Do we need a back-up Goal Keeper?

[Strike 7,474]

I think Hilario is pretty underrated.

his shot stoppin is alright i guess but his decisions to chase every corner is maddening. add to that the fact that we can get someone better and someone British to sit on the bench - Stockdale, Gordon(although Scottish) or a keeper from the championship like loach or lewis. maybe someone on loan as well. can't risk it at the highest level

[OneMoSalah 8,883]

Gordon(although Scottish)

WHAT IS WRONG WITH BEING SCOTTISH

[capriccioso 2,545]

Turnbull is a calamity, Hilario is inconsistent but he was pretty good last time we used him for a long run of games after Cech's skull fracture.

[Strike 7,474]

WHAT IS WRONG WITH BEING SCOTTISH

It doesn't come under the British quota. nothin else

[Strike 7,474]

Turnbull is a calamity, Hilario is inconsistent but he was pretty good last time we used him for a long run of games after Cech's skull fracture.

cant risk it again.. turnbull may have saved a ronaldinho free-kick in 2006 but its 6 yrs on now and we need a back-up at the level of Cudicini atleast.

Cudicini was the best imo. loved the club and just sat on the bench. won't get anyone like him but any average keeper is better than hilariobull imo

[OneMoSalah 8,883]

It doesn't come under the British quota. nothin else

Does it actually not count under the British quota?!?! Wtf I think Alex Salmond will have to consider going to England and kick somebody from the FA's arses, either that or we just don't share Irn Bru with England anymore.

I was joking haha but I didn't realize Scottish players weren't classed under that British thing, what a shit rule.

[Ryan Fong 2,776]

Hilario is fine to come in for a few games, as he shown in his MOTM performance against Liverpool in 2009 and when he came in against Barca in 2006 then only conceded 1 in 4 in his first games for us.

Hilario's problem however is consistency, he was first choice for a few months in 2006 but after the first few games he started to make mistake's and concede goals regularly.

If Cech is only injured for a few games then Hilario is fine but is Petr gets a long term injury then we should seriously consider a recall for Thiabut.

I agree Hilario WAS a decent backup to play few odd games, but I doubt he IS now.

[Tomo 21,751]

I agree Hilario WAS a decent backup to play few odd games, but I doubt he IS now.

He is still more than capable of coming in for one off games imo.

[chelsea maniac 40]

Hilario and Turnbull are not good enough our best back up keeper Courtios is out on loan . Less if Cech is superman he will get injured at some point this season the were f***ed

[ZanSnake 1,211]

Hilario and Turnbell are not at the level, more-so Ross then Hilario, get rid of Tunrbell, keep Hilario for a season, and then push up the ranks of the young keepers we have, Blackman/Walker/Delac. Cech has numerous more seasons in him, and i can see another loan spell yet for Thibaut after this season - who will eventually replace Petr. Maybe calling onto Gordon woulnd't be a bad idea, if we get rid of both - but hopefully Ross will be going, and i think Hilario will see out his one year extention.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Absolutely. We should get someone like Paul Robinson as our number 2 until Courtois is ready to replace Cech. Cech is the player I fear being injured more than any other.

[EskWeston 696]

Always a hard one as a number 2 in all likelyhood is going to get very little game time. Personally i would be in favour of promoting either Jamal Blackman or Sam Walker over Hilario and Turnbull, both obviously younger but ability-wise are no different with the potential to be much better.

[SeB 1,281]

Absolutely. We should get someone like Paul Robinson as our number 2 until Courtois is ready to replace Cech. Cech is the player I fear being injured more than any other.

That's a right concern considering the weird things we could have heard sometimes about Cech's fitness, I remember when we signed Courtois I read someone who said Cech would have back problems and would struggle to play until his 40s... I don't mean that we've to trust anyone but let's not be blind either.

I wanted us to sign Begovic who is a great goalkeeper, very complete. But it would have been completely selfish considering we would have stopped his evolution. Plus he's not the kind to be part of a turnover, Sorensen managed to regain his place.

cant risk it again.. turnbull may have saved a ronaldinho free-kick in 2006 but its 6 yrs on now and we need a back-up at the level of Cudicini atleast.

