Mark Flekken (Closed Thread)

[Gazza Bee]

Would he have saved yesterdays goal (or about 10 others this season) if he had dived? Maybe, probably not. But he’s definitely have more chance of saving it if he dived than just stood there.

He was totally unsighted - I was nearly directly behind it and thought it was going wide until the net rippled. No keeper saves it with a defender in their line of vision.

 

[heebeegeebee]

I've only recently found out out his first name is mark, i thought it was fukken because the bloke who sits behind me always says i see we've got fukken fleckken in goal again.

 

[cliffbee]

Can't we just enjoy the victory tonight.

Too right. Some people are never happy unless they're unhappy. I'm not convinced Flekken is the long-term answer but the bloke sounds so low on confidence I'd say he could be suffering from depression. Message to the haters: take a long look in the mirror.

 

[Travel Tavern Bee]

Some of the comments on FB groups are embarrassing, Yet another group of morons that have never played the game or understood it .

 

[gbems92]

He hasnt had the priviledge of playing infront of the strong settled spine that raya has had over the years. No denying hes not as good as raya but some of the stick he gets is OTT. First goal theres bodies in the way and ball curling away from him right into the corner

 

[Ash]

He hasnt had the priviledge of playing infront of the strong settled spine that raya has had over the years. No denying hes not as good as raya but some of the stick he gets is OTT. First goal theres bodies in the way and ball curling away from him right into the corner

I recall watching him in the preseason friendlies when Raya also played. He was the same as he is now. Poser.

 

[Twickenhamben]

He’s not often dropped a howler but got to say that the I’ve yet to see him make a decent save. Not sure he’s cost us too many points but at the same time can’t think he’s saved us too many either.

 

[gordonbankole]

Honestly people are over analysing and being over critical, name two games he has had the same defence and midfield in front of him?

It's been a turbulent season with changes every week, back 4/5 changes constantly due to injuries. Lots of goals have been result of some of the worst defending we've done in the PL.

Any keeper will struggle with that. Janelt prime example for the first so so sloppy, or for the second Mee completely lost his man.

Trying to over analysing and find blame on him for outfield errors quite frankly is sad.

He'll absolutely be our number 1 for this and next season. So all the haters can hate...

I’m sorry, but this language is totally over the top. I guess at least we were spared that dreadful “haters gonna hate” phrase.

This is a forum for opinions and remarkably enough, some will be more positive than others.

I might not rate the guy particularly, but I don’t “hate” him, as I am sure is the case with the vast majority of people. What’s more, I would bet that 90-95% of them would back the guy to the hilt in the stadium.

Something in that interview did not seem right to me - he actually seems like quite an introverted guy who is going through a tough time of it (maybe something off the field?), for which he has my sympathy.

If you used the word “critic”, that would be fair; however, “hater”, sorry no,

 

[The Pipe]

Seems to me that we have 2 competent goal keepers, neither spectacular but both adequate. Our style of play determines that our keeper is good with the ball at his feet hence why Flekken gets the nod.

whether our coaching staff can get more out of either of them remains to be seen but for know we should support both as we need them and don’t need to damage their confidence

 

[josht]

I think the thing that is most weird and strange to see - a gk only knows for certain whether they could or couldn't have saved a shot if they make an attempt to save it. And Flekken rarely makes an attempt when the shot is wide of him, but instead just looks completely caught out and pole axed.

I don't think he really stood a chance with either of the goals yesterday, but between those and the two Mangala shots that went narrowly wide, he looked like he had just given up on any attempt to save them the second they were hit.

 

[aawharris]

Would he have saved yesterdays goal (or about 10 others this season) if he had dived? Maybe, probably not. But he’s definitely have more chance of saving it if he dived than just stood there.

Would have exactly the same chance of stopping them - 0.
All it would do is appease people who like to see people "making an effort".

 

[Ashbee]

Think he was flat footed on two occasions yesterday especially for the first goal

 

[Downbeat Bee]

I wanted to check - but I can't see any way that Flekken can stop those two goals yesterday.

