Where Are England's Goalies?

A goalkeeper is a man apart in the strip he wears and the laws of the game that apply to him. In Joe Hart's case there is a further distinguishing feature. He is the one goalkeeper in the England squad who plays in the Premier League. The issue troubles Fabio Capello and his coaches, but there is no obvious way in which the problem can be solved.

Hart, Ben Foster, Paul Robinson and John Ruddy all started matches in the top flight last weekend. Foster and Robinson, however, do not now wish to be considered for the international scene and Norwich's Ruddy is thought unsuitable by Capello. Should anything untoward happen to Hart in Friday's Euro 2012 qualifier in Bulgaria, and with Rob Green injured, he will be replaced by David Stockdale, who is on loan at Ipswich from Fulham, or Frank Fielding, Derby County's England Under-21 goalkeeper.

Capello will be glad that Hart's circumstances are markedly different. The 24-year-old features for Manchester City, who will give him further experience at the highest level. This is a shot-stopper who can be seen, too, as a saving grace for his country, yet such a depiction is unsettling to him. "There are plenty of English keepers," Hart says, "who could hold down a position at a Premier League club and could be in the England squad. It is just [about] getting that opportunity."

Even so, Hart operates in a special environment that puts him to the test, with practice sessions at City likely to be as much or more of a trial than the games themselves now that he faces David Silva, Sergio Agüero, and Edin Dzeko. "It messes with your head sometimes," Hart says. "You go for one ball and the next minute it's gone through three other people and it's in the other side of the net before you've even dived. But that's the exciting thing. It's going to help me improve, playing [against] these good strikers and the passing football that goes on."

Thank goodness that we have Joe Hart.

Gavin Wilson
MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
www.MindsiOnline.com

Motivation To Be A World Class Goalkeeper

If you ever needed a little motivation to reach the top as a Goalkeeper, then just look at some of the rewards on offer!

Mrs Buffon!






Mrs De Gea!




Mrs Cesar!


Mrs Given!



And of course, who can forget the former Mrs Casillas!





Unfortunately, poor old Joe Hart still has some way to go before he reaches the top!


Jessica De La Souza
MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
www.MindsiOnline.com

Valdes Has Left!!!

Shock news! Valdes has left Nike and joined forces with Brazilian sportswear company Penalty. Interesting!

Gavin Wilson
Senior Sports Performance Coach
MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
www.MindsiOnline.com

Is De Gea Up For The Challenge?

From Sir Alex Ferguson, there were only supportive words. David De Gea was embarking on "a learning process", he said, and the Manchester United manager went on to recall how Peter Schmeichel had endured some difficult moments of his own during the early part of his career in England – "and Peter went on to become the greatest goalkeeper of all time".
What he did not say for certain was whether he would persist with the Spaniard or whether this was now the time to remove him from the team. But there was a clue. "Pat him on his head," he replied when asked what approach he should take. "They battered him in the second half and the referee should have protected him more . . . but welcome to English football."
The message was simple: stay calm, no knee-jerk decisions and remember why United paid Atlético Madrid £18.3m in the first place. Deep down, though, Ferguson has to be concerned. He had known there could be mistakes from the new goalkeeper but surely not of the magnitude we have seen over the past two weekends.
For long spells Ferguson's team outpassed their opponents. Ashley Young has slipped seamlessly into a fluid, attacking side and Wayne Rooney looks like a man who has found the summer break a personal affront. He is now level with Stan Pearson as the 11th highest scorer in United's history, with 148 goals. Two more and he will be level with Ruud van Nistelrooy and Paul Scholes.
But Ferguson's thoughts have to return to De Gea, particularly now that Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have joined Rafael and Patrice Evra on the injury list. United embark on a run of eight games that include Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool. Not every team will be as generous as West Bromwich Albion and there has to be a case for Anders Lindegaard to take over, even as a temporary measure.
Lindegaard's United career has been restricted to two FA Cup appearances so far but the Dane is seven years older than De Gea, has a greater penalty-box presence and, when he played in the United States in pre-season, had the trust of his team-mates and looked like a man determined to take his opportunity. There is an argument that dropping De Gea now would damage his confidence but what good will it do the 20-year-old if he keeps his place and continues in this manner? And how many points could be dropped in the process?
Ferdinand could be seen at one point clapping his hands in De Gea's direction, trying to cajole him. The keeper – sloping shoulders, wispy stubble, looking at least a couple of inches smaller than his alleged 6ft 3in – nodded back. But his body language was not convincing. Shortly afterwards a high, dropping ball came to Fábio, inside his own penalty area. The Brazilian thought about cushioning it back towards his goalkeeper but was so uncertain of his new team-mate he tried to head it clear instead. He could not get enough distance, Chris Brunt had a chance to score (he shot over) and it was that moment when we saw the first signs of the players in red starting to wonder whether the guy in goal was a danger to his own team. De Gea looked disconsolate, young, vulnerable. Jamie Redknapp talked on television afterwards of someone who "needs to grow into his kit".
At Wembley last weekend De Gea was spared a full inquisition because his team-mates were talented enough to drag themselves back from 2-0 down to win 3-2. This time he was even more fortunate but the mistake for Shane Long's goal was so wretched that all the good stuff will be forgotten. And there was good stuff. De Gea survived the second-half bombardment. There were two or three decent enough saves and he just about held his nerve, even if there was never really the sense of a man in command of his penalty area.
For now, though, what we have is a man whose presence will encourage opponents. The Premier League can be an unforgiving place and, rightly or wrongly, De Gea has already been identified as a "dodgy keeper" – someone who can be unnerved and got at. At the opposite end was a goalkeeper whom Ferguson once tipped to play for England for 10 years. Except Ben Foster lacked one key quality during his time at United: courage. That, in essence, is the first part of the learning process for De Gea – the knowledge that playing in goal for this club is not just about talent; it is a question of mentality.

