Robin Olsen

[CVByrne]

4 hours ago, duke313 said:

Does anyone know how long Olsen's contract is?  It doesn't seem to be listed on transfermarkt.

He signed a 3 year deal last summer. So he has 2 years left. He disclosed it himself on instagram when he signed saying "glad to commit to the club for next three years"

Edited August 1, 2023 by CVByrne

[Risso]

20 hours ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Not that simple, obviously. He's a friend who can guard the goal pretty damn well. But worth keeping at Villa? I don't know. Ashley Young was that, too, and there just wasn't room for him in the new Villa.

I think that's one of the most bizarre things I've ever read on here. Firstly, he obviously doesn't 'guard the goal pretty damn well' and comparing him to Ashley Young is just absolute madness. Young was a consumate professional who mostly played really well for us, even at the age of 37. Olsen is a terrible keeper who can't do any of the basics to even a reasonably competent level.

Edited August 2, 2023 by Risso

[TRO]

29 minutes ago, Risso said:

I think that's one of the most bizarre things I've ever read on here. Firstly, he obviously doesn't 'guard the goal pretty damn well' and comparing him to Ashley Young is just absolute madness. Young was a consumate professional who mostly played really well for us, even at the age of 37. Olsen is a terrible keeper who can't do any of the basics to even a reasonably competent level.

.......I'll hold your coat.

[Marka Ragnos]

2 hours ago, Risso said:

I think that's one of the most bizarre things I've ever read on here. Firstly, he obviously doesn't 'guard the goal pretty damn well' and comparing him to Ashley Young is just absolute madness. Young was a consumate professional who mostly played really well for us, even at the age of 37. Olsen is a terrible keeper who can't do any of the basics to even a reasonably competent level.

But bizarre in a good way, right? Like Hieronymus Bosch? 

Olsen is premier league second keeper standard - and any of those keepers are excellent by global standards. Emery plays a style that’s incompatible with Olsen’s skills now — and I also think he’s getting older. Measure that against his overall role in the squad — being second always isn’t exactly the dream of every academy kid — and I think he does alright and helps our club tremendously.  Sadly, I think he needs to move down to third or be moved on. 

[Delphinho123]

44 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

But bizarre in a good way, right? Like Hieronymus Bosch? 

Olsen is premier league second keeper standard - and any of those keepers are excellent by global standards. Emery plays a style that’s incompatible with Olsen’s skills now — and I also think he’s getting older. Measure that against his overall role in the squad — being second always isn’t exactly the dream of every academy kid — and I think he does alright and helps our club tremendously.  Sadly, I think he needs to move down to third or be moved on. 

Let me guess....he's a decent shot stopper? 

He really isn't. Don't we concede 3 goals every game he plays? 

Rubbish keeper. 

[lexicon]

48 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

But bizarre in a good way, right? Like Hieronymus Bosch? 

Olsen is premier league second keeper standard - and any of those keepers are excellent by global standards. Emery plays a style that’s incompatible with Olsen’s skills now — and I also think he’s getting older. Measure that against his overall role in the squad — being second always isn’t exactly the dream of every academy kid — and I think he does alright and helps our club tremendously.  Sadly, I think he needs to move down to third or be moved on. 

A lot of people don't agree with that, and if you want to talk global standards, Olsen absolutely shit the bed at PAOK. 

[Marka Ragnos]

42 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

Let me guess....he's a decent shot stopper? 

He really isn't. Don't we concede 3 goals every game he plays? 

Rubbish keeper. 

 

36 minutes ago, lexicon said:

A lot of people don't agree with that, and if you want to talk global standards, Olsen absolutely shit the bed at PAOK. 

Moot anyway -- so yes, no, maybe -- it's little more than academic. We're keeping him this fall, it seems. We can only hope that Emi stays fit and well.

The main thing is, we do need a new second keeper, IMO. I've been 100% consistent and insistent that our main recruitment drive should be a new second keeper.  We agree on the need for a new second, I think.

My other point isn't all that subtle. It's simply that Robin Olsen is a competent PL-level second keeper in a squad whose approach has changed in a big way. Any competent second keeper in the PL is by definition an excellent keeper in my book. Not a starter. Not a mascot. Not an academy kid. You appreciate that it's possible to think a player superb and still not good enough for Villa, right?

