9 May 2015

Legend blasts: €12m star 'hasn't improved' and is 'bad' for Liverpool. Agree?

Earlier this season, Everton legend Neville Southall laid into Liverpool's Simon Mignolet, claiming that he is not good enough to be the Reds' number one goalkeeper. Since that time, €12m-rated Mignolet has resurrected his flailing Anfield career, but Southall still insists that the Belgian lacks the quality associated with the Reds' best 'keepers.

In November, Southall told Paddy Power:

"When you think of the great Liverpool goalkeepers like Lawrence, Clemence, Grobbelaar, Reina, Mignolet [is not] capable of hitting those standards. His shot-stopping is good, his distribution is decent, but he isn't the best on crosses."

Six months later, and Southall is still singing the same tune. On Wednesday, he claimed that Mignolet 'is not a Liverpool goalie' and doesn't 'look like he's in command of everyone'. He further scathed:

“He [Mignolet] doesn't look like he can go a full game without making a mistake. He can have all the coaching he wants, he hasn’t improved. His fundamental thing, his decision making, is bad.”

I'm not the a huge fan of Mignolet, and I've argued many times that he should be replaced at the end of the season, but Southall's claim that he 'hasn't improved' is simply wrong.

Since the turn of the year, Mignolet has exponentially improved, and the fact that he's currently leading the race for the Golden Gloves award is undeniable proof of that.

The stats also show Mignolet's significant improvement over the last five months:

Pre-Drop

* P23 W8 (35%) D6 (26%) L9 (39%)
* Goals conceded: 29 (1.3 per game)
* Clean Sheets: 4 (1 every 5.7 games)

Post-Drop

* P29 W17 (59%) D6 (21%) L6 (10%)
* Goals conceded: 22 (0.7 per game)
* CS: 14 (48% | 1 every 2 games)



Whatever way you slice it, Mignolet has performed well in the second half of the season, and he deserves credit for working hard to overcome his weaknesses.

That said, Mignolet still needs to be replaced. It should've happened last summer, but Rodgers failed to act, and Liverpool consequently suffered. The manager surely won't make the same mistake again, especially now that he himself is expendable.

Mignolet has a long record of conceding lots of goals (at both Liverpool and Sunderland), and his current purple-patch is the exception, not the rule.

Can he be relied-upon to reproduce his current form for the majority of next season? Would you put your mortgage on the Belgian stopper consistently producing excellent performances for an entire season?

I wouldn't, and in my view, it's a major risk for Rodgers to put his faith in Mignolet next year.

Rodgers recently made the ludicrous claim that Liverpool can challenge for the title in 2015-16, but what happens if Mignolet has another dodgy spell in the first half of next season? With the increased (self-imposed) expectations, it could cost Rodgers his job.

Ruthless objectivity is required in the transfer market this summer. It's great the Mignolet has stepped up, but Liverpool can't rely on that; the Reds need to bring in a goalkeeper who is capable of ousting him and becoming the club's number one.

Author: Jaimie K


80 comments:

  1. That's y he is not no 1 for Belgium

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  2. Even if we didn't have other more important gaps to fill I wouldn't go for another keeper.

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  3. At this rate , Liverpool will have to change the Manager , the Transfer committe and 9 players at the end of this season ???

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  4. Courtois is why he is not no1 for Belgium

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  5. Stan Dinaround3:18 pm, May 09, 2015

    Good one Southall.... Maybe you should worry about your own club rather than trying to pick holes in ours.... 2-0 loss to Sunderland at home.... Laughing all day now....

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  6. Top clubs needs top keepers, look at the teams in front of us all great keepers who don't make many gaffs and are good at distribution of the ball,, with migs you know he's he going make mistakes and his kicking is awfull along with his distribution

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  7. All keepers make mistakes. All of them. Mig's worst spell came at a time when Liverpool couldn't defend for toffee. He's been very solid since then. Coincidence? I think not.

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  8. That we couldn't defend for toffee at that time is also Mignolet's responsibility

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  9. Everbody wants Neto because he is free , well ,
    go and watch his last game against Sevilla and say that he is better than Mig's ?

