Why losing Burch might be a good thing
By Nathan Jackson
May 18 2010
Before I start, please note this ISN'T an anti-Rob Burch article, so if anyone takes it that way then I apologise. With the news that Burch has rejected City's offer of a contract, the goalkeeper looks set to leave Sincil Bank, but it might not necessarily be the worst thing to happen to the club.
Burch has been City's number one since joining in 2008, only missing out on a small handful of games due to an injury sustained at Brentford away in September 2008. Although he got off to a rocky start, he went on to become a hugely popular goalkeeper and the Imps probably would have gone down without him.
His contract is up at the end of June and the club offered him what they have described as "one of the biggest in the club's history." Burch has subsequently rejected this contract with Doncaster one of the favourites to sign him. Although the news about losing Burch is disappointing, financially and budgetly speaking, it's not the worst thing in the world that could have happened.
As the Echo had revealed several weeks ago, Burch is on £1,000 a week on his current deal and let's for argument's sake that he was offered £2,000 a week on his new deal, rejecting that. That means that that we have an extra £2,000 a week on the budget to spend (although many speculate it was considerably more than that). Obviously you have to replace Burch, but you can get plenty of half-decent goalkeepers for a wage similar to what Burch was on.
This would leave £1,000 a week to spend on other players. It could be an extra £1,000 that could persuade Davide Somma to join permanently, or it could be the bit of extra money we need to convince an extra midfielder or two to come in.
As mentioned above, there are plenty of half-decent goalkeepers that are available who we could afford at the same, or even less wages than what Burch is. Kenny Arthur, Joe Anyon, Wayne Brown, Kevin Pilkington, Russell Hoult, Glenn Morris and Stuart Nelson all have experience in this division and are all available on free transfers.
We at theimps.ka would also like to take this opportunity to thank Burch for the last two years and to say he is a properly decent bloke. At Exeter last season he accidentally kicked a ball into my camera and thought he had broke it, so he gave me his training goalkeeper gloves (although they did have his name spelt incorrectly on them).....my camera was fine.
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Keith Alexander - LEGEND - Gone but certainly NEVER forgotten.
Anyon could be a possibility.
The lad Leeds released Ankregan could be worth a look.
Good luck to him wherever he goes.
Even if it flipping Coutheh
I wonder if the likelihood of Cotterill going to Coventry will affect that move???
Here we go again!
Will we ever get the right man?
There are a lot of ordinary keepers that look good in rubbish teams, but who are found out at a higher level.
The reason is that rubbish teams concede a lot of goals, and are subject to a larger number of shots. This gives the goalkeeper more shots to deal with and therefore more opportunity to make saves. Thus, he has more opportunity to impress.
We are all aware of Burch's long distance vulnerability. In a successful team that may be the only thing he has to deal with during a game, so the cost of the mistake is magnified versus a player who lets in one long range shot and concedes two others due to incompetent defending, where the one mistake is forgiven because of the three other good saves that were made.
I would rather Burch stays than goes, but being the best of a poor team does not make you good in itself.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:05:19:09:13:25 by cherryexile.
Marriot still holds the record for the most clean sheets.
Saying that I do think Burch is an excellant keeper.
Cheers Keith47424 - Hinckley Imp
theimps.ka Best Newcomer award winner 2007-2008 season.
I'd love to see him back.
Respect to Burchy though, a class act and without him and Somma where would we be?
two very sad people here... i know he deserves to play at a higher level etc, but them cheating TW^Ts... i really hope he has a water tight contract for when things go belly up 
wish him loads of luck for the future, i'll be following his career 