Stekelenburg plays as the Netherlands fall to France

Exactly, we do need a top keeper. But nearly all keepers make mistakes. They are the last line of defence and there is nobody to mop up for them.

I honestly think Stekelenburg is a grade up on what we have had before. That shows how not so good they were!

I don't rate Stink, sorry, Stek.

As far as Stekelenburg is concerned, I don't think he did much wrong in the early games but I would have thought Koeman and his Super Scout might have been a little more energised in the cause of signing a top custodian.

I seem to remember Cardiff's excellent Marshall moved in the window but, sadly, was of little interest to our manager who, like Roberto, may like to accommodate his former charges!

I don't think he should have been beaten by a header that slow against Palace either and questions have to be asked about his suitability long term.

That's wrong, not a mate. He likes him. Most managers have them, players who follow them around. They follow them around and sometimes they get into the the team purely on merit and other times they are brought in for experience, to lift the players.

We need a top, top keeper. We'll get one but not in the next window. He'll stand by Stekelenburg and Robles. It's a shame that this happens but that's football. Stek's okay and we'll have to put up with his mistakes.. We have weaker areas where we need to strengthen in January.

No need to knee-jerk now, lads. On his day, he can make saves out there to rival Buffon or De Gea, but he is by no means stable enough to produce that form every match.

He has played in a World Cup Final for a reason; he has played for almost two seasons in the Serie A for a reason. But he also lost his place in that same Serie A for a reason. And hasn't been able to keep his place at clubs afterwards.

When Koeman signed him, he actually hinted quite clearly that Stek was not brought in as first goalkeeper, he was a cheap, reliable, experienced solution to add squad depth. I think Koeman honestly expected to sign another, better goalie but, for whatever reason, it did not materialize. In that light, it is very understandable that Koeman chose a tried-and-trusted option.

Actually, Mark (#7) I think we agree for the biggest part, it's all in the nuance.

We could have done worse !

Perhaps a cheeky bid for Butland in January might see Stoke sell... or maybe the Malteser from the England game, he looked good. I think it's just an area where we are weak, a bit like up front.

I just wish our team had a pop from distance every now and then but possessing without risk of losing it seems to be the mantra these days above all else. That's why matches are rarely exciting to watch in my opinion.

I'd agree with you with the proviso that all goalies make mistakes and, as you rightly say, being the last line of defence, these tend to be critical. Even our best keepers during my time – West, Southall and Martyn – all had their moments but thankfully they were relatively few and far between!