Steve Claridge's latest report on a young Irishman:
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/20...gham_city.html
All's well that ends well. Colin Doyle has certainly been a busy boy in recent weeks as Birmingham finally secured promotion after one of the most turbulent seasons in their history. Just to give you an idea of how big a part Doyle has played in their recent run, he signed a new four-year contract the day after Blues played Wolves late last month and such has his impact been that Arsène Wenger is reportedly interested in signing him.
He reminds me of Petr Cech a bit in size and stature and has an ability, like the Chelsea keeper, not to over-dramatise saves. He makes them look as easy as possible simply because his positioning for shot stopping is so good. That is not to say he wasn't fully tested at times but when he made a save there was only one example of the ball rebounding out into the danger area - the centre of the goal. On every other occasion he safely pushed the ball to the side. Too many people just look at the save but where the ball finishes up after a save when the keeper doesn't catch it is important.
His kicking was fine with either foot, though he favours his right, and his bravery was unquestioned on the two or three occasions he was called upon to dive at a player's feet. His preparation must have been good as he was called into action very early in both games, and certainly, in the Preston match, where he had to make two saves in the first few minutes.
He has what I call soft hands, meaning when he could not hold the ball on the first attempt, particularly the ones that bounced in front of him, it stayed within easy reach the second time around, instead of giving his opponent an easy chance at the rebound. He's not lazy - he got his body behind everything and made sure he moved his feet to get into position.
Two areas of improvement he must focus on are communication and mastery of his area. He needs to be more dominant because he was bullied at corners and free-kicks when the opposition put people around him. Twice he came for balls but missed them as his run was blocked. He either needs to get a team-mate to help him stop this happening or take a leaf out of Jens Lehmann's book and let opponents know he's there. He must take his share of the blame for the goal conceded at Preston which showed a lack of communication but both these shortcomings will, I am sure, be overcome with experience.
Having said that, when he wasn't blocked he was excellent at dealing with crosses in front or behind him. As with all modern keepers his reading of the game needs to be good and it was - often tidying up behind his defenders when Preston threatened over the top.
At 6ft 5in and 14st 5lbs he's got the perfect physique for a keeper and at 21 he's already a full Republic of Ireland international. He's been loaned out three times - to Chester, Nottingham Forest and Millwall - and has suffered relegation and promotion from the Championship in successive seasons. If this is a sign of things to come, life's sure not going to be dull for him in his football career.
Age 21
Born Cork, Rep of Ireland
Position Goalkeeper
Height 6ft 5in
Weight 14st 5lb
From Trainee
How he rates
Awareness 9/10
Communication 7/10
Handling 9/10
Kicking 8/10
Reflexes 9/10
Valuation £1m-£1.5m