Jordan Pickford: The Diamond Getting Rougher

He does alright on other stuff but not "owning" the 6-yard box is a monumental hole in his game and something he can do naff-all about.

In short, the media, a section of fans are putting him under ridiculous review for every action he takes. Every action. Everything he does. There is no denying his mistakes but it's getting stupid. It will destroy what little confidence he has left if it continues.

The decision is not ours to make; it's Ancelotti's as he sees it every day. It's his choice to make and, should he make that call, we need to support Pickford because he is the keeper of our team.

This constant media scrutiny is designed to make him fail. Some will say it's self-inflicted but we are shooting ourselves in both feet if we continue to criticise, abuse and ridicule. It's up to Carlo, his call, until then, we need him at his best and he needs our support.

In that case, no matter how 'error-prone' he may be, he should get our support; the last thing we need to do is undermine him whilst he is our first-choice keeper.

I suspect that, even if Everton didn't concede a goal for months, Jordan would still be getting criticism from those who have already made up their minds that he isn't good enough for Everton. They may be right but, until the club buy a better replacement, it's his job to keep goal for Everton FC.

Okay, no save is absolutely the same, but a lot are similar, and some shots – because of their ferocity, skilful delivery, height etc – would beat any goalkeeper in the World. That is accepted and, as the last line of defence, the spotlight inevitably falls on the guy between the sticks.

We know and appreciate (hopefully) that he (or whoever is in goal) is not going to save every shot, but I think what irks me and I would imagine all of his critics, is the lack of concentration at times, resulting in absolutely stupid schoolboy errors, conceding the softest of goals.

This is further exacerbated by the arrogant gestures, the tongue out, the shouting as if it was anybody's fault bar his own. They say only a fool makes the same mistake twice; he is intrinsically a decent goalkeeper, but nowhere near as good as he thinks he is himself.

Man City took the approach you suggest with Hart by dropping him for a bit to take him down a peg or two. He never recovered.

His cockiness is part of his personality and often a strength. It's not like the marines breaking someone down and turning them into a warrior

Jesus, if he ever needs counselling, I'll make sure he speaks to you first, Matthew.

Let's wait until a couple more months have gone by and we have found our level in the embryonic Premier League. If his lack of concentration or poor decision-making have cost us in important fixtures, then there may be more folk with pitchforks and pointy hats.

For me, he can be a weak link and, although I want him to do well for us, I worry at his antics and also have kittens whenever Mina joins the party too.

I do hope Pickford can keep a lid on the daft stuff, as he is good at catching and has a very powerful kick, he is also quick off his line and has great reflexes. His faults are lack of concentration, occasional positional errors, and a tendency to punch balls away that could be caught with ease. He also pumps too many balls straight into touch.

All goalies have weaknesses, even Shilton, Seaman and Big Nev. However, he's not shit, so let's just see how it goes.

Finally, Christine (and others), Carlo's judgement is the key, but he doesn't slag his players off in public and he knows there is little time to find a better goalie. Perhaps in the summer, we will have Pope in the sticks but, for this season, it will be Jordan.

He would need to be sold to make room for the new keeper, but it's unlikely that clubs would want to sign an error-prone low-confidence goalkeeper, so he isn't going anywhere this season.

During his last 3 seasons before Pep got there, he had more errors than any other keeper in the Premier League that directly led to goals. Howard was second during that time.

Pickford has the same problem now, more errors leading to goals in the last 3 seasons than any other Premier League goalkeeper.

You can't build a side if your keeper is going to give away one goal in 25% of your games.

I hope he learns to concentrate for 90 minutes as he certainly has ability.

There are some players that I favour over others, but to me they are Everton players and I will support them. I keep my misgivings to myself because, no matter how bad I may think they are, the fact that they earn their living playing football proves that they are better than I ever was.

I have been a staunch defender of Jordan Pickford but he's making it harder and harder for me to carry on doing that. I really appreciate the balance in your article, Matthew, and agree with most of it.

Carlo has shown he's quick to identify weak links in the team and take action to address them (eg, replacing our entire central midfield, thank god!). The fact that he hasn't taken action at goalkeeper may be due to financial restrictions, but I suspect it may also be down to Ancelotti giving himself a bit more time to see if he can ‘polish this diamond'.

I think Pickford has to step up this season and, at the very least, eradicate the decision-making related errors in his game. If, as we all hope, this side continues to perform at this level, Pickford's performances will increasingly become the deciding factor between tight wins and dropped points. The scrutiny is only going to get more intense as other areas of the team step up their games.

I agree that bringing in an experienced stopper is a sensible move. I'd be wary of throwing Virginia in at this stage as we run the risk of damaging a very young keeper who the club clearly see as a bright prospect.

