A blog for and about hockey goalkeepers and goalkeeping, trying to expand their coverage, given what a niche market it is! Was a little disappointed that there is nothing like this around so thought I'd have a bash at remedying that! Written with a slightly Gonzo journalistic approach.
Thoughts and analysis of the elite. All opinions are my own; can't be bothered with anyone else's after all!
With Chris Rea and Andrew Miller having graduated from Exeter over the summer, the university side's first team were going to be looking for a sure fire starter in order to help regroup and battle for promotion as they break in some new young blood freshers. With Dudley having moved from Birmingham to the Devonshire side, I made the assumption that he would be taking over from Rea and Miller, who split starts last season. But it seems that Australian goalkeeper Jack Banister (who is either on a gap year or scholarship scenario, as I'm not sure how overseas players registration affects things) is deemed worthy of taking over the goalkeeping mantle for the side.
At 19 he is probably (one would assume!) the youngest starting goalkeeper in the national league, accompanying a squad where the average age will be in the 20s. But he has performed well, showing his ability, getting wins against some tough teams, along with clean sheets, nonetheless. His experience of playing indoor and outdoor to a competitive level should make the adjustment easier on him as he settles into the English national league, but there may be a few changes he has to make to optimise his changes in the British style of hockey.
Kit wise he is using Obo pads and kickers, with a Grphon tube style rhp (presumably brought over with him?!), flat defender style stick (which a lot of national league standard goalies find useful for the low bow) and a TK lhp. And keeps only the right arm padded, as is getting quite popular globally. Style wise he seems to standout with the stereotypical "X stance" approach with hands up and out to help with having active hands for save making.
With Tommy Alexander having made the move across to Hampstead to push Scanlon for the number one shirt after getting some playing time with the Middlesex side last season (after the Christmas break), the 'Gym' are back with Qas Mir in between the sticks. Having played as first choice since their promotion into the national league from the South Prem, he has been a steady presence for them for some time, coming into peak in age and maturity as a goalkeeper now, which will bode well for Indian Gym as they push up the table looking for that elusive promotion into the Premier league. I *think* it also appears that they have youngster Theo Dowse as their new second choice, with Amir Bahia having made the switch to Richmond, offering some depth and youth for the future.
Havant have the most goalkeepers registered in any national league
squad for this season upcoming, along with East Grinstead, at the maximum of four. But they arguably have the most depth in the league, although Beeston are in for a good shout as they have enough depth to help them through George Pinner's international training schedule and involvement. Caelen Dillon joins from Winchester, with experience at junior international level,
whilst Ben Cowling, Canterbury's first choice for the latter end of last season, with his own junior experience at U21's a while ago, joins via change of work and life circumstances (or however you phrase it!).
Personally from what I have seen, Cowling is not up to scratch, like some of the goalkeepers in the national league, which can be argued with quantified results, analysis and stats. Cowling's main facet is his unbreakable confidence, which all (something you can learn from the career of Ray Clemence, who would dust himself down and get back at it, every game, as they say). Havant looked like they were going to be back in the Premier league by this season, and were doing really well, with great consistency, but then started to falter, losing their confidence in an unexpected loss away to Guildford.
Yes, Cowling has experience, and some natural talent is there, but just because a
goalkeeper plays behind a strong team it doesn't make him a good
goalkeeper. When judging it should be on current standard of play, it shouldn't be "oh, so and so plays for Man Utd ergo he must be awesome". Cesar at QPR played outstandingly at QPR last season because he had a porous defence in front of him, not the other way round!! I know it sounds harsh, but if we want hockey to be of the same standard as the "professionals", then we have to be critical and push for more analysis and better able athletes in goal, rather than putting whoever wants to go in goal there.
He showed promise to start the season, but then things have seemed to go a little awry. And without that confidence level his game will probably fall to pieces, so he needs to reset and refind his game before the team implode in front of him. A lot like Gomes, sports psychology is incredibly important for goalkeepers; without it athletes struggle, the game is always 90% mental and 10% talent as they say. But it is not just that. I have
seen him get beaten by simple shots, such as when making the choice to log against drag flicks, when playing for Canterbury, which are
unjustifiable at the elite level, showing poor decision making, and will go punished if this type of thing continues. If he were to attack the
ball more rather than be so passive with his size, he would also see different results.
Working with a goalkeeper coach, as they have at Havant, which is quite a rarity in English hockey to be honest, regularly should help him ground his technique for the game. This with working on the fundamentals that are the basis for any elite goalkeeper. But whilst he started strong, things have started to hit a bumpy road.
Here you can see Cowling's newly changed hand positioning
at short corners as he leads his defence on this PC.
The goalkeepers around the club also demonstrate different approaches in technique and kit, which is better for the game. Although, if the team are used to playing with a certain style of goalkeeper and need perhaps to change it up, they need a reserve goalkeeper that can play in this way too. For instance a like for like match; take Freidel playing differently to Lloris for Tottenham and the results, for an analogy! Matt
Weeks featured when Isaacs went down injured last season and Aaron Hoare has featured in the indoor seasons with Isaacs (now at Bromley) not making an
appearance, although it would have been interesting to see him have
adapted his sweeper keeper to indoor with a radical style, if improving on that of Andrew Charter's
throwback development in recent years.
