Liverpool FC Forum

[Reinas No.1 Fan]

Now before I get slated, I am Rienas No.1 Fan and im not having a jab at his ability.

Since Brucey we have had 4 first choice Goalkeepers James, Westerveld, Dudek, Now Reina. Each of these Goalkeepers impressed in there first seasons.

David James seemed an outstanding talent and even kept Brucey out for a while after making his Debut, but soon after the nick name Calamity James came alone and he let out his true screw up ability.

Sander Westerveld seemed a solid Goalkeeper in his first season making his debut against sheff wed and having a decent first season (not outstanding) and an improvement from David James. He became a liablity in his second season (Punching it in his own net v chelsea (pre - roman), being consider by the press as the weak link in the side despite winning the trebble and qualifying for europe.

Jerzy Dudek in his first season finished second in the clean sheet league (18 or 19) (behiend Nigel Martyn for the statspotters (played 3 less games i think) making outstanding saves and helping us to the Quaters of the Champs League, But soon after the mistakes and slip-ups came along (man utd. Forlan goal to name the worst) falling out of favour to Kirkland for a while, probably would have been replace by Kirkland but for Kirklands injuries.

Now Reina has had a outstanding last season breaking records, but as Liverpools previous luck with keepers has gone he shouldn't be as good this year.

Before you say it, It will take something special to beat his records from last season, but what i mean is will he be as solid as he was last season sometimes acting as the sweeper practically. Also i am aware that the defence contributes alot.

What do people think of Reina is he here to stay long term, or do people see him going to peices in the next season or 2.

[ivor_the_injun]

The bottom line is that Reina's decision making is 99% spot on, which is why he's so consistent. Even if he lets in a soft goal, I'd still back him to come for the right crosses, which is something I was never able to say about Dudek. In Jerzy's first season, he caught the eye because he was such a good shot stopper, but once his confidence went to bits, all eyes were on the percentage situations, and that's when he got found out.

James and Dudek were and still are both flappers that are prone to those awkward rushes of blood. Sander I kind of sympathise with because I think his peak form arrived pretty much as we sold him, but by that time he'd made enough mistakes to allow you to say that you weren't confident enough in him.

I back Reina to have another good season. He's just an incredibly reassuring presence, and we've really missed that.

You missed out Friedel, by the way.

[Reinas No.1 Fan]

You missed out Friedel, by the way.

I class Friedel the same as Kirkland not present enough to mention thouroly.

But I didn't see much of Friedel at Liverpool but what I saw I wasn't overly impressed with. When he moved to Blackburn he went brilliant and it looked like we should have kept him rather than James.

[J*o*n*D*o*e]

outstanding keeper in my book and i can only see him going from strength to strength, at 23 he`s along way to go to master the art , also unlike dudek who let his mistakes affect his game i think Reina proved in the cup final last year he`s much stronger mentally.

class

[LFC #1]

Interesting thread. I rate Reina very highly, he's possibly the best keeper we've had since Clemence. We've lacked a top keeper for many years, and it's probably been the difference between us winning and not winning the league. Since the premiership's inception basically all the sides that have won it have had a top quality keeper:

ManU: Schmeichel
Chelsea: Cech
Arsenal: Seaman

It's often overlooked as to how important a top drawer keeper is to a side. Of course their are exceptions (particualrly in cup competitons), but over the course of a league season a keeper who can win you games and that your defence has total faith in can make the difference between being league champions or not.

Hopefully Reina has finally solved the problem we've had during the sticks over the last decade or longer, and we will win number 19 this season or next.

[Bad Bob]

This is indeed an interesting thread.  I would justy echo what others have said: Reina fills me with much more confidence than Dudek or Kirkland have in recent seasons.  Sure, he'll get caught out occasionally but his decision making is usually spot on, as Ivor said.  What I would highlight is Reina's mental toughness.  He puts the clangers behind him quickly and gets back to top form.  Every poor game he had last season--and they were very few--were usually followed by a long streak of very impressive performances.  Heck, Stevie's autobiography highlights how Reina turned himself around in the FA Cup Final.  He let's in two dodgy goals before producing the save of the match in extra time and then...well...we all saw what he did in the penalty shoot-out!

Bottom line,  I'm very confident that Reina will duplicate last season's form.  Now, Carson's the one that's got me a little concerned but that's another thread...

[The_Rock]

I understand where u going with this.....

