Caoimhín Kelleher GK Brentford b.1998

[EalingGreen]

i thought it was a big mistake to rest everyone good except Kelleher for the game against Arsenal (Collins, Henderson, Damsgaard, Thiago). As we saw with Sunderland, Arsenal can be got at by playing the type of football Brentford play and a point or three against Arsenal would have been huge for momentum, like it was vs Liverpool, United, Chelsea, Newcastle, Villa. Resting those players and foregoing the result puts huge pressure to get a result the next game (against the old manager) and a 2-0 loss to Spurs was the result.Maybe. With the benefit of hindsight at any rate.

Otoh, they played Arsenal as well as any team has done at the Emirates, only failing to get a draw by virtue of a stunning, world-class save by Raya and an injury-time second goal by Saka. Had that draw been achieved, everyone would have been piling in on Arteta for picking a below-strength team, and hailing KA as a genius.

All of which tends to reinforce Matthew Benham's contention that whatever the "Sacked in the Morning" mob would tell you, managers actually have surprisingly little influence on individual matches, with work on the training ground over a season or three being FAR more important.

[elatedscum]

Maybe. With the benefit of hindsight at any rate.

Otoh, they played Arsenal as well as any team has done at the Emirates, only failing to get a draw by virtue of a stunning, world-class save by Raya and an injury-time second goal by Saka. Had that draw been achieved, everyone would have been piling in on Arteta for picking a below-strength team, and hailing KA as a genius.


Genuinely felt it as soon as the team was announced. And I think had they started the 4 lads they left out, they probably would have taken points from the game.

[EalingGreen]

Genuinely felt it as soon as the team was announced. And I think had they started the 4 lads they left out, they probably would have taken points from the game.By your use of "points" (plural), you think they "probably" would have won, do you?

Before the Brentford game, Arsenal had played 10 games unbeaten at home (6 x PL, 1 x LC, 3 x CL), winning 9 and drawing just the once (vs Man City). Their GF total was 27 and their GA was 3.

I wouldn't mind being your bookie. :)

[pineapple stu]

Another game, another penalty save...

[rebelmusic]

That is the worst penalty I've ever seen and absolute kudos to Kelleher for reading it. Comes across like he does his homework before every game. I guess if Kelleher dives then it looks like a classy penalty so his read makes it all the better

[Eirambler]

It's years since I've seen a keeper successfully hold his ground for a panenka/straight down the middle effort. I remember Bruce Grobelaar doing it about 30 years ago and it stuck in my head ever since because it was so comically unusual. Great read form Kelleher - 99 times out of 100 the keeper dives out of the way of those.

[elatedscum]

He must have read something either in his run up or some kind of tell from the striker. Kelleher did really well to both read it and not to give it away, he gave enough fake movement to make it look like he was diving.

I remember reading an article once that said that Sergio Ramos just kept scoring panenka after panenka. Reality is a little different. Just found 18 of his 43 career penalties and he does seem to to do it about 50% of the time which is kind of crazy.

Also not gonna bother looking for the Szoboszlai penalty shootout data before Liverpool but 20 of 23 penalties he’s taken have all been in the exact same side and his only ever miss came hitting the inside of that post. The other 3 basically involved a panenka and two other clipped to the right - but it’s 18 in a row to the left and they can’t be saved.

Very unusual:

https://youtu.be/mgST7nzouAQ?si=uTE5_v6w7iWBOoxB

[elatedscum]

Some Ramos penalties: https://youtu.be/MVjh62h4Em4?si=dtL8-uNuvnrKFgvE

[Eirambler]

https://youtu.be/W7sLC1lak9E?si=mjBEbpCHwnbtJQo6

FWIW the Grobbelaar one is three minutes into that video. 34 years ago, amazing the stuff you remember - I'm not even a Liverpool supporter!

[pineapple stu]

That's everything you'd imagine an early 90s English Panenka effort would be! No technique or delicacy, just booted down the middle - and, of course, missed

[Kingdom]

That's not a Panenka.

[pineapple stu]

I mean, you're right - it's a toe bog. But for early 90s English football (especially second tier), it probably counted.

[Kingdom]

I mean, you're right - it's a toe bog. But for early 90s English football (especially second tier), it probably counted.

no....


I mean, you're right - it's a toe bog.

...there you go. :)

[Eirambler]

Sounds like a bit of an all round disaster between Collins and Kelleher that led to a Chelsea penalty for their second goal. No penalty saving heroics from Kelleher this time around.

[irishfan86]

The pass from Collins was hit too hard and too far away from Kelleher, meaning he had to stretch and that’s what caused the problem. A few minutes into the match, Collins had hit a similarly problematic back pass hospital ball slowly to Kelleher which had to lunge at to clear the danger. Collins really has to clean that sloppiness out of his game.

[rebelmusic]

So what you're saying is the most likely person to put Kelleher in a situation that he'll get injured is Collins? Well hot dawg

[Eirambler]

It's years since I've seen a keeper successfully hold his ground for a panenka/straight down the middle effort. I remember Bruce Grobelaar doing it about 30 years ago and it stuck in my head ever since because it was so comically unusual. Great read form Kelleher - 99 times out of 100 the keeper dives out of the way of those.

It's just happened again in the AFCON final. Two in just over a week, maybe keepers are being told to hold their ground more often these days.

[Jolly Red Giant]

It's just happened again in the AFCON final. Two in just over a week, maybe keepers are being told to hold their ground more often these days.
I still don't get why goalkeepers dive before the ball is hit - maybe there is some stat that shows it works. Hold your ground - if the ball is hit properly you are not going to save it anyway - if its not hit properly you have every chance of saving it.

[pineapple stu]

For a fella who has a lot to say on goalkeepers, the idea that you wait for the kick to happen and then dive is rather extreme. You don't have time for that, even if the ball isn't hit properly. A ball takes half a second to reach the goal from the penalty spot at top level - you can't react properly to that.

Equally good keepers don't tend to dive before the kick is taken - or not noticeably anyway. Otherwise the taker just puts the ball in the other corner. (The point of the stutter kicks is to force the keeper to commit to one side, even to the extent of being off balance, and then put the ball the other side). A good keeper will read the taker's run-up, and will likely have info on players' preferences too, and have a good idea of where the ball is going before it's kicked. So time your dive right, don't give yourself away to the taker, and that maximises your chance of saving.

[elatedscum]

mark crossley was the only keeper i've ever heard of, who used to wait for it to be kicked. he was an incredible penalty saver and always went the right way and when asked about it said that he waited to see. never heard of anyone else.

Pepe Reina began his career as an excellent penalty saver before his reaction and movement decline happened (it happened early for him - probably around 27, 28). He did an interview once where he said the key to his penalty saves were the arms. If a player is going to pull the ball (ie left side for a right footer), their opposite arm comes straight out to counter balance. If they're going the other side, it stays much more tucked in. i think it generally is true.

[Kingdom]

Sounds like a bit of an all round disaster between Collins and Kelleher that led to a Chelsea penalty for their second goal. No penalty saving heroics from Kelleher this time around.

Jonathan whateverhisnameis on MOTD blamed Kelleher; for me it was absolutely Collins fault, as it was in the first half as Irishfan alludes to.

[rebelmusic]

Had an outstanding game today. He seems to have taken to punching out corners even when they're potentially catchable, was very noticeable today and was well executed but every time you had a Brentford defender chasing down to prevent the long range shot... will need to address that in the Ireland squad