Trafford

[ClaretsPadiham]

Looks like a league 1 keeper, way out of his depth.

Still can’t get my head round the price tag we paid for a keeper who was in League 1 last season.

Muric has to start he’s key to everything we do.

[gandhisflipflop]

I’m still yet to be convinced either. Still early days though.

[bumba]

Not seen anything yet to suggest he's worth even half of what we paid and he definitely shouldn't be ahead of Muric, there worlds apart

[Pickles]

Muric gets battered on here if he concedes that first one today.

[burnleymik]

Defintely potential there, but think we should have started the season with Muric and let Trafford take the shirt on merit, especially as Muric was so crucial to our style of play last season. Feels like he has been thrown in at the deep end and possbly to justify his price tag.

[taio]

Looks like a league 1 keeper, way out of his depth.

Still can’t get my head round the price tag we paid for a keeper who was in League 1 last season.

Muric has to start he’s key to everything we do.

Overreaction

[pauliopaulio]

Looks like a league 1 keeper, way out of his depth.

Still can’t get my head round the price tag we paid for a keeper who was in League 1 last season.

Muric has to start he’s key to everything we do.

Based on what?

[Anthonini]

You do see him gain confidence during the games. Same in the game against City. He needs a couple of matches to get used to the pressure but already shows great reflexes and good decision making.

He's performing as expected. We all knew Muric would have a bigger direct impact but Trafford would grow and has more potential.

Needs some more time and perhaps a clean sheet to start feeling confident. I don't think he's done bad at all considering the circumstances.

[burnleymik]

Think we will see Muric Wednesday night anyways.

[Granny WeatherWax]

He’s the least of our problems.

[Carwin261]

Should there be a conspiracy theory regarding the signing of Trafford,still can’t get my head round it?

[Goody1975]

Muric gets battered on here if he concedes that first one today.

He did last season and after a little patience we were rewarded.

The negative is how little we are using Trafford to create the extra man at the back, it was a major part of how we played last season.

[RVclaret]

Should there be a conspiracy theory regarding the signing of Trafford,still can’t get my head round it?

Yes. I’ve heard some noises around Kompany owning shares in the Trafford centre and he’s bought him as a marketing ploy.

[helmclaret]

Willing to give him time, but I’m not convinced yet.

Muric must be wondering what he did wrong to be dropped.

[Boss Hogg]

Should not have started ahead if Muric imo. Too big a leap.

[Burnley1989]

Not convinced at all but I back Kompany

[Swizzlestick]

Muric can feel very aggrieved about losing his place. Big call from VK and I’m not sure it’s the right one.

[Cubanforever]

Early days and I'm sure he's frustrated too, it's going to take time for Vinny to know his best team and all of them to get to know each others play and the system. Just got to keep encouraging them, they are all young lads and confidence is everything, we'll get there.

[daveisaclaret]

Thinking about how long Dyche wouldn't even put Pope on the bench ahead of Paul Robinson when he'd come from the bottom end of the Championship, and the contrast to Trafford coming straight in from League One and displacing Muric. I think it's very naive. The lad may well go on to justify his price tag but at the moment it doesn't look like he's particularly close to Muric.

[Nori1958]

Muric can feel very aggrieved about losing his place. Big call from VK and I’m not sure it’s the right one.

Shouldn't have fallen out with the manager then..

[RVclaret]

Muric can feel very aggrieved about losing his place. Big call from VK and I’m not sure it’s the right one.

Stinks of something going on behind the scenes to me. Obviously hard for us to know about but I’m convinced Kompany hasn’t been happy with him over something. So I’d personally refrain from suggesting it’s as clear cut as dropping him for Trafford for the craic.

[Swizzlestick]

Shouldn't have fallen out with the manager then..

Well that one passed me by. When did he fall out with the manager? Seems a surprise he’s still in the squad if so.

[123EasyasBFC]

Trafford shouldn’t of been chucked straight in, he should of been cup keeper to start with

[Nori1958]

Well that one passed me by. When did he fall out with the manager? Seems a surprise he’s still in the squad if so.

Last season.....
It wouldn't surprise me if he left this week, but that's just a hunch based on nothing

[SalisburyClaret]

Trafford was poor for their first but fine after that.
Muric would struggle right now as Cullen or Berge aren’t available for his passes.

