David Raya - Signs to June 2024

[Voice from the Braemar]

A good keeper but beginning to get on my nerves with these continuous clangers....it’s gonna cost us big time soon....needs to sort his fkin head out ASAP....we can’t keep giving teams a head start

 

[Kingston Bee]

Not the time now to change your keeper. He is the man and is integral to how we play. Daniels is a good keeper but there is a big element missing that Raya provides hence the interest from Arsenal. True he has made errors but he is still the no 1 imo, we need to show our confidence in him, he will come good. He will be playing against Norwich, why would you think otherwise.

 

[paulj]

On a night we should be celebrating a comeback win and now clear in 2nd place, I was only making positive comments about our keeper in my opinion, end off. Not going to bother to get any more discussion about him.

 

[Billy Hunt]

On a night we should be celebrating a comeback win and now clear in 2nd place, I was only making positive comments about our keeper in my opinion, end off. Not going to bother to get any more discussion about him.

You've made your point. I agree with you. Others do not. Don't let it worry you.

 

[gbems92]

I think the fact we won today buys him more time but surely no one is undroppable

Weird cos last season I dont remember him dropping clangers like this. Lets hope he's had his quota for this term now. Still our No1.

Fulham *cries*

 

[Sandybee]

No chance. Raya has messed up a few times but his use of the ball is better than Daniels. You keep the best player in the shirt at this time of the season. We just have to accept that he has had a few poor ones.

Measured over their whole careers, it would be easy to make a comparison between the two, however, a loss of form can happen to anyone, and is temporary. He’s been 1st choice for a long time. Maybe he needs a rest. I would imagine that being a keeper is very stressful. I remember Richard Lee saying he only enjoyed the matches after the final whistle!

 

[Isleworth_Bee]

That mistake was awful. ****ing awful. But lets not look past the fact hes a better keeper then Daniels by miles. His distribution was off a little as well today.

New GK coach not working?

 

[lanzabee]

I think the fact we won today buys him more time but surely no one is undroppable


Fulham *cries*

Agree, not defending his clangers, just thinl he's our best current option.

 

[lanzabee]

Measured over their whole careers, it would be easy to make a comparison between the two, however, a loss of form can happen to anyone, and is temporary. He’s been 1st choice for a long time. Maybe he needs a rest. I would imagine that being a keeper is very stressful. I remember Richard Lee saying he only enjoyed the matches after the final whistle!

Richard Lee's book is a good read. He experienced a lot of anxiety during his career, especially at Watford (who wouldnt). Wasnt really enjoying the game, nearly quit, but worked hard on his mindset to pull through. Quite inspiring really, always liked him and he loved his time at BFC, very fond of the fans and the club

 

[jbee]

He's generally good with the ball at his feet but today was bad. When it comes to the basics of goalkeeping he's poor in the air, quick off his line and a good shot stopper at close range, more iffy from distance. It is what it is but he's our best option and suits our style. Hopefully he's got all his mistakes in early and will have an immaculate end to the season.

 

[Delbee]

That's another awful error. You do have to wonder if it sends a great message to the rest of the team that Raya is seemingly undroppable

Dont think Thomas will drop Raya

 

[beebopalula]

Lots of statements that he's better than Daniels. Not sure what they are based on.Daniels has put in excellent performances when called upon and no cock ups.Still l don't expect Thomas to drop him.

 

[liverbee]

Bentley exuded chaos to the team. Raya doesn't. At the same time, I can't believe that people forgot the one in the 1-5 away to Hull.. Cant see a problem in giving Daniels a run out.

 

[Holysmit]

On a night we should be celebrating a comeback win and now clear in 2nd place, I was only making positive comments about our keeper in my opinion, end off. Not going to bother to get any more discussion about him.

Agree I'm ecstatic about the results today but blindly praising players when they don't deserves it does them no favours and only brings them into question imo.