Other than that, Caelen
has got all the skills to be an elite starter down the line, and the make-up of a long term champion,
if he sticks with it and works hard to get there. With goalkeepers
difficult to scout because they mature later, if he sticks to finetuning the technique he has so far, he
should definitely be in contention for senior international selection. In my opinion he could have a similar "career" (for
some reason ) path like Jimi Lewis, like when he himself was
at Havant. He's grounded and shows maturity and the desire to improve, which reflects in his play.
He took over as first chance for England U18's over the summer by battling for the shirt at the recent
Junior tournament in Spain. He is confident with his feet on short corners, a
facet of the contemporary game which allows better rebound control and reactive saves, and shows a strong, grounded base of technique, plus the confidence and game psychology to go with it. And these are sure
signs of true potential.
At Fareham, they are very fortunate to have a solid elite level goalkeeper in George Harris. Much like Simon Mason is the rock upon which the team is built at Guildford (currently struggle as a result of a loss of key players), Fareham are able to push further up the league for honours because of his abilities. Providing an aura of calm and consistency, as every coach wants from their goalkeeper, Harris is arguably one of the best goalkeepers around the league.
Whilst this may be a step down from the level he is used to, as I firmly believe he is still capable of playing for a Premier league side, he is the back bone of this squad and is still capable of athletic double saves and such despite his age. This level of experience cannot be bought or gained through short cuts and having fought his way to the top via a stint at Old Loughtonians, he has that battling mindset against adversity that sets him apart from the competition. On Potton's return from Loughborough Students, Harris was phased out of his involvement with the team, in spite of providing them with the ability to up his game and push them further on in the Euro Hockey League, something Potton has really struggled with, from both sides of the argument.
Kit wise, gone are the days when Harris was wearing a helmet/cage "combo" at Old Louts, having moved to an Obo mask, but is still in ice hockey elbow pads. He has made the significant switch from Obo to Mercian for foam (kickers, pads and gloves), but also gone for the new style Mercian rhp. Interestingly, he was using the thinner profile rhp design (Obo hi control) for quite some time previous, only making the not-so-recent-now (!) switch to the larger blocking profile style rhp (Obo hi rebound) in the season that Potton joined.
But much like Rooke, Fareham will struggle without a goalkeeper of his quality, when he does finally have to make the decision of stepping away from the game at this level of competition.
With Cheltenham having avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth last season, as Whitchurch went down, and they scrapped it out for survival in the relegation playoffs, they are still sticking with their first choice in Rooke. At the age of post-30 and post twilight years of goalkeeping, Rooke joins a unique club in the national league, with only Mason (as the oldest!), Hibbert and Harris of a similar age. Whilst this is not always heard of, Clemence played for a 35 year career in football, Hasek played until post-40 in the NHL, as did Belfour, and so on, so Rooke can still provide Cheltenham "with the goods as they say"! The years of experience, knowledge of angles and positioning merges with natural reaction speeds, like Buffon shows in his goalkeeping displays. It is no bad thing and is easier for a coach to turn to a wily veteran than a youngster they are worried about placing their trust in.
At 35 he still has it and is still very athletic. But seems to struggle with some basics, like kicking (approach, run up, angle, distance of clearance/power etc. etc.). With no competition to push him, or regular goalkeeper coaching, bad habits can easily sneak in, as I have found myself. From seeing him play in person, it seems going back to basics (focusing on each shot shot-by-shot and simple things like kicking etc.) will help him dominate the league, when combined with his in-built qualities. When he does finally hang up the pads, they will potentially struggle to find a goalkeeper of the same ability and experience to provide them with elite goalkeeping.
Not knowing much about the North conference, I will problably skip through the other conferences for profiling the national league goalkeepers in action. I will try and wrap up the ambitious rundown of all the goalies, in spite of the season already been well under way!
And in the West conference of the English national league, Cardiff starter Ben Dudley is providing the Welsh team a chance at performing to the same level they did last season, as they won the league and played in the playoff format, in which they lost out to Wimbledon and Sheffield in the end. Like many teams, his status is pretty much undisputed, although Cardiff gave their young deputy a run out in the Euro Hockey League as Cardiff made their debut in that format of the tournament.
Dudley also has a pedrigee outside of goalkeeping, helping coach with England juniors and their goalkeepers. Dudley is very vocal and commanding at times, although like a lot of national league goalkeepers, this isn't an ever present or consistent feature. And he also struggles with some basics, as a lot of goalkeepers at this level do, but is at least constant with his game all season out. One of Monarch's main user, he was using them before Monarch signed up George Pinner.
Having taken over from Lee Ible (Welsh international) at Brooklands MU, the young Chris Scott has been making a good enough impression "in between the sticks" even if he hasn't set the league alight. With competition for the Premier League starting to hot up and English hockey refinding its form, Brooklands are not the same side they were, but are still challenging to win the league in the North division of the national domestic competition. Making the most of his size as one of the taller goalkeepers in the league, he covers a lot of goal. A young goalkeeper, it may be a while into he gets in tune with the position at this level, but has shown strong fundamentals so far. Kit wise Chris favours the tube style hi-control rhp and wears ice hockey elbow pads on both arms.
Ible in his playing days for Brooklands in an away game against East Grinstead.