I still have faith in Pickford and I believe that, if anyone can bring the best out of him, it's Carlo. But I also think this season is his last chance to show what he can do.

Confidence for a goalie is a delicate balance. You have to be able to believe in yourself even when you make mistakes and you have to accept that when you do make those mistakes you will have more focus on you than any other position on the pitch. But you also have to maintain a level of humility which allows you to accept when you aren't performing at a high level week on week, and to accept help to rectify that.

The bulk of your piece seeks to find negatives in everything about Jordan Pickford and present them as ‘truths'. They are not. You are presenting your slanted opinion on the lad. Not indisputable ‘truths'.

You state he is:

• not a top-class goalkeeper
• inconsistent
• incapable of ‘handling the expectations' of playing for a Premier League club and England
• lacks physical presence
• not as agile as believed
• mentally weak
• easily ‘got at' by opposition fans
• lacks effort, concentration and confidence
• dwells on mistakes
• is both hesitant as well as being a show pony
• that he is more reliable for the national team and more concerned with his England career than his club career
• a night club brawler (plural, when in truth there has only been one reported incident provoked by rival fans abusing his wife)
• likes the limelight and as a result is arrogant and vain

Strewth! Given all the above, how the hell has he managed to fool 6 Everton managers over 3+ seasons in making him an ever-present in all our Premier League fixtures and his international manager establishing him as England's #1?

Putting aside some evident contradictions in your list, having penned a complete hatchet job on the lad, you then ponder on how he can be ‘saved'.

Your solution? Bring in better competition for his position. Drop him with the intention of not building up his confidence, but to ‘knock him down a few pegs, dent his pride, put an end to his cockiness.'

Marvellous. Sports Psychology 101.

Perversely, given all the above, you then turn all saintly, stating:

‘A lot of fans jump on the bandwagon and can't wait to slam Pickford, even when criticism is extremely harsh. It makes my blood boil when pundits or fans pick on every minor detail of a so-called goalkeeping error and senselessly try to justify their opinion that they should do better, when there's absolutely nothing to analyse. We need to stop being so critical of him too.'

Do-wot? Is there some subtle parody, a deliberate irony in your article I am missing, Matthew? Maybe you should start with yourself when advising ‘we need to stop being so critical of him.'

As I said in my opening paragraph, I just don't ‘get' your piece at all, Matthew.

The only real issue I see is coming for crosses, though he hasn't skipped a beat on that front this season – in fact he was brilliant on that front against Spurs.

I don't really care about the Fleetwood goal. We've recruited a keeper with excellent distribution and made it a key plank of our approach to staying in possession. If he sees a lot of the ball then he'll make mistakes the same as everyone else. The alternative is for our defence to belt the ball out for throw-ins in our half. Over the season I'm comfortable that this plan works out better.

He's a very good shot-stopper. I know there are stats that say the opposite, but I watch a lot of football, including every single match we play, and he's right up there.

Perfect, no. Best available, probably.

And the best argument that I can think of for him is that he's gained us more points this season than he's lost us. That's just a fact. So why the focus?

I'm prepared to give most players a chance, but I think Pickford has had too many chances.

I do agree with bringing in some competition. Surely it's no coincidence that he plays better for England, where there is plenty of competition, but poor for us, where there is no competition. Someone like Forster, Butland or Foster would be good as they would be genuine competition (and possibly even our Number One for a period of time) on a short-term deal for a year or two.

Pickford might even learn a thing or two about positioning – which keepers who have been around for as long as they have, undoubtedly pick up with age and experience.

The second part then rounds on those who criticize him for errors which are not conjecture. In fact, it makes your blood boil. I think his passing out of defence did spread panic because the confidence of the defence was shot. He does not have a calming influence and I feel he always has a howler in him but, as the side grows in confidence, I hope he will too.

I certainly noticed a change on Saturday when he put his boot through quite a few times. I think Carlo will act if it becomes essential.

For me, analysis in this type of situation in helped by comparative statistics, though I know many disagree.

When we bought Pickford, he had just had a great season at Sunderland, saving 74% of all the shots that he had faced. That was one of the highest in the Premier League that season, beaten only by the likes of Cech, Lloris and De Gea.

Since then, he has got worse. His save % in his first season with us was 69% and then 66%. And then last season it was 63%. Which was the lowest in the Premier League except for Kepa.

He's been getting worse. Not better. And, despite what some people say, he is currently nowhere near the best keepers in the Premier League (Ederson, Leno, Schmeichel, Allisson etc).

This season (in the Premier League) he's looked a bit better and his save % is up to 70%. If he keeps that up, then I'll be content. If he reverts to last season's form, then we really need to make a new goalkeeper a priority.

You could argue in the Spurs game, he actually saved us 2 or 3 points depending on how the game went in the second half?

