Punching Goalkeepers

[William Henry Foulkes]

My view on the Scunthorpe chance is that it has to go down as a bit of a flap. However, there are three things to note about it:
1: how the hell did McEveley and Woolford let the Scunthorpe right back get the cross in? That's poor defending
2: the George Long of two months ago would have stayed on his line. Coming for the ball was the right decision and as you can see from the screengrab below, he tried to catch it but the issue is that his body position is all wrong. Edgar doesn't help - he's blocking his goalkeeper.
3: the main mistake is actually spilling the follow up shot. He's very lucky to get away with that.


View attachment 14959





As for last week's spill which may or may not have crossed the line (FWIW I don't think it did - not totally): he was going across the goal with his weight on his left leg so did well to reverse that and get two hands on the ball. Yes, it span out but his reactions were good.

It appears that some posters' minds are either made up on the basis of one or two bad games or their expectations are unrealistic. If we stick with Long then I can see him making the team of the season as he's improving pretty much every game.

I'm not convinced it was either a flap - or he was particularly lucky in the follow up.

It's better to be calm and in total control but at some point the ball will break loose and then it's more random, with reactions and commitment playing a big part.

When the ball is bouncing around the box like that the attacking team has 8 yards by 8 feet to aim at, the defending team has the rest of the universe, which is getting on for a trillion cubic light years I reckon.

Defenders and keeper do a decent job and it ricochets off the attacker's head for a goal kick, by which time George is back in control.

This calmness is a part of his game I really like.

 

[Grecian2000]

It's another one in the eye for the fans who had wrote him off.He just needed time to mature ,but as all goalkeepers have the odd bad day I wait for the negative ones to have a go at him again.
Call me a clapper if you like but the negativity on this board gets on my tits.

So an improved performance and clean sheet is "one in the eye" for Blades fans who dared to criticise him and, presumably, the manager who dropped him from the first team and played Howard in his place?

It's not a clapper I call you for statements like that!

 

[Jehovah]

and as we keep saying hes young
reading the game as a keeper takes years
your brutal assessment hes not as good as peter schmicheal at his peak is asking too much

did you not see Coventrys keepewr flapping at our goal
watch any league one game and see keeper errors in every game



now thats a clanger

and this is a fumble

Long had made numerous fumbles and displayed dodgy keeping regularly. It seems like this is accepted so it's just a bonus if he actually has an ok game. I still see him as a disaster waiting to happen but I accept your points.

 

[Bladebri]

Out of curiosity Jonny. I note you identify WCFC as your team and I recall you posting around the time we played you in the cup. Do you also have some sort of allegiance to the blades? It’s just that I’ve noticed you contributing on other blades matters such as this and wondered what your motivation was?



Ps. Not a criticism btw. I welcome input from fans of other clubs, just wondered why we hold your interest.

Jonny is OK, he is a closet blade really, has some good point, rather him that barney

 

[JonnyRed(WCFC)]

Out of curiosity Jonny. I note you identify WCFC as your team and I recall you posting around the time we played you in the cup. Do you also have some sort of allegiance to the blades? It’s just that I’ve noticed you contributing on other blades matters such as this and wondered what your motivation was?



Ps. Not a criticism btw. I welcome input from fans of other clubs, just wondered why we hold your interest.

heehee its fine for asking...I saw this on my lunchbreak but didn't have time to reply which has given me more time to ponder exactly why I've stuck around...

Worcester will always be my team, I also follow Forest as well which is a family thing as theyre all Derby/Notts folk (save for me being born in Worcester), when we drew you in the Cup it was curiosity to see what people were thinking about facing us (I did the same last year with Cov and Scunny but never joined any of their forums, thankfully lol!) and you all seemed genuinely into the Blades facing a non-league club (which the games attendance proved to some degree) whereas a lot wouldn't be bothered. And of course there was some previous history involved with the 1959 game which was our record attendance. Then even though we'd gone out..i always like to follow where the games go afterwards on the path to Wembley because you get the 'oooh it could've been us' scenario, and now its your turn to be the underdogs going to Old Trafford and I hope you smash em lol!