Gavin Wilson
MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
www.MindsiOnline.com

Given - Bouncing Back From Adversity

The best goalkeeper in the Premier League is back. Here at MINDSi HQ we call his return as "Bouncebackability", here's why Shay has it - in bucketloads -

Given put his Manchester City nightmare behind him with a stellar debut for Aston Villa in their otherwise disappointing goalless draw at Fulham on the opening day of the season.

The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper was robbed of a year of his Premier League career after being consigned to the bench for virtually the whole of last term.

Despite his desire to leave City after being deposed as number one by Joe Hart, Roberto Mancini refused to sell until Villa came calling this summer.

And if he had a point to prove at Craven Cottage, Given certainly succeeded, rescuing a point with more than one crucial save.

"Last year was frustrating - it's probably well-documented and the word's overused at this stage," said Given, who at £3.5million, could prove the bargain of the season.

"But it's nice to be back and nice to feel wanted again and feel part of the team and be playing in front of big crowds again."

He added: "In the run-up to the game, there was the excitement of the Premier League starting again and, for me personally, knowing I was going to be playing was pretty special.

"So it's great to be back and it's nice to start with a clean sheet with my new team."

So long had it been since Given had played in the Premier League, he might have forgotten his last appearance.

But he remembered it to the month, probably because it was a match in which he dislocated his shoulder, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.

He made just four club appearances after that - in cup competitions - compared to 11 for his country, before Saturday.

Given, now 35, said: "I left home at 16, and even before I left home, I'd been playing football all my life.

"I was pretty regular at most clubs I'd been at, so it was a bit strange last year.

"It's great to be at Villa and feel part of the group."

The former Newcastle star conceded he made a step down after moving from Champions League City to the midlanders, who were battling relegation last term.

"You're not going to be able to compete with Man City with the amount of money they're spending on players, and they will continue to spend in the future," he said. "It's a different budget here. It's unrealistic saying we're going to compete with them.

"But there's a togetherness in the squad and hopefully we can get a couple more players before the window closes, be it loanees or whatever, and I think it'll help us to have a good season."

Gavin Wilson
MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
www.MindsiOnline.com

The Psychology of Goalkeepers and Why They Make Terrible Managers!

The stories of goalkeepers becoming successful managers are far and few between. Strange coincidence or are there deep psychological reasons?

Name five goalkeepers who have made the transition into successful football managers?The question that stumped me and my team at a local Quiz night - and we are all goalkeeper crazy! We did manage to get Dino Zoff who won the UEFA Cup with Juventus in 1990 and was of course only denied Euro 2000 success in the dying seconds of the final against France.

We also got Raymond Goethals who led Marseille to European Cup glory in 1993. Walter Zenga of Steua Bucharest and Red Star Belgrade fame got us a third tick in the box but we then fell foul of fourth choice Neville Southall on the technicality of the word 'successful'! One game in charge of the Welsh national team (lost 2-0 to Denmark on 9th June 1999) does not apparently constitute success. My confused quiz mates then gave up and we never got to hear who their fifth candidate would be.

We have since racked our brains here at MINDSi HQ and Jessica gets the credit for coming up with current Twente manager Michel Preud'homme who won the Belgian league First Division with Standard Liege in 07-08 and the Belgian Cup with Gent in 09-10. Goalkeepers as managers on the continent is less of an issue it would seem.

Successful goalkeeping managers in UK football is a rarity, arguably never happened. England stopper Tim Flowers is giving it a go at BSN relegation contenders Stafford Rangers. Record so far: seven games, seven defeats. Looks like he's going to conform to type!
Scottish keeper Bryan Gunn looked to be about to break the mould when he took over at Norwich and led them to a 4-0 win over Barnsley. The infamous 1-7 start of the season defeat to Colchester saw the end of his short tenure. Twenty one games and ten defeats with a 28.57% win ratio. Not good enough. Gunn took the hint and is now a director of business development for a Great Yarmouth based digital phone company. Par for the course in UK football.