However, I am sure that Forest were tyring to whip crosses in and shoot whenever possible as these were perceived to be weaknesses of Flekken's.

 

[aawharris]

I wanted to check - but I can't see any way that Flekken can stop those two goals yesterday.

However, I am sure that Forest were tyring to whip crosses in and shoot whenever possible as these were perceived to be weaknesses of Flekken's.

Which was good, because they probably would have had a better chance to score if they passed a couple more times rather than shoot early

 

[NorthamptonBee]

I really want him to be good, this drop to your knees and watch it sail in or go close is scary.

 

[Indian Bee]

At least we didn’t sign Matt Turner. Absolute dross he is.

 

[Wilmslow Bee]

Totally agree and if you watch there was also another occasion in the second half when he did the same but the ball hit his water bottle. There seems to be no reading of the oppositions players body position or understanding of where the ball is likely to go. I’m not impressed with him at all yet and to think we paid a similar amount as what Spurs did for their goalkeeper I know who I would rather have. He just doesn’t seem nimble enough.
But whilst he is a Bee I will still support him.

The shot that hit the water bottle was sliced quite badly. Which goalkeepers are reading a mishit strike at goal from the players body position?

 

[GuyBee]

I dont think Flekken has a chance with either of those.

However, compare Danilo's goal with Ghoddos' a couple of months ago.....very similar goals. Trafford, who doesnt look very tall, is in full flight and nearly gets a hand on it.....Flekken on the other hand kneels down.

At the point Danilo strikes it Flekken doesnt know how well he is going to hit it, so if he throws himself at it, and the shot is 10% worse maybe he gets it?

 

[Gazza Bee]

I dont think Flekken has a chance with either of those.

However, compare Danilo's goal with Ghoddos' a couple of months ago.....very similar goals. Trafford, who doesnt look very tall, is in full flight and nearly gets a hand on it.....Flekken on the other hand kneels down.

At the point Danilo strikes it Flekken doesnt know how well he is going to hit it, so if he throws himself at it, and the shot is 10% worse maybe he gets it?

Look where Janelt is in relation to Flekken when Danilo hits it - straight in front of him. Trafford was fully sighted so there is a big difference.

 

[jlove]

Look where Janelt is in relation to Flekken when Danilo hits it - straight in front of him. Trafford was fully sighted so there is a big difference.

Still waiting for the ball to come down

 

[Gazza Bee]

Still waiting for the ball to come down

Yeah not his finest moment

 

[GuyBee]

Look where Janelt is in relation to Flekken when Danilo hits it - straight in front of him. Trafford was fully sighted so there is a big difference.

Any GK’s on here? Look at his feet position on Mangala’s shot from behind the other goal. Should his feet be that far apart?

I think that is generous..

EDIT: I expect that to post the picture from the post, sorry, but see post 2009. That is not what I would call a lot of traffic

 

[Gazza Bee]

It really isn't - the camera angle from behind Danilo shows Janelt in his sight line as the shot is struck

 

[GuyBee]

Look at the Ghoddos goal, plenty of traffic there. TBF it is from further out, but in turn Saman hits it harder

 

[gordonbankole]

Think he was flat footed on two occasions yesterday especially for the first goal

DAZN showed the replay very shortly after the first goal.

I can only guess you didn’t see it.

I am not Flekken’s biggest fan, but the guy could not have hit/placed it better. No goalkeeper is saving that, simple as.

If you want to place any blame, you need to look at what happened just before.

The criticism he copped for yesterday is way out of line and totally unfair, as now we seem to be expecting him to be saving the unsavable, as opposed to the “could he have done better?” ones from the last few months where the doubts were more justified.

 

[hanworthbee]

Seems as if no goalkeeper is ever saving any goal we ever concede.

 

[SmiffyBee]

I have to say without a doubt the Oscar for watching the ball go by with classic posing goes to?