As for his involvement in games and goals conceded;

Spurs: 0. Pretty good all-round performance.

WBA: 2, #1 team error, and our defence were not at the races that game. #2 Midfield faffing around 20-25 yards outside our box, gives away a free-kick, and the wall doesn't do its job. Plus the free-kick was pretty much a worldly anyway.

Fleetwood: 2, #1 team error, and Pickford trying to follow coaches instructions, ie, pass it out. #2 7 yards out, after checking the replay, overhead kick, he'd have no idea where it was going, but as it went at him, you'd hope it would have been saved; but, see Dom's goal vs Palace, Guaita should have saved that, as he had his chest and both arms behind it... but these things happen.

Crystal Palace: 1, Keane and Richarlison should have done better, no way was Pickford going to get across as he was cleverly impeded by Palace players.

I haven't seen too much wrong, other than some distribution issues. If anything, he seems to have raised his game to me.

Is he the 'perfect' keeper, no; but, he is recognised by Big Nev, Southgate and most importantly, Carletto as being pretty damned good. Maybe if fans laid off slagging him down so much, and tried to build him up, he wouldn't make these previous season's errors(?), and it could allow his confidence to grow.

I also agree with Eddie [10] we can only judge after 10-12 games or so, or if he starts to excel, or if he implodes performance-wise.

Christine [5], Patrick [6] and John [13] make succinct and excellent points.

My last would be maybe it's time to bring in a different goalkeeping coach? That being the only other constant bar Pickford himself, is Allan Kelly? He was meant to be replaced by Stekelenburg this season before he got a better offer. Also, none of the keepers seem to have improved overly much with Kelly in post?

Would a new voice and a new set of eyes and ears help Jordan and the others?

NSNO, Project "Reclaim the City!"

We'd have lost that game at Spurs but for his outstanding save to Doherty, in my opinion. And how valuable will that first win be to the team come season end?

Good comment by the way, and well said!

When people say, that the defence are nervous about Pickford, maybe they've been nervous about the fact that they know that the midfield weren't able to do their job effectively, which in turn compounds the problems Pickford has been facing.

It's not easy to be a keeper when your midfield is almost non-existent and your defence become more and more exposed, plus the number of injuries this last two seasons in the backline can't have helped either.

Jay-Brz [15] Well said, much better than I could have put it.

I still think a new goalkeeping coach could help him a lot though; ie, with positioning and box awareness/control.

Oh, and like you say, wit is sometimes lost online without being able to transmit via a keyboard... :D

A contradictory article if ever there was one.

My article is aimed at analysing why people are criticising him. I gave some opinions in there, maybe you feel they're wrong and that's fine, we're all entitled to a different one. My point about Pickford is that he's shown he's a very good goalkeeper with a lot of potential, but I feel as though he sees Everton as a stepping stone and his work ethic and/or concentration has dropped since the World Cup. If he focused more on his game rather than his ego, it would alleviate a lot of the pressure on him and help him fulfil his potential.

None of that criticism is harsh, it is quite simply what I see as the truth. Bringing in Sergio Romero would be great for him, give him a hungry, experienced peer to observe and set an example of how to conduct yourself as a goalkeeper. They say good managers know who to put an arm around and who to be ruthless with; well, I feel putting an arm around Jordan would only massage his ego. You may disagree with that, but that's just the impression I get of him.

You also deeply analyse my examples of when he's been in the press for negative reasons and question why managers appear to have let him off with it. The actual content of the articles is irrelevant really; my point is that the football world just wants to see him fall from grace because of his cockiness. I'm an Everton fan so, of course, I don't want that. It's different if he backed up his character with brilliant performances, but these haven't been as common as we'd expect from a player of his potential.

From the handful of games he played well in under Ronald Koeman to the current reign of Ancelotti, excluding Big Dunc, is there any manager there that you'd be afraid of upsetting? Carlo is the first manager we've had in a long time that actually understands this football club and what the fans want, but also how to get the best out of a player. He's also the first manager that has shown any kind of frustration at Pickford's errors – that bemusement and shake of the head against Fleetwood said it all.

I don't believe Pickford is not good enough because he's shown he can be brilliant, but his performances suggest he's taken his eye off the ball quite significantly. I think Carlo sees that too, and I can't see the boss waiting around to see if he improves without eyeing competition for him.

If you still don't 'get' my article, then feel free to stop reading it and stay out of the comments section. Cheers.

All these moments unsettled the whole team for a 10-15 minute period. At least the first two of these were completely unnecessary risk-taking. It should be easy to correct but this weakness persists. It hasn't actually cost us yet this season but, in close games against the big sides, it would very likely do so.