A PL second keeper has a very peculiar set of requirements and skills, and I -- and many others! -- happen to think personality and group dynamic are a big part of that. They're not simply lesser keepers.  It's a very tricky role and calls for a special personality. It seems Emery thinks that Olsen has that right now. Olsen totally has my respect. I just think the drawbacks at our level outweigh his many many benefits. And again, Emery seems to disagree. But second keepers are of course as you know not simply shit keepers plugged into emergency. They have an outsized non-game role, too. They help warm-up and train and stand ready to be called in. All that said, Olsen is more towards the end of his career than the beginning.

Quote

 

The role of the goalkeeper is unforgiving – even more so for those who find themselves as the eternal reserve. It is unsurprising that the position attracts people with certain characteristics. Take, for example, Che Guevara, who played football throughout his youth and coached the sport as he travelled through Latin America on his motorbike. He was a restless youth and intellect, who then spent the vast majority of his adult life as a number two, constantly learning, before going alone to pass on his experience.

Pope John Paul II, a supposed Liverpool fan, was also a goalkeeper in adolescence. He was ordained as a priest in 1946 at the age of 26 and worked his way up the Catholic church until he was elected Pope 32 years later in 1978. Patience, persistence and passion are the required traits of a second-choice goalkeeper, and as Jonathan Wilson entitled his book on the position, these are so often demonstrated while existing as “The Outsider.”

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by Marka Ragnos

[lexicon]

15 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

 

Moot anyway -- so yes, no, maybe -- it's little more than academic. We're keeping him this fall, it seems. We can only hope that Emi stays fit and well.

The main thing is, we do need a new second keeper, IMO. I've been 100% consistent and insistent that our main recruitment drive should be a new second keeper.  We agree on the need for a new second, I think.

My other point isn't all that subtle. It's simply that Robin Olsen is a competent PL-level second keeper in a squad whose approach has changed in a big way. (1) Any competent second keeper in the PL is by definition an excellent keeper in my book. Not a starter. Not a mascot. Not an academy kid. You appreciate that (2) it's possible to think a player superb and still not good enough for Villa, right?

A PL second keeper has a very peculiar set of requirements and skills, and I -- and many others! -- happen to think (3) personality and group dynamic are a big part of that. They're not simply lesser keepers.  It's a very tricky role and calls for a special personality. It seems Emery thinks that Olsen has that right now. Olsen totally has my respect. I just think the drawbacks at our level outweigh his many many benefits. And again, Emery seems to disagree. But second keepers are of course as you know not simply shit keepers plugged into emergency. They have an outsized non-game role, too. They help warm-up and train and stand ready to be called in. All that said, Olsen is more towards the end of his career than the beginning.

1 - That doesn't make any sense. If he's excellent, what's Emi? You're cheapening the word excellent and removing all meaning from it. 

2 - No, it's not. Again, 'superb' is far too strong a word for what you're trying to convey. We've got a really good squad, but not THAT good. 

3 - So why do our defenders not appear to trust him on the ball and look visibly shaky whenever he plays?

He's not a good keeper, Marka and he's not a good 2nd keeper for us because he's not comfortable in possession. It's a fundamental part of our system and how we play and he undermines it. 

[Marka Ragnos]

11 minutes ago, lexicon said:

1 - That doesn't make any sense. If he's excellent, what's Emi? You're cheapening the word excellent and removing all meaning from it. 

2 - No, it's not. Again, 'superb' is far too strong a word for what you're trying to convey. We've got a really good squad, but not THAT good. 

3 - So why do our defenders not appear to trust him on the ball and look visibly shaky whenever he plays?

He's not a good keeper, Marka and he's not a good 2nd keeper for us because he's not comfortable in possession. It's a fundamental part of our system and how we play and he undermines it. 

Well, your name is lexicon. Who am I to argue with your word definitions? There are gradations of excellence, obviously. I think we can agree on the need for a new second. Emery for some reason doesn't seem to see it that way. Again, I hope it's all academic and Emi stays fit. It's a weak spot, for sure. A grave one.

Edited August 2, 2023 by Marka Ragnos

[DJBOB]

Very concerned during his rotations or if Emi gets injured.

Emi's shot stopping and distribution is irreplaceable if Olsen is the back up.