You can watch him in the clip below in a goalie duel between himself and Jamie Cachia of Sheffield Hallam before their promotions:
One of the North conference's key stalwarts "in between the posts", is
Rob Turner, who has been at Bowdon for quite some time now. For me, he's
the reason why Bowdon have stood a chance of bouncing back to the
Premier League after their demotion the season before last (with them
being pipped at the post at the last game of the season, against Sheffield this season gone) and being in
the top flight for so long regardless. Without him, they would
definitely struggle and his level of consistency has often gone ignored
and under rated. Among other achievements, he has been in the England
training squad (I read it somewhere at least, not sure about
confirming!) as well as having previously taken part in the GB Super
Leagues.
Turner with his unorthodox crouching stance playing for Bowdon against EG a few seasons ago.
About three or four seasons ago, Jamie Cachia joined Bowdon and featured
in a few cup games, with Turner holding onto the starting spot; Cachia
has obviously now found home at Sheffield Hallam where he has gone from
strength to strength, but being a junior international did little to
oust him from the coaching staff's assurance. But performances speak for
themselves, and like a deeply rooted tree in strong weather, he has
been as steady
as a rock for quite some time now. He doesn't always appear to make
those awe inspiring saves, but does not look out of place. Although the
odd clanger, mainly in situations against strong drag flickers with a
good level of deception (going the wrong way here: link),
he has maintained a strong level of consistency throughout his career.
Having decided not to "hang up the pads" just yet, Bowdon will be
looking for a replacement soon though as this might be his last for
their first eleven (although conjecture at this point!).
Equipment wise, he uses the Mercian body armour (or at least, shoulder
pads) and favours the Obo fatboy goalkeeping stick for weight of
clearnace/balance. Prefering to thin down arm protection, he is the only
goalie in the English national league to use lacrosse elbow pads
(perhaps even the only goalkeeper in the English system to do so), and
sometimes uses the inner part of Obo's current elbow pad design to offer
some protection to the inner arm at least. He also has a habit of
switching between the tube style Obo hi control and larger blocking
profile Obo hi rebound rhp over seasons, with what seems like a habitual
season lasting changeover from time to time!
And style wise, he has an interesting lowered stance, almost a crouch,
when faced with screens. Although he isn't the tallest goalkeeper
around, he doesn't seem to be greatly affected by height when
athletically diving high.
Nevertheless, he will be a talent that Bowdon will surely miss when his playing days are finally over.
Loughborough are another team where the talent base is strong but not as such perhaps in goalie terms, only in the sense that during one season alone they had the GB starter (McGregor, who was, at the time) and two prospects that are now premier league starters in their own right (Potton and Millington), like the depth that was there for Exeter University last season, with three possible starters and only two spots available, meaning competition was incredibly tough. But for now, it's a case in point of a young talent , like Jimi Lewis in the hockey scene, or Buffon/Casillas/Afinegenov (Russia's recent elite goalie) et al. Harry burst onto the season last season, having been given the chance to shine after the retirement of Scottish and GB international Ali McGregor who with his memorable performanace at the Beijing Olympics, was seen as heir apparent after Steve Bayer's retirement. McGregor had purposefully taken up such an opporunity to recreate his game and pushed himself to compete at this level of the game, rising from sixth to first choice from an ironwill of determination and refined game play.
And now, having mentored him for a season, McGregor chose to leave hockey for the time being (focusing more on his teaching career), much like Mason moving away from Reading to pave the way for Nick Brothers way back when. Rather than the curse of the sophomore season for the young goalie, wherein a youngster fails to do as well as their did in their debut season, I think Gibson should be able to build on the experiences he has; game experience being worth so much more than any training session can provide, for any goalie and really go for it this season. He has the desire, the competitiveness, learning mindset and the coaching (with goalie input too) in the mix, so it's a case of pushing himself and setting his own targets for personal achievements.
Whilst he did have a few bad games last season (not in the same regard as Stubbings possibly), that's going to be expected of any young goalie; sometimes the nerves can get to you and have a knock-on effect in a negative way on performance. In this case and instance, the coach needs to show their commitment and trust in the goalie and allow them to battle it out and ride out the storm in order for the goalie to return to their best, as Arsene Wenger should be doing, say. And with regards to Harry's form, there is a lot of great raw qualities to build from and refine. He helped Loughborough battle through some tough games, and whilst some of the performances weren't representative of his true ability, he was only 19 at the time in his first ever national premier league season! Being the youngsest starting goalie in the league is no mean feat and something to be lauded, applauded and encouraged. He was able to show that age is just a number and goalies can still be awesome from a younger age now given the quality of coaching and analysis not available in years gone by.
Loughborough is a great hockey powerhouse (starting to be challenged in form by Exeter, Cardiff and others) and has been the catalyst for producing quite some quality goalies. Tom Millington studied there, as did Potton, Phil Carr did and so on. So the uni set-up is actually one of the best goalie producers in the British Isles. With Harry away on international duty for the U21's in India not that far off, they will probably need cover in the shape of their second choice, who played in the indoor leagues and didn't do too badly either, which is bonus as they don't want to lose costly points in their national league campaign this season. His form has gained interest from all the right people to the point of being selected to play for England A in friendlies over the summer, another step up the ladder for the future.
McGregor in his playing days in a game post-Beijing.
