Caoimhín Kelleher GK Brentford b.1998

[pineapple stu]

Two-legged League Cup semi final against Arsenal and the FA Cup tie against Shrewsbury coming up now in the next fortnight. Nice chance to get a run in the team.

[ontheotherhand]

Brilliant. That's exactly what he and we need. Still can't see him dislodging Alisson but a good run of back to back games to show he is knocking on the door would mean Bazunu really needs to perform to keep the jersey (if he still has it by then!) and that's what we want.

[Bielsa´s irish]

2nd goal was At fault ...pulisic head down you rushed and pressed the guy. Very shy. 1st goal was a screamer. 2nd go for the guy like Dassaev did one on one vs good old Tony Galvin!!!!!

[Bielsa´s irish]

Kelleher is like a boy scout he needs one or two years living in Greater Bs As living in Hurlingham, Wilde or William C. Morris to man up a bit. He needs to be a real scoundrel to advance there. Too nice fellow too soon. Chillavert Dassaev Kahn El Mono Burgos, Neuer would have killed pulisic in that one.

[pineapple stu]

And from the BBC match report -


Liverpool's second-choice goalkeeper Kelleher, 23, can be rightly satisfied with his performance as deputy for Alisson, making two fine saves from Pulisic and exuding an air of calm command that marks him out as someone of huge promise.

Was Liverpool's best player going on their match ratings (which I think are voted for by the public, so I'd probably take them with a pinch of salt)

[Olé Olé]

2nd goal was At fault ...pulisic head down you rushed and pressed the guy. Very shy. 1st goal was a screamer. 2nd go for the guy like Dassaev did one on one vs good old Tony Galvin!!!!!

Hyper critical here. I don't think he had a hope for either goal. Did very well, in my view.

[liamoo11]

And from the BBC match report -



Was Liverpool's best player going on their match ratings (which I think are voted for by the public, so I'd probably take them with a pinch of salt)

Super display delighted for him. He is a late developer only been a specialist keeper since he was 13/14 bazunu was nearly playing for rovers firsts at that age! Kelleher has put away grabara, karius and Adrian so far but Allison will be a step to far I'd say.. I'd expect he goes out to a top flight club somewhere in Europe next season.

Liverpool got 12 million for Danny ward off the back of a good championship season they will get 25millon for kelleher after next season

[Bielsa´s irish]

No way , he must man up and work hard on his aggressiveness. Too nice a goalie is a BAD goalie...scoundrel gk are the BEST since they invented this old tricky game

[irishfan86]

Thought he was very good, not at fault for either goal. His decisive intervention in the first half essentially prevented a goal, and he saved all the ones he was expected to in a high pressure game. The reaction save he made in the second might be brushed of as “right at him” but positioning does count for a lot in this game. Fair play to him and long may his progression continue.

[samhaydenjr]

He seems to have an developed an unfortunate habit of facing goal of the season contenders, the sort of strikes that normally end up in row Z - I mean the 1st goal must have been particularly frustrating - a whipped free-kick comes flying at it and he meets it with a punch that puts the ball 25 yards clear, only for Kovacic to hit it perfectly and give him no chance. Note - if Allisson had taken the ball off a forward's toe the way Kelleher did to Pulisic, the commentators would have been purring about what a world-class keeper he is.

[Charlie Darwin]

He seems to have an developed an unfortunate habit of facing goal of the season contenders, the sort of strikes that normally end up in row Z - I mean the 1st goal must have been particularly frustrating - a whipped free-kick comes flying at it and he meets it with a punch that puts the ball 25 yards clear, only for Kovacic to hit it perfectly and give him no chance. Note - if Allisson had taken the ball off a forward's toe the way Kelleher did to Pulisic, the commentators would have been purring about what a world-class keeper he is.
Once he doesn't bring his unfortunate habit into games against Luxembourg he will presumably be fine.

