But the fact of the matter is that he IS in goal. He won't be for Manchester United or Arsenal according to Zajec, as he looks to continue his squad rotation policy with the keepers, but for the majority of the time and indeed the last four games, he has been. We can debate the rights or wrongs of the matter, but the bottom line is that he is our first choice keeper and Zajec said as much in an interview to The News last week.
So why is it that the fans are so keen to get on his back, even when things aren't his fault? So far, he has made one costly mistake when he spilt the shot against Boro and allowed Christie to tap in. However, Shaka has also made a mistake against Charlton this season which was far more costly and far more clumsy, as well as getting blamed by some for goals conceded against Birmingham and Fulham. Meanwhile, Ashdown has made a couple of errors at Watford and Chelsea. Do people get on their back? No, of course not. But at White Hart Lane last week I heard some guy remark as we left the ground, "The keeper was at fault for two of those goals." Which goals were they? The goals in your head, I presume? Yesterday fans have been quick to jump on his back and blame him for both strikes - yeah, the one which spun off De Zeeuw's boot and could've gone anywhere was clearly down to him, whilst the twenty yard half volley which he didn't see until the last second that flew into the corner of the net was obviously all down to him.
It seems that blaming Chalkias is just the easy option and after every game we get to hear why it's all his fault. He comes for a couple of crosses a game which he shouldn't, yes, we've established that. There's no need to mention it after every game. However, he also successfully deals with five to ten crosses per game; he caught a fair few yesterday and punched when under pressure on occasion. He made a couple of decent saves, including brilliantly holding an effort from Angel, and ever since he's arrived in my opinion, he's started playing better as the games go on. Yesterday was his best performance, at White Hart Lane he was better than against Boro, and so on.
The problem seems to be that having a dig at Chalky is distracting from the real issue here, the ten other players on the pitch. The fact that we can't seem to score a goal from open play. The fact that our midfield is practically non-existent. But no, let's have a go at the goalie who has been suddenly thrown in at the deep end and looks a bit shaky, ironically cheer when he catches the ball and blame him for every goal despite the fact there's little he can do about it. That'll help.