Caoimhín Kelleher GK Brentford b.1998

[DeLorean]

He's nearly here. Nearly there for a clean sheet!

Shrewsbury had no shots on target but he'll take it! They did put one past him but it was disallowed for an offside in the build up.

[Closed Account]

https://streamable.com/xw92j
Great save by Max O'Leary in the same game.

[samhaydenjr]

Don't know how significant this is, but Kelleher came on as second-half sub in Liverpool's 6-0 friendly win over Blackburn: https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/398399-match-report-liverpool-blackburn-rovers-friendly-anfield

[elatedscum]

Not a lot of Kelleher in the highlights:

https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/398405-watch-highlights-liverpool-blackburn-rovers

I guess it means that Adrian is injured.

Darragh Lenihan played (yellow boots) and I think it gave an indication to his limitations and maybe why he isn’t playing Premier League. Everyone I know who watches the championship regularly is a massive fan of his. His few ireland games have been very poor, particularly against Northern Ireland.

His distribution is clearly excellent (see long ball at 5-0) but he’s also vulnerable to giving the ball away in his own third (also see 5-0)

None of the goals were his fault, but I think Egan and Duffy would have won the header with Mane at 2-0. Also maybe could have handled Mane a little better at 3-0. Also possibly the corner for 5-0 was avoidable. 6-0 doesn’t look great either but it happens...

[Charlie Darwin]

I guess it means that Adrian is injured.
Or, given his performance the last time he played, he's not trusted anymore.

[elatedscum]

Or, given his performance the last time he played, he's not trusted anymore.

Doesn’t strike me at all a how Klopp would handle things, especially for a back up keeper who probably won’t play at all. He could easily move Adrian on in the summer and keep Karius as a No.2 but even if he’s lost faith, I can’t see him dropping him from the bench before then. He just has too much respect for senior players and it’d be an unnecessary slap in the face for Adrian.

[samhaydenjr]

Andy Lonergan hails Kelleher as a "brilliant keeper" but says he needs to go out on loan: https://www.the42.ie/lonergan-lauds-unbelievable-kelleher-as-the-new-generation-of-goalkeeper-5167018-Aug2020/

Totally agree, particularly with Kamil Grabara coming back from a season at Huddersfield and half a season in the Danish Superliga - Kelleher needs to get out now and get a bunch of games under his belt before he becomes a talented bench-warmer

[Diggs246]

Has anyone ever been very impressed with him.l after a game? Bar that pre season game in the states. I can't think of any other time I was blown away with him

[tetsujin1979]

Full interview with Lonergan is here: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/exclusive-liverpool-new-little-magician-18702018

[ColourfulPeanut]

Grabara is a few months younger than Kelleher and now has a year of Championship football under his belt.

He turns 22 in a few months, he desperately needs a loan. I haven't really been impressed by him but he hasn't gotten a run of games either. Bazunu is nearly 4 years younger than him so it'll be interesting to see who gets the nod for the next 21s game when they're both fit.

[Stuttgart88]

Has anyone ever been very impressed with him.l after a game? Bar that pre season game in the states. I can't think of any other time I was blown away with himDitto. Clearly I hope I'm wrong but even if you discount the club games I just haven't seen much to get worked up about at underage level.

[Eirambler]

He's a footballing goalkeeper rather than a traditional type. I'm not at all convinced that he's that solid a keeper, but his ability to play the ball out will get him a long way with a lot of modern day coaches. Whether that translates to a successful loan in the Championship or League 1 is questionable though.

He's a young Claudio Bravo basically. I could see him playing a lot of his football on the continent in the future.

[Diggs246]

the funny thing is he has a champions league winners medal !

[paul_oshea]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2020/0914/1165130-reds-land-teenage-keeper-as-kelleher-continues-to-shine/

Liverpool bring in (another) 17 year old keeper.

[elatedscum]

That keeper will be with the 18s I’d say to compete with the young polish lad they signed this summer.

Kelleher was excellent for Liverpool 23s yesterday. Obvious 23s football is what it is, but it was a derby against Everton and Everton do have one of the better 23s teams and due to the unusual transfer window, the Everton team had a good few players who were on loan in the championship or league 1 last season.

Kept a clean sheet making about 10 saves in the process, some straight forward, some very difficult. Wouldn’t make too much of it but good to see him playing really well...

[Eirambler]

Hopefully it might put him in the shop window for a loan move. But with the season already started how many teams down the divisions are still looking for a first choice keeper? Obviously there are other places he could go rather than the English lower leagues but that's the most common destination for someone in his position.

[elatedscum]

Hopefully it might put him in the shop window for a loan move. But with the season already started how many teams down the divisions are still looking for a first choice keeper? Obviously there are other places he could go rather than the English lower leagues but that's the most common destination for someone in his position.

I suppose many clubs are an injury away from needing him. The deadline for loans to lower divisions is a few weeks later than the regular transfer window. Mid October, so there’s another month for something to emerge

[tommy_c12000]

It will be truly bizarre and woeful career management if he doesn’t get out playing men’s football by October. I’m not remotely interested in how he’s doing at his comfortable teenagers level. He’s 22 in a couple of months

[Bielsa´s irish]

He is a goalkeeper, he must stay put time will come.