[third policeman]

Media match reports, LFC forums all massively positive about Kelleher. Only sceptics to be found here for some strange reason, not that anyone has an agenda,

[Stuttgart88]

And from the BBC match report -



Was Liverpool's best player going on their match ratings (which I think are voted for by the public, so I'd probably take them with a pinch of salt)I saw that BBC quote too and was going to go looking for it to post it here. Sums up my view of his performance. It was his demeanour that impressed me most.

[Stuttgart88]

Media match reports, LFC forums all massively positive about Kelleher. Only sceptics to be found here for some strange reason, not that anyone has an agenda,Who was sceptical?I only noticed Bielsa who should be disregarded for obvious reasons.

[ontheotherhand]

Media match reports, LFC forums all massively positive about Kelleher. Only sceptics to be found here for some strange reason, not that anyone has an agenda,

Eh?

He had a great game and we want more! It's OK to like multiple Irish players lads. Him looking as good as he looked doesn't change my overall feeling that he'd be in a better spot if he was playing week in week out. He looks quality and would be #1 elsewhere. Is he a Liverpool fan do people know?

As stu points out he has a chance at a little run here with the cup games coming up but that was a proper test and he passed it. Second goal he might have done better with with a few more years of experience (maybe a keeper can weigh in there - he looked a bit frozen and maybe could have close the angles a bit?) and maybe Liverpool would have been a bit more stable at the back with Alisson behind them but that's being incredibly nit picky and as you'd expect with the backup keeper in. What I saw was really promising, particularly in possession where he looked really comfortable with their press. If anything he was calmer than a few on his own team. You'd have to say he wasn't really tested by anything worth a world class save bar maybe the 2nd but that's not his fault and he did what was asked of him. Good save at the feet of Pulisic and he was in the right spot for the one drilled just to his left. You couldn't ask for much more. I still want to see him play a season for his own good. You want to see how someone deals with a blip and, as I said, we didn't see him at full stretch but I'd have no issues if he was picked for the next Ireland game. Same for the other two at this stage but that would tilt in his favor with a run of games.

[mark12345]

I saw that BBC quote too and was going to go looking for it to post it here. Sums up my view of his performance. It was his demeanour that impressed me most.

Pulled off a couple of brilliant saves and had no chance with either goal. But his ability to play like a center back with the ball at his feet impressed me most. He's more than comfortable in that Liverpool defence.

[liamoo11]

Pulled off a couple of brilliant saves and had no chance with either goal. But his ability to play like a center back with the ball at his feet impressed me most. He's more than comfortable in that Liverpool defence.

I agree thought he did really well. Compare that to mendy who made things easy for mane by going to ground for liverpools first and was beaten at his near post by Sarah from an angle where going near post was always going to be the easiest for Salah. If kelleher had let those in there would be lots of giving out on here. Allison has made big errors in the 2021 calendar year against spurs, West ham , man City and Leicester leading to goals and droped points the likes of which if kelleher had made lads on here would be saying he was league of ireland standard

[third policeman]

Spot on. I’ve not heard a single report, comment or post anywhere suggesting that he was at fault for the second goal except here. I’m struggling to understand why some people can’t recognise that he is already shaping up to be an outstanding goalkeeper. And one who is ideally suited to the style of play that Kenny / Barry want us to play.

[mypost]

Good performance from Caoimhin. One excellent save, a couple more standard saves, reasonable distribution apart from one wayward pass, and couldn’t do anything about the goals. Overall, very solid. Great to see from an irish perspective.

Fantastic performance in a top of the table clash at the highest level of English club football. That still won't be good enough for Kenny, but that's not his fault.

[geysir]

Caoimhin's air of confidence, general attitude and skill levels were remarkable in a highly competitive pressure league game between two top teams who would not look out place in the CL final.

[SkStu]

Fantastic performance in a top of the table clash at the highest level of English club football. That still won't be good enough for Kenny, but that's not his fault.

What does “good enough for Kenny” mean? I’m assuming to have him as starter for the MNT.

