We have all seen comments that maybe Etheridge should be swapped with Smithies, so I thought we should compare them.
What should compare?
Shot Stopping, Reflexes, Catching, Passing, Penalty stopping, Errors Made.
Shot stopping should be weighted higher than passing, hence why there is more stats comparing goal prevention than passing.
(Etheridge will be the first rating, while Smithies the second)

Shot Stopping:
9 vs 7
Etheridge has shown over the couple years at the club he is an incredible shot stopper, preventing 310 goals while averaging 140 saves a season. Smithies comparatively has made 257 saves over his 3 seasons at a lower midtable QPR, he only played 10 times in his final season so if we only count the full seasons he averages 108 saves per season. This shows that Etheridge is a better shot stopper than Smithies. What also shows this is the % save stat. Etheridge saved 80% of the time in 17/18 and 67% of the time in the higher division. Smithies QPR seasons saw 64% 64% and 60% saved. Even this year, Etheridge’s % save is narrowly greater than Smithies (66.7% vs 65.8%).

Reflexes:
8 v 7
Remembering the championship promotion season, Etheridge’s reflexes were cat like making remarkable save after remarkable save. He was amazing. Smithies, I would argue doesn’t have the reflexes like Etheridge in the short amount of games we saw of him. However, as judging period is significantly shorter than Etheridge, I have made the difference between minimal.

Catching:
9 v 10
In the past 3 seasons of Etheridge, I have only seen one cross dropped. That was on the weekend against Forest and was dealt with well by the defence. But he does parry harder shots that could be caught. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t disagree he has made significant improvements since he joined Cardiff. I have seen Smithies a short period of time but I haven’t seen him drop a cross yet so let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and say his catching is impeccable.

Passing:
5 v 3
We all know the kicking capabilities of Etheridge who regularly sprayed balls into the crowds. However, what we don’t know is that the common misconception that Smithies is a better passer. Etheridge’s 32.3% pass percentage is nothing to be proud of, but Smithies 27.9% is worse. That is undeniable.

Penalty Stopping:
8 v 10
Smithies is famous for his ability to protect the net from penalties. For this I’ll give him a 10. Alternatively, we have Etheridge who does well against Penalties. We all know this so I won’t try to find the statistics for this.

Errors Made: (this will deduct off the total)
1 v 4
Etheridge, I would argue hasn’t been at fault for many of the goals this year and in previous seasons. He has been almost ever present being a brick wall in net. Smithies has been at fault for arguably 1/3rd of the goals he conceded as he tried to throw points against Huddersfield and others teams. For this I will deduct 4 points for this wobbly play.

Totals:
Etheridge: 38/50
Smithies: 33/50

It’s obvious who we should be starting with.