The stats can be deceptive. If you have a rubbish team in front of you, eg, Sunderland, you are going to face more shots. If the defence is wide open then a lot of shots are going to come reigning in that are speculative at best. Those are easier to save.

If you have a world class defence, eg, old Italy sides in the 50s, then very, very few shots will make it to the keeper. In fact, only the really top efforts which are exponentially harder to stop.

So, in terms of percentages, the goalie at a crap team is likely to have better stats than a goalie at a good team. For example, Marshall of Cardiff City was lauded as superman during their one miserable season in the top flight. As time has gone on, it's obvious he's a mediocre goalie but his stats were good as he was hung out to dry for shooting practice that season.

Pickford can make a great save one minute and a howler the next, we all know that. He is of course needing to improve those natural instincts and perhaps that can improve with experience (not that he hasn't had enough time).

I can't believe that Lössl hasn't been given one single start since he joined us, can he be that bad?

We will find out what Pickford is all about over this season as expectations have risen... Fingers crossed he rises to the challenge and isn't a reason we miss out on anything.

I agree with your pragmatism. Realistically, he is here to stay this season, so piling on does no good. Morever, the team is improving. If it continues and if we get a "good" goalie, then attention will turn to the next weakest link: Gomes, Mina, whoever.

There is always going to be someone that we can find fault in. Personally, I am enjoying being able to reflect on wins and points. I have had enough misery supporting Everton without finding a way to find negatives in the good times.

"I can't believe that Lössl hasn't been given one single start since he joined us, can he be that bad?"

Isn't that what we said about Niasse?

It reminded me of the Live Forum during the Fleetwood game, when someone called our keeper an arrogant twat.

Supporters? Yeh, whatever.

You didn't ‘analyse' why people are criticising him as you now claim. You simply repeated the criticisms. Many of them highly subjective and speculative based on your own ‘impressions' of the lad as you now describe them, not ‘truths' as you originally stated.

You add to that speculation by claiming ‘he sees Everton as a stepping stone and his work ethic and/or concentration has dropped since the World Cup' and that he should ‘focus more on his game rather than his ego' based on…well, no evidence at all.

And sorry to correct you further, but I didn't ‘deeply analyse' your examples of anything you penned. Just listed them concisely.

The only thing I can agree with you in your two posts is this in your second post:

‘The actual content of the article is irrelevant really.'

As for this beaut, ‘If you still don't 'get' my article, then feel free to stop reading it and stay out of the comments section.'

I'll decide for myself, ta very much, what posts I read, if I will respond to them, plus how I will respond to them.

If you are not willing to be challenged on your posts, rather than only praised, then maybe it's you that needs to refrain from commenting.

Talking of the midfield, if Gomes shaved that beard... do you not think him and Allan would look like Bootsie and Snudge?

Luckily for us his errors leading to goals in every 1 in 4 games came against Fleetwood.eans he is due one in next 3 games. Hopefully not though.

I think he is capable of being a 'top class keeper', not just a 'top class keeper on his day', which is what I think he is now. His concentration just isn't there to be consistent enough yet.

I think he is another of our players who benefits from not having the crowds in. He has the ability to be brilliant, I hope he is consistently so. For Everton's sake.

The annoying thing about football is it is all about opinions and the same people can view the same stats differently.

However he is a medium-term problem and we have more pressing needs, so in the meantime Carlo will pick him and continue to back him. That's the right way to go.

Sam Hoare has provided an excellent statistical argument, which takes into account the type of shot, how often it's scored etc. It's comprehensive and has at least three years of data, maybe more, Sam? It makes poor reading.

If you want to go by eye, you ask yourself do he do enough to inspire your confidence? Is there a nagging imp on your shoulder worried when a ball comes in the box or he has the ball at his feet? My answer is Yes, and thrice Yes. That may tell us something.

Why has he started every game? Well that's really not worthy of note as we've never had anything approaching competition to vie for his place. He has competition at international level and ‘appears' to play within himself, make less errors, is focused and disciplined. Almost the antithesis of his erratic performances for Everton. To date, Southgate has picked him on his record.

To get Pickford performing like that we need a decent back-up. He needs to feel the heat of losing his place because that will ultimately affect his England place. There is no jeopardy in it for him. This strategy might propel him to better things. However, I think the dye is cast with Carlo and we will buy a new first keeper next summer.

As to David Marshall, his save percentage that 'superman' season was around 66% which rated him very low down the Premier League. So those who lauded him clearly weren't looking at the right stats. Mediocre as you say. Similar to Pickford currently.

Also, your argument that worse teams will have keepers with better save % than good teams is clearly not right as the top 7 last season were Leno, Lloris, Henderson, Schmeichel, De Gea, Allisson and Ederson.

