Saturday 11 February 2017

Has Ryan Allsop suddenly got a great opportunity?

It has been a policy of AFCB to try and bring young keepers up and develop them, but in Eddie Howe's reign there have not been too many to last that long. Ryan Allsop though manages to stay in the squad, despite losing his place as the No 1 keeper back in the Championship side when Lee Camp helped the side out. So with a year still to run on Ryan's contract, and with another young keeper - Aaron Ramsdale, joining Jordan Holmes as another young shot stopper at the club, should Ryan Allsop wonder whether he is making enough progress at AFCB?
Ryan Allsop is expected to be on the subs bench for the visit of Man City.
With both Adam Federici and Artur Boruc being the senior keepers, it is always unlikely that Ryan Allsop would find little playing time for the first team. The odd injury to the leading two keepers though has pushed him onto the bench at times and with just one Premier league cap to his name, against Everton in the 3-3 draw last season, Ryan must be prepared in case he is put into the action against Man City. Adam Federici is now out for the rest of the season, having had an operation this week so Ryan is expected to be back up for Artur Boruc for the remaining games.  

However, I wonder if Ryan might be sitting on the bench for Man City visit Dean Court on Monday - thinking I'm probably not going to be involved today. It can't be that stimulating to do all the training sessions and not find any first team games waiting for you at the end of the week. A few weeks of not playing is easy to look over, and when the months go by, you know it is because the other keepers are more experienced and better placed to do the job. Yet, one red card for a keeper and the substitute goal keeper is straight on, and probably has to save a penalty as well. These are not easy shoes to fill.

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'Rocky' must be a popular member of the squad as he is now 24 and was not released when he could have been a year ago. The signing of Aaron Ramsdale will be seen by some as a possible reason for questions to be asked about Ryan's future, as Aaron has a four-and-a-half year deal. Moreover, if Asmir Begovic is really the man that AFCB see as their prospective No 1 come the summer, that will put even more reason to wonder what Ryan's role is now. Ryan is kind of caught between the youth keepers and the senior shot stoppers. How long will AFCB allow him to learn his craft from the elder players, and when will he be expected to start breaking through - or is that not the plan?

We don't hear Ryan being interviewed that often and this season he has not been on loan which is perhaps not ideal for him. He must be so wanting to play games to push his career on. Yet, if Artur Boruc does not renew his contract in the summer, it will be surely expected that Ryan challenges Adam Federici more for the No 2 spot - if he is to finish his own contract. Either that or he will be looking for work in the lower leagues, were we know he can perform.

I don't see Aaron Ramsdale's arrival as a negative though for Allsop. If anything it should encourage him to have another keeper to work with and compete with. There is kind of a school of young keepers at the club now, and that perhaps helps Ryan to feel more a part of things if he is not getting game sufficient time. But I hope he is getting prepared for Monday night, as he may have a rather bigger job to do than many would expect.

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