Top 10 Prem Keepers - Where Should Schwarzer Really Be?

[White Noise]

http://football365.com/story/0,17033,8750_6699964,00.html

F365`s Top Ten Premier League Keepers


Posted 25/01/11 09:30


English keepers are rubbish, aren't they? We all know that. Well, not according to us, as we have three homegrown stoppers in our top five goalies doing their thing in the Premier League...

NB: This is based on a combination of form this season and general performance over the years. So bear that in mind before serving up your outraged abuse...

10 - Jussi Jaaskelainen
It might look a touch daft to include a keeper who, a mere 12 hours before this column is being (hastily re-) written, waved four goals in against a team struggling for form. Especially when Jaaskelainen should probably have done better with three of them. However, one bad evening does not undo a decade of excellent work by a keeper who has long been a favourite in F365 Towers. There is also plenty to be said for a man who has seemingly shown a fair degree of loyalty to Bolton, despite the offers of slightly shinier prospects that have no doubt come in over the years.

9 - Mark Schwarzer
Like Ben Foster at Birmingham, Fulham's below-par season thus far has been largely caused by worries in attack, rather than a leaky defence. Schwarzer could have been forgiven for being thrown into a right old tizz by the shenanigans surrounding the (admittedly rather dull) 'Will they, won't they' flirtation with Arsenal in the summer, which went right up until the final hours of the transfer window. However, despite this and suggestions that whipper-snapper David Stockdale could even take his place, Schwarzer got on with things, began performing in the same old manner and finally signed his new contract in December.

8 - Craig Gordon
It's been something of a turnaround for Gordon this season. A summer elbow injury meant the impressive Simon Mignolet started the season in goal, and such was the Belgian's form that even after Gordon returned to fitness, he had to bide his time and warm the bench for a few weeks. However, since returning to the number one spot, Gordon has looked like the keeper Roy Keane paid the ugly end of £9million for in 2007. At times in the intervening years the Scot hasn't looked worth anything near that price, but a string of phenomenal saves - particularly the instinctive stop from Zat Knight that did as much to earn Sunderland's 1-0 win over Bolton as Danny Welbeck's goal - have proved his worth this season.

7 - Ali Al-Habsi
The spanking handed out to Wigan by Arsenal at the weekend was Al-Habsi's season in microcosm. Sure, he let in three goals and Wigan lost, but it could've been so much worse. Al-Habsi, who started the summer as second-choice at Bolton, stepped in for the third game of the season after Chris Kirkland had shipped ten goals in the opening two games. At the time it looked like something of a punt by Roberto Martinez, but he clearly knew better. Al-Habsi has conceded 25 goals in his 19 appearances, which is perfectly respectable for a struggling club, especially considering the rotating cast of clownish centre-backs that have nominally been providing him with protection.

6 - Petr Cech
Ropey though Chelsea's form has been in the past couple of months, their 'goals against' column is still the joint-lowest in the Premier League. He may not be the keeper he was (a decline that has just as much to do with his calamitous performance against Turkey in 2008 as it does with his head injury), but Cech is still one of the most imposing stoppers in the Premier League.

5 - Paul Robinson
He still seems to have that odd trigger-movement/hop thing in his footwork that has seen a number of long-rangers fly past him over the years, and the ill-timed retirement from international football still sticks in the throat rather, but Robinson has been incredibly impressive this season. A couple of flying saves from Jerome Thomas in their win over West Brom on Sunday were the latest in his canon of fine stops. For a season or two either side of his departure from Spurs, Robinson looked as if his best years were behind him, but now it seems they could be yet to come.

4 - Edwin van der Sar
With their defence, Manchester United have rarely needed anything more than a solid keeper between their sticks. And Van Der Sar is the very definition of solid, cutting his errors to an absolute minimum and providing the quiet reassurance that no doubt helps Vidic, Ferdinand et al do their jobs so well. Interestingly, if this means anything to anyone, Times scribe Patrick Barclay picked Van Der Sar as the best United keeper of the Premier League era, over the seemingly unimpeachable god of goalies, Peter Schmeichel.

3 - Ben Foster
Rotten they may be at present, but Birmingham's problems have largely been at the other end of the pitch. The drubbing at Manchester United aside, shoeings have been few and far between for the team fourth bottom of the table. Plenty of credit can be given to the centre-half pairing of Scott Dann and Roger Johnson (although it will be interesting to see how they fare without the former for the rest of the season), but Foster is maturing into an excellent keeper.

