West Ham End of Season Analysis: Goalkeepers
It’s not been a great season for any part of the West Ham squad.
West Ham have leaked goals regularly at the back. The midfield have occasionally looked like they have no idea who they’re playing with. And the strikers have sometimes looked like scoring a goal would kill their family.
But, as it’s the end of the season it’s time for the roundup. Time to look back and review who’s played, how they’ve done and who the club could get back in. First of all, it’s time to look at the man between the sticks. The men who shoulder a lot of responsibility.
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Who’s in the Squad?
It’s been a topsy turvy season between the sticks, with neither keeper covering themselves in glory. Both keepers have been on the end of big defeats, some that of no fault of their own. However it is mistakes that make the season review of keepers, and they’ve made plenty.
Adrian: Played 15, Conceded 22, 2.1 Saves per goal (at time of writing)
Adrian was keeper to start off with, and in the first few games it seemed all ok. A 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, then a 1-0 win over Bournemouth were par for the course. Even a 3-1 defeat away to City wasn’t unexpected, and the fans couldn’t blame the keeper. However September was a complete disaster for Adrian.
A 4-2 defeat to Watford, the same scoreline at West Brom and then a 3-0 defeat at home to Southampton meant the keeper conceded 11 goals in a miserable month. It wasn’t free of personal error either, with multiple goals the fault of the Spaniard. However it wasn’t until after a daft rush of blood against Stoke that he was dropped. In recent games he has come back in and reclaimed his spot, looking far more composed than before.
Randolph: Played 22, Conceded 39, 1.4 saves per goal
Randolph played more games than Adrian this season, but was on the end of some of the biggest defeats this season. A mistake against Sunderland saw him cost West Ham 2 points, and his plae in the side. It wasn’t much of a consistent season for the Irishman, but he does have one consolation.
At the end of season awards there is always an award for save of the season. Being one of two keepers in the side, he had a good chance of winning, but it was a stunning effort against Henderson that won him the award. I think Henderson still thinks he scored this, it was that good a save.
But it is hard to truly believe that the keepers were happy in their performances. Which leads us on to the next section of our review.