So what is it that marks out the psychology of goalkeepers and makes them rare candidates for success in football management? David James is on the case. Currently doing his coaching badges, he has been told by backroom staff that he must become good at understanding his strengths and weaknesses and learn to delegate. Tough lesson for keepers that. Years of solitary control and detachment from the team ethic. What Peter Schmeichel called being 'one on one. Me against the strikers. More like being tennis players than team players. Solitary combat.' You can see how that doesn't bode well for man management! ' I'd be good at bawling them out in the dressing room half time when they've played like a bunch of pandas but how the heaven am I going to teach them to dribble?'

It's a fair point. James says that football for goalkeepers is very black and white. 'Whereas an outfield player can make a bad pass and expect to get covered (unless he plays for England perhaps?), a goalkeeper has no margin for error. He must learn to become very singleminded to succeed.'

No hope for James and Flowers then in UK football? Neville Southall's eccentric career as manager of Dover and Margate would suggest not. Jock Wallace did ok for a while for Rangers in the Seventies but Psychology Today's recent study shows goalkeepers to have highly developed pre-frontal cortex. Makes them good at tunnel vision and concentration and also presumably gives them an edge in penalty shoot outs against strikers with poorly formed pre-frontal cortex who just hit and hope! Not going to make them good in the man management/delegation stakes though. Not here in the UK at any rate, where perhaps we are also more likely to treat things in a black and white way.

Incidentally, Jose Mourinho's Dad was a goalie!

Gavin Wilson
MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
www.MindsiOnline.com

De Gea v Reina v Neuer v Lloris

So, how do these 4 compare?

David De Gea, 20



Height: 6ft 4″

Cost: £18 million

Summary: Despite being only 20 years old, Van de Gea (as he is dubbed by his teammates) already has great experience in La Liga, to accompany his UEFA Cup Winners Medal. Tipped to be Spain’s #1 one day, the Spaniard has a bright future ahead of him.

Key Strengths: Nerves of steel and supremely confidence in his own ability.

Key Weakness: Struggles to distribute accurately with his long-kicks.


Pepe Reina, 28



Height: 6ft 1″

Cost: £25 million

Summary: During his stay at Anfield, Reina has set a number of goalkeeping records for Liverpool and won the Premier League Golden Glove award in three of his five seasons. Regarded as one of the best keepers in the world, he is unlucky to find himself behind Iker Casillas in the Spanish national side.

Key Strengths: Immaculate on the ball, with a great footballing brain, Reina is the next best GK-Sweeper after Van Der Sar.

Key Weakness: His height can be a problem, when dealing with high balls, but he it generally deals with the problem cleverly.


Manuel Neuer, 25



Height: 6ft 4″

Cost: £20 million

Summary: A recent acquisition of Bayern Munich, Germany’s first choice keeper showed the world his ability with an incredibly display, against us, in the first leg of the Champions League Semi-Final. Having won the 2009 European Under-21 Championships and reached the World Cup Semi-Finals with his country, he has a glittering career ahead of him.

Key Strength: Impressive reflexes make him a shot-stopper of real repute.

Key Weakness: Isn’t too pro-active organising his defence.


Hugo Lloris, 24



Height: 6ft 2″

Cost: £20 million

Summary: Having represented France at all levels, Lloris is capable of making spectacular saves and is a formidable opponent in one-on-one situations. He joined Lyon in the summer of 2008, for €8.5million, and made an immediate impact at the Stade Gerland, being crowned Ligue 1′s Goalkeeper of the Year.

Key Strength: Superb shot-stopper

Key Weakness: Shaky when coming for crosses


Gavin Wilson
MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
www.MindsiOnline.com

Shaky De Gea?

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed David de Gea will be in goal for Manchester United's Premier League opener at West Brom.
De Gea has been chosen to fill the vacancy created by Edwin van der Sar's retirement despite what many felt was a shaky performance in last weekend's Community Shield encounter with Manchester City.
It is not a view Ferguson shares. Although the United boss accepts De Gea got his footwork wrong for Edin Dzeko's second goal, he absolved the former Atletico Madrid man of any blame for David Silva's opener from an inswinging free-kick.
The Scot said: "When free-kicks come in and defenders are converging, the goalkeeper has no chance. The delivery was so good.
"It was interesting there was no criticism of Joe Hart for our first goal, yet it was exactly the same type of goal. All it needs is a fraction of a touch and the goalkeeper is dead. If he comes for it, he ends up looking silly.
"De Gea will be fine. He will play on Sunday. That is the reason we spent £18million on him."

Gavin Wilson
MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
www.MindsiOnline.com

If Peter Stringfellow Was A Goalkeeper.......

...........this is what he would wear:



MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
www.MindsiOnline.com