4. A lot of people blame foreign imports for holding back the progress of the best English keepers at the highest levels of our game. How fair is that view? The problem is not just down to the influx of foreign keepers but also the number of foreign managers who obviously have a liking to the European style of goalkeeping. Foreign keepers tend to have better ball skills and therefore better distribution and they also like to play higher up the pitch (sweeper-keeper) as this role is introduced to them very early in their education when they start to play football. I get a lot of reports from scouts that tell me of a 'diamond' they have spotted and when I ask what attributes they have I am told that the individual pulled of a great save with the ball heading towards the top corner and the keeper flew across the goal to pluck the ball from the air. Most footballers can go into a goal and perform this action! The problem arises when I turn up to watch the keeper who can't kick or throw properly, does not communicate with the rest of the team, is glued to their line and does not come for crosses, is below the average size for his age etc, etc. Foreign keepers are encouraged to play outfield from an early age as well as their goalkeeping duties as this helps with their ball skills and it also gives the keeper some understanding of how an outfield player thinks and acts in any given situation. Therefore, foreign keepers are probably educated as an all-round footballer rather than a pigeon holed goalkeeper and are better equipped to cope with the modern game as a large percentage of a goalkeepers work is now done with the feet rather than the hands. We need to encourage our goalkeepers to be able to deal with the ball at their feet as early as possible, this is difficult to implement though when we still allow young keepers to pick the ball up from a back-pass when they play in our very own mini-soccer leagues throughout the country!
Again, what percentage of that 50% have a foreign manager? My feeling is that it will be pretty high. The other problem we have is that most of the top stars/role models that play in the premier league are outfield players and on the whole foreign. If a young footballer has a dream when they start playing from an early age their choice is more likely to be Ronaldo than David James with all due respect. Foreign youngsters on the other hand have more of a dilemma, in Spain they have Casillas, in Italy they have Buffon and in Holland they have van der Sar. World class keepers, great role models all! So the problem is that where are we going to find our next generation of top keepers from when they want to be an outfield player. We end up, at grassroots level, throwing the kid who can't get into the team as an outfield player into the goal to fill the gap and this really helps no one. We need better role models to encourage more youngsters to WANT to be a goalkeeper, but how do we do this when you look at my answer to the above question. Catch 22 or what?
Are you saying that keepers have to be crazy sir? No seriously, goalkeepers are very different. You can't make a keeper, they are born that way. It's quite difficult to explain why we are different so I'll give you a list of some of the attributes that any goalkeeper needs:- Bravery, confidence/self belief, agility, mobility, speed, dedication, consistency, competitiveness, concentration, natural ability, presence, composure, a good communicator, organised, disciplined, enthusiasm, mentally tough and so on, the list is endless. Goalkeepers have to be prepared to be a hero one minute and a villain the next so a broad set of shoulders also helps!
Firstly I do have a proper job as a PROFESSIONAL Football Coach that specialises in the art of Goalkeeping! This sometimes is the misconception about myself, this IS my job not a hobby, the same as someone might be a baker or a postman or a butcher. I've worked hard to gain a high level of qualification in my field and now thousands of people every year benefit from my years of knowledge and experience (I'll get off my soap box now, ha, ha, ha)! Secondly I have had a job away from football when I had to take a night shift position at Morrison's in Carlisle stacking shelves just to earn a crust! Believe me, being a football coach will always be my choice of profession now. As for the highlights of my career since I retired from playing professionally it would have to be that I am now working for one of the biggest football clubs in the world, namely Liverpool FC and I am also very proud and privileged to have been asked to represent my country as the coach of the England Futsal Teams' goalkeepers. Getting Workington to the Conference North end of season Play-Offs alongside Tommy Cassidy two years ago also ranks highly.
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