Cudicini was the best imo. loved the club and just sat on the bench. won't get anyone like him but any average keeper is better than hilariobull imo

Cudicini was great but he wasn't focused anymore at the end of his spell. In fact I think it's not possible to have a talented goalkeeper at Chelsea, I mean Cech plays 60 games a season and no goalkeeper with little ability would accept a backup role. Look at Foster, he could have stayed at ManU but he chosed to go at Birmingham then West Brom and he's currently arguably the best english Goalkeeper.

Victor Valdes is a mediocre goalkeeper but he deserve credit to be ready even with just one or two interventions to make in a game. It's the same with a backup goalkeeper of someone like Cech.

Paulo Ferreira, Hilario, Turnbull cannot afford to make themselves sick about their rare appearance during the month (or more) separating their games played. They're average now but they're consistent, they havent their mind elsewhere when they're asked to play

[Strike 7,474]

That's a right concern considering the weird things we could have heard sometimes about Cech's fitness, I remember when we signed Courtois I read someone who said Cech would have back problems and would struggle to play until his 40s... I don't mean that we've to trust anyone but let's not be blind either.

I wanted us to sign Begovic who is a great goalkeeper, very complete. But it would have been completely selfish considering we would have stopped his evolution. Plus he's not the kind to be part of a turnover, Sorensen managed to regain his place.

Cudicini was great but he wasn't focused anymore at the end of his spell. In fact I think it's not possible to have a talented goalkeeper at Chelsea, I mean Cech plays 60 games a season and no goalkeeper with little ability would accept a backup role. Look at Foster, he could have stayed at ManU but he chosed to go at Birmingham then West Brom and he's currently arguably the best english Goalkeeper.

Victor Valdes is a mediocre goalkeeper but he deserve credit to be ready even with just one or two interventions to make in a game. It's the same with a backup goalkeeper of someone like Cech.

Paulo Ferreira, Hilario, Turnbull cannot afford to make themselves sick about their rare appearance during the month (or more) separating their games played. They're average now but they're consistent, they havent their mind elsewhere when they're asked to play

On the contrary it is possible.

manu - lindergaard

bolton - bogdan

fulham - stockdale

stoke - begovic/sorensen

manc - pantilimon

liverpool - jones - who had a good game in the fa cup semis btw - and doni

sunderland had westwood mignolet and gordon last year - and now they have westwood and mignolet who are both good

west ham have jaaskelainen and henderson

aston villa - guzan

spurs have gomes who was one of the best keepers in the dutch league at PSV (atleast hyped so) and has now accepted back-up role last season.

as u can see, the above keepers are much better than our pair. and most of them are from other European leagues. with decent scouts it is possible to get good keepers who agree to be backups.

But i have to concede one point. our situation is very strange because thibaut courtois is definitely seen as the guy to replace Cech. so any backup we try to sign will be wary of it and probably wont join us but if we sell hilario/turnbull it is possible to sign a good keeper who will accept a back--up role. with over 60 games in the season, cech doesn't have to play all the games then without jeopardising our chances

[SeB 1,281]

I think I've been misunderstood. My point wasn't that you cannot have two good goalkeepers (though I've never been convinced by signings in order to create a concurrence btw but that's not the subject). My point is that you cannot ask a quite good goalkeeper to sit on the bench 60 games a season considering Cech is one of the best in the world and even if he has two or three bad games in a row, nobody would habe the idea to replace Cech for a little while.

We're in the particular situation where we need homegrown players, so then we have to pick british players. We know that GK is a specific role in english football (compared to the french or continental way to produce young GK) and that the decent/good british goalkeepers don't hesitate to look lower on the table in order to sign in "smaller" clubs where they would play week and week.

Your list is right, but in fact you can see that there are no world class goalkeeper as starters in there and so then the concurrence notion isn't killed in the egg.