For this season, I think Harry will do well and can go above and beyond last season's successes if everything clicks. I'd like to see him push Lufbra back up the table, back to where they were in 2009 say when they were competing in the Euro Hockey League and were doing incredibly well in the competition format, but it will be up to him and the squad to work together to make that a realistic achievement.
Whilst the title is an attempt at poetic prose, it is essentially Potton or else for the West Sussex powerhouse side. For East Grinstead, the options are thin and imbalanced, or at least at a terrifically critical sense in that it's a lot like Man City and Joe Hart; there just isn't even competition or someone breathing down his neck to push Potts and get the best out of him. With Potton as first choice, they have a long term starter who has been playing at this level from the age of 22; he's 26 now and was brought into the squad in the 2009/10 season, beating Harris out of the top spot.
Potton has shown he has got what it takes, but at times he isn't always himself or what we come to expect of him. When David Kettle was there, having chosen to push himself to break into an established side at premier league level at that point in time, over the chance to play at Holcombe, Potton seemed to be the slightly beaten out. As the game against Hampstead illustrates, when they were splitting time (halves of games), Kettle got a clean sheet and Potton conceded one; it's a marginal difference, but at this level, to the acute level is how you analyse these details.
For me, I thought Kettle was the better one of the two at the time. He helped the squad progress and offered a greater presence for the back four. He is still going strong at the club, but the desire and fight of Potton meant perhaps he was letting himself down a little. This isn't to say that Potton, not at all, just that if I were a GB coach (he was actually brought into the full England squad as a reserve when Brothers went down injured about four years ago at an international tournament). It's like the criticism Mannone faced at Arsenal, which was pretty undue, given his athleticism, confidence and ability versus say Almunia. Not to sound pig headed or unnecessarily critical, but just because you play at a great club or team, it doesn't make you the best thing around (plus you might not have too much work to do!). Just happening to be playing for a good and well respected team doesn't automatically mean you are as a good as the team in front of you. Imagine De Gea and Man United. Potton had good competition in his time at Loughborough (Tom Millington, then Phil Carr, although I'm not sure if he'd graduated by then), and this is something I feel he needs, to bring the best out of his game as he fights for starts rather than simply given them (as most goalies at this level are, based on a respect based system).
Having said all that though, you can't knock him for his consistency, which is something you don't see a lot of at this level. He has a structure of grounded basics which you don't see much in the national league either, with so many goalies making those 'gasp worthy' saves but giving away cheap goals through simple mistakes. So this is where his quality lies, unlike other goalkeepers at other clubs. One of his standout strong points though, is his voice. It's strong and bold and short and sharp and is an extra man through his voice.
Again, not something you see much at this level, which is weird for this level of sport, but an important quality to have.
He
also likes to make use of the splits against short corners, making the most of his hand/foot co-ordination and speedy reactions which is feet, which
is an interesting given his size, but is a style becoming very prevalent at this level right now (need to do a write up on it at some point!). And I don't see how his size is a negative anyway; his height doesn't hinder his play and he does well in all aspects of the goalkeeping game. His stance is a lot more like the Australian "X
stance", with him in essence . He is aggressive in the right ways (versus Bristow's approach at times say).
He's not bad at indoor either (that's a jokey compliment, because he is good!) and will help EG compete in the Super Sixes and in Europe if they don't bring back Neusser.
He is quick off his line to shut down attacks, comfortable to engage in shutting down attacks in this way as a modern goalie than simply staying rooted to his line. And EG aren't the same team they have been before, with core members moving away, say to Holcombe in search of glory, so his performances aren't always reflected in the score line. You can't score for them; you're the one in goal! He , and after his performance in the Euro Hockey League last season, I can see him having a breakout season in the sense of maturity; 26 is a good age for a goalie (the qualifying year for international hockey as a goalie in Australia generally to ensure level headedness), combining years of experience and a strong head on good shoulders with reflexes and agility of youth, so he could really go for it this season and see EG atop the league again, where they arguably should be.
For reserve choices, that is where East Grinstead seems more strong than, at least in experience and future prospects. Paul Colthram who was at Reading for a season (I think, if I remember right) and nearly joined Oxted in the 2009 season, so can step in if anything were to happen to EG's first choice. Then they have Richard's brother Mark who was at Loughborough (if I'm not mistaken) and then Jack who has studied at one of the Whitgifts (Mid or Trinity?!), although has not yet featured for England juniors, but has promise if he works hard and developing, already given playing opportunities in friendlies last year, as well as benching for Potton in a lot of games.
For this season, I think Potton will do well again as he pushes himself to prove any doubters wrong (guess I could class myself as one), but I think EG aren't going to lie down as they say and let a poor season define things. If the team in front of him do better, his hard work will really pay off. If they rebuild well, as they have, I can see East Grinstead winning the league again and making the most of Potton's long career in goal for them, but for now, they need to crack on with that hard work to get back into European competition. Without Potton they will definitely lose points, as shown in the home display against HWHC last season where he was the difference maker in retaining a clean short in spite of quality scoring chances for a 1-0 win. Onwards and upwards, and I'll think he'll have a good year this year, helping him impress the scouts again, given his opportunities with England A.
