So the pre season and the opening day is over my question has Fitzsimmons done enough to convince you he is good enough to be Notts County’s number one.

He needs to improve, it seems one thing after another with Ross.

There's no doubt he's our future but yesterday, he was slow to release the ball (I don't know if Nolan is telling him to slow down) and his kicking was awful. He got caught in no mans land a couple of times and if it was Collin more would be moaning. I think he just needs to improve and focus more.

Yesterday he looked more comfortable in goal but he still don’t control his defence Duffy is the captain but for me the goalkeeper has seniority .. he needs to be vocal. He is our future Nolan has seen something but for me I’m undecided .. the clean sheet will help the confidence 

He will improve but we need another keeper as back up. Stephen Henderson cough cough

He will only improve further with confidence, he does need to kick the ball better though.

i still think we need a backup, if his confidence goes or the fans give him stick we may struggle.

No one questioned his ability when he was in goal following Collins injury last season...Only criticism came from his rush of blood moment....Sorry but Duffy and Brisley missed a fair share of defensive headers they should have won...yet some PoN members had them down as the best players?

and by the way it's Fitzsimons

He needs to be introduced gradually, Jordan Smith and Stephen Henderson both available for loan I believe and that would push Ross to perform.

50 minutes ago, ARLukomski said:

He will improve but we need another keeper as back up. Stephen Henderson cough cough

That’s a bad cough you have there ????????

20 minutes ago, Piethagoram said:

Sorry but Duffy and Brisley missed a fair share of defensive headers they should have won...yet some PoN members had them down as the best players?

Did you see his distribution yesterday? You can't blame the defence for his poor kicking.

I am sure if it was Collin you would be saying differently, but the fact of the matter is we have no other options. He won't be tested and the issue some of the time yesterday was the simple fact Fitzsimons wasted perfectly good momentum by hanging onto the ball.

Something fans moaned all the time about Collin if you remember.

27 minutes ago, samwatto2008 said:

He needs to be introduced gradually, Jordan Smith and Stephen Henderson both available for loan I believe and that would push Ross to perform.

I feel Fitzsimons came into a steady team that was pushing for the top position, this season he isn't hanging onto the success of this and I think it's noticeable that he's struggling.

Some people on here believe their own hype.

1 hour ago, TM1993 said:

He will only improve further with confidence, he does need to kick the ball better though.

I’m hoping it’s because he didn’t get much first action last season and he is just finding cofedence and his feet

@upthepiesCollins was an arch disciple of poor kicking. We agree to disagree

I think a few more games and Ross Fitzsimons will be confident.

He's a good keeper and has a promising career ahead of him, we have given him his chance to become a league keeper and I am sure he will want to take the opportunity. I would agree that he did better last season due to the form Notts was in, he seems cautious at the moment but that will go.

He worries me right now because he doesn't seem to be in the zone.

A confident and consistent Ross Fitzsimons is perfectly fine, but its getting him to that level where he's comfortable and ready.

I think he follows Nolan's instructions, as did Collin.

I want a backup keeper, if performances don't go our way and we end up getting draws. How much of a difference would playing Pindroch make? I think he's a disaster waiting to happen. Sign a keeper on loan, the rest is fine.

If he's not, Notts are in trouble.

He will grow in confidence and as the team performances increase. If Kevin Nolan is telling Ross to hold onto the ball to delay pressure from the opposition he needs to allow the keeper to call things by how he sees things. Ross Fitzsimons just needs backing!

@Piethagoram of course, my point is the selective criticism.

If a bag had been placed over Fitzsimons head against Colchester and Collin hadn't of been released, you would never have known it was Ross playing. 

Look at Accrington Stanley, last season, their success was purportedly on the 23rd lowest budget..and their recruitment was spot on. Chapman, I think was a reserve keeper at Chesterfield, was outstanding ..so much so, he had caught the scouting eye of Steve Evans and off to Peterborough he went

@upthepies Collins was allegedly one of the 4 highest earners last season ( guessing Forte, Stead, O'Connor being the other 3...stand to be corrected). The Club''s budget seemingly was reviewed and more emphasis was put on the forward line, so the 2 strikers were signed (for L2 significant fees too). I think there is no magic money tree left for a goalkeeper and that Fitzsimons will have a chance to establish himself again

I'm quickly losing faith in him, I want him to do well because he impressed me last season but so far he looks worse than Collin.

He wasn't helped today by some inept defending by Brisley in particular. Cambridge's 3rd, defenders just not marking, what can a keeper do with that

The first goal was all Fitzsimons faults, he's not commanding enough and he's overrated by some.

To be perfectly honest, I have always said that the issue is the defence. Maybe it's the fault with their instructions or maybe they are simply not good enough? Our last three keepers have had similar issues, so it would lead me to believe that it's quite possibly a mixture of this and the keeper themselves.

Fitzsimons can be a good keeper, I feel he can grow into the role but it may cost us promotion this season.

It's also very harsh how Brisley has one bad game but he gets singled out, Duffy isn't a saint and some have said he's at fault for the last goal.