Yup you guessed it: Mark Flekken of Brentford FC

Now, let the “flack” begin! I am a ready.

Optics weren't good, but in all truth, he wouldn't have saved either goal yesterday unless he took a weird initial position, which would have been even more fuel for the Flekken Flackers.

Onto next week for Brentford's no 1.

 

[cm_851]

Definitely struggling with his confidence and still seems very flat footed. You don’t get to be one of the top Keepers in the Bundesliga without being decent but sometimes it just doesn’t work out at a club. Hoping that as the team grows in confidence so does he. I would say that, if by the start of next season he is still no1 then he would’ve turned a corner in the second half the season otherwise I don’t think the club will hesitate to bring in someone else. You can’t afford to stand still in the Premier League.

 

[paulj]

Having observed him in the second half, as my seat is behind the goal in the East stand, any cross or corner that comes in he is leaden footed and rooted to the spot where he is standing. Totally reliant on his defenders to clear the ball. If the are beaten to the ball he has very little chance to make a save and preventing a goal from such close range, only my opinions, I might be talking a load of b”locks but that how I see it.

 

[Brandy]

This quote is from our goalkeeper coach when we signed him,

“He will fit very well with our style of play. His strengths on the pitch are his quality on the ball, his agility as a shot-stopper, and his space awareness as a sweeper keeper and in defending crosses.’’

IMO I believe that the criticism directed at Flekken is OTT, however he can clearly improve in commanding his area. I have faith that this will be something our GK coach will work on with him. Much like Reya clearly improved overall as a keeper whilst with us.

 

[WARFIELD BEE]

Think he was flat footed on two occasions yesterday especially for the first goal

This I am afraid is common.

 

[WARFIELD BEE]

I really want him to be good, this drop to your knees and watch it sail in or go close is scary.

He is so often a spectator he needs to pay an admission charge.

 

[Stanley]

There seems to be a lack of confidence amongst our defence generally at the moment leading to us conceding a lot of goals . Collins seems to be working his way back after that horror show against Wolves and Pinnock hasn't looked quite his commanding self these last couple of months. Add in an array of stand in fullbacks and none of this helps Flekken who from his interview clearly is working through some issues and thinks he has higher levels to achieve.

Hopefully the arrival of Reguilon and a much needed win under our belt will start to improve things.

 

[Mick.C]

It’s the ‘lack of confidence’ phrase that most posters quote. That’s the consensus.
A keeper can have a poor run of form, like any player.
Like a batsman out of form in cricket, the feet don’t move like they should to get behind the red ball.
Flekken is nervous, you can see it, you can feel it.

He has to play through it, to succeed, but the club and GK coach Manu Sotelo now have to work even harder with him to succeed. Raya was a puncher and flapper and prone to dealing with crosses like he was hailing a taxi when at Blackburn.

Flekken won’t just come good by luck, his ball to feet distribution is top level, but the nervousness around the ground yesterday when it pinballed around the area isn’t new and the back 6 including him look vulnerable
Flekken has to change his demeanour, he’s 6ft 5, a huge presence of a man, he has to ‘come get’ be vocal with the back line and command his box or he will be targeted as a line keeper who waits and watches and we have Liverpool, Arsenal and Citeh twice to test him and the defence in the next month.

These games never worried us before in the last two seasons, so if Marks dream was always to play in the PL as he said on joining, he has the perfect chance to show us as he’s gonna get a lot of work in the next month.
Good players are good players, where form is temporary but class is permanent.
The following month will really tell us whether Flekken is good enough or will follow the Alvaro, Lossl route.

 

[Billy Hunt]

Honestly people are over analysing and being over critical

Trying to over analysing and find blame on him for outfield errors quite frankly is sad.

 

[Bridge Bee]

It’s the lack of diving that leaves him open to criticism. Happened numerous times this season and comes across as flat footed and shocked that the oppo dare to have a shot.

Needs to wake up as we can’t carry a keeper with so many outfield injuries.