[elatedscum]

It will be truly bizarre and woeful career management if he doesn’t get out playing men’s football by October. I’m not remotely interested in how he’s doing at his comfortable teenagers level. He’s 22 in a couple of months

The weird thing about keepers I think is that in an individual game, even against poor opponents, they can have opportunities to make world class saves.

Obviously, you want him playing senior football. There are parts of his game that will only develop playing meaningful football and it’s a much better barometer and it’s much more regular. 23s season is about 22 league games I think, so you’ve got far less football.

Obviously there’s got to be a value to training with the best keeper in the world and against the likes of Salah, Mane etc. but at some point you need to play...

[tommy_c12000]

The fact is he just needs to get out and play a season of senior football ASAP. In reality he is nowhere at Liverpool and could be discarded quickly. Playing a few league cup games doesn’t cut the mustard. Allison is the clear number 1 for the foreseeable future, Adrian will stay as number 2 simply on experience, and Liverpool’s true number 3, 4 and 5 goalkeepers are the experienced keepers that they emergently draft in should anything happen to both Allison and Adrian longer term. Grabara would probably be trusted more than Kelleher at this stage, although he apparently finished poorly with Huddersfield.

Right now, everything is built on hearsay on where Kelleher truly is. And Liverpool actively headhunting more young promising goalkeepers is hardly promising.

If Bazunu does okay at Rochdale he should leapfrog him quickly in the Irish order of things. Kelleher needs a loan

[John83]

And Liverpool actively headhunting more young promising goalkeepers is hardly promising.
All clubs that size are actively recruiting all the time. I don't think it really tells us anything one way or another.

[Charlie Darwin]

Kelleher needs a loan
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eau7xZzXQAIuZd8.jpg

[Eirambler]

Conceded 6 tonight against Wigan. Will he be given a chance for the senior team on Thursday in the league cup - would seem like he's going backwards on last season if he doesn't get the start?

[John83]

SIX?????!

[pineapple stu]

They were 1-0 up at half-time too. Bit mad.

[Razors left peg]

It already feels like Bazunu is way ahead of Kelleher. Was playing mens football with Rovers at 16 and now playing L1 at 18. Kelleher has been treading water for last couple years it seems

[paul_oshea]

The times I've seen him he hasnt looked like a good shoot stopper. More like a sweeper.

And bazunu is far from the great white hope no one has really seen that much of him. And I saw him a couple of times for rovers

[tommy_c12000]

As I stated earlier, Bazunu should leapfrog Kelleher now in 21s, to give him a kick up his backside. Kelleher has done nothing to warrant his reputation which has mostly emanated from the constant niceties from Klopp and the image Liverpool are building. There’s no word of him going out in this window yet. Are Liverpool protecting him? Afraid he is not ready?

[tommy_c12000]

Kelleher just left in 6 goals for their 21s tonight, including one bad mixup with his defender. The guy just can’t let go of underage football it seems

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thisisanfield.com/2020/09/liverpool-u21s-handed-valuable-lesson-with-6-1-defeat-at-wigan-in-efl-trophy/amp/

[elatedscum]

And bazunu is far from the great white hope no one has really seen that much of him. And I saw him a couple of times for rovers

Thought he was poor playing for the 17s in the euros and Jimmy Corcoran did better after he was dropped.

But thought he did well in that last game for the 21s.

All three keepers, kelleher, travers and Bazunu are far from being ready to compete for the senior jersey and they’ll all make plenty of mistakes over the next 2-3 years at different moments...

[elatedscum]

Liverpool Echo’s take:

“Those with first-team experience were, perhaps unsurprisingly, the ones who primarily caught the eye here.

Ben Woodburn, captaining the side, demonstrated drive and some good touches, and Caoimhin Kelleher was unfortunate to concede so often after the break following a good first half.

And while Liam Millar has, like any winger, a tendency to frustrate on occasion, he was the prime attacking threat for the Reds down the left. The trio appear primed for more senior game time, perhaps on loan.”

[DeLorean]

And bazunu is far from the great white hope no one has really seen that much of him. And I saw him a couple of times for rovers

Playing the percentages game as usual. Well, at the moment he's one of about three or four goalkeepers most likely to be our long-term replacement for Randolph, so he's pretty close to being our great white hope, justified or otherwise. Obviously it's far too early for anybody to know how their careers will pan out, particularly when dealing with goalkeepers, who tend to blossom later in their careers. Did he disappoint you in those games you saw for Rovers, given the cautious tone of your appraisal?

[paul_oshea]

Purely commenting on what I have seen of kelleher, and the limited amount of time i saw of Bazunu cant justify anything either way. I think the whole thing of him playing 16 has sorta clouded everyones judgement, some getting a little bit giddy. At the time rovers were without 2 keepeers, and iI think as soon as Mannus was back from injury he went straight in again - but that might be education related or other things I dont know.