 

[BEEcool]

Richard Lee's book is a good read. He experienced a lot of anxiety during his career, especially at Watford (who wouldnt). Wasnt really enjoying the game, nearly quit, but worked hard on his mindset to pull through. Quite inspiring really, always liked him and he loved his time at BFC, very fond of the fans and the club

I liked him until he started trying to flog me coffee on Twitter in some sort of dodgy pyramid scheme.

As for Raya, the recent errors are quite alarming. I’d keep him in the team but might have felt differently had we lost today (which I realise isn’t really rationale) but the error today at least hasn’t cost us points.

 

[Simon W]

We have to keep a settled back 5 as much as we can ... for me he stays in the team

 

[Alan D]

For me I've never raved about him like many on here. He is an ok keeper who is a good shot stopper (aren't they all), but in general he is a superb distributor of the ball. I don't think he is the best in the Championship, but far from the worse. Having said that I don't think he will ever be a very top keeper. Basically in modern day football all the best keepers are considerably taller than him (nothing he can do about that). In many respects he reminds me of Pickford a decent keeper who lacks the physical presence to be a world class goalkeeper.

 

[The Pipe]

Allison at Liverpool is considered one of the very best in the Premier League but has proved to have mistakes in him. Raya has made mistakes but equally in some games has been the reason for victory

Raya is good, Daniels is good but not such a sweeper keeper, either choice is fine but I feel that Raya is the better option of the 2 and reckon the coaches will share that opinion

 

[paulmaddy]

Think he needs a bit of help from coaches. Personally I would be telling him he needs to keep it simple in first 10 mins of a game and just clear it. Once team has settled into the game then it's ok to start intricate passing out from the back.

Ridiculous attempting that pass today in first 20 seconds of a game.

I wouldn't drop him though.

 

[David Brentford]

Maybe as someone else has said he just needs to play it safe for the first 15 to 20 mins or so to let us settle into the game. I was frustrated at the time but have now moved on. He is integral to our play and won’t be dropped. Lets get behind him..

 

[Lionel Bart-At]

That mistake was awful. ****ing awful. But lets not look past the fact hes a better keeper then Daniels by miles. His distribution was off a little as well today.

New GK coach not working?

That's harsh though, in the circumstances: a). he was pressed directly by Stoke forwards, and b). first half at least (when his distribution was off kilter) Stoke had everyone marked up so tightly in our half that absolutely nobody was free to receive the ball.

 

[Bixer]

I suppose the question is then, how many more big mistakes does he need to make before he deserves to lose his place? One? Two? Is it irrelevant if our attackers continue to be able to score at least two per game to cancel it out?

And truthfully how are any of us qualified to say how much better he is than Daniels? Based on 5 cup appearances this season, 4 of which were against Premier League opposition?

I’m not sure where I stand on if he should be dropped or not, but it’s certainly worthy of discussion. There seems to be a bit of an assumption that Raya’s the better keeper ‘just because he is’.

 

[GP200]

................needs a few sessions with Joebee.................

 

[shaun]

That mistake was awful. ****ing awful. But lets not look past the fact hes a better keeper then Daniels by miles. His distribution was off a little as well today.

New GK coach not working?

Better than Daniel by miles? Better - yeah. Most of the time. By miles? No chance.

 

[Nickabee]

Allison at Liverpool is considered one of the very best in the Premier League but has proved to have mistakes in him. Raya has made mistakes but equally in some games has been the reason for victory

Raya is good, Daniels is good but not such a sweeper keeper, either choice is fine but I feel that Raya is the better option of the 2 and reckon the coaches will share that opinion

Most sensible post on this thread today. Raya has been linked with Premiership teams because they have had their scouts watching him. All keepers make errors but the key point is the mental strength to put it aside. How many times at Griffin Park have we totally fazed a opponent’s keeper by our chants - it’s all you fault for example

 

[Vid]

I blame Delilah. At least wear a hat till it grows back and keeps the sun out of his eyes.

 

[Mr Cynical]

The errors are annoying but otherwise he's an excellent keeper. He didn't let it affect him at all for the rest of the game. Far from what others have said on here, he's pretty good with crosses and plucked a few out of the air today. His ability to play sweeper keeper is a massive plus, particularly with the current lack of pace in the back four. I wouldn't swap him for Daniels unless he had an absolute meltdown tbh...

