Dowse switches to helmet/cage combo: a reverse of trends

Equipment wise, it's also interesting to note that Dowse has switched from a mask to an old school helmet/cage combo style of head protection.

Cheaper as well as with a wider view for the goalkeeper with that extra advantage of greater peripheral vision being a difference maker (however slight) at the higher levels, this setup can provide a different approach to the game for various reasons. Still very popular in Holland, Germany and India, they are being used less and less in the English game at the top levels as trends change and styles evolve (at least definitely from the time they were introduced and the days of Ian Taylor!).

Whereas masks being based off ice hockey masks which have a more closed shape to aid in protecting the face, with the cage fixed on and screwed into the mask, the older approach has a wider vision, which can help compensate when dealing with broken plays and ones that need a more horizontal viewpoint, like pushing off the post to deal with a pass and shot towards the corner post.

With Canterbury's Stubbings having switched to a mask a few seasons back, and Allan Dick as well making the change in his headgear, there are notably fewer goalkeepers at the national league stage wearing this set-up. Jimi Lewis stuck with the setup to the end of his playing days, but Mason has actually stuck with his new ProMask mask since trying it out last season.

Tommy Alexander actually used to wear a mask in his early days at Reading before switching over at Surbiton and the Gym, whilst Bailey has always stuck with the helmet style as far as I know. With masks more readily available and popular it sticks out that young goalkeepers coming through the ranks are actively chooisng this style of headgear, with its greater peripheral vision at the small cost of protection around the face/ears. I'd like to think that this is down to a higher level knowledge base and a push towards wearing and using bespoke kit perfected to the user's needs and style (something Tommy talks a lot about, and is the genesis basis of his goalkeeping store's customer approach).

As far as I know, this sees the following list of goalkeepers in the national league with this set-up, notably young goalkeepers and those new to the league as well:

• Tommy Alexander (Prem)
• James Bailey (Prem)
• Chris Rhea (Prem) - interesting in that both Rea and Bailey wear the same without having influenced each other (Rea already using the setup!)
• Dowse
• Harleston's Livings (East conference)
• Loughborough's starter (North conference)

Whether we'll see companies look to modernise this design like Mage did with Tim Thomas and ice hockey remains to be seen, but fingers crossed we'll continue to see more goalkeepers going with their personal preferences, and more importantly, knowing the why behind their reasons.

Season in review: Tommy's thoughts

As mentioned before, I'm going to try and develop the blog and add some depth and do a bit of experimenting to expand the coverage of goalies in the game right now. And as promised, I have been lucky enough to get the chance to ask some probing questions to some of the country's elite goalkeepers, so that you readers can get an insight into the life of a top goalie.

First up is Tommy Alexander, Reading's number one going forward, and his thoughts looking back on his first season back at the club since benching for Nick Brothers.

Tommy in celebration mode with his 'Ding team mates after their cup final win.

•       How do you feel about the successes of the season in review?

I think on the whole it was a successful season, it was a rollercoaster at times but we came out on top.  It was a completely different looking Reading from last season. A new coach, new faces and a bunch of young guns were called to fill in vacant spaces left from senior and international players who left the club in the summer. So we weren’t to sure in what to expect but it has been a pleasant surprise.

•          What was your favourite highlight of the season?

The first half of the season was great as we beat some big teams (Beeston & Wimbledon) and really surprised a lot of people. 

The indoor campaign was special as we had a tough start to the indoor league but to qualify for Wembley was amazing

Winning the HA cup was a great team effort and a great achievement. 

•       Would you say you would consider yourself an indoor specialist too, with your achievements so far?

I try and keep my indoor and outdoor style the same. I think my attributes suit the indoor game slightly more than outdoor. Also I don't like playing in the cold so a nice sports hall is always better than playing in the British winter. 

• ·         Has it helped develop your goalkeeping outside of that format too?

I feel indoor has helped my outdoor game. As there's less pressure indoor i find i can use it as a good tool to improve my skill sets, even if that means experimenting with a few things. Also helps to improve simple things such as wearing the ball. 

• ·         With Kevin at the club this season, how did you find splitting starts?

In the first part of the season it was fine. I was playing league and Kev was playing the early rounds of the cup. It got me a game upfront in the second round which I loved! A cheeky assist might I add :)  When I was unavailable for the early part of the second half of the season is was frustrating as a sportsman you just want to play. Once I proved I was fit enough again, there wasn't any sharing and I was able to continue with playing.

• ·         How did you manage this and stay sharp even without the certainty of a game at the weekend?

Certainly in preseason when you are competing for that number one spot it is difficult as you are concentrating on the other goalkeepers in training to make sure you're ahead. Once i got the nod it was easier as I had that stability and i could just concentrate my game and try demonstrating what I can do. 

• ·         How do you find working in a goalie partnership normally?

It certainly helps if both goalies get on, goalies are weird. Different skill sets, different rules and everything else is different right down to having a really big bag to take your goalie gear around in. I've had some clashes as I’m way too competitive. But at Reading i have good relationships with the goalies and been able to work alone if i want, but tend not to as I enjoy Gary Nobel’s chat.  