The question is not whether a singular performance is good enough for Kenny (Kenny gave Kelleher his Irish debut and has him as a clear second choice), more whether this performance in combination with other performances justifies dislodging Bazunu. As we all know Bazunu is currently in possession of the #1 jersey for us and has performed extremely well for country but also for club - a host of good performances, player and fan awards, call-outs in international media. From my perspective, Bazunu and Kelleher are relatively equal as goalkeeping options but possession is 9/10ths of the law and the 90 minutes each week for club counts in his favour too. The sum total of Kelleher’s season to date can’t reasonably and objectively outweigh the case for Bazunu to hold on to the starting spot right now. I think that’s a fairly reasonable take on Kelleher v Bazunu situation. As some have also said, there’s probably an equally reasonable case to be made for Travers ahead of both of them based on a combination of the same factors discussed here - club level, club playing time and performances - but let’s not overcomplicate the discussion…

The weird thing is I think the “anti-Kelleher” narrative that some are saying exists on here is almost completely non-existent. Almost every reasonable poster comments on how there are three excellent candidates for the Irish keepers jersey and how we are spoilt for choice.

For some posters to be claiming the existence of an some anti-Kelleher campaign is, to be completely honest, as embarrassing as anything I’ve seen on here in the last 15 years.

[elatedscum]

Spot on. I’ve not heard a single report, comment or post anywhere suggesting that he was at fault for the second goal except here. I’m struggling to understand why some people can’t recognise that he is already shaping up to be an outstanding goalkeeper. And one who is ideally suited to the style of play that Kenny / Barry want us to play.

don't think you could say it was his fault but Alisson *might* have closed the angle earlier and maybe had a chance to save it. he'd leave himself vulnerable to being lobbed that way. i honestly think if you put the 100 best keepers in the world in goal for that situation, 95+ times out of a hundred, it's a goal...

All of Salah, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Henderson played a minor role contributing to the goal. Trent is out of position, Salah doesn't win a 50-50 with Rudiger, Konate gets dragged out of position to cover Trent even though there's more danger in the middle, Van Dijk doesn't plug that gap left by Konate, Henderson gets drawn towards the ball and loses Pulisic and maybe Kelleher is a little too static. A chain of extremely small mistakes which lead to the next one and contribute to the goal

[tetsujin1979]

Kelleher's early save from Pulisic reminded me of David Marshall against Barcelona, at 2:28 here
M0Ity0wmIPs

[ontheotherhand]

I agree thought he did really well. Compare that to mendy who made things easy for mane by going to ground for liverpools first and was beaten at his near post by Sarah from an angle where going near post was always going to be the easiest for Salah. If kelleher had let those in there would be lots of giving out on here. Allison has made big errors in the 2021 calendar year against spurs, West ham , man City and Leicester leading to goals and droped points the likes of which if kelleher had made lads on here would be saying he was league of ireland standard

Keepers who play games will make mistakes though. Unless Liverpool are leaving a flawless keeper on the bench for some unknown reason?

Kelleher was great. Can he do it over a season? What happens when he has a blip? Again, that's why some of us would prefer he was #1 elsewhere.

Hopefully he gets a run of games now. If he does and plays at that level then I'd have no issue with him going in for the next international game..although Bazunu has the jersey and may need to slip up first. It's a unique position obviously.

[John83]

Kelleher is like a boy scout he needs one or two years living in Greater Bs As living in Hurlingham, Wilde or William C. Morris to man up a bit. He needs to be a real scoundrel to advance there. Too nice fellow too soon. Chillavert Dassaev Kahn El Mono Burgos, Neuer would have killed pulisic in that one.
It's like someone fed garbage to a text-generating AI.

[seanfhear]

Ah, sure he was grand , should be punching that ball out to the wings / out of play / perhaps out for a corner. He’ll probably get the hang of that kind of stuff after awhile.

[Stuttgart88]

Good spot. Reminds me too of a save I made against some team wearing green who played near Walkinstown in a cup match around 1996. I saved a pen that day too. We won 3-1. :)

[pineapple stu]

Call him up SK!