[DeLorean]

He came in and did well by all accounts, which is impressive for a sixteen year old and bound to make people hopeful that he'll be a future star. Manchester City were obviously thinking along these lines anyway. I don't think anybody needs your dose of 'reality' that it's too early to tell for sure, because of course it is!

[seanfhear]

Playing the percentages game as usual. Well, at the moment he's one of about three or four goalkeepers most likely to be our long-term replacement for Randolph, so he's pretty close to being our great white hope, justified or otherwise. Obviously it's far too early for anybody to know how their careers will pan out, particularly when dealing with goalkeepers, who tend to blossom later in their careers. Did he disappoint you in those games you saw for Rovers, given the cautious tone of your appraisal?Isn’t Bazuna Black ? I don’t want yez all in Jail.

[Trequartista20]

It's an unfortunate expression. And especially so in the context of Bazunu.

[paul_oshea]

I am very careful in my use of language, for creating such faux pas.

[Stuttgart88]

And bazunu is far from the great white hope no one has really seen that much of him. And I saw him a couple of times for roversYou might have noticed that it'd be more than a bit odd to call him a white hope so.

Which Rovers games did you see btw? My recollection is that he immediately brought stability to a position that had been a problem for a while. And I think he only played 4 times (one was in Cork I know) so you saw half of them. That's good going from north London.

[pineapple stu]

Rovers had a big problem with keepers at the time alright, with two making a number of high-profile howlers as I recall. Bazunu didn't make any high-profile howlers, so in that regard he did quite well!

But how he performed at Rovers isn't really relevant any more after two years on presumably fully-pro terms with one of the top academies in the world. It's no disrespect to Rovers to say that he will have improved in the meantime.

[Eminence Grise]

You might have noticed that it'd be more than a bit odd to call him a white hope so.

Which Rovers games did you see btw? My recollection is that he immediately brought stability to a position that had been a problem for a while. And I think he only played 4 times (one was in Cork I know) so you saw half of them. That's good going from north London.

Paul has 20/20 vision. Far-sight, near-sight, long-sight, short-sight, and most especially hindsight.:nerd:

[SkStu]

Purely commenting on what I have seen of kelleher, and the limited amount of time i saw of Bazunu cant justify anything either way. I think the whole thing of him playing 16 has sorta clouded everyones judgement, some getting a little bit giddy. At the time rovers were without 2 keepeers, and iI think as soon as Mannus was back from injury he went straight in again - but that might be education related or other things I dont know.

We all know you've hitched your wagon to Travers. Giddy up!

[paul_oshea]

You might have noticed that it'd be more than a bit odd to call him a white hope so.

Which Rovers games did you see btw? My recollection is that he immediately brought stability to a position that had been a problem for a while. And I think he only played 4 times (one was in Cork I know) so you saw half of them. That's good going from north London.

I used it in direct reference to Del, highlighting it.

I saw the AIK( they are a swedish team)away game, and the home one, and I think next televised game at home, cork was away so it wasn't that one and that wasn't shown.

Nice try though. :)

[Stuttgart88]

On TV? I thought you said you can't really tell on TV, not like the real fans who go to the games, like the guys on YBIG :)

[DeLorean]

I used it in direct reference to Del, highlighting it.

Used what?

[Stuttgart88]

I think the whole thing of him playing 16 has sorta clouded everyones judgement, some getting a little bit giddy. Out of curiosity, was anyone here "giddy". Anyone in particular?

[paul_oshea]

Out of curiosity, was anyone here "giddy". Anyone in particular?

I don't recall on here anyone over extending their feelings of excitement towards the national team and Bazunu. But on other fora and the media, well I suppose that comes with the territory of any young player breaking through and then making a move to Man City. But the man city thing is a punt on nothing really right? Pick up a young fella relatively cheap, bring him on, even if he doesnt make the first team, their name alone they'll probably get the money back.

My original point though was we shouldn't be really talking about him and the national team at all, not yet anyway, if a good season at Rochdale comes to fruition then yes perhaps we should. Careers are not built on hopes and aspirations or pre-conceived reputations - as we should all be too familiar with on here.

[tetsujin1979]

I don't recall on here anyone over extending their feelings of excitement towards the national team and Bazunu. But on other fora and the media, well I suppose that comes with the territory of any young player breaking through and then making a move to Man City. But the man city thing is a punt on nothing really right? Pick up a young fella relatively cheap, bring him on, even if he doesnt make the first team, their name alone they'll probably get the money back.

My original point though was we shouldn't be really talking about him and the national team at all, not yet anyway, if a good season at Rochdale comes to fruition then yes perhaps we should. Careers are not built on hopes and aspirations or pre-conceived reputations - as we should all be too familiar with on here.
Good thing you didn't post that in the Bazunu thread. That really would have been ironic.

[Stuttgart88]

I don't think we should be talking about Bazunu and the national team yet either. U21s for now and let's see how his career develops.

[Razors left peg]

I have said that by the end of this season there could be a scenario where Bazunu could be senior keeper. He might be the only one playing regular 1st team football. We don't know what Kelleher is because he's never played anywhere regularly. Randolphs position at number 1 has to be under threat if he spends season on bench