•       And what do you think for Kevin’s future for Canadian representation?

KP is involved with the seniors and he's young, so providing he trains hard and is getting regular club hockey then I’m sure he will get senior caps 

•       How do you feel about returning to the ‘Ding after growing as a player at other clubs? It’s pretty obvious you bleed blue but what are your thoughts on taking on the challenge of establishing yourself as the new go-to-guy?

Reading was my junior club so to return to play with lots of mates who were academy players and now first team players is quality. I’ve enjoyed the challenge this season and becoming the go-to-guy. Reading has been most successful when they've had long reigning goalies and that’s something that the club and I recognize. I'm relatively young as a keeper. As long as I keep healthy and motivated I will be at the go-to-guy for a long time. I’m looking forward to next season already.  

•         Do you think your time at Indian Gym helped fine tune your skill set and approach to play at the highest levels?

Indian Gym taught me so much and I’m very grateful for the opportunities they gave me. The experience of preparing for national league games and the pressure that comes with it was valuable. The confidence they gave me was huge and gave me a real stepping stone on becoming a mature goalkeeper

•         And would you say it is a cornerstone transition that young goalies should take note of? Like the need to put in the legwork and not just walk into the first team?

Being a goalkeeper is difficult. There are a lot of good keepers out there. The experience of playing regular 1s and learning the role is vital. It’s a position that can't be tampered with so it’s always difficult to knock out an established keeper. Performing well in the east & west league was enough to get a call to move up to a higher league club and it’s something I wish I did earlier in my career. Ability isn't always enough you need timing to be on your side too.  

• ·         What are your plans for yourself at the club, moving forward?

I’m very happy at Reading. I sat on the bench as a young gun for the EHL (08/09 season) so now that I'm Readings first choice, I want to play in the EHL. Hopefully Reading can be a stepping stone for myself and others to get senior England caps.

Tommy returns to the Gym!

With the transfer window just about to close on Monday, a last minute-ish transfer is Tommy Alexander returning to Indian Gymkhana, who he was playing for last season. Helping HWHC 2's to a dominant first place in the London Premier League and playing for the 1st team in the cup rounds, Tommy is obviously itching to take over as a first choice and push to stake his claim for a spot for the long term, as one of the more ambitious high level goalies knocking around the national league. Tommy helped the Gym to a good finish last season after joining midway from Surbiton, where he was second choice behind the now-emergent David Kettle. Indian Gymkhana are second place behind Bath right now, and with Cardiff dropping off from the pack, a good run of form could really make things happen. So not only can Tommy regain a national league spot, but also have the chance to help them to promotion, killing two birds in one stone as they say, by aiding his ambition to play in the Premier league and pushing the Middlesex side up the divisions potentially (if all goes to plan!).

Indian Gym sticking with Qas Mir

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.

http://www.hockeyimages.co.uk/sn33130

http://www.englandhockey.co.uk//fl/ehl/current_teams_reg_players.asp?t=286&l=1&section=

Ian Scanlon: under rated because of HWHC?

Ian Scanlon, the oft under appreciated and represented (in my opinion at least), starting goalkeeper for the North London premier league side, is one seemingly outside of the England coaching radar. Having been at the club since his university days [Edit: An interesting tidbit though about Ian Scanlon is that he has scored roughly 130 goals for LSE (London School of Economics) whilst at uni there and can drag flick pretty well; have faced it when doing a bit of warming up, plus the choice of uni means he's a smart one as they say!], having been at Brooklands MU before that, and being around the squad when Welsh goalkeeper was there, having the chance to develop quickly early on and mentored by Lee Ible who was first choice at the time (and is now at Oxton and still involved in the Welsh international set-up).

He is also starting to get places now that age and maturity is quicking in, over and above what you was able to achieve stepping straight into the premier league at the age of 19. In the follow-up clash this season past he kept East Grinstead to a single goal which is an achievements in itself, a reflection of how far he has come from those babysteps. Asserting this in his play and self confidence, his is often dominant at corners (an incredibly cruicial part of the game at this elite level) and strong out to challenge against free balls. Prefering to play without arm guards, he has lightning quick reflexes and strong self confidence, very important for competing at this level accountability wise. Also notable is the fact that he has taken Hampstead on long cup runs for three seasons in a row (or more, can't remember!), and they even managed to turn over Beeston, their bogeyman opponent this past season, falling at the final hurdle to Surbiton though.

On the flip side though, he does falter in his consistency at times, in terms of sometimes being amazing, sometimes not "turning up to the game" with that same fiery desire to win, where playing all out every game would be better than losing track, which is where the criticism comes from, from those that voice it. One key problem though is his self doubt and hesitation, especially against drag flicks, which seems to be his Achilles heel. Over thinking where he would be better off reacting out of instinct subconsciously, he is often giving away unfortunate cheap goals by over commiting and ending up unbalanced and in the wrong direction, unable to shift back across to make that all important save.

