THAT save!

Good save but at the time I thought he should have been off his line and claimed/ punched the cross before it got to their forward. He did seem to be stuck to the line early on in the game but he seemed to be back to claiming his area later in the game.

Good signs from Davies, and don't forget the lads still learning whilst improving but I think LJ has got it spot on in his lets not go too OTT on him.

 

I'm glad the young lad is getting deserved praise after all the OTT criticism levelled at him earlier in the season.

 

Middle ground Lil middle ground. Hard to find on here I know but one lives in hope, or Castleton.

 

Does the middle ground approach work when a young, inexperienced lad is having to put up with OTT criticism, having his self belief & confidence adversely affected?

 

This is what messageboards have become, either in the gods or in the sewers. I wish all would be a more lenient and realistic with their views but I have no control over that. Middle ground is what I like to see and read.

 

So do I, old friend. But given the choice, praise is always better than abuse in my opinion.

 

Cant see as I have said otherwise.

The lad should have been given some leeway at the start of the season but after day one it was business as usual on here.

 

You haven't, mate. I apologise if I gave you the impression I thought you had.

 

Squad seems to be getting stronger and coming together as the season goes on, like most folk thought it would.

 

Correct.

 

It was a great save. Not to the level of Heinz Muller saving the Neil Mellor penalty for PNE at the away end that was heading straight for the top corner, but it was up there.

But nobody from like three yards out should be getting a chance so an arguement can be made for Davies not taking 2-3 steps off the line to catch the ball.

 

Striker must be wondering how he missed. Was a good save but it was so close to his line he should have surely claimed it?

 

From what I've seen of Davies, he is a very good shot stopper. His kicking is pretty damn good if I'm being honest and his positioning skills are good too. The one thing that does seem to let him down is his decision making and communication. A couple of instances in the first half on Saturday where his communication with the defence was poor, causing Holgate to make a mistake and then a couple of times where he could've communicated clearly with the defence but didn't, leaving Nyatanga and Bailey to give him a berating.

As a keeper, you don't have to be flying off your line like Manuel Neuer every two seconds and sweeping up, but you have to be able to make the correct decision quickly, and communicate with the defence swiftly and clearly, and this is where he needs to improve.

Again, a major part of being a goalkeeper is confidence. There is nothing easier in the game than catching a ball, especially given the quality of the gloves we are wearing these days, but it's the confidence to come running out and deal with it, without fear of making a mistake that is crucial. You can be the best goalkeeper in the world, but without having confidence in your ability, you can be bang average. Davies confidence should be soaring after the amount of clean sheets he's had and the saves he's made, but a small mistake (even as little as something as not coming for a ball he should've or a break down in communication) can result in that confidence being shot, and let us not forget that he is still only a young lad. He'll develop and he'll become a very good goalkeeper.