18 Mar 2015

'He is immense': Redknapp hails 'unbelievable' £10m star after superb performance against Chelsea

With five clean sheets in the last seven games, Liverpool's defence has exponentially improved over the last few months, but the Reds' defensive unit is still are no match for Southampton, who have the best defensive record in the league. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster is an integral part of the league's meanest defence, and ex-Red Jamie Redknapp has hailed for his performances this season.

Speaking to the Daily Mail this week, Redknapp enthused:

"Fraser Forster is a top goalkeeper. He was immense against Chelsea and has been a big plus since arriving from Celtic [for £10m]".

£10m is turning out to be a comparative bargain for Forster, who has conceded only 21 goals in 29 Premier League games this season. How does he compare to Simon Mignolet, though. Primary stats for both this season:

Forster

* 29 goals conceded in 36 games (0.8 goals per game)
* 15 clean sheets (42% of games - 1 every 2.4 apps)
* Saves: 76 (2.1 per game)
* Saves 72% of shots on goal.

Mignolet * 42 goals conceded in 44 games (0.95 goals per game)
* 15 clean sheets (34% of games - 1 every 2.9 apps)
* Saves: 105 (2.3 per game)
* Saves 71% of shots on goal

There's not much to choose between them this season, but overall, Forster is marginally more effective for Southampton, though since the turn of the year, Mignolet is one of the most effective goalkeepers in the Premier League.

I still find it endlessly amusing how Southampton have improved despite being gutted by the so-called 'big clubs' last summer. Liverpool and Man Utd paid a combined £80 for Lallana, Lambert, Lovren, and Shaw - four of the Saints' supposed best players - and it hasn't affected the club in the slightest.

Liverpool lost Luis Suarez (and Daniel Sturridge) to injury, and despite spending close to £120m, the club went into freefall during the first half of Rodgers' third season at the club. Why didn't the same fate befall Southampton?

Clearly, Koeman is doing an amazing job at Southampton, and in my view, he should on the short-list for Premier League manager of the year.

Author:


42 comments:

  1. The usual pointless GK stats are out in force again... They really are meaningless just don't see how you can judge a GK on those stats. Other than that think Forster is a decent keeper but nothing special.

    The reason Southampton haven't really suffered is because their best players weren't world class players like the one we lost. They sold 4 decent premiership players and replaced them well. We lost one world class player and had no way of replacing him, simple.

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  2. Agree that Koeman is doing a great job, just shows how far you can go with good organisation and a tactically astute manager, without the need for big name players. Pretty inspiring.
    In terms of comparing them to Liverpool though, completely different situation, what with europe and so many new players to bed in. The players we signed weren't intended to replace Suarez, the influx was inevitable really, bound to happen once we got top 4 money in, as the squad was very thin last season. Was always going to be difficult to get them all firing straight away. These things happen, just hope this surge in form isn't too little too late

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  3. Not so sure that getting new players to "bed in" is an excuse, bearing in mind that Southampton had to do that with 9 players themselves, whilst losing 9 to sales or loans! ;)
    (Long, Pellé, Mané, Tadiç, Bertrand, Alderweireld, Elia, Djuricic, Forster).

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  4. Good article. Nice to see that football fans around the country appreciate what we're achieving.

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  5. Sold 6, loaned out 3, brought in 9.

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  6. Nicolas Chamberlain12:46 am, March 19, 2015

    They, most of the Saints, hate our guts.
    Just visit the daily echo, if you like a good laugh...

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  7. Depending on the age and the background of the players obviously players like Markovic and Can needed some time.
    Players like Lallana and Lovren should have fitted right in i think its like you"ll find out at South ham next season 1 year wonders as players.
    Actually ;Lovren is one of the worst defenders in a Liverpool shirt i have seen.

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  8. Considering the fact that mignolet was so bad for about 3 months and he's still managed to up his stats to compare to forster. I'd say stick with mignolet. Forster isn't a bad keeper but if we're gonna spend 10 m on anybody we have to be absolutely guaranteed he's an upgrade. That goes for any position.
    I doubt we're looking at him anyway.

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  9. I like Bacon.Let me guess some other names you go by... Sausage, Egg and Beans:) You can't beat a full English in the morning!

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  10. I think if we were to sign Forster, fans would soon realise that he'd suffer the same problems with the ball at his feet as Migs does and he too would need time to get his head around playing for Liverpool and being asked to do things not previously asked of him. Don't think he's a significant upgrade on Mignolet

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  11. You've answered your own question: it's Koeman and he has indeed been doing an amazing job. A large number of managers would have crumbled under that kind of pressure but he found a way to get it done with an influx of new players and nurturing the talent he already had. He's created a very solid defense, obviously a disciplined team with a clear focus and a solid way of playing their football. He should absolutely be in contention for manager of the year.