2 - Joe Hart
There's something about Hart that just exudes class. His is an immensely reassuring presence in goal for both Manchester City and England, so much so that one forgets he is still only 23. His occasional errors can be excused/explained by his youth, and perhaps more importantly given that keepers do not tend to reach their peak until their early thirties, his best may be years ahead of him. In a team that cost hundreds of millions, arguably City's most important player cost roughly what Yaya Toure earns in three weeks.

1 - Pepe Reina
Another to file under 'Where would they be without him?' Sure, Reina is prone to the occasional slapstick error, but he has saved Liverpool many more points than he has cost. A much underrated element of Reina's game is his ability to start counter-attacks with his bullet-arm. Liverpool's problem is that they often don't have enough pace in their team to take advantage, but perhaps with Kenny Dalglish's new gung-ho ways, that will become more threatening. He is also clearly just a good guy to have around. He appears settled in at a club that - based on current league form and European involvement - he is too good for, he comes across as sensible and considered in interviews, and at a very basic level the almost child-like enthusiasm and passion he shows is heart-warming.


Nick Miller

[The Equalizer]

Top 4 at least.

[Jimpav]

Schwarzer would be 4th behind Reina, Hart and Van Der Sar.

Not quite sure why Foster merits 3rd place and I would also question why Gomez is not on this list (Yes he has had a couple of mares but he is a very good keeper) ahead of Al-habsi and Robinson.

[colossus]

Robinson?! Gordon?! AL-HABSI?!?!?!?!!??!?!?!  :tom:

[Matt]

 

Robinson?! Gordon?! AL-HABSI?!?!?!?!!??!?!?!  :tom:

Agree!  :tom: The list is ridiculous. 

[Nick the Swede]

Robinson?! Gordon?! AL-HABSI?!?!?!?!!??!?!?!  :tom:

My feelings exactly! Bogus list!

[Bilet]

Al Habsi - half a season in a Wigan team giving away lots of chances.
Foster - Extremely good when he is good, but makes lots of silly mistakes during a season.
Robison - Average.

Should at least have been 5th or 6th.

[TheDaddy]

You cant blame the bloke its obvious he takes his notes from MOTD !

[os5889]

Robinson is awesome! I'd have loved for him to have joined us!

I can think of 1 Gary Neville induced blunder that the armchair fan will constantly refer to but he has helped Blackburn more than anyone else upto 7th. He was incredible on Sunday also by the way

[colossus]

Have just worked it out, these must be the rankings for the last set of fixtures.

Schwarzers only down to 9th as he didn't play =]

[Matt]

 

Have just worked it out, these must be the rankings for the last set of fixtures.

Schwarzers only down to 9th as he didn't play =]

Al-Habsi wasn't that good at the Emirates though, with van Persie's third goal in mind.

[HatterDon]

Gordon is excellent. It's Robinson and Foster I have problems with.

As to Schwarzer, there are better keepers in the Prem, but I wouldn't have had a one of them last season. This season? He's not been at the level he was last time out, but he's still very good. As for VDS, I think he's better this season that he has been either of the last two. Of course, having Vidic and Ferdinand both heathly hasn't hurt much.

[mrska]

Won't be long before Stockdale is troubling that top 5...

[Chopper]

Schwarzer would be 4th behind Reina, Hart and Van Der Sar.

Not quite sure why Foster merits 3rd place and I would also question why Gomez is not on this list (Yes he has had a couple of mares but he is a very good keeper) ahead of Al-habsi and Robinson.

Spot on. Foster's had a couple of shockers in the last few weeks. I reckon Stockdale could give him a run for his money in the race for the England No. 1 shirt.

[richie17]

Robinson is awesome! I'd have loved for him to have joined us!

I can think of 1 Gary Neville induced blunder that the armchair fan will constantly refer to but he has helped Blackburn more than anyone else upto 7th. He was incredible on Sunday also by the way

Robinson's awesome at looking good while letting a mysteriously high number of goals fly past him.  All his career, whichever club he's been at, he's been very vulnerable from long distance.   Because his footwork is so poor it looks like he couldn't get near these shots, whereas keepers like Schwarzer make the saves look easy because by the time we're looking at him (rather than the shooter) he's already in position to make the save.  Robinson hasn't reacted or positioned himself nearly as well, so makes the big diving saves (or not, as the case often is).   

It's an insult to goalkeeping to have Schwarzer below Robinson.  Reina hasn't been himself and neither has Hart, so you might reasonably put Schwarzer top of that list, him or VDS.

[SmithyFFC]

How the hell is Foster so high up?!

I'd much rather have Schwarzer than Cech, hes atleast the 5th best in the league.

[Sheepskin Junior]

schwarzer isn't the best but he's certainly top 1