Vasilis Barkas

Staggering that there are actually Celtic fans willing to give him the benefit of the doubt

He’s not made a save of note


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Not often Celtic keepers actually need to.
But even still, thats a lie anyway because he has.

No one is saying he is world class or has outshone Forster or anything.
But we are able to contextualise his first season - 22 games across the entire season, bulk of them at the start of the season where he had Duffy and Brown causing the biggest * ups (which we all accept), combined with a manager that is widely accepted does nothing to train and develop players, no post game anaylsis etc.

Most certainly willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt and a fresh chance under much improved circumstances.

 

No2 in cup games only


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No even sure what you mean by that Stevey.


As a side note:
McGregor just won Player of the Year for playing 42 games with 22 clean sheets (52%) in all comps.
Barkas played 22 games with 11 clean sheets (50%) in all comps.


Put the season in to context, specially Barkas and realise not everything was his fault.

 

Barkas isn’t specifically to blame for the season, but his performances have been a factor of our result.

I need no stats to tell me that McGregor has made important save after save, won games and points on his own, yet I can literally count on one hand (unlike a certain hun...) the actual saves Barkas has made this season, and that figure is me being generous.

 

Then please count, how many times was Barkas actually at fault for goals conceded?

I think it is perhaps 3.

 

There is no comparison between Sevco’s player of the year and Barky

None at all

Stats may make it appear there isn’t much disparity - however ask yourself this - had we swapped keepers at the start of the season do you think that we’d have finished 25 points behind them?

I think we’d have at least made it respectable.


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Maybe 19 points?

Again, go back and watch the goals conceded under Barkas, he's at fault for very few of them.

He's not made himself look impressive or made any back bending world class saves that we are used to with Forster, but he's also not as * as some people want to quickly call him.

Context of the entire season, how the team was setup etc needs to play a part here.

 

I’m willing to be proved wrong
But I’d certainly sign a no.1 and have him play second fiddle


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Wouldn't argue against signing someone else, Begovic being mentioned often. Even Forster back for a season again. But doesn't mean we just call Barkas * and bin him.

 

Ok Peej

We are in agreement. Keep the big T-Rex hands and sign another keeper. Play T-Rex hands in cup games.

Cool?


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9/8/20 Killie 1-1 Celtic
Penalty - Barkas goes the right way. Personally think it is very harsh for anyone to be critical of a keeper in a penalty shot, unless they make an obvious howler.

26/8/20 Celtic 1-2 Ferncravors
First goal is a screamer, one which Brown stands off his man instead of closing down fully and Taylor runs around headless for. From right to left (facing keeper) and in to the far side of the net. Barkas NOT to blame.
Second goal, Elhamed sells the entire team and the keeper short. Clearly mixup in communication where Barkas looks to think Elhamed is going to do a defenders job, leans to his right, player gives the eyes to the left side. Elhamed at fault here.

16/9/20 St Mirren 1-2 Celtic
Corner, which we all surely accept we can not defend set pieces this season, whipped in beyond the 6 yard box and away from keeper. Second ball is headed on, where Keeper comes to make a presence and Christie decides to leave his man unmarked. Set Piece calamity and Christie at fault.

19/9/20 Celtic 3-2 Livingston
First goal a penalty, given away by Ajer trailing arm. Again, not going to fault a keeper who guessed the right way.
Second goal, 25+ yards out, another screamer. Any actual fault would again be laid at Brown for not closing down the play in the middle of the park, but I feel I would be being harsh on Brown there. Goals a screamer with a last second swerve away from the keeper.

17/10/20 Celtic 0-2 Rangers
First goal, the curse of us not being coached how to defend set pieces. Backline * up with the highline, ball comes in and Goldson gets a header on which puts the ball, at pace, away from keeper.
Second goal Duffy gets the block, Welsh caught watching (first game), Barkas caught flat footed - can attribute blame here.

22/10/20 Celtic 1-3 Milan
First goal, Duffy just jumps like a donkey in no mans land, Welsh showing inexperience allowing the attacker to get in front. keeper has hard task of stretching for the save.
Second goal Duffy at this stage is worse than a man down, gets done numerous times in one attack and the shot is cut across the face of the keeper, wonderful strike, not many would save.
Third goal, again all Duffy.