With the signing of Antoni Kindler, Canterbury have shored up their goalkeeping department after the struggles and confusions of last season after they had gotten off to such a strong and dominant start. Amy Tran played for Canterbury women's in her playing career days, and Tom Sheridan was at Surbiton, but this is the latest of any North American field (to them!) hockey goalies playing in the British Isles (on the continent; mistaking Canadians for Americans is a little dicey culturally being so different as any nation - and person - differs, just like Aussies and Zealanders!). Ben Cowling has gone in the opposite direction (figuratively at least, although he's ended up down by the south coast rather than the eastern counties!) after the work/hockey/life decision to go down to Portsmouth and Havant, and Stubbings has been dropped from the starting spot for now as he rebuilds his confidence, game and hopefully form, with the implosion he faced post-January.
Simon Triggs is still around if they ever need a fill in for injury, and offers a very experienced and quality veteran presence and a mentoring role for both of the first and second choice options; Kindler still being young as a goalie. This itself is incredibly advantageous for himself, his nation and whoever he plays for! Seeing as he can only get better and better, according to how much he wants to be the best around. I'm not sure how long he will be in England, given the rules on overseas players. And the experience will be incredibly useful for him in spite of this, as this will be the highest level of club competition he has played him and will a good chance and place for him to learn as he goes and adjust to the level and speed of play.
With Canada not having qualified for the World Cup, Canterbury will have the luxury of having his services all season, as he will not be called up for this commitment and can therefore be available to commit all his time, energy and effort all season, with no commitment clashes. Kindler is therefore the "go to guy" for the Kent side, entrusting them to push for a strong finish after the wobble that happened last season. If they start strong and have Kindler to keep up the strong pace, then this is a distinct possibility and with his desire to prove himself and that fight and energy, I'm sure he can do so. He was very unfortunate to have lost out to Argentina at the final outing, for the London Olympics, otherwise Canada would have booked their place in the competition.
Kindler has that extra push to compete game in game out, and does so with panache, having fought to prise the number one shirt off Dave Carter early on as a young goalie at 21 (link), and could be Canada's starter for quite some time, which is incredibly important and essential for them to push for that Olympic placing in years to come. Without Kindler they just won't be able to do so. Not that he should be compared in a scenario of "the next Simon Mason" given that each goalkeeper is unique and therefore is not a carbon copy of someone who played before them (just like people; we're all different, have different approaches/qualities/styles/ways of doing things... sidetracking fail!). And with that friendly competition (a picture paints a thousand words, just check this out, very emotive! link), and a first/second choice goalie relationship is better without petty animosity and friendly rivalry, there is that desire to compete with each other to push yourself and therefore club/country, whereas the negativity present.
And this is not seen in the English system always, so Kindler can bring that with him across the seas, versus not having anyone to push you to do well and the pointless incumbent status i.e. proven self so current performances don't mater (as no competition and not everyone is so ambitious/self critical for improvement purposes and has that desire to be the best ever). But then again if Canterbury's management manage their goalies like pro football teams, so if he does falter, will be dropped in order to motivate his play, so there is that added motivation, not just from himself to prove his quality given the chance to play at this level.
He has all the attributes though to really compete and not just do well, but to really shine, at this level. He has good reflexes and reaction times, makes use of a good stance to move out from rather than limit himself and prohibit movements, is althetic and acrobatic, explosive and agile with his movements; quick to the first save and then up again and quickly across for the rebound save. As well as being happy to challenge and step out and attack, combined with the intelligent reading of the play and controlled redirects for ensuring no immediate second chance scoring opportunities. All of these important qualities are demonstrated in the clip below, where he shows all the signs of an eventual world class talent, which all young goalies (oldies too even!) should learn from.
This clip, from a training session with his national team mates also shows his elite level of athleticism, able to get across swiftly with precision to shots wide of him, combining hand-eye co-ordination with quickly executed agile athleticism, diving out wide to turn away shots with rhp and glove at lower body height, for example.
Equipment wise, he's a TK foam man and prefers the teeny ice hockey elbows (bordering on the junior size), being Canadian and from the land of ice hockey, I'm sure they're more easy to get hold of! But in all serious, this style of elbow pad is an insightful choice. With the , it protects the bone (which is incredibly fragile and will be disastrous for playing career injury wise, given its motion and ball joint versus an arm break) and also helps prevent turf burns and the skin shedding when sliding out across the playing surface on a slide tackle/block or dive. He only wears the one on the right arm and leaves the left free for more movement for glove saves across the body, like Pontifex and Stubbings even.
I'm not sure how things will pan out for Stubbings. Perhaps he'll be playing 2's for the season and hoping to reconstruct his mental strengths and game and start over next season. Many feel Stubbings "dropped the ball", to use the football analogy, which implies the literal and clangers caused, after he went from hero to zero in a sadly short space of time. Conceding six goals in a game is not what a coach expects when he puts a goalie's name on the team sheet and January onwards saw things go awry and haphazard after such a strong start by the newly promoted team. Cowling was brought in, and restored order for a little bit (with a clean sheet against EG most notably), although in the games that mattered for the Euro Hockey League qualifications, he struggled with the basics and arguably let his team down after all that effort to get into the for the first time in the existence of the EHL tournament.