I can't find the stats source I used last time which was much better but here is another quick article that outlines how Pickford is saving less shots than he would be expected to (taking into account the difficulty of shot):

Premier League Goalie Rankings 2020

The goalkeeper in any team is very much dependent on the performance and abilities of those in front of him. If Everton won every game 2-1 to the end of the season, Pickford would be judged to have had a great season.

Everton have been an under-performing team throughout Pickford's tenure, so when a goal gets past him, it is judged on two fronts: its impact, often overestimated, as a contributing factor on the overall team performance. . . and as an indication of Pickford's potential future performance.

Pickford is young in goalkeeping terms and still learning. What's more, he has had to adjust to different management requirements, such has been the situation at Everton.

Under Ancelotti, he has had to adjust again to being part of a team that plays out from the back. His distribution now has different requirements and is dependent on players adapting positionally and making themselves available. He is also not as busy as he has been. Pickford has made mistakes, but other teammates have as well.

In the England set-up, Pickford is less prone to mistakes, working well with competent defenders, and competently distributing the ball. This is because of more consistent player performances and a consistent system of play.

So now, all of us have high expectations, including myself, and we will seize on any mistake and under performance. But this present team is still evolving, as are individual player performances, and Pickford's performances with it. Sometimes it will all click and sometimes it will not.

The important thing is that consistency has been established for the first time in 20 years and the players are getting the attributes to achieve this as coaching is being fine-tuned to get the best out of each individual player and lessen the impact of where they individually fall short.

It's not about how they currently play, but the potential of how they can play. Pickford, as England's No 1 and first choice at Everton, has enormous potential – more so than any other goalkeeper – which can be worked on. Back-up may be brought in but it will be in the context of developing Pickford's potential impact on competitions.

Pickford will be England's and Everton's No 1 for the foreseeable future and any mistake he makes will be jumped on more than any other goalkeeper in England. I probably will be first in the queue to do so.

Shot percentage – what kind of shot?
Clean sheets – what's the defence like?
Points cost – is he lucky and getting away with it?

This is a discussion board. If some think the media are out to get him, fair enough. Aren't they all Liverpool fans that hate Everton anyway?

I've been watching Pickford like the rest of you since he joined us. I'm a big boy and can form an opinion without stats or the media.

Pickford may turn out to be better than Southall; or he may not improve one bit. That's the manager's call. He may be as lucky as I feel he's been and not actually be punished for most of the mistakes he makes.

My view is that he needs replacing before it's too late. I don't know who that replacement should be and I doubt we can afford him, but we'll be talking about more and more mistakes in the near future – that is one thing I'm close to sure about.

I did play to a decent level in goal, and like anything you get good at tend to be far more severe in critiquing.

It would be great if we as a team mature this season and Jordan makes the leap too. Also, with the Euros looming, it might just give him the nudge he needs to be better; I think he covets his England place highly, perhaps more than his club place?

It's okay, Kevin... I did realise that you weren't serious – which was why I put the smiley face thingy on my post.

I just don't think Pickford is deserving of all the flak he's taking on here. I wonder if Spurs fans are slagging Lloris off because he didn't save Calvert-Lewin's header? Yet we're... well, some Premier League standard keepers on here, are giving Pickford loads for the Palace goal.

That was a bullet of a header from 4-5 yards away! Hardly any Premier League keeper would have saved that, yet Pickford gets slagged off for it on the matchday forum? For fuck's sake, get real.

Until you've had a spell between the sticks, try and imagine what balls you need to stand there with 90% of the fans giving you stick – and at Goodison, half of them are our own fans!!

Sorry, Matthew, but I find that to be pure crapola. You can't cite one iota of evidence that his "cockiness" has cost anything. A goal goes in, somebody on the Forum or the site baselessly blames it on his arrogance, and you just hop right aboard. Based on what? A two-second glimpse of his facial expression on TV? Nah. Leave it by the side of the road.

Besides, who the hell wants a humble keeper? Hard to name a great one who wasn't (or isn't) full of pure strut.

Kevin #2 and Christine #5, bravo. (Kev, keep it up, people will get it eventually.)

Kevin #17: "Forster, Butland or Foster"

Gotta be your usual windup, right? Or do you really think one of the old English redwoods (mostly failing at lesser clubs) who couldn't beat out Pickford for England are going to provide "genuine competition" at for him at Everton?

No. No way. If we're going to buy a keeper, don't make it an annual Howler Of The Year contender (Butland) or somebody who goes down for shots like an uprooted tree (Foster) just because they have a British accent and a towering silhouette and a record of past employment, and who might, on a really great day, with the wind just right and their legs working, be almost as good for one game as Pickford.

Get somebody who can be better. And get him from one of the top European leagues, not the Southampton bench or the Championship bargain bin of Premier League leftovers.