 

[Balders Bee]

I'm not sure the debate is as simple as saying Raya is better than Daniels. Raya is at his best a superb keeper aggressive in his style, decisive, superb reactions and peerless in the Championship in terms of his distribution. However he is not currently at his best, yes of course keepers make mistakes but the frequency of those errors and magnitude is significant & a concern. The second Coventry goal and Stoke's opener today were poor errors in passing and judgement & unnecessary. In Raya's defence he never let's errors impact his confidence and for the rest of the game remained confident & dealt well with any Stoke threat.
IF - and it's a huge IF- TF does bring Daniels in I would be absolutely confident in his ability to do an excellent job, he is a highly competent keeper & proven performer. However I can't see Frank dropping Raya for the Norwich game it's not his style but any more bloopers and more will start to question if it isn't time to give Daniels a run.

 

[boatmonkey]

I'm not sure the debate is as simple as saying Raya is better than Daniels. Raya is at his best a superb keeper aggressive in his style, decisive, superb reactions and peerless in the Championship in terms of his distribution. However he is not currently at his best, yes of course keepers make mistakes but the frequency of those errors and magnitude is significant & a concern. The second Coventry goal and Stoke's opener today were poor errors in passing and judgement & unnecessary. In Raya's defence he never let's errors impact his confidence and for the rest of the game remained confident & dealt well with any Stoke threat.
IF - and it's a huge IF- TF does bring Daniels in I would be absolutely confident in his ability to do an excellent job, he is a highly competent keeper & proven performer. However I can't see Frank dropping Raya for the Norwich game it's not his style but any more bloopers and more will start to question if it isn't time to give Daniels a run.

The other thing is, that assuming Raya does not become a total disaster (I don’t think he will and think he is very good, when not handing out free gifts to oppo forwards) it’s not in the financial interest of the club as he is a high value saleable asset and dropping him for any sustained period would significantly reduce his value at point of sale.
There might be an argument that not getting promoted will have a greater financial impact, but I’m not comfortable saying promotion won’t happen unless we drop Raya in favour on Daniels.

 

[hanworthbee]

Hes cost us a few goals over the last year... especially the PO final....but also kept us in plenty of games like Boro....can't keep making them though and expect the team to save his

 

[jonny c]

Pros:
Wonderful shot stopper
Comfortable with ball at feet and brilliant distribution
Quick off his line

Cons:
Claiming crosses or balls in the air
Prone to the odd mistake

Would be really interesting to get the opinions of the back 4 as to who they would rather have behind them after his last mistake.

I'd still be perfectly happy with Raya or Daniels starting but equally I dont buy all this "just play it safe for the first 20 minutes" logic either. The answer is don't make silly mistakes - doesn't matter whether its the first 20 or last 70 minutes. It's not to stop playing the way we have become successful with, for the first 20 minutes. Just instills a culture of fear

 

[Bigbee]

Start with Daniels and bring on Raya when we're 4-0 up

 

[Mr Cynical]

Pros:
Wonderful shot stopper
Comfortable with ball at feet and brilliant distribution
Quick off his line

Cons:
Claiming crosses or balls in the air
Prone to the odd mistake

Would be really interesting to get the opinions of the back 4 as to who they would rather have behind them after his last mistake.

I'd still be perfectly happy with Raya or Daniels starting but equally I dont buy all this "just play it safe for the first 20 minutes" logic either. The answer is don't make silly mistakes - doesn't matter whether its the first 20 or last 70 minutes. It's not to stop playing the way we have become successful with, for the first 20 minutes. Just instills a culture of fear

don’t buy this ‘dodgy on crosses’ thing. He’s been as good as anyone in recent years at picking out (and catching) crosses.. think there’s a little rose-tinted going on with Daniels in this regard too as he’s far more likely to stay on his line which puts more pressure on the CBs

 

[alexinho]

Drops some clangers but - to my mind - easily wins us more points than he loses us with those mistakes.

