Sam Johnstone or Dean Henderson?

[ASCPFC]

I think they’re on a par, but maybe deano’s a bit more agile.

I think my 90 year old one legged neighbour could play in goal for England against some of the opposition they play in qualifying these days and keep a few clean sheets

Maybe. But you can't drop someone who hasn't conceded any goals.

 

[BromleyMonkey]

Maybe. But you can't drop someone who hasn't conceded any goals.

I could, I hate Pickford, arrogant t***

 

[the silurian]

wow just wow, Deano is a legend while Sam is now in a team with just2 points all season,,,this thread didn't age well at all !

 

[viveasheagle]

At the time i could never understand the sway of support for Johnstone. I think he is not that quick on his feet or that agile. Having watched Henderson since his time at Palace he has both of these attributes from when he started. What makes him special i think is his reaction speed. He has pulled off a number of often pointblank saves where he has got a hand, boot, head or something on a shot to somehow stop it going in when you are expecting the net was about to bulge.

 

[Nicholas91]

I remember at the time thinking that Johnstone looked a bit more 'solid' whilst Deano looked a bit 'lightweight', flapping at crosses etc. I was very much in the Johnstone camp and thought Henderson was a waste of money.

Goes to show what you know sometimes, or rather what you don't. The Cup Final penalty save will go down in history and Henderson is one of the players I am most grateful for having at the club.

Top character, top goalkeeper.

 

[Willo]

I remember at the time thinking that Johnstone looked a bit more 'solid' whilst Deano looked a bit 'lightweight', flapping at crosses etc. I was very much in the Johnstone camp and thought Henderson was a waste of money.

Goes to show what you know sometimes, or rather what you don't. The Cup Final penalty save will go down in history and Henderson is one of the players I am most grateful for having at the club.

Top character, top goalkeeper.

Apropos Henderson I recall conversations I had with certain individuals some while back and the 'Mood music' was that he had a weakness when the ball was in the air and there were players around him.The consensus was that he does not dominate as much as what is required.

Away from these conversations, there were similar sentiments labelled at Johnstone apropos domination in the box. At that time he did split opinions amongst the WBA fanbase and still had to win some over.
Johnstone was Darren Moore's first signing at WBA for I believe a fee of £6 Mill rising to £10 Mill.

 

[PalazioVecchio]

Henderson is a Palace legend. He is up there in the Julian Speroni territory.

 

[Linford]

Henderson is a Palace legend. He is up there in the Julian Speroni territory.

1000%. For me they’ve been the two most (positively) influential players of the last two decades.

 

[ambrose7]

I said at the time that I'd have Johnstone over Henderson because Henderson was struggling so much with crosses, especially from set pieces, and we were starting to get targeted for it.

Credit to Henderson, he's got much better at it. Credit probably also goes to Dean Kiely on that front, and probably to Glasner for moving away from having Clyne and Anderson as part of that 3 at the back, and replacing them with Richards/Chalobah and Lacroix who are far more dominant in the air so take some pressure off him. It's still rare to see him come for a cross and catch it (and Burnley away where Richards saved us off the line was a small reminder that he can be vulnerable under a bit of physical pressure) but we're now in a place where usually the defence are handling it themselves or Deano is at least getting a decisive punch on it.

Hendo's 2025 has been an absolute gear change compared to his 2024 and he looks far more confident and assured as a result.

He's now into the territory of the best keeper we've had. Long may it continue.

 

[TheBigToePunt]

Buying Henderson made very little sense at the time. Johnson had played his way into the England squad and, to my mind, was excellent for us.

Plus, we had got Johnson for free, like we did with Guaita before him. To pay some £20m for Henderson having gotten such great value out of the goalie market up to then was even more odd. I did speculate at the time that maybe something behind the scenes drove the deal. Johnson has returned to the midlands with Wolves, having lived and worked there for years with West Brom. Perhaps family reasons drove the deal? Of course, I have no idea about that. We never know what is happening in players lives. Some deals may be based on things other than football.

On the pitch, I felt that where Johnson was the epitome of steadiness, Henderson was a mixed bag when he did play. For every two or three great saves he would make, there would be a goal which I felt he could have done better with. His decision-making in terms of when to come out and when to stay seemed unpredictable and a bit jittery. I like a calm goalie, like Johnson, and Henderson seemed the opposite.