In the meantime, if Jordan's okay with Carlo, he's okay with me. We'll eventually get better in goal, either with him or somebody else. As others have said, we still need to improve at other positions first.

My problem is that I don't trust him. He makes great saves and, as a good goalkeeper, he's put on some great performances. And I really want him to be that consistent keeper that acquires the presence we need.

I just can't see it happening. He lacks presence, has issues with his concentration and nerves. I wouldn't want him behind me if I was still playing.

That's my opinion. If that makes me 'negative', a 'moaner', a 'bad Evertonian'... well, that's fine. I hope he improves, but I'd wager we have another keeper for the start of next season.

Feels like I'm talking to a barrister.

I appreciate people will disagree with content of my article, but there's ways to go about it. If you're going to insist on being a pedant and using that belligerent tone you seem to have adopted, then maybe write some articles of your own.

As Dan (37) rightly said, it's not easy to write a good article and it takes time and effort, and it's a lot harder when people throw it back in your face like you're doing now.

Maybe try to be a bit more understanding in your scrutiny.

My take on things is that this is a new season and we have all criticised individuals and will continue to do so whether the Director of Football, Manager, players etc but I would question if anyone should be subject of a critical article now. My personal view on Jordan is somewhere down the middle of the ToffeeWeb spectrum.

Last season we were atrocious under two different managers and very few individuals came out smelling of roses possibly with the exception of Holgate, Branthwaite, Gordon and largely the strikers.

Which brings me to the wrath of your article. Firstly, Carlo has said he is staying so that's that. Nothing will happen this window so why debate him now?

Secondly his performances don't merit him being singled out; despite how impressive we were against Spurs those two brilliant saves were critical. Not many keepers would have saved both those attempts. Spurs would have been a totally different animal holding onto a lead and I doubt we would have come from behind.

This game was also the platform for increased optimism because we knew that was our biggest challenge from the first four league games which has made the subsequent fixtures much easier as we are now on a roll and have momentum behind us. It is my belief that only a few keepers in the Premier League would have guaranteed us nine points.

Jordan had given away a poor goal in the Carabao Cup but it is irrelevant. I can go through our team and pick out numerous goals this season and blame individuals.

As for Sams percentages they mean nothing and are more of a reflection of how the managers had set the team up and the ease of chances of the opponent. I bet Jordan's save percentage was much higher under Carlo than Marco because the attackers had more pressure on them and it's no coincidence that he came out highest under Allardyce.

If an attacker is getting free shots on goal because the defence and midfield are unbalanced, like last season, then Pickford is always going to struggle. We tighten up this season and – no surprise – Jordan hits 70%.

How much more of this nonsense about Pickford are we going to be subjected to? Points that he's lost us this season? Substantiate them. All top goalies appear to make mistakes only a very few that genuinely are mistakes. If we win the game, then any perceived mistake is irrelevant.

Yes his concentration is questionable at times; however, he is England's and Everton's first choice. We would not have won at Spurs without his 2 or 3 critical saves.

It's a team game: before they get through to Pickford, 10 other outfield players have failed. I am no Pickford fan but I do believe he has had far more good games than bad since he joined Everton.

Mathew, Jay hasn't adopted that tone – he was born with it! lol.

Take that in the cojones, Mr Wood, for yer Desperados insults!!! :-)))

How veeeeeeeeery dare you.

Don't act so hurt; it's only a comment.

I actually believe your article is just over-opinionated drivel, and I'm happy to say this because you were happy to write the article. Nobody forced you to write it.

You deserve credit for putting an article in and getting it printed. But, as always with the written word, it can be a more critical medium where you can be punched in the face, with no chance of retaliation. Everybody knows that. Therefore, it is better to let the posters fight it out amongst themselves, as they inevitably do on ToffeeWeb, making no comment.

Your article was built to run to 300 posts, three days and at least one fallout amongst posters.

A really good ToffeeWeb article.

I'd put him alongside the likes of De Gea and Lloris. Some brilliant saves, some howlers but good at recycling possession for a ball playing side.

Alot of people on here like Burnley's Pope. He's a good keeper in a rudimentary side. His role with the ball is to launch it. He has a deep defence to support him. Would his skills translate well to Everton? Some of them certainly. He's big and commanding and claims the ball well. Is he a better fit than Pickford? Not sure.

Obviously Southgate feels the same with England because he sticks with Pickford (who has generally been very good for England).

Could we improve on Pickford? Probably yes. Who? Not sure.

When? Give it a season.

Lössl is not competition, so Pickford has it easy. I wouldn't say that Foster, Forster or Butland would be our long-term Number 1, but having one of them challenging could be a good thing for Pickford and he might show the consistency he does for England. If he does make some howlers and needs a break out of the team, then I'd rather have one of those 3 than Lossl or Virginia.