    None the less, we see this fairly often in the PL. A lower ranked team has an unexpected surge into the top 4, they get some big scalps but in the long run they don't maintain their position and by the time the season is done they're some pace off the bigger teams. Southampton won't make the top 4 unless something dramatic happens. It will still be a good season for them but it needs to be put in perspective. A team like Liverpool consistently expects to be in that top 4, they simply have higher ambitions. These lower ranked teams can punch above their weight for a while, make a few good impressions, but in the long run they're actually not good enough, not in the same category as the usual suspects like City, Chelsea, Arsenal, United and (hopefully) Liverpool.


    At that top level it's a different game. You can't just have a run of good games at the start of the season and hope it maintains. You have to play well and get results for the whole season, maintain your form in multiple competitions and generally improve the longer it progresses. You have to be able to consistently challenge the bigger teams and expect to beat them. So there is a difference between what Koeman has done and what Rodgers is trying to do. Southampton could finish 6th or 7th and he'll be lauded. If Liverpool finish 6th or 7th it will be a disappointment and Rodgers will be questioned. It's a different set of standards and when you get into that top echelon it really does require a different kind of manager with a different set of skills.

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  12. It's a fine line. Is Koeman to be congratulated for doing it so well or is someone like Rodgers to be criticised? Maybe it's a bit of both. I think it is still a reasonable excuse and Koeman has done a very good job in getting all those new players to work well together.

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  13. Was just randomly reading through your comment history as I was bored and I found this-
    http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2014/11/rodgers-wants-to-sign-nathanial-clyne-lfc-transfer-news.html#comment-1705083067

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  14. Don't give away all my aliases beast ;)

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  15. Pelle has been a half season wonder

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  16. Koeman must be the best manager in the EPL .
    Their transfer committe must also be very good at spotting good talent at

    realistic prices and NOT like Liverpool that seems to get fleeced with every young potential player .

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  17. Obviously not living up to his name.

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  18. In all honesty, I think this is case where stats don't quite show the whole picture. I watch Southampton almost every week, not sure why but I have these last two seasons. Forster is a good keeper, but the dude has had many howlers from indecision or just lack of paying attention that went his way. While Mignolet just had raw luck comparatively at the start. Don't get me wrong Forster I think would be a fantastic backup to mignolet, it would absolutely push each keeper to be at their best. But I would edge Mignolet as the better off the 2 more often than not.

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  19. Koeman is doing a great job. But the stats and clean sheets don't reveal how each team are set up. Southampton have a great defence and team ethos but are also protected by two defensive midfielders in Scheiderlin and Wanyama. They are hard to break down and Scheiderlin is probably second only to Matic in the league. They press hard and have great ball players like Tadic to punish mistakes. But they have been struggling to score and win games, for that you need to take more risks. Of the players they sold they miss Llalana most. They bought/loaned well... top teams were after Alderweireld last season and Elias was a wonder kid a few seasons ago both linked with Liverpool.... Liverpool have struggled to incorporate a functioning defence for two seasons since Carra's retirement and the need to play Gerrard in a deeper role, often unconvincingly protecting the defence. Particularly last season we would lose the ball and the opposition would be at our back four in 2 or 3 seconds.... the diamond was incorporated to deal with this. Our attack masked this with hard work, pace and Suarez. When we lost that attack problems were exposed. Now with a back 3 and Gerrard out we are more solid and protect our defence much better. Loveren hasn't worked but Can looks a competent player that the other players trust. Allen is having a good season! A solid defence has done wonders for Mignolet's confidence! we just need Suarez back ;)

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  20. I agree with you on this, too.

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  21. Agreed. In fact, he's let in some far easier goals than Mignolt has this season.

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  22. Saints lost 4 very decent players and to lose a quarter of a team makes it difficult. Saints replaced them very well. Liverpool lost 1 player in bucked teeth swarez. surely TomKorn you are not saying liverpool struggled more because of this?

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  23. Outstanding bit of research there, B Rod.

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  24. Of world-class potential.

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  25. Southampton are still in trouble from that firesale. The season's not over yet. They had a good first half of the season, because they hadn't been worked out yet, but now they look weak. It's not difficult to imagine them getting into further trouble next season. They will not qualify for the CL this year and probably not the EL either. Their conservative system will be worked out -- it already has been -- they will lose their important players again, perhaps their manager too, and they won't have anywhere left to go but down. They've done well to save themselves for a season, but it's really only putting off the inevitable.