Yesterday's was bad, and losing that game 0-1 (as we definitely would have done in previous seasons) would have hurt. The goal reminded me of Millwall away last season, and the response to Stoke going ahead illustrated how far we've come since then.

If you look at the players they clearly appreciate Raya and go to congratulate him after saves/ claims etc. I definitely don't think he lacks the confidence of the team, but as some have already said, we play risky at the back and he is guilty of that too. It's central to how we play, and isn't going to change...

 

[ianbees1]

I need to pay a visit to the confessional box today after some of my language when that Stoke goal went in. Honest, I didn't mean it David, I think you're a really good keeper.

 

[TW1Bee]

I suppose the question is then, how many more big mistakes does he need to make before he deserves to lose his place? One? Two? Is it irrelevant if our attackers continue to be able to score at least two per game to cancel it out?

And truthfully how are any of us qualified to say how much better he is than Daniels? Based on 5 cup appearances this season, 4 of which were against Premier League opposition?

I’m not sure where I stand on if he should be dropped or not, but it’s certainly worthy of discussion. There seems to be a bit of an assumption that Raya’s the better keeper ‘just because he is’.

Daniels also played in the first four league games also. Players make mistakes all over the pitch and in most cases don't pay for them unfortunately keepers more than often do. AFA crosses are concerned as some have alluded to on here Raya claimed at least three yeatersay comfortably when under pressure. Should not be dropped and is a good .member if the squad for team spirit alone .

 

[SmiffyBee]

That's his last life gone. Has to be Daniels until the end of the season now.

Sorry.
This is not a comment I can allow to pass.
He's saved us more times than cost us.


He stays as numero uno.

 

[Edmundo]

He's so good as the "sweeper-keeper" that it can be like having an extra player at times. On the other hand, mistakes like yesterday fill everyone with horror. But how many times have we actually lost or drawn games that we would have won because of a Raya mistake? All players screw up many times in a single game. Raya makes fewer errors than almost anyone else. And when he does, he doesn't let it affect his game - unlike Daniel Bentley, for whom the mistakes saw him fall to pieces. I'd stick with Raya as he really helps us tick.

 

[Kingston Bee]

Raya is more than a keeper to us, he is part of a very strong spine of the team when all are fit, and all of them are leaders. As good as Daniels is he does not have that presence. Raya is an integral part of the team that forms the strong spine that the rest of the team is built on, this does not change because of his mistake. I expect him to show his leadership qualities now and return better than ever.

 

[Sandybee]

That's harsh though, in the circumstances: a). he was pressed directly by Stoke forwards, and b). first half at least (when his distribution was off kilter) Stoke had everyone marked up so tightly in our half that absolutely nobody was free to receive the ball.

Two factors that other teams’ coaches have picked up on, and are trying to exploit it.

 

[Hippobee]

Raya is more than a keeper to us, he is part of a very strong spine of the team when all are fit, and all of them are leaders. As good as Daniels is he does not have that presence. Raya is an integral part of the team that forms the strong spine that the rest of the team is built on, this does not change because of his mistake. I expect him to show his leadership qualities now and return better than ever.

I agree with all that. He has had more than his fair share of rickets this season. The difference this year, compared to other recent ones, is that there is the talent and steely determination to get back into games. Something like 21 points gained this season from losing positions - the best in the division. For the last few seasons, it was pretty much nailed on that if we went behind, we wouldn't win (a couple of notable exceptions Millwall & Charlton last year).

The point here is that Raya would be getting far more scrutiny & criticism for his mistakes if they were costing us lots of points. As others have said, at the moment, the pros outweigh the cons.

