Entries from October 1, 2007 - November 1, 2007
Brad Guzan, MLS Goalkeeper of The Year.
Brad Guzan must be smiling from ear to ear. Not only has the young Chivas goalkeeper had Arsenal tapping on his shoulder, but he even copped a nice trophy too boot, being named the 2007 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year! Following is a video tribute to this very promising young goalkeeping talent.
John Stevanja
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PrintThe Fine Art of Anticipation
Do you move too early, or too late when it comes to stopping a penalty? There is a fine art to penalty saving that lies well outside of basic technique, more aligned with sensation rather than anything else. Humans have a basic sensory unit in their noggins that tell them to fight or fly away from danger. To be able to manipulate the fight sense to a point where you anticipate your attackers direction and other vital factors in the lead up to the penalty, will allow every goalkeeper to be more successful in their penalty saving ability.
What I Mean By Thinking Outside The Square...
We spoke about Rogerio Ceni of Sao Paulo a while back, and this guy truly amazes me. Not just because of a keen self awareness of his goalkeeping ability, but because he "thinks outside of the square". Ceni has to date scored 77 goals, and the below video (thanks to the guys at The Offside) was his 6th goal this season. Goalkeepers whom just "keep" goals are slowly becoming an extinct breed, but goal keepers like Ceni form the new mold of goalkeeping hybrid (sounds like I'm selling a Toyota Prius)!
Paul Robinson's New Boss Looking For Some Heads To Chop...
Juande Ramos, is asking for heads to roll, kind of like the French Revolution type of head rolling, and Paul Robinson, is being pin pointed as a potential target. Sources say that the new White Hart Lane boss is looking to Spanish Andres Palop as his new custodian. I believe firmly that the decision (real or not, depending on the source) is a wise business strategy, as Paul Robinson's display's of late have been terrible....oh, you didn't know about that?
Why All These Goalkeepers Are Jive Talking?
First I read about Artur Boruc of Celtic spitting chips at his club and team mates (with applaud from some Celtic fans), and then I hear about Jens Lehmann poke a forked toungue over at Arsene Wenger and his other rival at club level Manuel Almunia (Gunners fans must ask if this guy is for real?) Is it necessary? It seems when you start pointing fingers, or talking about how you've received the hard end of the stick, you're really shifting the focus away from the problem..your attitude. But there are two sides to this story.
Site Review: Become a SoccerPro!
Trying to find an online soccer retailer that goes a little bit further than just your average swipe 'em and forget 'em type of mentality could pan out to be a hard search. Fortunately, there is one online retailer who provides a great range of soccer gear and good service to boot. SoccerPro is an online store with a super array of soccer gear, at good prices with after sales service facilities that will keep you coming back for more. Let's take a look inside SoccerPro.
How To Play When You're a Man Down?
Anti Niemi certainly knows the answer to the above question. Having seen the replays, I must admit it was a great performance (subsequently, You Tube decided to remove the video) and if you had watched the game between Fulham and Bolton, Niemi earnd his wages...and then some commission to boot! But the surprising thing here, is that Niemi has been facing the goalkeeping doldrums much like his fellow Premier League counterparts and decided to turn it around with a blistering goalkeeping display, and this with only 10 men on the field...how did he do it?
Memo Ochoa...Memorize That Name!
My South American connection, Paco (a very accomplished college goalkeeper in the States), threw a great message to me the other day to have a look at young Mexican international Memo Ochoa. Now, at only 23 years of age, this super goalkeeper has played at an elite level in Mexico, represented his nation, won a title with his club America at home and internationally...and there is still so much to watch from this exciting young goalkeeper. I'll let the following video do most of the talking:
Timo Hildebrand Plays The Waiting Game To a Tee!
Valencia and German shot stopper Timo Hildebrand thinks that playing the waiting game is a good goalkeeping strategy, while he replaces Jens Lehmann ahead of a clash with the Czech Republic. There are a few pretty strong comments here that Hildebrand suggested, which resonate with the virtue of patience in goalkeeping. Playing the waiting game, for a goalkeeper at least, can be utilized effectively as a strategy for growth, following are some of the comments that Hildebrand had suggested.
Khan v Lehmann Fued, Like Days Of Our Lives!
The bit-slinging continues between German goalkeeping legend Oliver Khan and Arsenal's Jens Lehmann, which reminds me of a soppy episode of Days of Our Lives (Mum watches it ok...not me)! It speaks volumes about how not to treat your fellow goalkeeping team mate. When ego gets in the way, things get messy and both Lehmann and Khan have represented themselves and their country poorly.
Goalmouth Referee's: An Obstacle or a Plus For Goalkeepers?
This new decision by FIFA to have goulmouth referee's should be interesting. If having a crowded 18 yard area was not hard enough, the new rules set out by soccers governing body and being utilized in the Club World Cup in Japan may make life a little more difficult for goalkeepers in elite competition.
Bosnich Gives Inside View About Rising From the Doldrums
Just caught glance of this post about Mark Bosnich over at The Offside. The following video gives a great insight into a former champion goalkeeper's view on how to raise oneself out of adversity and try to re-claim one's position in the top flight of the English Premiership.
Dida KO'd By Celtic Fan's Fairy Slap!
Nelson Dida has a glass jaw...no, maybe something along the lines of paper mache. There was really no excuse for the Celtic fan to have done something so stupid as to lay his hands on a player, but, Dida's theatrics could have got him a red carpet ride to the Oscars! Probably the worst thing about the whole incident was that Dida made us fellow goalkeepers look like fairy floss, he could do a good job as a stunt double in Hollywood. Following is the video of the whole shambles when AC Milan went down to to Celtic 2-1.
The Highest Amount of Goals Scored In Premiership History & Why The Jokes On Me!
Yes, the universe decided to play a little cosmic joke of its own on me tonight during our 6 a side game. It was possibly because of this post regarding Artur Boruc's poor performance recently. On the other hand it could have been God knowing that I was thinking of spitting verbal obscenities on our very own blog at the recent goal romp with Portsmouth v Reading. It just ain't funny when you're a goalkeeper and the joke is all on you! But sometimes your own perception of poor performance is not what others see...let me explain why.