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  10. First it Says mignolet has improved so much that he's leading the race for the golden glove which is proof of how much, then the next paragraph it says he should have been replaced last summer but BR failed to act, I'm confused. if goalkeepers generally peak much later than other players, so is it definitely time to replace mignolet before he gets even better? In case he carries on being brilliant?

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  11. To a point. There is only so much a goalkeeper can do. I still have issues with migs but to be fair he has improved since being dropped.

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  12. That he has- he's in the run for Golden Glove so he has to be doing something right as well as our "shaky" defence- I'd give him another go

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  13. The stats confirm what I have been saying all along. We don't need another keeper. What we need is an offense that keeps the other side on its own side of the pitch,scared to death about our next attack.

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  14. Yes Courtoiswould be first choice for every nation on the planet.

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  15. Except Germany.

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  16. I'm sure if Courtois had to play in front of a defense that had Johnson, Moreno and either of those expensive underachieving CBs in Lovren and Sakho you tell me what kind of defensive record he'd have.
    Mignolet has improved on his handling of crosses and right now with all the other issues this team has ( lack of scoring up front and creativity in midfield , no depth at fullbacks etc) I would strongly suggest that they don't spend a major chunk of this Summer's transfer funds on another keeper.

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  17. There's nothing confusing about it. Mignolet is having a purple patch of form but overall he is unreliable. That's the point. Andy Carroll had one good spell for LFC; doesn't mean he didn't need to be replaced.

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  18. Only because Bauer speaks German and not...well is Belgian even a language or just a French dialect?

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  19. Stan Dinaround4:13 pm, May 09, 2015

    On current form, I believe Ming deserves more credit, and definitely doesn't deserve to be replaced.....With a solid defence in froi=ont of Ming, I can only see him improve,,, I think a lot of his poor decision making previously was down to not knowing what his defenders were going to do next... Should I come, should I stay... Can't blame him really, He did have Lovren infront of him for the start of the season...

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  20. Stan Dinaround4:14 pm, May 09, 2015

    It's called Flemish....But they speak German, French and Dutch aswell.....

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  21. Learn something new every day...thanks.

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  22. That's too subjective to dismiss it's just a purple patch of form when it could be that he finally discovered his confidence, and surely comparing Andy Carroll to a goalkeeper, who is leading the race for the golden glove, Andy Carroll would be have been leading the race for the golden boot showing 5 months of brilliance, and is 5 months really just a patch in form since that's most of the season? Fair enough replace brad Jones but there no sense losing mignolet if there's a chance he might carry on like this elsewhere

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  23. Joe Hart?...not many gaffs?

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  24. Simple changes to the club's diet will do the trick. Less fibre and nobody will have to change anyone.

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  25. AC had 5 months of brilliance? I must have missed them.

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  26. I agree, lovren looked a nervous wreck when he came and trying too hard to impress, it's bound to make other players nervous also

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  27. It was during one of the many times he was injured

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  28. That's true, Mignolet still has to go, very panicky and it rubs off on defence, don't know who'd to sign tho.

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  29. So any ex player is a legend now?

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  30. I think I am right in that Mignolet speaks all of those as well as English. Also has a politics degree. Not that that matters when on goal though.

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  31. At least wake up bud. Sakho has been great when not injured.

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  32. Surely there Bigger fish to fry ?

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  33. Which 2 would you keep?

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  34. I'd say he'd still have an unbelievable record with those players, he established himself in two huge clubs and he is easily in the top 3 or 4 best keepers in the world now, still very young, as is Ter Stegen and De Gea. Who would we all to to see us sign?

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  35. hell with mignolet, I don't even have faith with BR.

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  36. Can I ask if there's any players you want to stay? Or do fans these days wish the owners got rid of every player in the whole club and bought the whole Real Madrid squad instead and then called that a team 'Liverpool' and won every trophy that way, as long as the name is the same, or is it even important where the glory comes from?

    It's like supporting a club, but what exactly are fans supporting? Just The name of the club or the team? If the team then who in the team? Only when they're doing good and not supporting them when they're bad?

    BR got amazing appreciation and support for turning a team expected to finish 6th into title contenders, last season, now "it's get him out"

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  37. You don't replace people when they've just made that kind of improvement. That's crazy. A surefire way to demotivate the whole squad.