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  26. There's an excellent setup at Southampton generally. Koeman has been excellent too, but I think it's the structure in place there that allowed the relatively seamless transition, he didn't have to change much at all, just plug players into the existing philosophies

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  27. Yes Annon indeed I am. There are very few players in the world who could have replaced Suarez, 5 tops and all of them are at the biggest few clubs in the world. Thus there wasn't a like for like replacement out there. There are plenty of good players out there just not many truly world class ones.

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  28. Which comment are you referring to, mate?

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  29. I'd agree that young players sometimes find it hard to bed in, which makes Koeman's achievement this season even more impressive.
    It would have been nice to have it as easy as Liverpool, but we got through it anyway and have excelled this season which is looking like being an impressive one as we're still in the mix for a top 4 finish and with that comes better money to reinvest for next seasons improvement.
    I'm not convinced that we've picked up NINE "1 year wonders" this season, but only time will tell, I guess.

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  30. Yeah, it was a shame we had to keep playing him when he was burnt out, but at least we have the other strikers now returned from injury. It was a tough couple of months. He'll improve again now that there are other options and competition for the place and we can rest him a bit.

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  31. To say they have higher ambitions than Southampton is utter tosh and absolutely delusional!
    In 2010, a clear and very public plan was put in place, a small part of which was to reach and maintain a regular "top 4 position" in the Premier League and to achieve regular Champions League football.
    Each year from that point, Saints have improved on the previous years performances and are creeping ever closer to that end goal of regular Champions League appearances, backed by a sound and well planned structure and a multi billionaire owner.
    To say that Liverpool's ambitions are higher than that would mean you are looking to play the world cup as a club, which is not going to happen.

    The ambitions are the same, which is why Southampton have the so called "big clubs" running scared: they are getting there too quickly for the other clubs liking and doing it well within FFP regulations.

    Koeman may well be lauded if we only finish in 6th or 7th, and rightly so! We've had it harder this season than any other English club and are coming out on top despite all predictions. 6th or 7th would be Southampton's best premier league finish, despite having to deal with the toughest issues of all clubs.

    The difference between Koeman and Rodgers, as you're keen to discuss it, is simply that Rodgers struggled to hit the expectations of the Liverpool fans for much of the season, whereas Koeman is "over achieving" based on the expectations of people not linked to Southampton.

    Koeman is a world class name in football and a proven manager/coach and as such will attract the right kinds of players to take Southampton forward.
    As much as people don't like it, 5 years of hard work and constant improvements in all aspects show that it is a case of "onwards and upwards" for Southampton.
    We'll lose Schneiderlin in the summer, which will be a big blow, but that will just increase our transfer kitty by an extra £40m which will be added to the £30m we still have from the summer and all of the Premier league & TV money from this season which will make for a nice bit of transfer action and with the best Scouting facilities in europe, we should land some good players. (if we lose Clyne, too, that just sweetens the transfer kitty further).

    Southampton are here to stay.

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  32. Lmao! Great use of sarcasm! :)
    Really gave me a chuckle.

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  33. It's not every Saints fan, but yes, unfortunately the bad lot of your fans were very abusive towards a large section of Saints fans in the summer which left a bad taste in people's mouths.
    Personally, I have no problems with Liverpool fans in general. (Even have a brother who is a fan).
    It's just that small bunch who think they "deserve" a top 4 place every year and any player they choose and then abuse others with a "holier than thou" mentality who have given your fans a bad name in the last year or so, which is a shame for the real fans.

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  34. You don't have any worries about their form? Seriously? 3 goals and 8 points in the last 7 games? I'd be worried. I don't mind Southampton particularly, I'm neutral about this, but it looks like reality is about to pay a visit. I'd be worried about next season, honestly.

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  35. No, I'm not worried. Obviously it was tough with Pellè being out of form and having no alternative options due to all of our other strikers being injured, but 2 of them are back from injury now. We also had our main DM and 1 of our CB partnership out. With those injuries behind us, we'll get back to form.
    Next season, we'll be laughing, as we'll be able to improve our squad massively with the money we already have plus what we'll earn for this season and the sales of 2 players. (Clyne and Schneiderlin for circa £60m).
    We have the best scouting/recruitment setup in Europe, so I have no fears because when combining that with a transfer kitty of around £100k +, I'm sure that we'll be fine next season.

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  36. Was about to reply properly but...

    "It's just that small bunch who think they "deserve" a top 4 place every
    year and any player they choose and then abuse others with a "holier
    than thou" mentality who have given your fans a bad name in the last
    year or so, which is a shame for the real fans."

