the situation early in the season was maybe not the time to introduce stevens. As a one-off covering suspension (as is happening now) then maybe, and given some time in the Checkatrade then probably, but I can accept that he was not judged ready for an extended spell in a team making a bad start.
The question though, as others have said, is the logic of keeping Shearer, if he was unable to contribute any more than that.
I guess the gamble was that neither would be needed, and that Eastwood would be able to put in another near everpresent season (or at least first half until Stevens was ready).
 
Deserving of his own thread. What a keeper this lad is starting to look like. Early days obviously, but he’s started brilliantly and is hopefully only going to get better. The defence looks a lot more assured as they seem to trust him.

More importantly, probably the best looking keeper we’ve had in years, maybe even since porn star?

Keep up the good work, lad. And let’s really push the boundaries with some of those colour schemes moving forward.

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Good shot stopper, confident in dealing with aerial balls, and impressively vocal for a young keeper without too many first team appearances.

I also think his positioning and speed when we are in attack is such a useful asset - if we lose possession and teams try to do us with a quick long ball over the top, he more often than not is already on the edge of his area and flies out and deals with it, preventing the chance of an easy one-on-one. You see this regularly with the top prem keepers like Alisson and Ederson.
 
I think any naysayers for his inclusion have now been convinced. This was no call for an unproven youth teamer to enter the fray because ‘he can’t do any worse’. It was a request to deal with an issue and that was goalkeeper errors. Stevens has ensured that those have been eradicated as the first step and he’s stepped up even more with some great stops - the Wimbledon game and today’s worldie come to mind.

The defence needed a shake up and to have a vocal, sweeper keeper there has given them confidence. They have an outlet for passing, a presence to make them aware of danger and a reliable sort at crosses and shots.

There is work needed - goal kicks and general distribution where Stevens is prone to rushing the ball back into play - but the management team have been working on that. He’s done the job in the rehearsal and now he’s going to be the main man for the rest of the 2020-21 season.

Well in, Jack. Credit to Wayne Brown for his development too.
 
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What impressed me today was how he managed to stay switched on after a long time doing nothing to still pull off a wonder save. Honestly, I thought that was in as soon as it was hit, but he somehow got a finger to it. It's one thing for a young keeper to come in and pull off save after save in a game which he's constantly being tested, but he clearly also has the concentration to help us win games where we're on top for most of it.
 
Good keeper lots of potential but if we are talking fit or not he has nowhere near enough funbags for me.
 
Comfortably number one now, his speed and athleticism have shown up what a plodding, doddery liability Eastwood had become. Hard not to think that we would be quite a few million quid richer had he been in goal at Wembley. Wasn’t to be though and no point looking back, it’s a pleasure to watch him and the young defence we have in front of him grow as a unit.

He is certainly a good example of what giving younger players a chance (belatedly) can do rather than just sticking with what you know.
 
He is certainly a good example of what giving younger players a chance (belatedly) can do rather than just sticking with what you knknow.
He has been fantastic but that doesn't mean just throw young players in until they are ready.
One thing oufc seem to do well at the moment is to introduce young players and try to develop them
 
There is work needed - goal kicks and general distribution where Stevens is prone to rushing the ball back into play - but the management team have been working on that. He’s done the job in the rehearsal and now he’s going to be the main man for the rest of the 2020-21 season.

Well in, Jack. Credit to Wayne Brown for his development totoo.
He has been an absolute revelation.
Fantastic shot stopping, great one on one saves claiming high balls with confidence and the defence trust him.
You are spot on with regard to the coaches. He seems to have been earmarked and backed for some years. There have been a number of young keepers who have come and gone and the coaching team always seem to have backed him.
The club need to get him to sign a new contract.
 
Jack Stevens has had a quite staggering effect on the team as a whole. Brilliant stuff.
Whilst I agree he's been really good, I'm not sure id go that far. When we play other teams easty is the first player they know and are in awe of (i am speaking from experience I work in the industry). Appreciate reputation doesn't equal performance
 
Whilst I agree he's been really good, I'm not sure id go that far. When we play other teams easty is the first player they know and are in awe of (i am speaking from experience I work in the industry). Appreciate reputation doesn't equal performance
No reason to doubt you but this can't be right, surely? Eastwood jumped out to them over the likes of Brannagan, Taylor, Henry?
 
Comfortably number one now, his speed and athleticism have shown up what a plodding, doddery liability Eastwood had become. Hard not to think that we would be quite a few million quid richer had he been in goal at Wembley. Wasn’t to be though and no point looking back, it’s a pleasure to watch him and the young defence we have in front of him grow as a unit.

He is certainly a good example of what giving younger players a chance (belatedly) can do rather than just sticking with what you know.
All academic now but you do wonder where we would be if we had started Jack Stevens last year when Easty got injured instead of bringing Archer in on loan. Stevens had played against Charlton (was it?) in the summer and done very well, and many on here were suggesting he be given a chance, so it's not like he was a totally untried commodity. And maybe the coaching staff thought it was too early for him, but less than a year later he's slotted right into a team struggling in the relegation places and made the #1 shirt his own. Didn't Eastwood make some howlers on his return against Rotherham, too? In a game which, had the result gone the other way, would have seen us up automatically.

All sliding doors moments, and perhaps it was too early and we'd all have been furious about KR putting in a totally green goalkeeper in a promotion chase, but definitely an interesting one.
 
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