West Brom goalkeeper Alex Palmer
West Brom goalkeeper Alex Palmer

West Brom fans tear apart Alex Palmer despite what happened v Burnley - 'It's time to talk…'

Harri Burton

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior football journalist specialising in refereeing and officiating; former contributor to The Football League Paper, Late Tackle, and the Premier League; University of Derby graduate. FOCUS Refereeing controversies, football finance and governance, PGMOL decisions, and officiating analysis across the Premier League, EFL, and SPFL. THE INSIGHT Harri utilises a network of officiating and industry contacts to deliver verified, expert analysis of refereeing decisions and PGMOL policy. He provides the regulatory clarity behind the controversy to ensure fans get the full picture.

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West Brom fans were far from impressed by goalkeeper Alex Palmer despite securing a 0-0 draw against Burnley on Thursday.

The 28-year-old made a key save to deny Jeremy Sarmiento in the first half at The Hawthorns on 7 November, but this was not enough to save him from the criticism.

Palmer's biggest weakness has been highlighted as his ability with the ball at his feet, something which was obvious during the stalemate against the Clarets, completing just 69 per cent of his passes [FotMob].

Alex Palmer torn to shreds over West Brom distribution v Burnley

Fans' criticism of the goalkeeper's distribution is certainly a fair point, especially for a side battling for promotion to the Premier League, but he does shine in other areas.

After finishing joint-first with Leeds United's Illan Meslier for the Championship's Golden Glove award last season, the shot-stopper is leading the race once again with eight clean sheets in 14 games so far.

While one fan did dub him a "standout" performer against Burnley, his kicking was highlighted as a weakness, with another fan going as far as to call it "absolutely atrocious".

Of course, it could have been a rather different story after the Clarets had a contentious decision go against them, seeing what looked like a perfectly good goal disallowed for a push.

That would have only made the criticism of Palmer worse, who looked solid in between the sticks but showed his weaknesses when in possession of the ball.

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