[Jamesy]

Muric would have definitely come out and snuffed the first one out. Poor goalkeeping from Trafford that.
From where I was sitting I felt he could have possibly saved the third goal but only just got home and haven’t seen any replays yet.
No chance with the second though.
Fine margins as Sean would say. Villa were slicker and half a yard quicker than us all over the pitch. However, if Trafford had been more alert for the first goal and Jay had taken one of his two decent chances we may have earned a point. Long way to go yet and I hope Trafford improves game by game. If he doesn’t we have a capable keeper in Muric waiting in the wings.

[Burnleyareback2]

We’ve had our pants pulled down on this one.

I’m a big and biased mucic fan but he earned the starting keepers place on the premier league. Not sure how we back track on this one.

[Swizzlestick]

We’ve had our pants pulled down on this one.

I’m a big and biased mucic fan but he earned the starting keepers place on the premier league. Not sure how we back track on this one.

I'm not sure we've 'had our pants pulled' down - Trafford is a young keeper who clearly has potential, Under 21's first choice. But Muric is very unlucky to have lost his place and it should have been Trafford challenging him rather than the other way round.

[BurnleyFC]

I sit about ten yards away from him in the Jimmy Mac lower and he looks very nervous at times.

You’ve got to feel for both him and Muric - Trafford because he’s probably not yet ready to be thrown in and Muric because he was outstanding for most of last season and deserved to start the season as number one.

[Fretters]

Thought he was poor for the first and third goals. I might be harsh on the third, but he seemed to dive in slow motion.

Muric should be given the shirt IMO, take JT out of the limelight for a bit.

[CrosspoolClarets]

I remember when Pope used to go down in instalments and was always vulnerable to the low shot a metre to one side. No longer.

Trafford has all the attributes but is young and raw. Well, Muric is young and raw, Trafford is very young and very raw. But highly promising.

Instinct is it seemed to start around that night out in Munich reported in the Mail, before the title had been won. There MUST be something that has wound VK up. Suspect we have to trust him on this one.

[JimmyRobbo]

Made a mistake for their 1st.

Made a couple of outstanding point blank stops later and his feet were very good.

I can take progress and trust the process. I felt Muric had a better pre-seaason but what do I know compared to VK.

[IanMcL]

Out of his depth. Needs to learn properly, mot picking the ball out of the net.

[wilks_bfc]

The postponement of the Luton game has a lot to answer to

With that, the first 3 games are City, Villa & Spurs and weve already conceded 6 goals.
We already know the difference in quality from Championship to Premier but to go from L1 to Premier, even with a £15m price tag is a huge step.

Trafford should have started the season as “cup keeper”.
Wednesdays game against Forest would have been an ideal starter for him to get a feel of the pace & quality of the league

[agreenwood]

His price tag is going to be a millstone round his neck. If he’d come up through our Academy he’d get a bit more of a honeymoon period.

He’s only 20 though. We’ve got lads playing for the developments sides who are a year or two older than him.

Personally think he should have been introduced more gradually, but if we drop him now there’s a real danger it could really set him back.

[KlyBfc]

Having watched the goals back, he’s made a slight misjudgment perhaps with the first by being too late to smother it (but he wasn’t getting the initial ball) and the third he’s unlucky I think in that I believe Watkins (offside position) hampers his vision he takes a step to his right and then realised it’s going to the other side and can’t get down and across to the other corner quick enough.

His stop from Watkins was brilliant and there’s potential but I’d still play Muric ahead of him.

[agreenwood]

Having watched the goals back, he’s made a slight misjudgment perhaps with the first by being too late to smother it (but he wasn’t getting the initial ball) and the third he’s unlucky I think in that I believe Watkins (offside position) hampers his vision he takes a step to his right and then realised it’s going to the other side and can’t get down and across to the other corner quick enough.

His stop from Watkins was brilliant and there’s potential but I’d still play Muric ahead of him.

It looked like he took one step of his backpedal too far on the first, which meant he was a second too slow to react to Watkins’ heavy touch.

[Newcastleclaret93]

I really do not understand the hate for Trafford at all.

I genuinely don’t even think it was his fault for the first either. Crap defending and he did his best to close down the striker.

Massive over reaction

[Claretforever]

I think Trafford was slow to react for the first goal. He hesitated. It doesn’t make it his fault as their striker shouldn’t have had so much room, and neither should the ball player.

I agree with some though, that Muric should be our number 1 and Trafford should have been eased in. I do like how Trafford comes out for high balls though, and I’m sure he’ll turn into a cracking keeper.