    This quote makes it pretty obvious that you're here with the sole intention of trolling LFC fans with the fairly transparent defense of "not you though, the bad ones". You're sussed mate, no thanks, you can take your timid passive aggressive patter elsewhere

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  37. How very presumptuous of you!
    That comment was a direct reply to someone who felt that Saints fans hate Liverpool fans. The original comment was a generalisation and was not entirely accurate, so I explained that whilst it was partially correct, it only applied to a small section of Saints fans who were abused by a number of Liverpool fans who displayed the exact mentality I described. It was nothing more than that, so you appear to be over analysing.
    The reason it looks like a "not you, but the bad ones" style comment is that he clearly did not appear (based on his comment) to be one of those involved.

    I came here to read an article which is flagged and tagged as a Southampton article and is about Southampton's manager and player and as such, displays in Southampton's news feeds.
    I do not "troll", I have level headed conversations about football with other football fans and they are predominantly Southampton based due to the nature of the articles I read.

    Just because you may disagree with some comments or don't like fair assessments of scenarios, it does not make me a "troll".
    As you will see from each comment on this article, they are all factually accurate, regardless of whether some people like them or not. There's even one expressing my enjoyment of the article. NOW I am sussed, because it's clear that I am here for the Southampton article and hopefully, intelligent, we'll balanced conversation.

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  38. How very presumptuous of you!
    That comment was a direct reply to someone who felt that Saints fans hate Liverpool fans. The original comment was a generalisation and was not entirely accurate, so I explained that whilst it was partially correct, it only applied to a small section of Saints fans who were abused by a number of Liverpool fans who displayed the exact mentality I described. It was nothing more than that, so you appear to be over analysing.
    The reason it looks like a "not you, but the bad ones" style comment is that he clearly did not appear (based on his comment) to be one of those involved.

    I came here to read an article which is flagged and tagged as a Southampton article and is about Southampton's manager and player and as such, displays in Southampton's news feeds.
    I do not "troll", I have level headed conversations about football with other football fans and they are predominantly Southampton based due to the nature of the articles I read.

    Just because you may disagree with some comments or don't like fair assessments of scenarios, it does not make me a "troll".
    As you will see from each comment on this article, they are all factually accurate, regardless of whether some people like them or not. There's even one expressing my enjoyment of the article. NOW I am sussed, because it's clear that I am here for the Southampton article and hopefully, intelligent, we'll balanced conversation.

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  39. How very presumptuous of you!
    That comment was a direct reply to someone who felt that Saints fans hate Liverpool fans. The original comment was a generalisation and was not entirely accurate, so I explained that whilst it was partially correct, it only applied to a small section of Saints fans who were abused by a number of Liverpool fans who displayed the exact mentality I described. It was nothing more than that, so you appear to be over analysing.
    The reason it looks like a "not you, but the bad ones" style comment is that he clearly did not appear (based on his comment) to be one of those involved.

    I came here to read an article which is flagged and tagged as a Southampton article and is about Southampton's manager and player and as such, displays in Southampton's news feeds.
    I do not "troll", I have level headed conversations about football with other football fans and they are predominantly Southampton based due to the nature of the articles I read.

    Just because you may disagree with some comments or don't like fair assessments of scenarios, it does not make me a "troll".
    As you will see from each comment on this article, they are all factually accurate, regardless of whether some people like them or not. There's even one expressing my enjoyment of the article. NOW I am sussed, because it's clear that I am here for the Southampton article and hopefully, intelligent, we'll balanced conversation.

    ReplyDelete
  40. How very presumptuous of you!
    That comment was a direct reply to someone who felt that Saints fans hate Liverpool fans. The original comment was a generalisation and was not entirely accurate, so I explained that whilst it was partially correct, it only applied to a small section of Saints fans who were abused by a number of Liverpool fans who displayed the exact mentality I described. It was nothing more than that, so you appear to be over analysing.
    The reason it looks like a "not you, but the bad ones" style comment is that he clearly did not appear (based on his comment) to be one of those involved.

    I came here to read an article which is flagged and tagged as a Southampton article and is about Southampton's manager and player and as such, displays in Southampton's news feeds.
    I do not "troll", I have level headed conversations about football with other football fans and they are predominantly Southampton based due to the nature of the articles I read.

    Just because you may disagree with some comments or don't like fair assessments of scenarios, it does not make me a "troll".
    As you will see from each comment on this article, they are all factually accurate, regardless of whether some people like them or not. There's even one expressing my enjoyment of the article. NOW I am sussed, because it's clear that I am here for the Southampton article and hopefully, intelligent, we'll balanced conversation.

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  41. You know what, troll is a strong word, maybe I'm being a bit harsh there.
    But come on, going on an Lfc blog and writing things like "it would have been nice to have it as easy as Liverpool but we got through it anyway", etc, it's textbook passive aggressive.
    Why did you even respond to my original comment?

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  42. I agree. I think the reality of last season was that with one of the world's best in our ranks, we were able to overachieve. Now that he's gone the rest of the team had to step up, along with the new recruits, which seems to be happening now

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