[sadloserkid]

Anybody who thinks Kelleher is getting a raw deal now would do well to read over the first page or two of this thread again. There were many, many sceptics.

[nigel-harps1954]

Seems his luck is non-existent at the minute. Reports that Liverpool had to cancel their training session today, some reports that 14 players in the first team squad have had positive Covid-19 tests with all of their senior goalkeepers among that figure.

[joey B]

https://mobile.twitter.com/premierleague/status/1478418530282393600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1478418530282393600%7Ctwgr% 5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.premierleague.com%2Fnews %2F2439560

Made the premier league team of the week,nice little token of recognition…

[tetsujin1979]

Caoimhin Kelleher cameos show that Ireland is in safe hands
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/4e753bc8-6d8c-11ec-a1b8-3009dadbed4f?shareToken=cd7fa82c4877a4ef0386c6c17a 57ddae

[Stuttgart88]

Great article, as is the Neil O’Riordan article Rowan cites.

[DeLorean]

Seems his luck is non-existent at the minute. Reports that Liverpool had to cancel their training session today, some reports that 14 players in the first team squad have had positive Covid-19 tests with all of their senior goalkeepers among that figure.

1st Leg v Arsenal now the 2nd Leg, so at least that has worked out okay for him - https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/59883780

[Bielsa´s irish]

I just said that he should have pressured pulisic. Manuel Neuer would eat up Pulisic' ears after stomp over him. I like kelleher footie and composed at feet but the lad is too nice. Grow a beard Kelleher at least you are a goalkeeper!

[tetsujin1979]

he has a beard? and what does that have to do with anything?

[seanfhear]

he has a beard? and what does that have to do with anything?
Vikings generally had beards so, ya know !

[tetsujin1979]

Kelleher isn't a viking?

[JR89]

1st Leg v Arsenal now the 2nd Leg, so at least that has worked out okay for him - https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/59883780

Would Kelleher not be in isolation still next week.

[seanfhear]

Kelleher isn't a viking?
These days ya can be what ya wanna be.

Perhaps we could make the goals a lot bigger and give the the goalkeepers a giant racket ( safer than an axe for obvious reasons ) just to make soccer more interesting.

[Eminence Grise]

Grow a beard Kelleher at least you are a goalkeeper!


he has a beard? and what does that have to do with anything?


Vikings generally had beards so, ya know !

So... allowing for this thread driving me out of my viking mind, the consensus is .... Kelleher could be the best by a whisker?

[John83]

If only the forum had enough traffic to support the old post of the month these days.

[Trequartista20]

Eh?

This thread took a rather strange turn...

[John83]

It's that bit of Argentinian fantasista magic.

[seanfhear]

They do say that Goalkeepers are Mad !

[Bielsa´s irish]

of course keepers must be a good old bully, grow a beard, dont wash before matches, dont clean your teeth, use rooten football gear, thats the way to do it, ask Chilavert who also had the foot of a fairy on his left peg for free kicks , but would bite your head off

[Bielsa´s irish]

the thing with this fellow is that he looks like the Brendan Gleeson kid, that is not very menacing at all, if he looks like father Brendan thats a goalkeeper then

[SkStu]

It’s quite something that you are still allowed to post here! Felicidades!

[Bielsa´s irish]

It’s quite something that you are still allowed to post here! Felicidades!

hey I rate this Kelleher chap, and I actually had a classmate descendent of irish at secondary school with that Kelleher surname down west side greater buenos aires, so I am familiar with the name, I say old school in football is important, experience in football is important keepers must be nasty like that welsh Everton keeper and Seaman and others, even Schemeichel was a patagonian dogo!!!. Check this about experience and about respect experience , Conte has left out Romero, Doherty and Lo Celso and the team is playing muck.

[EAFC_rdfl]

the thing with this fellow is that he looks like the Brendan Gleeson kid, that is not very menacing at all, if he looks like father Brendan thats a goalkeeper then
Such admirable knowledge of the acting Gleeson clan for one from so far away.