Darthlaw wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 10:52 pm
Another great post.
I’d argue he’s dropped 2-3 clangers which have directly resulted in goals, an increasing amount of mistakes of late as the team have taken a nosedive but has made no more mistakes than most in the team, Vitinho being one of the worse offenders. I would also suggest ‘a couple of decent games’ is as disingenuous as suggesting he makes mistakes every week or has cost us PL survival as is becoming a more popular narrative.
But again, I’m not defending Trafford, merely pointing out the difference in abuse he gets to other players.
Before the goal today, he makes 3 decent saves, often against unmarked strikers, but is obliterated for a dicey pass to Brownhill. This when the team is already playing horrifically. Equally, As you describe, Vitinho arrives on the pitch and gives away a penalty with his first contribution and somehow gets little to no grief.
It doesn’t take a huge leap in imagination to understand the perception people are playing favourites. Surely you must see that even, arguably, from your own analysi?
I'd definitely say there's more than 2-3, I'd also say that there's been several goals where it's been cumulative errors/split errors, of which he has taken part of (but not the sole) blame- although yes I'd agree that some people fixate on his role in the split errors. I really don't think he's had more than a couple of decent games, I'd love to say otherwise. I've never booed a Burnley player, never will, when I'm on the ground I always back him or whoever plays, it's not a boo boy thing.
Trafford did make some decent saves, he also had a mistake straight from kickoff which we got away with, but making decent saves is the basic job of any keeper.
I think some people are never going to give him credit or have their knives out now, yes. I don't think anybody started there (because who would start there for a new signing?), but yes there's some posters who have turned nasty with it, never argued that. One or two all too predictable as well- Foster was no longer a target for criticism after being our standout early doors, so a new punchbag was needed.
As for Vitinho, again- Vitinho's mistake today was made when the game was already lost. When he made an equivocal mistake against Chelsea, he got huge levels of abuse for it. People will pay more attention to a mistake that swings a game than one which just compounds misery.
