Coleman credits Robles for vital save

This has become a big part of Shamus make up, imo he's the standout contender for captain once Jags moves on.

Baines is a great blue, but he's not a leader.

Ross can grow into the job over the next few years.

Barry is as washed up as jags (well almost).

Rom is another good contender, but mainly to see if it can blah him to stay for a couple of years more so than his natural leadership ability.

Shamus is a born leader and a winner.

Joke's on them cuz I'd already know who he is and I'd give him a high five and a cold American microbrewer IPA and we'd become best friends.

One great save but an equally great performance. There was a confidence in his play that seemed to flow to the other defenders. If he keeps this up, he'll solve one of our biggest problem positions.

He has the size behind him so he should be encouraged to own the 6yd box, as long as his decision making and technique is sound, it inspires the defence in front of him.

Barkley looks like he's thriving with youngsters below him in the team. It's almost as if it's taken the pressure off, stepping up to be that older player.

Would love 2 top quality players to come in, and more dead wood out.

As for the Funes Mori doubters, FFS what else can he do? If he had an English name on his back everyone on here would be crowing that we stole a gem from under the big teams' noses. This is only his second season and the formation allows him to showcase his talents. That and not playing next to Jags or Stones. I am tired of the "looks like he has a mistake in him" bs. Many on here backed a player who they all thought looked like silk, but who actually always had a mistake in him (or two) after playing more games in the Premier League.

Only by playing can Goalkeepers find consistency. Its wonderful to see an Everton keeper relieve pressure coming 8-9 yard of his line and confidently taking it. In the last two matches, Joel has been catching balls he would definitely have punch in previous seasons.

A consistent Goalkeeper is a must for any team with ambition

Do you think it is fair to say that Robles has never had a consistent run in the team, while he has been at Everton and maybe he would continue to improve if he was given the number one spot.

He is twenty six now, and while that is young for a goalkeeper maybe Koeman giving him the nod as his preferred keeper would increase his confidence and thus his form.

I wasn't too sure on Robles, still not 100% convinced, but what more can he do, he definitely deserves his chance now, he's earned the remainder of this season at least.

As for Funes Mori, I'm 100% with you, he's by far our best centre half, and imo we should be looking to build a defence around him as it stands. We have stole a little gem, and he will go onto have a very good career.

All this talk about a mistake in his game, come on ffs, every centre half has a mistake in them.

Players like Funes Mori are expensive, we should be proud to have him.

At this time, I choose Robles. I don't like him in a four-back set as he tends to freeze and be slower in his decision-making because the space in front of him is more crowded and the players are closer. Also, coming out for the ball removes one of my other complaints about him, namely, that when he does dive, in prior seasons, he tended to deflect the ball weakly into dangerous areas instead of holding it, or a strong push around a post or out into relative safe areas to the sides. He is improving. Both he and the GK coach must work well together.

As for an extended run last season, I do not now, nor will I ever, think that Robles deserved the #1 spot over Howard, period. I can understand giving him games when Howard decided to come back to the USA to the wrong MLS team however. Tim was very good for Everton before RM and Stones set about ruining the defense.

However, I do think Robles should have been given the chance at the beginning of this season to establish a claim to the #1 spot over mis-Stek once it became clear that Everton were not pursuing a stronger #1 keeper. If I am wrong about Robles and he becomes a solid #1 then excellent for Everton and for Robles and the club can spend the money on Pulisic.

One of your reasons for not going with him was he is/was weak diving low to his left, maybe, but I saw him make a great save in that situation versus a German team in anU23 game two seasons ago, only one save I know, but it was excellent.

Over Tim Howard I don't think we will ever agree about that, I thought he was gone long before he went home, but fair play to you for defending a fellow countryman.

Keep sending your views Jim.

I think it is under-estimated just how important confidence is to a footballer, and none more so than the goalkeeper.

Over the years, since Big Nev hung up his gloves, we've seen a great number of highly rated keepers, mainly wilt under the pressure and fade away.

Firstly, starting with Big Nev, the veteran model from 1995 onwards, here was a keeper that was past his best, his back had gone (hence the weight gain due to a lack of training) and yet because of the confidence that he had from his vast experience, and the calmness that came from that, Southall was still able to marshal the defence like no one else.

Then on to the first great pretender, Paul Gerrard, here was a keeper that had all the right physical attributes and in the relegation scraps that followed, he showed himself to be a good shot stopper and very reactive. However, he often lacked confidence and things he had to think about such as crosses often saw Paul come and flap and as the confidence went he faded badly.

The second great pretender was Thomas Mhyre, here we watched Norway's number 1 for a year and he seemed to be the replacement we needed, but after a couple of bad games, his confidence went and he was never the same as in that first season.

Steve Simonsen was potentially such a great keeper. A good height, very athletic, a great shot stopper, and at 17 he kept a record number of clean sheets for Tranmere, but the crowd never felt confident in him, there was a nervousness in the Street End any time the ball came near him and he never grew into the game. I feel that had him been able to develop at a smaller club, then Simonsen could have been a top class keeper, instead he never developed the important mental strength needed to play at a top club.

Nigel Martyn was like the veteran Big Nev, past his excellent best, but so experienced, so confident, that his fading agility was really exposed and the defence fed off the confident air.

Richard Wright was for me, the best keeper we have had since Southall. That first season when we finished 7th, with a crap side and an emerging 16 year old wonder kid, was down to some real heroics from the England keeper. He came as an international, he had made that one big mistake that derailed his Arsenal career, and he had initially recaptured his form. Then it all went wrong in the second season. I recall there being a joke about "the gun". The gun was the action Wright made when he kicked the ball from deadball situations, such as goalkicks and freekicks. He would finish in an action with his hand cocked as if a child pretending to shoot someone with his finger gun. Wright became aware of people pointing out he did this and seemed to work on stopping doing it in the second season and suddenly he was booting the ball out of play and distribution became embarrassing. He then lost all confidence and never got it back, and looked like he was a fragile man. He did not help himself by falling out of the loft and hurting his shoulder. How on earth he went from that first season to the dross that followed I don't know, but he was at city until last season or the year before as 3rd choice, so perhaps they felt he still had something to offer.

Tim Howard was a favourite of mine. I really liked the guy. As I understand it, Tourettes affects your concentration, and if so, he really did well to overcome this and have a top class career. This makes it all the more understandable that he had severe lapses in concentration that cost him his place at Man Utd and then crept into his game here. After always exuding calmness, he cut a figure who seemed anything but at the end of his career. Was it just me or did a clean cut Howard always seem to play well, whilst a long bearded Howard seemed to make mistakes? On an aside, didn't a shaven headed Pistone play well and the long-haired Pistone make fatal mistakes?

My point here is that ultimately, confidence and experience count for more than physical attributes as a goalkeeper, as we have seen with two veterans, both well past 35, both past their illustrious bests, and both performed far better than younger guys, even of an international class level (wright and mhyre). So Robles whilst Robles has all the physical attributes to be a top class keeper, it counts more for me as to whether he has that confidence and calmness that comes from experience.

Right now, as a straight choice between the Dutch international keeper, who has played in a World Cup final, and Robles, a still inexperienced young keeper, I find it remarkable that I, and most of my friends, would say that they feel more confident with Robles between the sticks, and I think the Street End agrees. It's just a question for me of giving him until the end of the season before deciding if he warrants being our permanent number 1, and as a back up I would look for a Nigel Martyn type to bring in, but I can't think of anyone myself, certainly not British (other than Hennessey or Hart - but neither are back-ups).