We aren't going to sign a world class keeper who will come and be a number 2, so our options are a step up in class from Lössl to provide genuine competition, or a replacement.

Personally I think criticism of the original post is harsh. Pickford has appeared arrogant by laughing off mistakes (he might not be arrogant, but he does sometimes appear it) and he has made more mistakes directly leading to goals than most keepers in the last few seasons. (He was 2nd last season, 3rd the season before with 4 each season. This doesn't count the mistakes that ultimately lead to goals but not directly, of which I'm sure there were a few). He does warrant criticism and needs to improve his consistency.

For those who are stating that they trust in Ancelotti, Ancelotti said the same at the back end of last season.

In July: “He's not doing well” said Ancelotti. “I spoke to him about this yesterday. There is absolutely no problem. For the quality that he has, and he agreed, he has to be better. He has to be focused on himself, on his performance, day by day to be better. I'm not so worried because he has quality, he has character, but I have to say to him, and I did say to him, that he has to improve."

Just as long as he improves the marshalling of his defence by helping to create a bit of calmness, which will only start happening when he starts coming for a few more crosses.

It's a long held truism that teams who win things have exceptional goalkeepers. Over the road, they only became true title contenders when they bought a centre-back and keeper worthy of their team.

Pickford needs to meet those expectations – that's why he and the position of centre-half is under increasing scrutiny, because deep down we all know if we are to maintain this start those positions are pivotal. His performances are judged over the time he has been here, and if anyone can say he's gotten better in the time then that's flat out wrong.

The very best outlook, is that he has stagnated, and what's this rubbish about being young in keeper years? The average age of a Premier League keeper is 29, he is 26, do we have wait 3 years for him to bloom or get good? Shall we stick him in a grow bag, talk sweetly to him about stories of Banks, Shilton & Seaman and come get him when he's 30 and expect the lad to be Lev Yashin?

They are plenty of keepers in their mid-to late 20s who are waaay better than him, seems they didn't wait to get older before they got good. By the way, that average is the highest in Europe, it only gets younger from there.

Football is faster and quicker than ever before; players are getting younger and burning out more quickly. Is there a keeper in their mid thirties regularly playing in the Premier League and tearing it up?

Fabianski, Schemichel and maybe Lloris, the rest are right in Jordan's age bracket. None of these guys are top top keepers. Age is utterly irrelevant and ability and actual performances are.

No witch hunt – just discussion of a player who should be doing a lot better than he has.

I've seen every keeper we've had from Gordon West onwards and we've had some right liabilities, Southall and Martyn were obviously in a class of their own.

But I've got to say, once again just my opinion, that Pickford is too small and never commands his area. He looks like a schoolboy between the sticks and it's plain for all to see he suffers from poor concentration and his communication, which is a vital part of goalkeeping is not good enough. Personally I'd get rid of him if and when we can.

Pickford made a famous last gasp error in front of the kop and denied us a well-earned point. It was an incredibly painful experience for all Evertonians. Still hurts to think about it. I feel some fans have never forgiven him for that nightmarish moment. But they are going to have to.

The manager has made it abundantly clear that he isn't looking for another keeper. Whether people like it or not, This is our man.

Every player is there to be criticised, but this is our last line of defence. We can either get behind the guy and let him go into games in the knowledge that he can relax and play his game. Or we can keep this intense pressure on him until we destroy him.

I wonder which of the two would most benefit EFC?

I imagine that I get as frustrated anyone but I don't see the need for character assassination – saying "He's simply not good enough" is I believe adequate. If, as a lot of fans are demanding, he should be replaced, his successor will be given my full support; it's what I believe supporters should do.

That's exactly what we're trying to do with Pickford. Play the ball back to him so we are on the ball instead of gifting it back to the opposition. 99% of the time you play it back and there's no problem - Jordan deals with it and we're on the move again.

1% of the time we get a calamity and all fingers point at Jordan. He's apparently the problem.

But that's still better than lumping it away. No-one blames Ederson for that brilliant Vardy goal - but it's still a goal conceded.

How many goals do we save by putting Pickford under pressure instead of giving it back to the opposition? That won't go on the stats for a keeper. Mucking up will. Which proves that keeper stats can be nonsense.

There is no other keeper on the horizon...so improve those in front of him - for now.

When Everton get players who can play the system, I still wouldn't play it, you'll never see any team play the ball out like that when they losing by one goal with ten minutes or less to play.

Funny you should mention that. I recently rewatched the 89 cup final. Even though I knew the dire outcome, I was tearing my hair out watching Everton do just that as the game drew to a close. It was like every single player had to touch the ball every single time Everton had possession. Contrast with Joe Royle era "Get it down there!"