As you can see here in the game against Reading in which Stubbings featured, the talent and ability is there, with some unbelievable saves, especially against Rich Mantell, but things just weren't to be, as the overweighing burdens of responsibility for the young goalie became a self fulfilling prophecy:
Triggs the wily veteran is still there in case things go bad this season, not that I expect them to. And he provides a useful option and serves an interesting role as third choice. Normally the third choice in any sport; football or hockey, is the upcoming youngster that will switch places with second choice within a season or two if they word hard and impress enough, and then on to starter. But here, he is seeing out the last days of his playing career, like a Brad Freidel scenario (although I'm sure he could play as well as Brad, if called upon to!). And brings with him a depth of experience and understanding of the specialist position of goalkeeper. He can offer the right goalie mentor relationship and advice, with his understanding, to help the transition of the next generation for Canterbury, whether for Antoni in the short term, or for Diccon as the projected expected long term future beween the posts.
For the upcoming season I think Canterbury and Kindler are a match made in heaven. Personally I think Kindler is the dogs balls (or a slightly less balshy phrase!); he's got all the raw talent that can be refined and utilised and put to good use at this level. I can see him pulling off what David Kettle managed with Surbiton last season and if they click, Canterbury should do much better than ever before in recent seasons, with a good combination and continuation across the whole season, carried through rather than just a strong start and wobbly finish. I'd love to see Kindler do so, and honestly think it can be done. It will be a good chance to see a talent like this in person, and hopefully I'll be able to get to a game to do so, to scout his performance and get some footage of his game play and style.
Whilst there were rumours abound that former England number one, James Fair was going to hang up the pads for good, there is no change for the Staffordshire side that were in the European Hockey League about four seasons ago and their goalie ranks. With Fair they have a strong and experienced starter and in Smith they have a prospect with great upside. Obviously David Kettle was once Fair's deputy and made the decision to leave in order to chase his dream of first choice status elsewhere, putting in the hard work to make it a reality, and Smith could easily slot in at a national league side elsewhere instead of biding his time (which would get him further game experience), so Cannock's management must be certain he has what it takes to keep Cannock challenging for the title season in and season out, once Fair does actually retire for good.
"Fairy" (not that there's anything fairy related about him other than his nickname, although his performances against Holland in the Euros in 2010 *I think* were magical!), has been Cannock's rock in defence for quite some time, after joining from his time at Deeside Ramblers in his early days. He brings with him a wealth of experience at international and club level, seen as the replacement to Mason after his retirement; he has strong fundamental elements to his game, as well as a good level of intensity with a quiet, humble personality to match. Where other teams have had goalkeepers come and go (like Surbiton!), Fair has been consistent and regular for Cannock which is something to praise. Fair is himself University of Birmingham alumni (where Kettle went and Smith also).
Playing the English "Y stance" to its optimum best, he makes sure he doesn't get beaten between the legs as so many national league goalkeepers do these days, whilst being able to get low for those diving glove saves, or get them quickly raised to stop raised shots flying past him. Explosive and precise with his movements, he doesn't pointlessly waste energy and is spot on with strong angle work and makes sure he is quick off the post to shut down attacks and get up close and personal to deny scoring opportunities. He is vocal and communicate with his defenders, something you don't actually always see (or hear even!) at this level strangely enough, and can be heard loud and proud at domestic level games or internationally (having seen him play in person, so at least I can comment with certainty on that one!).
Fair provides great presence and ability at the back for the Staffs. side.
Even when his team aren't performing well, he is the difference maker, the man of the match and is able to steal them points or wins. Just like in the clip below. He is great at playing "in the zone" and keeping up the level of intensity to play like no-one can beat him. Which, quite frankly, is what your team want of you, every single game! Just watch this clip where he stops about four or five (not sure which!) short corners in a row for a brilliant demonstration of self confidence and belief and to play unstoppably (not sure if that's a word though!)! Also notice his athleticism diving across for the save beforehand, his intelligent turning away of rebounds with the glove to make save there is no second chance for the attackers, and his acrobaticness and agility getting back up into the play in case of an immediate consecutive shot.
Fair's deputy, Patrick Smith, is still looking for that chance to come (bar injury or retirement by Fair!). He has experience at junior elite representative level, and did well in this, with arguably analytically better performances than those of Bailey who is now strangely ahead of him on the depth chart, even though he arguably outperformed Bailey at U21 level. He has experience in junior international competition, so has the groundworks for competing at this level. Kit wise he has experimented with playing with no arm pads and . He has made the changeover to the Mercian tube style rhp which is blocky and offers a good shot stopping surface whilst being flat for that ground coverage parallel for sliding blocks and tackles, rather than the blocking larger Obo hi rebound rhp that is popular in Holland, which seems to be becoming more popular in the UK for some reason (i.e. Mercian vs Obo!). Having worked his way through England A, he seems to be the chosen preference over Ian Scanlon who arguably has more game experience and crunch game experience (i.e. requiring the need to "up" the game to perform against higher, more well drilled oppo) and has been playing prem since the age of 21, although seems to be a little inconsistent at times because lack of gk coach input and competition.
A product of Southgate (who are a strong club historically and at present, yoyoing between prem and nat conference) and their junior system, where he backed up veteran Chris Hibbert and also played England U18's at this time. Given the chance to shine early on, he played a season with Bournville in the national league conference before joining Cannock, in his first year at university, which has given him the chance to build off and develop. Given playing opportunities in cup games for Cannock, he is given the chance to deputise which doesn't happen for other clubs (EG or Reading say; Surbiton have had others cover in Kettle's absence). Able to build on this game experience, he can surely go places with the right input and coaching.
