When Fraser Forster decided to stay at St Mary's in the summer rather than a return to Celtic eyebrows were raised, but it was suggested that after talks with Ralph Hasenhuttl he was ready to fight for his place, how close is he to a recall ?

Alex McCarthy has been in reasonable form this season, but it has not been perfect and there have been questions asked about his positioning, his distribution, and his ability to concentrate for the full 90 minutes.

So although he has made some good saves and played a big part in Saints good form, the doubts were always there and in recent games have resurfaced, at Villa when Jack Grealish popped one in at the near post from distance, it was seen as a late error that didn't cost us anything, although one thing this season is that the table is so condensed that goal difference will play a big part.

But against Manchester United McCarthy made three big errors, although only one resulted in a goal.

The first was when he appeared to give Jannik Vestergaard the call to let a ball run through but then seemed to have a split second panic and suddenly stopped, this left him stranded but luckily the United attacker fired into the side netting when it looked easier to score.

The second error came shortly after when under little pressure he kicked the ball straight to the opposition, he redeemed himself with two quick saves, the second almost miraculous, but the truth was the need to make them were of his own making.

His third error was not so obvious, on United's second goal his starting position was poor and that meant he was always struggling to get to the ball and therefore his punch was weak, this created panic in the Saints defence and when the ball was put in early Jannik Vestergaard seemed to be trying to cover his keeper being out of position, rather than the fact that the rest of the defence had pushed up.

Another weakness is that on too many occasions he will make a save but push the ball out only a yard or two when there can be onrushing attackers, rather than push the ball out of the danger area.

I didn't start this article meaning it to be a complete hatchet job on McCarthy, he has played his part both this season and in the re start of the last, but having spent most of his career as a back up keeper, I am not convinced he has the concentration needed to play 90 minutes 38 times a season in the Premier League.

Thus I think that this must be playing on Ralph Hasenhuttl's mind at present and Fraser Forster must be as near to being selected on merit for a Saints Premier League game than at any time in the past 3 years.

Since conceding 5 in a defeat at Wembley against Spurs on Boxing Day 2017, Forster has played just once for Saints, that 18 months ago against West Ham when he was put into the team against West Ham to let Ralph see him in action.

The last two seasons have seen him at Celtic on loan and he has been impressive there, some would say outstanding and although a lot of it was in relatively easy games in the Scottish Premier League, there were pressure games where he shone, not just against Rangers but in Europe.

So is it time to give Fraser Forster a recall, is he now mentally back to his best and able to handle the pressure of the Premier League again, Forster is a certain type of keeper, for his size he is not as good at commanding his box as some, but then again Antti Niemi rarely left his line, but defenders work with keepers, they like consistency, they like to know when a keeper will come for the ball and when he will stay on his line.

This means they can deal with things, what they don't like is when they never know if a keeper will stay on his line or not.

I don't expect Fraser Forster to return against Brighton, I think Ralph will keep faith with Alex McCarthy and I think that the keeper deserves to show he is still the man for the job, but I don't think McCarthy is the undisputed Number 1, he cannot afford to let these mistakes keep happening, the problem is though is that at 31 it might be too late to banish these errors from his game.

So I suspect that next season a key signing will be a new goalkeeper, our three current options including the loaned out Angus Gunn each have six months to show they are the man going forward.

Each face different challenges to show their mettle, McCarthy has to show he can concentrate for the full 90 minutes and eradicate these errors, Forster has to show he has the confidence restored to his game that he has when he was a key member of the Saints team that with him in goal had 3 top 8 finishes and a Wembley League Cup Final and finally Angus Gunn has to show that he can be a top keeper at Stoke City.

That won't be easy for Gunn, firstly he has to displace Adam Davies who was the number 1 when he arrived, he did that when Davies suffered a knee injury, only to find that after only three games Gunn himself damaged an ankle and is likely to be out till after Xmas.

Ralph Hasenhuttl will not see the goalkeeping position as an urgent issue, but he will see it as one that will need to be solved in the summer.