A ball doesnt need to be lamped down the pitch you just need to play it for DCL or Richy who will win most 50/50s and be clear through on goal.

It used to be the case that the majority of goals were scored with just 3 touches but IM sure thats not the case now but there is nothing wrong with playing an accurate long ball. The RS do it all the time.

I totally agree seeing a goalkeeper take a goal kick and pass it to a defender a yard away is madness. The other week you had Lincoln trying to pass their way out from their own box against Liverpool, cant think of a more stupid thing to do. When teams as they often do misplace a pass while trying to play out from the back, it means the opposition get control of the ball yards from the penalty box. Now if the opposition retreat to around the half way line then by all means play out from the back, but to have 2 defenders within a yard of the goalkeeper taking a goal kick invites the opposition to push even more men forward. Now if you string 5 passes together and beat the press fine but if not you end up in trouble.

Obviously a lot of coaches have watched Guardiola implement this system and it has worked for him, but he can buy top class players to play that system, so to try and get every team to play this way is madness. In my humble opinion its because Guardiola always wants footballers at CB that have caused most of his problems. They havent replaced Kompany, a proper defender and Fernandinho was his best CB last year. No surprise that even Barcelona in their prime had Puyol at CB a player who relished defending and Real had Ramos another who loved to defend. Were for me of late city have wanted footballers more than they have wanted a top class defender.

By the way, Pickford already plays for a top-3 team.

Would Liverpool have him ahead of Allison?
Would City have him ahead of Ederson?
Would Utd have him ahead of either De Gea or Henderson?
Would Chelsea have him ahead of Mendy?
Would Spurs have him ahead of Lloris?
Maybe Arsenal might have him ahead of Leno - but I doubt it.

Then go down the league. Would he displace Schmeichel? Or Pope? Or Patricio?

I'd say you'd have to get down to mid table before Pickford would genuinely be considered as an obvious replacement for teams.

I'm hoping that, as with the much beleaguered defence from last season, which hasn't changed, Jordan will benefit from having a far superior and energetic midfield in front of him. Putting my defender's union hat on, being protected from the continuous barrage of attacks arising from losing possession and not pressing to recycle play or break up opposition counters should benefit him.

The criticism of Pickford is also, I feel, fuelled by the national media now. They are doing what they do to young England goalkeepers and have done over the years. Build them up way too young only to knock them down early. Think David James, think Joe Hart. Yes, they may ultimately have not been "top drawer" but they were put on a platform to subsequently be destroyed by a baying media.

A keeper, in my opinion, won't peak until early 30s, even in today's game. And even then, they won't be error free as they are last line of defence as Darren highlights. When you've no-one covering you, your mistakes are magnified, more glaring and more costly. Despite my opening statement, we either stick with him and let him develop in a better team or we replace with someone more established in a year or two. But for now, he's our keeper.

To re-iterate my comments on other threads, not a priority for us in my opinion given where we are. That was the last problem Klopp fixed as he was more focussed getting it right higher up the pitch.

Whether or not he gets dropped is Carlo's shout, but if I was Jordan I'd be thinking last week's vote of confidence is unlikely to be repeated unless he ups his game to consistently be "very reliable", as he was when he arrived.

How many late goals did we concede under Moyes? That was exactly his approach - put the ball somewhere 'safe' and then it comes straight back at us.

There's a balance, and we haven't yet quite found it. Nor did Arsenal the other night.

But I stand by Carlo's thinking. And Pep's.

I don't want to see Keane and Mina trying to turn on the ball. And I don't want to see them hit it on the turn for a throw in or out to the halfway line. So it has to go back to Jordan. It seems there's disagreement on here but I think he is very good with his feet... a modern keeper.

It saves us goals conceded. It just won't appear on any individual's stats. It does put some negative stats on Pickford's record though. But everyone needs to be big enough to understand and accept that.

I get people's concerns with "arsing around" at the back, but with the right players, I'm an advocate of keep the ball. If we have the ball, if we have possession, the opposition don't. If the opposition doesn't have the ball, they can't hurt you. If we have it, we can hurt them.

If people are prepared to have that in our team then we're wasting our time trying to improve the team in other areas.

He's not good enough, that's the only factor to be considered. To be successful we need a top 11 on the pitch, not 10 and a goalie who makes good saves sometimes.

It's easy.

You just don't win enough games if you play a keeper who never makes a mistake.

If you want to carry on putting up with sub-standard players like in the last 20 years then feel free but me and, finally it seems Everton, want to move on dispense with mediocrity.

I have been screaming at the TV looking at his mistakes this season but would be very wary of dropping him unless we are swopping with real real quality. It was just a wake-up call looking at his erratic brilliance at times.

I would hate to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Until the best is available then I would invest in the best goalkeeping coach. Whoever that may be.