That's kind of part of it..i didn't know I'd stick around this long...but I really like it on here and you're a proper down to earth honest bunch of real football fans and I can relate to a lot of stuff you talk about like when football was better in the 90s to the early 2000s or even before that which is more related to my liking Forest and crossing paths a few times (which probably sounds odd to Blades). I've already said elsewhere I loved Dave Bassett when he was at Forest and miss those days which I know you can relate to

when I was at school we did a field trip case study for Geography and we came upto Sheffield (around 91-92) and I remember feeling as if it was a place I'd been to before and a kind of attachment/affinity to the feel of the place..i still cant really explain it now but something resonates for sure.

 

[Snowman]

It was a flap. That is and was my instant judgment and I haven't played it back and analysed it. Credit to him as he came for it, but either he misjudged it or the wind took it because when he arrived it was lower than where he expected it to be and he had a choice of punch from the wrong angle or trying catch and bring it in at a less than ideal shape. This turned into a safety first flap which to anyone who enjoys good goalkeeping was a really ugly move. As a pessimist I took the view that his timing was wrong and as others have said he didn't "wipe out" what was in front of him. Still he is getting better. I will now watch it back.

 

[Barney]

Jonny is OK, he is a closet blade really, has some good point, rather him that barney

He's fine coming on here and offering his opinions, but to start accusing a supporter of a club he knows nothing about that he's a supporter of bitter rivals? Nah.

 

[Bladebri]

He's fine coming on here and offering his opinions, but to start accusing a supporter of a club he knows nothing about that he's a supporter of bitter rivals? Nah.

Say again.

 

[Barney]

Say again.

How about read again.

 

[Snowman]

Watched it again. Credit where it's due. He had to make that or it was a goal. A catch and fall to the ground was achievable but risky as it seems his prime concern was to quickly take it away from the head of the Scunthorpe player. A better option was the punch up and away to the right but I think he had a snap decision to make and got caught between the two, It happens. The good thing is that he didn't stick to his line, he saw the danger and he made it to the ball. Small steps eh, but he might make it yet.

 

[Hodgyman]

Learning to be vocally commanding will be George's next important lesson to learn. He needs to develop a "big voice" that should warn his defenders that he is coming to get the ball. They can then move out of his way so the defenders do not block his path. They can then take up defensive positions near the goal line, just in case.
A determined and commanding shout can also deter opposition strikers from getting too close and injured in the process. A softly spoken call tends to not frighten the opposition.

If the keeper needs to punch then he should look to punch it out wide rather than towards the D where there is nearly always someone there (except a United player) ready to knock the ball into the net.

 

[Sirius]

Nowt wrong with a punching Keeper...even Hodgy used to punch the ball in a crowded goalmouth,when most keepers would tend to catch...ahead of his time owd Hodgy.

During my time as a Blade, the King of the punchers was ,without a doubt ,Ted Burgin. He wasn't afraid to leave his line. get in amongst them and punch the ball.
In those days we were known as The Mudlarks in some quarters on account of the pitch.
Ted had another card up his sleeve which involved pushing a mud pie into the face of forwards who were too pushy

 

[Slim Man]

My view on the Scunthorpe chance is that it has to go down as a bit of a flap. However, there are three things to note about it:
1: how the hell did McEveley and Woolford let the Scunthorpe right back get the cross in? That's poor defending
2: the George Long of two months ago would have stayed on his line. Coming for the ball was the right decision and as you can see from the screengrab below, he tried to catch it but the issue is that his body position is all wrong. Edgar doesn't help - he's blocking his goalkeeper.
3: the main mistake is actually spilling the follow up shot. He's very lucky to get away with that.


View attachment 14959



As for last week's spill which may or may not have crossed the line (FWIW I don't think it did - not totally): he was going across the goal with his weight on his left leg so did well to reverse that and get two hands on the ball. Yes, it span out but his reactions were good.