 

[wibs]

Genuinely find it fascinating with him. That first goal yesterday, yet again falls in the camp of he could have done better whilst at the same time acknowledging no keeper could have got it.

I think it is because he watches a lot of goals go in, with a great view

 

[Beecareful]

It’s the ‘lack of confidence’ phrase that most posters quote. That’s the consensus.
A keeper can have a poor run of form, like any player.
Like a batsman out of form in cricket, the feet don’t move like they should to get behind the red ball.
Flekken is nervous, you can see it, you can feel it.

He has to play through it, to succeed, but the club and GK coach Manu Sotelo now have to work even harder with him to succeed. Raya was a puncher and flapper and prone to dealing with crosses like he was hailing a taxi when at Blackburn.

Flekken won’t just come good by luck, his ball to feet distribution is top level, but the nervousness around the ground yesterday when it pinballed around the area isn’t new and the back 6 including him look vulnerable
Flekken has to change his demeanour, he’s 6ft 5, a huge presence of a man, he has to ‘come get’ be vocal with the back line and command his box or he will be targeted as a line keeper who waits and watches and we have Liverpool, Arsenal and Citeh twice to test him and the defence in the next month.

These games never worried us before in the last two seasons, so if Marks dream was always to play in the PL as he said on joining, he has the perfect chance to show us as he’s gonna get a lot of work in the next month.
Good players are good players, where form is temporary but class is permanent.
The following month will really tell us whether Flekken is good enough or will follow the Alvaro, Lossl route.

top post from a top poster.

 

[gordonbankole]

Genuinely find it fascinating with him. That first goal yesterday, yet again falls in the camp of he could have done better whilst at the same time acknowledging no keeper could have got it.

I think it is because he watches a lot of goals go in, with a great view

This is getting stupid.

A cleanly hit shot goes just inside the post from front on and it is Flekken’s fault apparently.

I have criticised him this season for not commanding his box and retreating behind his goal line (Everton), but it is now a case of slagging him off for every goal he concedes.

A bit of balance please.

 

[HMDBFC]

Some of his short passing is incredible, yesterday under intense pressure he lobbed incoming attackers to find our player and although it scares me to death watching it, these are not the actions of a goalkeeper lacking confidence. I thought his distribution yesterday was very very good....

 

[Isleworth_Bee]

Ridiculous over analysis of a player low on confidence.

The "not diving for the sake if it" comments are bizarre and i would rather that nonsense was left for the likes of Pickford.

We win a game and this player is still getting the same flack for things he had no control over.

Certain members of the defence IMO are getting away with loads and should be questioned as much if not more then FMs performances.

 

[wibs]

This is getting stupid.

A cleanly hit shot goes just inside the post from front on and it is Flekken’s fault apparently.

I have criticised him this season for not commanding his box and retreating behind his goal line (Everton), but it is now a case of slagging him off for every goal he concedes.

A bit of balance please.

Youre the one in need of balance, I literally said "no keeper could have got to it"

You quoted my post and interpreted that as "it is Flekkens fault"

Amazing and bizarre

 

[Hippobee]

Certain members of the defence IMO are getting away with loads and should be questioned as much if not more then FMs performances.

I agree. But...

Are the defence making rickets due to a lack of confidence in Flekken, or is Flekken being hesitant because he doesn't have confidence in what's in front of him?

I think it's probably both. Couple of points:

1. Yesterday's defensive line was experienced with Mee, Pinnock and Collins all in there. That should give Flekken confidence, having played in front of various personnel recently. Roerslev played well too. Janelt shouldn't be playing back there imo - his clearance was rubbish and defenders should have closed down the shot quicker.

2. Picture 2021/22 when our defensive line was solid, but Raya was injured. They has no confidence in Lossl/Alvarez and it showed - the defence made uncharacteristic mistakes, as they weren't sure what the keeper would do. Raya came back and suddenly, both defence and keeper looked confident.

I have yet to see Flekken exude a confidence that has made our defence play like they can rely on him.

