9/07/2004
Comments, and a post on East Lower
Comments finally added.
Anyway, since new content will be a little slow until I complete my move (although, in this move, *I* have to pay the transfer fee) to Brooklyn, here's something I posted about English goalkeepers on the comments page for the excellent East Lower:
Stuart Taylor had his chance in that weird time period where Safe Hands was entering the twilight -- remember, there was quite the battle royale between Taylor, Alex Manninger and Richard Wright (remember him?), and none were able to take a firm hold of the job. I actually don't think Taylor is even as unintelligent as you make him out to be...he was and is a Perfectly Servicable Backup. However, some goalkeepers are just better than others...and, when you think about it critically, there really isn't *that* much difference between a Gigi Buffon and a David James. Really. It's four or five more game-changing saves from the Buffon type plus two or three howlers a season from the Calamity type. Really, that's about as deep the divide gets when talking about top-flight worthy keepers.
For the good of England (and I say this neutrally...I'm American, and we have like 3 guys England would kill to have in Howard, Freidel and Keller, and another two or three who are still better than James in Joe Cannon, Kevin Hartmann and maybe even Columbus' Jon Busch), the Taylors and Chris Kirklands and Steve Simonsens (remember when HE was one of the potential saviors?) HAVE TO AND MUST BE loaned out to teams that are only slightly below them. If it's other EPL sides, great. If it's Dutch or Belgian or Swiss sides that are in Europe, great. Scotland would be another good choice (although Scotland tends to have good goalkeeping too -- Hearts fans (or Celtic fans like me...they're my second team) could have told you about Antti Niemi 5 years ago)...
OK, I'm rambling now. Point is, these guys have to play, and not in the Second Division either. It's the only way that they can play themselves into a top-flight team giving them a chance, and from there, it's a case of SOMEONE deciding that they want the job, and they'll kill to get it.
Posted by The Brooklyn Gooner at September 6, 2004 07:47 PM
Oh...and as far as English keepers go, maybe Robert Green will be The Guy before it's all said and done.
Posted by The Brooklyn Gooner at September 6, 2004 07:50 PM
Not sure about him. He's a good prospect, but then so was Richard Wright. What the hell happened there?
Posted by RotorGoat at September 6, 2004 08:15 PM
Well, when you play for a side like Everton, who can tell what is bad goalkeeping and what is "wow, this team is crap?"
When you come to a team like the Arsenal, any small facet of your game that isn't up to the highest standard is going to be cruelly exposed. I am a huge Jens Lehmann fan, for example, but his major weakness doesn't come from lack of reflexes or inability to handle crosses (actually, he's the best at handling high balls in the EPL)...it's his propensity for the occasioanl Barthez-esque stupid mistake.
Point is, even were sides to follow my suggestion from three posts ago about loaning guys out, you can't be absolutely certain about them until they play at the highest level. Wright simply got found out, but maybe Robinson and/or Kirkland or Green won't.
Actually, come to think of it, Kirkland wasn't bad for Liverpool at all...the way I remember it, he lost his place back to Dudek because of injury, and Jerzy hasn't played poorly enough to give it back up since.
Posted by The Brooklyn Gooner at September 7, 2004 12:40 PM
Anyway, since new content will be a little slow until I complete my move (although, in this move, *I* have to pay the transfer fee) to Brooklyn, here's something I posted about English goalkeepers on the comments page for the excellent East Lower:
Stuart Taylor had his chance in that weird time period where Safe Hands was entering the twilight -- remember, there was quite the battle royale between Taylor, Alex Manninger and Richard Wright (remember him?), and none were able to take a firm hold of the job. I actually don't think Taylor is even as unintelligent as you make him out to be...he was and is a Perfectly Servicable Backup. However, some goalkeepers are just better than others...and, when you think about it critically, there really isn't *that* much difference between a Gigi Buffon and a David James. Really. It's four or five more game-changing saves from the Buffon type plus two or three howlers a season from the Calamity type. Really, that's about as deep the divide gets when talking about top-flight worthy keepers.
For the good of England (and I say this neutrally...I'm American, and we have like 3 guys England would kill to have in Howard, Freidel and Keller, and another two or three who are still better than James in Joe Cannon, Kevin Hartmann and maybe even Columbus' Jon Busch), the Taylors and Chris Kirklands and Steve Simonsens (remember when HE was one of the potential saviors?) HAVE TO AND MUST BE loaned out to teams that are only slightly below them. If it's other EPL sides, great. If it's Dutch or Belgian or Swiss sides that are in Europe, great. Scotland would be another good choice (although Scotland tends to have good goalkeeping too -- Hearts fans (or Celtic fans like me...they're my second team) could have told you about Antti Niemi 5 years ago)...
OK, I'm rambling now. Point is, these guys have to play, and not in the Second Division either. It's the only way that they can play themselves into a top-flight team giving them a chance, and from there, it's a case of SOMEONE deciding that they want the job, and they'll kill to get it.
Posted by The Brooklyn Gooner at September 6, 2004 07:47 PM
Oh...and as far as English keepers go, maybe Robert Green will be The Guy before it's all said and done.
Posted by The Brooklyn Gooner at September 6, 2004 07:50 PM
Not sure about him. He's a good prospect, but then so was Richard Wright. What the hell happened there?
Posted by RotorGoat at September 6, 2004 08:15 PM
Well, when you play for a side like Everton, who can tell what is bad goalkeeping and what is "wow, this team is crap?"
When you come to a team like the Arsenal, any small facet of your game that isn't up to the highest standard is going to be cruelly exposed. I am a huge Jens Lehmann fan, for example, but his major weakness doesn't come from lack of reflexes or inability to handle crosses (actually, he's the best at handling high balls in the EPL)...it's his propensity for the occasioanl Barthez-esque stupid mistake.
Point is, even were sides to follow my suggestion from three posts ago about loaning guys out, you can't be absolutely certain about them until they play at the highest level. Wright simply got found out, but maybe Robinson and/or Kirkland or Green won't.
Actually, come to think of it, Kirkland wasn't bad for Liverpool at all...the way I remember it, he lost his place back to Dudek because of injury, and Jerzy hasn't played poorly enough to give it back up since.
Posted by The Brooklyn Gooner at September 7, 2004 12:40 PM