29/11/20 Celtic 0-2 County
First goal, penalty again.Thank you Julien!
Second goal, yet another set piece calamity where Julien, Duffy and Brown all sell the keeper short by * up the back post area. Keeper caught a bit flat, but barely any keeper would have got from their front post to back post for that. His reactions could have been quicker, positioning better as well, but again that comes down to the coaching of set pieces - which we all know is a bigger issue than just the keeper.

3/12/20 Milan 4-2 Celtic
First goal, wicked freekick, Keeper no chance. No real fault to anyone.
Second goal take your pick from McGregor, Duffy, Laxalt, Brown, Ajer
Third goal, Defo Barkas should have got a hand to this one. Defense stood off the attacker, but the shot is not too far from the keeper, he's defending his near post too much, Barkas fault.
Fourth goal, Elhamed more to blame for standing off the player and being weak in the challenge. Nice * shot from the attacker.

6/12/20 Celtic 1-1 St Johnston
Frimpong running around aimless doesnt remotely mark his man in his position, keeper tries to close off the near post, ball is cut back where Julien and Bitton make a half arsed effort to defend. Frimpong, Julien and Bitton take that blame for sure.

2/1/21 Rangers 1-0 Celtic
McGregor own goal.

20/1/21 Livingston 2-2 Celtic
First goal, yet another set piece issue and Bitton and Duffy are to blame for leaving the man completely unmarked.
Second goal Duffy, Bitton and Taylor collective defending is atrocious. Barkas caught flat footed again. Becoming the feature of when he gets caught out, something to be trained on if we had coaches.



Milan goals aside, who was a different class, I think we can only really call in to question Barkas getting caught flat footed a few times as being his biggest weakness here.

On the whole, plenty other issues are to blame for the goals conceded while he has played.
Defo more he should also add to his game, but end of the day he is paid to keep the ball out the back of the net and while his stats aren't terrible, vast majority of the goals conceded are down to absolute woeful defending in the build up.

 

So-So.

 

We need a new goalie in the summer, but Barkas should have been given a run in the team over the last few months.

 

Take half the money from him and cut our losses. Doesnt seem to have the presence or the attitude from what iv seen.
We dont have the time to wait and see if he will come good and its too vital a position to * about in.

a good keeper could be the difference between qualification in europe and elimination.

same fot ajeti for me. Mayb Basel will take him for £2.5m.. adios.

 

To drop him for Bain after the Livi game where Christie, our hibernating defence and Brown were at fault was another brain fart by our brilliant "I am the only one with a treble as a manager and a player" manager.

Yes, he wasn't playing as good as he was expected to but rarely had a howler and his distribution and coming out for high balls was still much better than Bain's. And he was the one keeper that we needed to give the chance to turn his form around. What Bain is we know. But strategic dicisions were not the strength of Lennon nor Kennedy.

I would be open to give him another chance but let's be honest, we can't afford another season with such a weak keeper display. So if we get in a guy like Begovic he won't come in to play second fiddle in case Barkas performs well. The other way round we cannot leave Barkas out if he doesn't perform, he needs game time. If only to get some resale value.

So, I think sell him and get a more proven keeper in is maybe the safest option for us.
Heard Dortmund are willing to sell Roman Bürki fot 5m Euros. He has some howlers from time to time but also very good reflexes so for that money he's probably the best we could get. On the other side he'll have better options than our atm leaderless club.

 

I think you have to understand that the guy moved countries, where he may have problems settling in to his new surroundings I don’t know if he has a wife and kids but If so and they moved with him he then has this to deal with as well, I think there are lots of reasons he was not at his best in his first season. If he’s managed to settle is life and is more happier in his surroundings then we may see the goalkeeper that was worth 5m

 

There is literally no context (except maybe a broken bone) which would force a keeper to dive without arms outstretched for the majority of a league season. Never seen a keeper so consistently fail to make himself big in my life.

He probably isn’t utter garbage, as some make out, but he - he specifically, and not just the team, manager or any other environmental factor - has huge improvements to make before he’ll suffice at our level.

 

Hes *, punt

 

You can say he's never been at fault for many goals but he never is in the right position to make a save...he's rarely on his toes and doesn't stretch his arms out to make saves...he makes himself smaller rather than as big as possible. Maybe a garish colorful goalkeeper kit will do the trick to put the strikers off...