 

[westendbee]

My point is keepers look like dickheads when they dive for balls they have no chance in saving, it may appease a few fans "oooh at least he made an effort )yeah, he was 12 foot from it)" , but why risk injury just for the cameras?
Thats the point with Turner for Maupays goal - he looks stupid.

Let’s turn this round : Jensen / Damsgaard / choose your midfielder didn’t go into a 50/50 challenge because of the risk of injury … and the oppo went on and scored - they would get slaughtered on here!

 

[westendbee]

I agree. But...

Are the defence making rickets due to a lack of confidence in Flekken, or is Flekken being hesitant because he doesn't have confidence in what's in front of him?

I think it's probably both. Couple of points:

1. Yesterday's defensive line was experienced with Mee, Pinnock and Collins all in there. That should give Flekken confidence, having played in front of various personnel recently. Roerslev played well too. Janelt shouldn't be playing back there imo - his clearance was rubbish and defenders should have closed down the shot quicker.

2. Picture 2021/22 when our defensive line was solid, but Raya was injured. They has no confidence in Lossl/Alvarez and it showed - the defence made uncharacteristic mistakes, as they weren't sure what the keeper would do. Raya came back and suddenly, both defence and keeper looked confident.

I have yet to see Flekken exude a confidence that has made our defence play like they can rely on him.

Just once, I would like to see Flekken make a “wow, how did he reach that” save … even the Forest keeper has managed that this season

 

[aawharris]

Let’s turn this round : Jensen / Damsgaard / choose your midfielder didn’t go into a 50/50 challenge because of the risk of injury … and the oppo went on and scored - they would get slaughtered on here!

What you are saying is if they went into a 0/100 challenge (i.e had absolutely no chance of getting the ball and stupidly injured themselves - think Gazza in the FA Cup against Forest ) and got injured they would be slaughtered - correctly because it would be reckless (although im sure would appease a few of the "make an effort" crew)
If it was a 50/50 on Flekken saving it, he would have dived, but it was 0/100 so he didnt needlessly dive

 

[westendbee]

What you are saying is if they went into a 0/100 challenge (i.e had absolutely no chance of getting the ball and stupidly injured themselves - think Gazza in the FA Cup against Forest ) and got injured they would be slaughtered - correctly because it would be reckless (although im sure would appease a few of the "make an effort" crew)
If it was a 50/50 on Flekken saving it, he would have dived, but it was 0/100 so he didnt needlessly dive

So almost every shot our opponents have are 0/100 against being saved?

 

[gordonbankole]

Youre the one in need of balance, I literally said "no keeper could have got to it"

You quoted my post and interpreted that as "it is Flekkens fault"

Amazing and bizarre

Amazing and bizarre maybe that you cannot understand my interpretation of your post when you also said (direct quote) “falls in the camp of could have done better” and then mention his lack of movement after that.

You want balance from me, I want a bit of clarity from you then as quite frankly I have no idea what on earth you are trying to say with your post.

 

[wibs]

Amazing and bizarre maybe that you cannot understand my interpretation of your post when you also said (direct quote) “falls in the camp of could have done better” and then mention his lack of movement after that.

You want balance from me, I want a bit of clarity from you then as quite frankly I have no idea what on earth you are trying to say with your post.

I didn't mention his lack of movement, I said he seems to watch a lot of goals going in

My point is simply, and I made it earlier in the thread, I've never known a keeper who lets in so many goals that one feels he could have done better with, even though if you watch them again he clearly has no chance with

It IS NOT a criticism, it's just some sort of weird aura he gives off and I don't understand why myself and others feel he could have done better with a few goals, despite it being apparent he couldnt

When Raya for example let a goal in it was incredibly rare that one felt he could have done better (Fulham play off final excepted!)

 

[aawharris]

So almost every shot our opponents have are 0/100 against being saved?

No, the ones he can save, he saves (or attempts to).
The ones he has no chance of saving (like yesterday), he doesnt throw himself needlessly into the air a la Pickford