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  38. We do need another keeper. Just not one to straight out replace Mignolet. He needs someone to keep him on his toes. To make sure he doesn't drop form drastically to the beginning of the season, and if he does, someone competent to cover for him.

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  39. bloody hell.. ward plays for manu..

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  40. They got 13 including Oliver.

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  41. it was a pen me thinks..

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  42. though bolasie did not make that foul..

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  43. I think you're right re the pen, I just can't bring myself to ever acknowledge utd achieving anything on merit. Don't trust Oliver either.
    Hopefully palace get the next goal and go on to win.

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  44. Stan Dinaround5:58 pm, May 09, 2015

    We know who has the brains in that chaning room then....

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  45. Agreed. Any gk that had that defense (especially Johnson in particular ) at the beginning of the season will struggle to keep a clean sheet in ten games

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  46. They tend to speak Flemish and French in Belgium. I remember reading the language divide used to cause difficulties in international squads. Don't know why that's changed.

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  47. johnson and balotelli

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  48. I'm considering taking a point today and Le Arse dishing out a 'dam good thrashing' to utd, leaves us needing to win our remainders and make up around +10 in GD. Never say never...

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  49. if they DLW and we WWW, we are 4th regardless of goal difference

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  50. Why didn't he (BR) achieve it consistently? I don't know why people advocating Rodgers to be given another chance.. 2nd place finish last season was partly down to Suarez and some flukes. If Br is a great tactician he could've prove it to everyone we're not "one team " they branded us last season

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  51. Johnson next.....

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  52. Ok own up who's been tinkering with the table then. I was certain we needed them to lose twice.
    What's all the fuss been about then, it's virtually in the bag.

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  53. It is. even if they win today, hull could draw. counting Arsen(al) will smash them..

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  54. So, champions league next season at utd's expense, Brendan doing a fine job and Sturridge currently undergoing a transformation into the bionic man, what's not to like, happy days and sounds like a reason for a celebratory beer.
    Come on Palace.

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  55. Since when as Southall said anything nice about a Liverpool player?

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  56. Peeeeeeeeeeeeenalty, you fcuk!!!!

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  57. gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooollllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  58. We're in!! Come oooon!!!!!

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  59. Place ha a sitter.. I'm having multiple heart attacks..

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  60. ...in the air tonight, oh Gerrard, oh Gerrard...

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  61. 3 clear cut chances. I'm dying..

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  62. Bowlocks, that was always a worry with Palace failing to convert.

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  63. Regardless of what happens today now, we MUST get ourselves up for it tomorrow and assume utd will drop the req. points still.

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  64. speroni pulled a Mihnolet. Can't believe what Ward is doing either..

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  65. Well that sucks, utd a very lucky team, especially Barry big hair. We still need to find a way past Moaniho's bus tomorrow, I'm thinking maybe Hazard has a little accident during the guard of honour.

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  66. ^This for the win then.

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  67. Was the manager himself showing inconsistency that Suarez wanted to play for Barcelona or when Sturridge got injured being solid proof of BR inconsistency, you mention tactics yet he's not Jesus or something, if you have a striker in mario who just stands there immobile with one touch in 20 minutes providing no outlet in attack what tactics do you recommend? And which will garantee an unfancyed team goes for the title every season?
    If every manager in the league could control every aspect of what happens in football then every transfer would be the bargain of the season, there would be no flops, all 20 teams would be title contenders, And in Germany Bvb would be up there too under Juergen klopp, but they are 9th in reality, klopp must be so inconsistent that his star striker wanted to play for bayern

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  68. If that happened we'd have to immediately replace the new manager as well. The new one should have the sense to splash the cash on improving us line by line. Even if it then takes two years to get all positions addressed

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  69. Well they do have the mighty Ross Barkley. Seriously, if someone made a team of all the overrated English players in the PL I'm sure it wouldnt even make the top 6

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  70. DeGea is great keeper? Or Joe Hart? Or whoever is in goal for Arsenal this week? The only team with great keepers just won the league but I do agree those keepers are a big part of the reason they did

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