But for me, he is still a solid choice when "on his game". Even the world's best struggle with consistency, like Cortes has; great at the HIL and international games, then tails and sometimes Ian plays running boiling like a lost person in the Arizona desert, then lukewarm and cold. Even though some see his performances as sub-par, he has kept Hampstead out of the relegation zone and away from the danger of losing that important and hard earned status, year after year, for four seasons now (and many believed they wouldn't be capable of staying there), and seeing as they are always bombarded (for some reason it's a lost , but important for discussion), I even might dare to say that Scanners is often let down by HWHC, especially in the runaway demolition away against East Grinstead where the opponents were let loose and were just free scoring and free to do as they pleased. Sometimes I feel that he has the most work of any of the national league goalkeepers, but without a scoring stats system like in ice hockey, there is no quantified.

For me, personally, I wonder if he had a permanent goalie coach and competitor to keep on task; as humans we need accountability and target setting and review and feedback to make sure we are always improving. Having trained with him when he was preparing for the Junior World Cup in Malaysia, I have seen his level of commitment, desire and hard work, but it seems like it's not being pushed to its optimum best. But without regular goalie specific related analysis week in week out, his form seems to drop and wobble in comparison to the breakout season he had at the spritely age of 21 when he fought out Mat Simkins for the starting role. He performed well in a squad that was all over the place, in the U21's tournament and kept them in games where they shouldn't have been so, so I don't know why on earth he was dropped, and I was surprised to see Bailey thrown to the wolves where he was embarassed and outplayed, as demonstrated below (not fair or easy on a young 17 year old struggling with drag flicks at the time):

'Scanners' looking pretty imposing and annoyed at that very same EG game after letting in the only game post penalty corner!

His stance is quite compact for a tall goalie, almost hunched down for all shots he faces, but it works with a good balance of movement and explosivity. As demonstrated below, with a set body position on angle and challenging properly. Similarly with his glove positioning, he is able to get low for diving saves, or quick enough in raising to make a high stop.

In terms of back-up options in the reserve goalies, again, there hasn't much competition. The signing of Coates did just what it was meant to (in terms of lighting a fire under Scanlon), as he battled for his spot, and kept the number one shirt (metaphoricall, he prefers number 23 for some reason!), and continued apace after the Australian joined in January. But this is where the super signing (no jokes, I highly rate Tommy) of Mr Alexander comes in. Showing his ability right off the bat for Indian Gymkhana, his intensity showed an immediacy of ambition as quality as he offered stability between the posts, shutting out opposition after opposition, clicking his new team just at the right time to safe them from demotion and put them right up the table where they should have been to start off with.

Whilst it is great experience for third choice Leech being at such a strong club as Hampstead, I can't see him getting much opportunity to assert himself. Given that game experience is worth more than any training session, if he wants to push for national league level at some point, he will probably need to look for a transfer at some point, a la Tommy Alexander and similar, making the most of learning behind two great goalkeepers and seeing how they train and play and treat the game seriously.

For the season upcoming, I can see some great things happening as the battle for first place commences. Given it's the only 1A/1B (i.e. equal status goalie duo) set-up in the whole national league, it's like the equivalent of a pro football team have a star starter join them to battle it out, like if Arsenal signed competition for Szczesny. This is the competition we need at national league level it's a shame it's the only scenario right now. Either way, HWHC are going to have a decent goalkeeper behind their back four and thus strong defence, and I can see them starting to build a better squad off the back of this and finally doing themselves proud and pushing up the table and stay there for a good while, now that they have begun to manage this in recent seasons.

Tommy Alexander signs with HWHC

Breaking news! Having missed it with all the writing I've been doing as the main focus, I've managed to only just spot the transfer of Tommy to Hampstead from Indian Gym (which I somehow missed as wasn't checking that section of the England hockey website, but it was on Sunday, so not too late). Which obviously messes up the write-up I was attempting about Scanlon and goalie projections for Hampstead (so I will have to rework it as such then!). This is a great opportunity though for all concerned though, in seriousness. It offers great competition for Hampstead as Tommy performed well to turn the sinking ship around at Indian Gym in his first starting opportunity (having been second choice at Surbiton for nearly four seasons) with a string of clean sheet performances, and will put him in greater for spots in Scotland given that he and Jamie Cachia are the only Scots guard (well, Scottish goalie, and the goalies guard the last line of defence, failed metaphor...) in the premier league, with competition Carr and Dick in the national conference East.

Sheridan Leech is still around, having benched for Ian the season gone and will probably play 2s as things go forward, although it's anybody's guess how management will organise the situation as it is. So this leaves Hampstead as the strongest team goalie wise in the entire league. Both will push each other, drawing the best out of each other and thus do well by the team, as neither will want to bench; 'Scanners' after being first choice for so long, and Tommy after pushing himself to get this far and being as hard working and ambitious as he is. It will be interesting to review how things turn out as the season progresses, but for now it's looking good for the London based side (any other team not being in London proper!).