| "You've go to be kidding?" I asked "That was a | | | | does indeed exist and we eventually went on to |
| definite dive!", but the referee was having none of it | | | | create a good working relationship between ourselves. |
| and duly awarded a penalty. These things happen as | | | | He was the first goalkeeper that I ever coached as I |
| part and parcel of the game but when it's on your | | | | became increasingly frustrated later on in my career at |
| debut for a club that's just made you their highest paid | | | | the lack of options for the keeper that I made the |
| player the timing could have been better it's got to be | | | | decision of, rather than complain, do it myself. That has |
| said! I remonstrated long enough to annoy the penalty | | | | always been my way in life and, like everyone, I |
| taker and somehow still managed to avoid a yellow. It | | | | naturally moan and whinge in the vain hope that |
| was a penalty, that I couldn't deny, but the fact that it | | | | someone will listen but eventually I will have a go to |
| was totally my causing made it worse. A routine | | | | rectify it myself. The gaffer was a top man and had |
| through ball which required a basic sliding gather of the | | | | no qualms in allowing us to train separately from the |
| ball saw me bring my knees in to protect me far too | | | | lads, although there was the inevitable banter when |
| early and the ball bounced off my knees and into the | | | | they were doing their circuits and fitness work and we |
| path of the onrushing striker. Panic always sets in then | | | | were still working with a football. Looking back on it |
| as you have just a split second to attack the ball again, | | | | now, those early sessions were formative of my |
| except that I didn't, I chose to go straight for his legs as | | | | coaching ethos I've adopted now - every session shall |
| he'd just drawn level with me and I was still on the | | | | include a football from start to finish. |
| floor. I managed to get enough traction to push myself | | | | I was simply a trainer back then as I had little |
| into his path and outstretched my arm to successfully | | | | knowledge of either how to coach or indeed what to |
| deny him an open goal. Quite how I never received a | | | | coach so we simply did drills that I had seen in books |
| card for it I'll never know but I was always lucky with | | | | or on the television. It was all 'old skool' stuff but very |
| referees in that regards. I've always tried to treat the | | | | effective for the level we were performing at, and it |
| referees with huge respect as I could never do that | | | | served me well for my future career. I was fastidious |
| job and I hope that the fact that I caused them | | | | about being able to catch the ball and this was possibly |
| relatively few headaches during my career helped to | | | | the strongest forte of my game. I attempted to catch |
| appease them a little in situations such as these. My | | | | absolutely everything possible in training, there are |
| mistake, sorry boys, but now it's up to me to do | | | | always the inevitable shots that require a palm or a tip |
| something about it. | | | | away but anything in my proximity I would strive to get |
| I've always had a relatively high success rate against | | | | hold of, again this is something that I have taken into |
| penalties, certainly managing to predict the right way | | | | my coaching - I want to see an attempt to catch the |
| even if the pace beat me, and again I fancied my | | | | ball in the first instance. It doesn't overly worry me if |
| chances. As a goalkeeper I was a natural loner and | | | | you drop it in training as long as you react to the |
| this situation always suited me to a tee.......me against | | | | fumble, but if you didn't try to catch then how would |
| them. I eyeballed the striker and watched his body | | | | you know what was possible in a game? There are |
| language; I was diving to my right. At what height he hit | | | | many mantras that I adopt for each and every |
| the ball was then down to pure chance but I knew that | | | | session and the goalkeepers that I work with quickly |
| I was playing the percentages in my favour and all I | | | | become aware of the levels expected of them, I find |
| had to do was get in the way. With the eyes of my | | | | that by setting not just targets but achievable targets, |
| new teammates piercing the tension, not to mention | | | | motivates the goalkeeper into upping their |
| the sub keeper in the dugout who's place I'd pinched | | | | performance and development quicker than a simple |
| upon my arrival at the club; I knew I was under | | | | pat on the back and a "well done". |
| pressure. The striker placed the ball after I'd eventually | | | | Sitting on the sidelines in discomfort and watching my |
| given it back to him and started to pace out his run up. | | | | team was hard, especially as I had been put there by |
| I was in no doubt which side he was shooting and as | | | | an innocuous challenge, but it certainly sped up my |
| he struck the ball I took my initial step into the dive. | | | | progression into coaching. My posterior cruciate |
| BOOM! The ball cannoned off my knee, in fact the | | | | ligament was torn and I was sidelined for a season |
| same knee as earlier, and rebounded to the relative | | | | undergoing regular intensive physiotherapy sessions |
| safety of their full back on the touchline where he was | | | | and a rehab programme. I was well on the road to |
| dispossessed by our striker with a well timed sliding | | | | recovery when I hit from behind when stationary in a |
| tackle. It is always a buzz when your team mates | | | | road traffic accident and clattered my knee against |
| crowd round for the obligatory high fives and pats on | | | | the dash board due to the inertia caused by the other |
| the back, but even more so when you've just clawed | | | | driver and extensively damaged it again, undoing the |
| yourself out the hole in which you dropped yourself in | | | | months of hard work I'd recently put in. that was it, my |
| the first place. We subsequently went on to win the | | | | playing days were well and truly gone. As with |
| game 2-0 and as a direct result topped the table of | | | | everything I do, if I'm doing something then I aim to be |
| which we would eventually finish second after a long | | | | the absolute best that I can be at it and hence I |
| arduous season. | | | | undertook as many coaching qualifications as I possible |
| This incident was what sparked my interest in | | | | could fit in in a ridiculously short space of time. I aimed |
| coaching; what if I hadn't made that save and went on | | | | to provide each goalkeeper that I worked with as |
| to have an absolute 'mare? Who would support me at | | | | much insight into the game as physically and mentally |
| my new club? We didn't have a goalkeeper coach as | | | | possible as I embarked on my new fledgling career as |
| they were a rarity at professional level let alone at our | | | | a goalkeeper coach. Having received no specific |
| stage of the pyramid. It would've been pretty certain | | | | coaching personally I wasn't dogged by the "Do it this |
| that the gaffer wouldn't have helped as his priority is to | | | | way" mentality that follows the majority of coaches |
| win games and not friends; even though he was the | | | | and I was free to develop my own personal style, |
| reason for me signing on I'm not naïve enough to | | | | ideas and methodology. I am a huge student of how |
| know that football is solely a results business and the | | | | people work and watch many, many coaches in their |
| gaffer was certainly a big enough character to make | | | | mannerisms and style and took the bits that would suit |
| the big decisions when necessary. My only route of | | | | me and adapted those that wouldn't until I found a |
| support would have been the sub keeper, and that | | | | style that works. And it is with this style that I lead you |
| would have been limited as I'd stolen his thunder by | | | | into the magical world of Coaching the Goalkeeper by |
| signing on, but we are all aware that the keepers union | | | | Bob Warby. |