Could be devastating if Emi is not there for a knockout round in the Conference league.

Edited August 2, 2023 by DJBOB

[villan95]

This feels like the new Ashley Westwood thread

[lexicon]

16 hours ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Well, your name is lexicon. Who am I to argue with your word definitions? There are gradations of excellence, obviously. I think we can agree on the need for a new second. Emery for some reason doesn't seem to see it that way. Again, I hope it's all academic and Emi stays fit. It's a weak spot, for sure. A grave one.

 

 

There aren't - it's an ungradable adjective, so you can't modify its meaning to be anything other than 'excellent' - i.e. something can't be 'a bit excellent' or 'very excellent'. You can only add an intensifier for emphatic purposes, like 'absolutely'. 

Edited August 3, 2023 by lexicon

[Risso]

Most Sheffield united fans were really, really glad to see the back of Olsen, he wasn't rated at all there, and that was in the Championship. I don't believe that Emery isn't aware of the need to upgrade him, he was just responding to a question from a journalist and isn't the sort of person to chuck anybody under the bus. He saw what happened when he tried Olsen in the cups last season, I don't think he'll make the same mistake again.

[Marka Ragnos]

26 minutes ago, Risso said:

Most Sheffield united fans were really, really glad to see the back of Olsen, he wasn't rated at all there, and that was in the Championship. I don't believe that Emery isn't aware of the need to upgrade him, he was just responding to a question from a journalist and isn't the sort of person to chuck anybody under the bus. He saw what happened when he tried Olsen in the cups last season, I don't think he'll make the same mistake again.

I don't think many here are arguing that Olsen stay if presented with a high-quality incoming transfer. My read of the situation is that -- regardless -- Emery wants Olsen to stay, and the transfer focus has shifted elsewhere. I may well be wrong, but that's my read. It's not the outcome I'd hoped for, but I don't mind seeing Villa live dangerously for a while. Events may as they have a way of doing overtake this discussion. If Olsen makes a huge blunder, if Martinez (god forbid) is injured, etc.

[Icarium]

The only relevant question about a backup keeper is this: Does the prospect of said keeper playing a stretch of games fill you with dread? If yes, you need a new keeper.

I don't think anyone here is ok with the idea of Olsen having to play a string of games if Emi is out of action.

[Marka Ragnos]

6 minutes ago, Icarium said:

The only relevant question about a backup keeper is this: Does the prospect of said keeper playing a stretch of games fill you with dread? If yes, you need a new keeper.

I don't think anyone here is ok with the idea of Olsen having to play a string of games if Emi is out of action.

My night before a Villa match with Emi unavailable ...

[Powehi]

1 hour ago, Icarium said:

The only relevant question about a backup keeper is this: Does the prospect of said keeper playing a stretch of games fill you with dread? If yes, you need a new keeper.

I don't think anyone here is ok with the idea of Olsen having to play a string of games if Emi is out of action.

This is a really good point, and what is frustrating me about this situation - we'll all be in the match thread saying "Olsen ffs!!" when he drops another inevitable clanger, even after an OK 43 minutes. It's so inevitable, and it seems the club are sleepwalking towards it. Hope I'm wrong.

[romavillan]

4 hours ago, Icarium said:

The only relevant question about a backup keeper is this: Does the prospect of said keeper playing a stretch of games fill you with dread? If yes, you need a new keeper.

I don't think anyone here is ok with the idea of Olsen having to play a string of games if Emi is out of action.

Totally, I have nothing against Olsen but he's the weakest link for me. If the worst happens and Emi gets clattered and is out for a while then I would expect our targets this season would disappear over the horizon pretty quick. 

[Pinebro]

14 hours ago, Delphinho123 said:

Let me guess....he's a decent shot stopper? 

He really isn't. Don't we concede 3 goals every game he plays? 

Rubbish keeper. 

I'm  legit terrified every time he is playing.

Not felt like this about a keeper since Nyland

[MaVilla]

does anyone know the length of his contract with us?

From looking back at initial reports, they all say "contract length not disclosed"?

3 years?, 4 years?........2 years?!!?

 

edit: looks like Olsen was quoted as saying "i look forward to being with the club for the next 3 years".

 

so....3 years? (2 years left).

Edited August 3, 2023 by MaVilla