For me, the only problem is his psychological approach. He seems to be a little 'obtuse' mood wise (not such a bad thing, Oliver Kahn was very feisty and also very good!!), with seemingly shirty engagements with "Scanners" in the semi-final that took HWHC through to their third cup final, against Surbiton this time, although they still went away empty handed unfortunately. Cockiness is a trait that all goalkeepers need, but arrogance is not a constructive thing, although I can't be sure for sure as I wasn't there (so poppy talk from myself as well!). For now though, he just has to be patient and control negative emotions which could cause bad games where wrong decisions creep in as a result of negativity etc. Cannock are doing a good job of managing the situation though, although if I was Smith I would probably pretty restless (think I'm more impatient!). Once he does get the chance to shine, he has the ability to do so with flying colours. That competitiveness needs harnessing and drawing out for him to play to his potential great best, rather than hot air, but is still a key component for success, so shouldn't be gotten rid of.
Smith has obviously been called up to the full England side as a reserve choice
and was part of the team that went to the Super Sevens format in
Australia last November and then the Champions Trophy after that. But
for me, there is no point in him bench warming and England should look
to breed and produce competition rather than look for an incumbent-long
term replacement system to adhere to and let levels stagnate with no
need to push, develop or improve. England should be blooding the peers
of Pinner rather than future Olympians, and there should be a level of
competition for goalkeepers to make sure they really push the best out
of themselves, across the board.
There is no point in
this kind of goalie depth; just look at the form of other sports like
Joe Hart or hit and miss inclusions like Scott Carson for a nation. If
we want to have a hockey star equivalent of Peter Shilton, Ray Clemence
or David Seaman (when he was performing well!), then we need to push the
talent to do so, otherwise the next Mason or Vogels just isn't going to
appear. Germany and Holland do so with their own goalkeepers in
international hockey, especially with the women, and Pirmin Blaak is
being given the chance to push Stockmann with Vogels out of the picture,
and Reuss too for Germany, against Jacobi, with Weinhold potentially no
longer the starter. So maybe Smith should be continuing to get game
experience and bide his time to sprint out of the blocks when his
opportunity does finally come along.
You can't learn on
the bench; for me (and others would agree), the only way for a
goalkeeper to get used to the environment where games don't happen like
training scenarios, is to go out there and play. It's like having a job with the wrong candidates; we (well, management, not me!) need to
bring back the old system that worked, of blooding goalkeepers and bringing them in at the right age and ability (goalkeepers developing later than players due to the nature and responsibilities of the position), like they do so well for in
Australia, and having that depth and competition, with Triggs, Lewis,
Mason et al fighting for the spot so that the squad was as strong as
possible for an Olympic campaign. Wearing the colours of the national
shirt should be an honour, not an expected given! Elite, representative level incurs responsibility and accountability and whilst talent might be there on paper, it's not the same thing having goalkeepers not battling constructively for the jersey and pushing each other to outperform!
I don't think Cannock will have much trouble. If Fair ever does go down with injury, Smith is sure to take the opportunity by the horns, since the club is in safe hands either way. Fair will continue to be a bedrock, and Cannock still might not win the league, with most of their stars moving away for fresh starts at other clubs and a rebuild taking time for youngsters to gain enough experience for the team mould to gel and click. It's a case of biding time for Smith to get his chance and run with it.
Cannock are doing well to man manage the situation and make sure both parties are content, whilst ensuring they have a strong and grounded starter for the future, a franchise goalie to build a team from the back out, just as you would see in professional football (why treat hockey any differently, it's our beloved game and we surely want the same standards?!). Stubbing's dip and implosion of form last season is a good example and reflection of why young goalkeepers struggle mentality with the weight of expectations placed on them, and Smith is better off without this happening to him.
Sports psychology is incredibly important for a young goalkeeper and life is a good learner when it comes to these things (some things you just can't coach or teach). Without that life experience or maturity to deal with struggles or dips in form, they (young goalies) can really struggle to play well week in week out, their psychy getting fragile and thus not performing as well in game as a result. Gazzaniga's play at Southampton in football, last season, is good for an alternative example of this. Fair still has years and quality left in him and I can't see Smith being given his chance just yet, so for now, he'll do well for that to be built into his overall game and to keep fighting to prove people right (those coaching him) and wrong (any detractors, always a good motivational tool!).
Beeston has some of the strongest depth throughout the England, with it being so from top to bottom; or at least first to second choice, reflecting the system of depth of that of a professional football team! In comparison to other teams, they have other goalkeepers to Pinner that can step into the breach if required, which is especially useful for them considering Pinner's international commitments and the four year Olympic cycle and preparations and tournaments. Reading tried this with Nick Brothers and Jamie Legg, but it didn't work (I feel Jamie will make a good national league goalkeeper, especially with his opportunity at Richmond, but doesn't seem to have the innate elite talents to play in the premier league).
Beeston used to have Tom Skinner about (who is now at Bath and doing well there, after Bailey's departure, helping them compete for the top spots) for cover, but again, Beeston weren't getting the three points all the time as Pinner was away at training camps for GB for the Bejing Olmypic build up. It would be like Hugo Lloris or Cassilas essentially leaving on international duty and the team struggling to compete without a world class talent behind (or in front of, depends how you see the goalkeeper on the pitch and leading!) them. But with Beeston as strong as they are right now, I'm not sure it will matter too much who ends up playing in between the posts for them!