Dudek in his 1st season (2001/2002) with us was awesome...I really thought he was one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

The rest is history (excluding his performance in the champions league final)..

[woof woof !]

Reina imo is potentialy a great keeper , I echo most of the praise thats been said about him but have to admit that on high crosses he often gives me a near heart attack ! .He is however young and will learn and get better .

Expect him to have a great season although he might drop the odd clanger . 

[jkop]

outstanding keeper in my book and i can only see him going from strength to strength, at 23 he`s along way to go to master the art , also unlike dudek who let his mistakes affect his game i think Reina proved in the cup final last year he`s much stronger mentally.

class

I agree with u Reina is still young but can only get better.

[66-1112520797]

Unlike Ivor the injured I'm not so sure that his decision making is 99% spot on. I'd have to give him another season really to be sure. Yes sure the odd 'soft' goal is not a problem, but two incidents spring to mind where his decision making was poor. Against Moscow in the super cup he came flying out and had no chance of making a save and was easily rounded to concede a goal. Then at Old Trafford against Chelsea in theF.A cup. He came rushing out for the high ball against Drogba and lost out. He was slow to the ball because his mind wasnt made and was caught in two minds as to come for the ball or stay on his line.
What is good about him though is that he has the confidence in his own ability, and will bounce back ala the F.A cup final. Another game where he was suspect. But he has the mentality not to let a bad moment bother him, unlike Dudek.

[thegreedo]

I have to say like Bamaga I was a little concerned about Pepe on crosses but mid way through the season I read Rafa had spoken at length with him about his decision making and encouraged him not to feel pressured to always try to make the clean catch. Apparently he was encouraged to punch when unsure.
As a former keeper of a decent standard myself I can't help (as many of you who are former players) casting a keener eye over the player established in my former position. Having watched Pepe very closely after reading the above, I noticed him using his excellent punching ability to great effect. As a result of this I am very encouraged as I feel every other aspect of Reina's game looks top drawer. So while I won't get carried away just yet I think we can probably expect more of the same from Pepe this season.

[48-1119859832]

Unlike Ivor the injured I'm not so sure that his decision making is 99% spot on. I'd have to give him another season really to be sure. Yes sure the odd 'soft' goal is not a problem, but two incidents spring to mind where his decision making was poor. Against Moscow in the super cup he came flying out and had no chance of making a save and was easily rounded to concede a goal. Then at Old Trafford against Chelsea in theF.A cup. He came rushing out for the high ball against Drogba and lost out. He was slow to the ball because his mind wasnt made and was caught in two minds as to come for the ball or stay on his line.
What is good about him though is that he has the confidence in his own ability, and will bounce back ala the F.A cup final. Another game where he was suspect. But he has the mentality not to let a bad moment bother him, unlike Dudek.

[PureLoneWolf]

My personal take on the keeper thing is something I have been saying for a long time.  Our previous keepers came in and had a first wonder season, then were shocking and almost vampire'esque after that.  They remain awesome shotstoppers, but can't deal with crosses.  I personally believe that this was the fault of the goalkeeping coach we had for so long, Mr Corrigan.  He was there for all of them, and you will notice, when they leave, they go back to performing reasonably well on crosses again.

Now that Mr C is no longer with us, I believe that Reina will continue to be as consistent

[stmichael]

to me it's simple. the defence now have more confidence in reina than any of our defences have had in previous keepers in the last ten years. hence we keep a higher line up the pitch and look like a superb defensive outfit. anything over the top and reina's out like a shot acting as sweeper.

i'm not saying the guy's infallible. hell he's only 23. however he's got a presence which we have lacked in goal for many years. the one area he can improve is his communication when coming for crosses. see the warnock and carragher own goals vs brum and west ham respectively.

[Scottbot]

What I would highlight is Reina's mental toughness.  He puts the clangers behind him quickly and gets back to top form. 

And that's the key with all top Goal-keepers. It's all about how they deal with the mistakes (particularly if they come in one of the big games) they make. Dudek had a fine debut season for the club but when he went through a rough patch the following season (the errors against Middlesborough and the horror show against the mancs spring to mind) he simply couldn't put them behind him and (for me) he never quite looked the same thereafter.

The great keepers like Smeichel or Seaman made their fair share of clangers (some of them spectacular) but it was always business as usual the following week. Reina was quality last season but only time we wil have to wait and see if he is the 'long term' real deal.