As others have said, Hendo is now fantastic. It is not just that he often makes big saves, but that he seems so much more composed and clear-headed. As others have also said, having three good centre backs who can all head it must help - if in doubt, he can just stay on his line. That allows him to be primed to make a save if he has to.

He always had a reputation for bolshiness. He was not happy on the bench at Man Utd, and apparently made no secret of his ambition and self-belief when on loan to Sheffield Utd and Forest. I recall Wilder absolutely burying Hendo in one post-match interview after he had made a mistake. When asked by the reporter if he was being a bit harsh in singling him out publicly, Wilder just said no - the lad wants to talk the talk, he has to back it up. Perhaps Hendo has matured a bit, or perhaps he is just channelling his ambition and belief better now?

Most of all, I think it all shows how funny and unpredictable football is. Few of us were pleased about signing Henderson, and many wanted Johnson to be our no1. Now Hendo must be in the top five Palace keepers of all time, and Johnson seems a shadow of his former self at Wolves. United fans didn't seem to make much fuss when Henderson was sold, but have since lost De Gea on a free, spent a kings ransom on dross in the form of the Cameroon and Turkey goalies, and even now are relying on a largely untested lad from a small Belgian team who, under normal circumstances, would surely be a reserve keeper. They must look at Hendo and shake their heads.

Ultimately, Henderson is the same as Guehi, Eze, Olise etc. Inconsistent at the begining, good enough to play for Palace anyway, but not good enough for the bigger sides. Then, by playing every week for us, improvement follows, as does confidence, and now he is as good or better than some of the big clubs have.

I wonder if he will sign a new deal or want to move on? It seems you can be England No1 without playing Champions League football, and look at what happened to Trafford and Ramsdale. Being nailed on No1 somewhere is quite valuable. Perhaps he is more likely to stay than the others?

 

[Willo]

Buying Henderson made very little sense at the time. Johnson had played his way into the England squad and, to my mind, was excellent for us.

Plus, we had got Johnson for free, like we did with Guaita before him. To pay some £20m for Henderson having gotten such great value out of the goalie market up to then was even more odd. I did speculate at the time that maybe something behind the scenes drove the deal. Johnson has returned to the midlands with Wolves, having lived and worked there for years with West Brom. Perhaps family reasons drove the deal? Of course, I have no idea about that. We never know what is happening in players lives. Some deals may be based on things other than football.

On the pitch, I felt that where Johnson was the epitome of steadiness, Henderson was a mixed bag when he did play. For every two or three great saves he would make, there would be a goal which I felt he could have done better with. His decision-making in terms of when to come out and when to stay seemed unpredictable and a bit jittery. I like a calm goalie, like Johnson, and Henderson seemed the opposite.

As others have said, Hendo is now fantastic. It is not just that he often makes big saves, but that he seems so much more composed and clear-headed. As others have also said, having three good centre backs who can all head it must help - if in doubt, he can just stay on his line. That allows him to be primed to make a save if he has to.

He always had a reputation for bolshiness. He was not happy on the bench at Man Utd, and apparently made no secret of his ambition and self-belief when on loan to Sheffield Utd and Forest. I recall Wilder absolutely burying Hendo in one post-match interview after he had made a mistake. When asked by the reporter if he was being a bit harsh in singling him out publicly, Wilder just said no - the lad wants to talk the talk, he has to back it up. Perhaps Hendo has matured a bit, or perhaps he is just channelling his ambition and belief better now?

Most of all, I think it all shows how funny and unpredictable football is. Few of us were pleased about signing Henderson, and many wanted Johnson to be our no1. Now Hendo must be in the top five Palace keepers of all time, and Johnson seems a shadow of his former self at Wolves. United fans didn't seem to make much fuss when Henderson was sold, but have since lost De Gea on a free, spent a kings ransom on dross in the form of the Cameroon and Turkey goalies, and even now are relying on a largely untested lad from a small Belgian team who, under normal circumstances, would surely be a reserve keeper. They must look at Hendo and shake their heads.

Ultimately, Henderson is the same as Guehi, Eze, Olise etc. Inconsistent at the begining, good enough to play for Palace anyway, but not good enough for the bigger sides. Then, by playing every week for us, improvement follows, as does confidence, and now he is as good or better than some of the big clubs have.

I wonder if he will sign a new deal or want to move on? It seems you can be England No1 without playing Champions League football, and look at what happened to Trafford and Ramsdale. Being nailed on No1 somewhere is quite valuable. Perhaps he is more likely to stay than the others?

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I garland your comments with praise.
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