[Ric_C]

No hate tbh. He's a young keeper learning his trade, but he needs taking out of the team for his own good, as he is blatantly not good enough atm. He will improve I'm sure but he needs time to progress, otherwise his confidence will be totally shot.

[taio]

Should've done better for the first. But played well enough and will be good for us. Incredible from those who want to jump on a 20 year old. As said, Muric can consider himself unfortunate.

[RVclaret]

No hate tbh. He's a young keeper learning his trade, but he needs taking out of the team for his own good, as he is blatantly not good enough atm. He will improve I'm sure but he needs time to progress, otherwise his confidence will be totally shot.

Just wondering what this ‘blatantly not good enough’ opinion is based on? Against City he had no chance with the goals, made a few smart saves and passing was pretty good. Against Villa he did all the goalkeeping pretty well, one outstanding save against Watkins, some decent claims on crosses… the words ‘blatantly not good enough’ are quite strong and would suggest he’s made some howlers?

[NewClaret]

I really do not understand the hate for Trafford at all.

I genuinely don’t even think it was his fault for the first either. Crap defending and he did his best to close down the striker.

Massive over reaction

I agree about the first. Because he didn’t get there he has taken the blame but on any other occasion he’d have made the save or claimed at the players feet and it’d have been very good keeping. Slight miss judgment that even more experienced players make occasionally.

And I don’t think he did much else wrong.

My frustration in not playing Muric is I think we miss his ability with his feet and I also think he earned the jersey with his performances last season and I think Trafford should’ve been made to earn the shirt.

[Newcastleclaret93]

No hate tbh. He's a young keeper learning his trade, but he needs taking out of the team for his own good, as he is blatantly not good enough atm. He will improve I'm sure but he needs time to progress, otherwise his confidence will be totally shot.

I really don’t understand this sentiment at all?

What is so clear that he isn’t good enough? I genuinely don’t believe he’s made a mistake yet.

What makes people so confident Muric is better, he was playing against such poor opposition last year and had to face (what was it the second least amount of shots in the league).

Trafford is coming up against the best players on the planet, he gets closed down a lot quicker by better athletes as well.

People need to understand Trafford is our number 1, Muric will not start in the league again (unless an injury occurs etc..)

[warksclaret]

Cant believe the criticism for this young keeper.Yes hesitant for the first goal but any decent left back would have dealt with the cross and snuffed out Cash who was behind Croix. I cannot believe that posters actually think Muric would have been our saviour yesterday against a very good Villa team

[arise_sir_charge]

Ridiculous thread.

I don’t think he’s at fault for the first goal, Watkins horrendous first touch ended up being the perfect touch and gave Trafford a catch 22 scenario, come out and risk not getting there (which is what happened) or don’t come out and risk Watkins just smashing it in the corner.

For me he made the right call and made it as difficult as he could for Watkins.

[taio]

Ridiculous thread.

I don’t think he’s at fault for the first goal, Watkins horrendous first touch ended up being the perfect touch and gave Trafford a catch 22 scenario, come out and risk not getting there (which is what happened) or don’t come out and risk Watkins just smashing it in the corner.

For me he made the right call and made it as difficult as he could for Watkins.

Even if he was at fault for the first, which I think he was because of Watkins' first touch, it was only a minor mistake and not something he should be overly judged on.

[CoolClaret]

I really do not understand the hate for Trafford at all.

I genuinely don’t even think it was his fault for the first either. Crap defending and he did his best to close down the striker.

Massive over reaction

You’d have crucified Muric if he did that.

It was horrific goalkeeping - not only did he dither instead of committing early to come for the ball OR stay on his line - after he dithered (and allowed Watkins to take a 10 yard touch in the box) he also went down immediately and made it easy for Watkins to pass across goal.

Basically did everything wrong

[Nori1958]

You’d have crucified Muric if he did that.

It was horrific goalkeeping - not only did he dither instead of committing early to come for the ball OR stay on his line - after he dithered (and allowed Watkins to take a 10 yard touch in the box) he also went down immediately and made it easy for Watkins to pass across goal.

Basically did everything wrong

Thankyou Mr Mercer

[warksclaret]

I find it fascinating trying to fathom out VK's perception of players who helped us win the Championship so easily last season. Despite us conceding the fewest goals in the PL its clear to me he does not see Muric as a number one keeper in the PL.I share that view, and for me playing him yesterday would not have kept Villa down to three goals.. I think you can see the same thinking with Taylor, who was not even a sub despite there being only one recognised full back in the entire squad. I also sense Cork finds himself in the same category and being forced out of the squad shortly