In at first choice, we have George Pinner, who is obviously now England's number one and the potential GB starter for the Olympics in Rio. He must have been at Beeston for about eight seasons now, playing with them whilst at university and then staying on to keep his spot, from the age of 18. Almost like a Casillas type then. He was at Ipswich before then (who were a national league side at the time, they have since been demoted back into the regional leagues) and came straight into the squad, taking over from Matt Simkins, a Welsh international at the time, who ended up at HWHC (and was beaten out of incumbent status by Scanlon before his retirement). George had been scouted early on at these times (BBC report), with interest building and performances for the England U21's, and has now finally got his hands on the England shirt after waiting patiently for the opportunity, having been at the Olympic Park as the travelling reserve (not that there was too much travel I think/hope!), just in case Fair went down injured and he was need to fill in for him. A possible reason for why Brothers stepped away from elite level hockey, because of his hard work being ignored in relation to his personal commitments to playing at that level and work/holiday time sacrificed etc.
But for me, there is still room for improvement, or at least, a chance for self reflection on his style. If there is a criticism (and a constructive one), it's his over thinking and hesitation that lets him down from being a new Mason or Vogels or Mowlam. I feel he has been over coached to the point where decisions are not off the cuff but too pre-programmed and thus not going to work in an arena where anything could possibly happen due to the skill level and creativity of players at the upper crust of the international sphere. That and playing too deep and disadvantaging himself, where controlled decisions and aggression would suit him better. Getting more and more international experience, as with the new World Cup set-up and his interest in playing in India's professional HIL season in between December and January as Ashley Jackson is, there is more opportunity to do well for club and country as he gets experience worth its weight in gold under his belt.
With his size he could really dominate the space, like Reuss does for Germany, with a challenging depth, attacking style with diagonal dives out in front and cutting that angle, in order to really take away the visual and literal space for a shooter staring him down. This is something that Ben Cowling, another national league goalkeeper struggles with considerably, opting to stay deep for reaction times but then not exploding out to stop the flick etc. Both he and Pinner could effectively play like Mason and Triggs used to back in the day where they made use of the gigantic profiles to get themselves and their limbs behind any shot. I know that George has the attributes, but it's a case of playing big even though he's big already I guess. Rather than sitting deep as he does, I feel he could step up and push himself to use those fast reactions to react without over analysing, simply through sub-conscious trained eye and reaction, and react to what goes on in front of him, a lot like Cortes does when playing confidently.
Beeston also managed to sign deputy Ashley Watson, who has a lot (well, a significant!) of national league game experience from his time at Doncaster in the North conference. And his ability has showed how much they needed him as they ended up relegated through poor performances without him to steal games for them, last season. He did well against Beeston in a cup game where he kept the score tight about two seasons ago in the semi-finals, and from there impressed enough to manufacture a move to the club down the road. Now he has the chance to play in the premier league division when George is away, a dream for many representative and elite level players here in England.
Actually a year older than Pinner, he likes to stand up and react to shots with active hands (as seen here: link), in spite of his incredibly low hand positioning, which is interesting to see, and in his cameo in the Euro Hockey League qualification tournament looks at ease, which is essential for himself to be confident, and his team to be confident in him for them to play well as a unit. He wears an ice hockey body armour chest set-up with the , in a sort of "half-dutch" set-up to protect the shoulder (in case of the rotator cuff getting hit and causing trouble) and biceps/upper arms in case of missing the ball or when charging down shots, as blogged about previously.
You can see him in action, noting his style of diving and split attempts even with his tall frame, in the following the links below (I couldn't get them to embed for some reason) where he is the goalkeeper wearing all Obo, with the orange/blue inner colour co-ordinated leg guards:
Dan Darby is their third choice and has already been rising up the ranks and has been considered a future star, from the age of 14, which is quite something in itself. Part of England U18s and U16s before that, he was also able to get more experience being around a national league side, before re-signing. At Belper for a season (before last), he , although I'm not sure whether he not or played for them. He has a great opportunity to learn from the goalkeepers above him; training with them and regularly with some of the best shooters in the country which should really help him improve with great speed. It is only matter of time and how much he wants to push himself, as university should offer him the chance to play for a national league side that would definitely be interested in using his services, where can get game time (the only place you get the experience, training just isn't the same!) and learn on the job, having already proven himself. If he can deal with the shot speeds at this age, then he's sure to cope well wherever he goes or whatever opportunity at this level presents him with.
You can see him play via the following link, in all Obo (and yellow jersey!):
For this season and predictions, I can see George having another strong season, but what like to see him get more clean sheets rather than be let down by those single concessions as happened last season! I think Beeston could win the league back to back, but they will have competition from a resurgent Reading who have made key signings, including the addition of star striker and England international Dan Shingles, as well as others. It would be good to see him push himself to go back to the Euro Hockey League competition and try and surpass the standard he has set himself with previous performances, stepping up to the challenge of going for those medal places. His style works really well in the indoor format and should really be put to good use (I'm sure he can get Beeston atop the Super Sixes as well), although whether England will push to use him in the indoor international scene where he would unfortunately remains to be scene (with indoor hockey being less of a focus for us in that regard, although Germany, Holland and Australia find it useful for their player's development for good reason).