 

[sonofabee]

We’ve got a huge presence and influential keeper rather than a safe shot stopper.
He makes decisions and he is a sweeper keeper whose excellent distribution is a hugely important factor in the way we set up (we’re second and the highest scorers in the league with he greatest goal difference).
He is mortal and makes mistakes, a couple of very frustrating ones in last couple of weeks but I still maintain at this level his overall contribution is better than almost any other keeper in this league.
The passing out from his own box is risky but % wise it’s been excellent this season with two big blips, not sure with the pitch like it was yesterday it was wise in first two minutes to be going short and we got caught.
Goalkeeping coach should be telling him to be more aggressive when coming out for the ball from set pieces and smash the granny out of everyone and anything in his way as refs never give a foul against the keeper. On other crosses in play he is excellent.
If we get up I think we may need a bigger, better version of the same type of keeper or our style will see us winning lots of admirers and very few points if we go behind.
He’s miles better than any other keeper except Czezney who wasn’t ours anyway IMHO

 

[ruislip bee]

Pros:
Wonderful shot stopper
Comfortable with ball at feet and brilliant distribution
Quick off his line

Cons:
Claiming crosses or balls in the air
Prone to the odd mistake

Would be really interesting to get the opinions of the back 4 as to who they would rather have behind them after his last mistake.

I'd still be perfectly happy with Raya or Daniels starting but equally I dont buy all this "just play it safe for the first 20 minutes" logic either. The answer is don't make silly mistakes - doesn't matter whether its the first 20 or last 70 minutes. It's not to stop playing the way we have become successful with, for the first 20 minutes. Just instills a culture of fear

I think his claiming of crosses and catching the ball above his head are generally very good. He certainly catches rather than punches most which is good to see.

 

[AB]

He makes a few howlers but they don’t make him lose confidence the rest of the game or make his team mates distrust him. His errors, unlike perhaps Bentley’s, mainly seem to come from over-optimism than worry. He’s young and still developing but a big part of how we play. While Daniels does a sterling job as back up and made no real error during his early season spell while Raya was injured, we’ve been obviously a better team in the games since his return overall, even if there are 2-3 instances of him doing bad things Daniels wouldn’t have.

 

[CTBee]

Cons:
Claiming crosses or balls in the air

Interesting that some people are listing this a weakness. I think it's a strength, Raya comes and claims a lot of crosses, he doesn't punch them he catches them and that takes a lot of pressure off of the defence. He's far superior to previous number ones like Button and Bentley in this area and Daniels as well who is solid but doesn't have the 'handling' ability that Raya does to catch crosses.

 

[Isleworth_Bee]

That's harsh though, in the circumstances: a). he was pressed directly by Stoke forwards, and b). first half at least (when his distribution was off kilter) Stoke had everyone marked up so tightly in our half that absolutely nobody was free to receive the ball.

Not that harsh, he sent a high proportion of his kicks into the stands, we seem to forget that Bentley was berated for doing just that.

 

[Isleworth_Bee]

Better than Daniel by miles? Better - yeah. Most of the time. By miles? No chance.

Yes by miles and thats why Arsenal are interested. DR will play more games at a higher level then Daniels ever will.

 

[Isleworth_Bee]

We’ve got a huge presence and influential keeper rather than a safe shot stopper.
He makes decisions and he is a sweeper keeper whose excellent distribution is a hugely important factor in the way we set up (we’re second and the highest scorers in the league with he greatest goal difference).
He is mortal and makes mistakes, a couple of very frustrating ones in last couple of weeks but I still maintain at this level his overall contribution is better than almost any other keeper in this league.
The passing out from his own box is risky but % wise it’s been excellent this season with two big blips, not sure with the pitch like it was yesterday it was wise in first two minutes to be going short and we got caught.
Goalkeeping coach should be telling him to be more aggressive when coming out for the ball from set pieces and smash the granny out of everyone and anything in his way as refs never give a foul against the keeper. On other crosses in play he is excellent.
If we get up I think we may need a bigger, better version of the same type of keeper or our style will see us winning lots of admirers and very few points if we go behind.
He’s miles better than any other keeper except Czezney who wasn’t ours anyway IMHO

Nail on the head, Daniels is a safe shot stopper with less influence IMO. DR brings so much to the table.

A few mistakes doesnt make him a bad keeper. People have short memories, we were up in arms about the Arsenal interest.

 

[Cham]

Very bad error but the team got him out of it. He saved us against Boro and his distribution is world class

 

[hatfieldbee]

Good to see you post again soab.