It appears that some posters' minds are either made up on the basis of one or two bad games or their expectations are unrealistic. If we stick with Long then I can see him making the team of the season as he's improving pretty much every game.

Looking at the video the one disgusting piece of defending is the final. An unmarked man at the back post in the last seconds of the game - are you fucking joking?!

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Looking at the video the one disgusting piece of defending is the final. An unmarked man at the back post in the last seconds of the game - are you fucking joking?!

That was extremely poor defending. They seemed to get caught out by the short corner and all started panicking and weren't organised. Luckily, we got away with it. Let's hope they learn from it.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

heehee its fine for asking...I saw this on my lunchbreak but didn't have time to reply which has given me more time to ponder exactly why I've stuck around...

Worcester will always be my team, I also follow Forest as well which is a family thing as theyre all Derby/Notts folk (save for me being born in Worcester), when we drew you in the Cup it was curiosity to see what people were thinking about facing us (I did the same last year with Cov and Scunny but never joined any of their forums, thankfully lol!) and you all seemed genuinely into the Blades facing a non-league club (which the games attendance proved to some degree) whereas a lot wouldn't be bothered. And of course there was some previous history involved with the 1959 game which was our record attendance. Then even though we'd gone out..i always like to follow where the games go afterwards on the path to Wembley because you get the 'oooh it could've been us' scenario, and now its your turn to be the underdogs going to Old Trafford and I hope you smash em lol!

That's kind of part of it..i didn't know I'd stick around this long...but I really like it on here and you're a proper down to earth honest bunch of real football fans and I can relate to a lot of stuff you talk about like when football was better in the 90s to the early 2000s or even before that which is more related to my liking Forest and crossing paths a few times (which probably sounds odd to Blades). I've already said elsewhere I loved Dave Bassett when he was at Forest and miss those days which I know you can relate to

when I was at school we did a field trip case study for Geography and we came upto Sheffield (around 91-92) and I remember feeling as if it was a place I'd been to before and a kind of attachment/affinity to the feel of the place..i still cant really explain it now but something resonates for sure.

Thanks for the response Jonny. Nice to read something so complimentary about us lot. Makes a refreshing change from calling each other cunts all the time. Stick around, your input is welcome.

 

[HighfieldBlade]

 

[Bladepicker]

Thankful


I'm not thankful he got to a ball that was straight at him. I'm thankful the officials did not notice he dropped it over the line.

I'm sorry but that is ridiculous, the ball was not straight at him. He was moving across the goal with his weight on his left when Collins diverted the ball in the exact opposite direction with his hand (so not even something you would normally anticipate) from about two yards. He had a fraction of a second to adjust his weight and body position so that he was able to get anything on the ball. To look at it another way had he kept going to his left and not got anything on the ball you would not have blamed him.

Also I am still not convinced it was over the line, I'd say it was very close to having some of the ball not over the line - the angle the replay is filmed at will give the optical illusion of the ball being over the line as it is in mid air, there is no reference point to the ground.

 

[s35blade]

As someone is use to play as a Goalkeeper (Sheffield D division), I can tell you the reason is punching is a lot easier than catching.

 

[Snowman]

Now I disagree with that which is why this ancient bugger still can't understand modern keepers and their tendency to punch. I always figured that I had a weight and height advantage (being able to use my arms and hands), I was protected by referees (apart from that twat from Ecclesfield Red Rose that slyly kidney punched me) and I had two hands to grab the ball with very good goalkeeping gloves. My objection to punching was that (a) I was shit at it and my wrists/biceps were weak, (b) If I had to do it, it suggested I was late to the ball or, (c) I had misjudged it or (d) I had been successfully blocked off.

Maybe I was lucky in my career. I did play behind some fantastic sweepers/centre-backs.

 

[HighfieldBlade]

View attachment 14987

Err, that's "Puncheon, Goalkeeper".