Photo: Action Images

IWOZTHERE added 13:26 - Dec 6 Sounded like a 'hatchet job' to me?... Totally disagree.... FF is here for the money pure and simple. He had 'confidence (or other problems') we know about. If we get around to playing in a full stadium, the crowd will be 'on his case' at every turn. He'll be like a rabbit in the headlights. Not worth the risk.
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claus5 added 14:30 - Dec 6 I totally agree that McCarthy has never really convinced as a number 1, Gunn is young and could develop, but neither has he ever looked good enough. Forster was and possibly could be again a really good keeper, guess unless Fraser is given a go we will never know?
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highfield49 added 14:43 - Dec 6 Unless something has dramatically changed in Forsters game I don't see how he can fit into the current pattern of play. Despite his moments of indecision, and ability to make wrong decisions, McCarthy has developed reasonably quick feet enabling him to play the ball from tight situations in the goal area. I can't remember any match where Forster looked comfortable with the ball at his feet and his distribution was erratic to say the least. As far as I'm concerned the only reason Forster is on the bench is to get Gunn out on display at Stoke and attract a buyer.

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I_would added 15:58 - Dec 6 If Fraser plays I'll have to have spare underpants ready as he's a nervy liability. Perhaps if he starts he could lay down at kick off to make any required saves easier.
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Sadoldgit added 16:22 - Dec 6 The Grealish goal took a deflection which left him flat footed so I wouldn’t blame him for that. Yes he has made some mistakes but his shot stopping has been excellent and he has kept us in some games. I expect Forster will get a run out in the FA Cup but can’t see him replacing McCarthy any time soon.
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Big_T added 17:55 - Dec 6 In answer to the articles question , I seriously hope not !
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schatfield added 20:30 - Dec 6 Hatchet job completed and done...
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Shakin_Stevens added 00:04 - Dec 7 Need a new whipping boy now that the defence is doing okay? For someone that constantly berates fans for criticising individuals you do more than your share. McCarthy has been fine and certainly doesn't deserve to lose his place.
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perazi added 03:12 - Dec 7 FFS...McCarthy has been excellent and FF is a serial failure, content to sit on a bench for big money rather than play elsewhere for less.
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SaintNick added 08:36 - Dec 7 It is good to see some different opinions, however just to dismiss the article as a hatchet job is wrong, have I said anything in the article that hasn't happened ? The answer is no, I'm just pointing out what I see as issues, McCarthy's shot stopping has been excellent, but as in the game against United when he made that superb double save, it was due to his own error. Shaking Stevens, I haven't made McCarthy a whipping boy, on this site articles are about giving opinions rather than just rehashing posts from twitter and instagram etc, it is about stimulating debate, I didn't say McCarthy should be dropped only that there was an underlying problem. Perazi, Forster is on a big contract because his first three seasons were excellent for us, I am not sure that he is the right type of keeper for our style of play now as others have pointed out. McCarthy deservedly gained the first team spot a year ago, but he has been first choice here before and not been able to hold on to it. Nothing I have said in this article is untrue, the fact that I can say three things negative from one game is the warning sign, I truly hope that it is a blip and McCarthy plays through them and stays in our goal on merit, if we dismiss Forster then we have no other choice unless we buy someone in. You read it here first, lets hope that the next time the subject is brought up it is not under headlines like "these Saints fans think ........" etc etc. Ironically I will probably find myself then defending him

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perazi added 09:14 - Dec 7 Nick - I'd question that FF had three excellent seasons for us. The real problem was the unnecessary contract extension he was given (Les Read I believe) - his form didn't justify the extension and the Club finances have suffered ever since. I loved Ronald Koeman's time at Saints but he got it wrong with Forster - a really poor keeper, still on ridiculous money. Alex McCarthy is far from a perfect keeper, but he has consistently shown himself to be the best we have.

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NewburySaint added 09:56 - Dec 7 All the issues, in your opinion, that McCarthy has will be more than multiplied if FF returns in goal.
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redwight added 12:15 - Dec 7 If Ralph is thinking along these lines it would surely be sensible to make the switch while fans (in any numbers) are still excluded. The pressure on FF would be much less and the question of whether he has regained his confidence could be answered one way or the other. IMO in his first three years with us he was a far better keeper than AM ever has been.
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kingolaf added 22:41 - Dec 7 How good was McCarthy on crosses tonight. Sorry Nick, you’re talking rubbish on this one.
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