Goalkeeping: Playing in the wind

Playing in strong winds is not so prevalent when you are playing in stadia, however if you regularly play on an exposed pitch then you will be all too familiar with the scenario of having to over compensate for the weather.

I have been involved in windy games where I’ve taken a goal kick, propelled it forwards out of the penalty box, only to then stand in stunned panic as the ball whips back over my head and out for a corner!

…or when one of my defenders has had to crouch with his fingers holding the ball still, in order for a goal kick to be taken! That always took an incredible amount of perfect timing from the pair of us so that I missed cracking him in the face with my boot!

One of the good things about playing in strong wind, is when the wind is blowing ‘down’ the pitch and it’s now your turn to have the wind behind you. If you are anything like me then you look for every opportunity to get the ball in your hands so that you can have a go at scoring on their goal! It is a rare chance of glory (and extremely childish) but you still harbour a strong belief that one of your volleys will travel straight into the oppositions net! Never managed it though………

Still, playing in weather that has the ability to deviate the course of the ball’s natural flight always requires extra special attention. During your warm up, it is imperative that you work on opportunities to assess the flight of the ball. This will mean staging several serves from various angles in order for you to ‘get your eye in’ on just how the weather may affect your judgement.

This is not foolproof, as wind speed can change, however as with all pre-match warm ups, you are looking to build your confidence so take several serves from the floor, take some high lofted punts and make sure that you work the serves from both sides and if possible also reverse them – so that you are taking serves from both up and down wind if necessary (may mean facing your goal during warm up).

If, at any point, you are not sure of the trajectory of the ball then play it safe. Stay at home and cover any shot or header – but make sure that you communicate this decision very early with your defenders. Doubt is the biggest flaw in any goalkeeper/defender game play so be positive and have conviction in your decision – your defenders will appreciate it.

The next headache is distribution; your usual options may well have to fall by the wayside as the weather wreaks havoc on your booming clearances – so play tactically instead. Assess the situation; can you roll the ball short when playing head wind? Can you slide a pass to your central midfielder, rather than looking to hit your wingers?

Playing against the wind can force you to move out of your comfort zone, and it is virtually guaranteed that your team mates will wholly appreciate your clever tactics; it is very disheartening for an outfield player to constantly be chasing the game so by forcing them to reassess their game can also have a positive affect on their performance.

The real key to remember when playing in windy conditions is to keep it simple. Don’t try too hard to compensate for the weather, be decisive and communicative and your game will seem a breeze (sorry, bad pun intended!)

Goalkeeping: Dealing with abuse from spectators

The banter between the home fans and the visiting goalkeeper is warming up, and has been that way since the first whistle. The goalkeeper is giving as good as he gets, and the joviality is tinged with testosterone – some of the quips from the spectators can be comical but some can be acidic and close to home.

As a human being, it is natural to react however as a sportsman then reaction isn’t permissible in today’s game. We are meant to take the abuse and walk away….

It would be a fair comment to suggest that I was a ‘character’, and as such was a target for the opposing fans. I have always had a shaved head (Match Day was always ‘Head Shave’ day!) and also I have arguably always been a vociferous communicator, so I was always likely to be a target.

I am lucky in that I have great self belief, and in turn this has generated a thick skin as I have always followed my philosophy of making sure that I was happy with what I was doing first and foremost, any detractors simply wouldn’t matter to me. Every goalkeeper needs to develop this thick skin and “deaf ear” to the crowd.

You do hear the abuse though; I’d be lying if I said that you can blank it out, however whether you choose to listen to it or not can only be decided by you. Whether it’s abuse about you, your team mates or (more scathingly) your family then it has to be ignored. Any comment made is designed to get inside your head, it’s said for a reaction to give their team the upper hand. If the supporters can take the goalkeeper away from the game mentally, then their side has an increased chance of being the victors.

What you must do is steely focus on your game, you need to prove to the aggressors that you aren’t letting them affect you and that actually you are a very good player! I’m afraid that verbal abuse is part and parcel of our position, and you also need to be prepared for the physical abuse of items being thrown at you, or spitting and even being punched as you retrieve the ball from in front of the advertising hoardings. No one said being a goalkeeper is easy, and this is often an unseen side of our game.

As you get older, the abuse is easier to handle and you can allow small reactions – I have a lovely stare in my locker, which was used for the particularly nasty abuse. It may not sound a lot, but the perpetrator knows when he’s gone too far and often a stare is just enough for them to take the edge of it. Strangely enough, it’s the same stare that I use now when the kids are playing up at home!

It is not a crime to show that you are human, football fans can be the funniest people in the world at times so if the comment made you laugh, don’t be embarrassed to show them!

Sadly, this aspect of goalkeeping cannot be trained but it is something that must be developed. Younger players can begin by ignoring any body that stands behind their goal, even if that is their Dad (which is simply wrong on all accounts! Don’t get me started…)

This mentality must be developed otherwise your performance will suffer; the only voice allowed inside your head MUST only be yours.

Goalkeeping: Playing with 10 men

It is a horrible scenario, the second you see the referee flash that red card you know full well that the game has just gotten a whole lot harder! However all is not lost, and it is often harder to play against 10 men providing that the weakened side work harder for each other and maintain their discipline.

For a goalkeeper it is a great opportunity to stamp your authority on the game as, in theory, you may very well be the busier of the two custodians! So, what can you do that can help your team play against the odds?

One of the key things that you need to remember is not to panic, and encourage your team at all times. Negativity is contagious and if you start to moan then this will affect those in front of you – many footballers need to be led, and you can become the shepherd! Obviously your team manager will sort out the team shape, and you must support his decision – whether you agree or not, now is not the time to question it!

What happens in the majority of instances is a swift adoption of a 4-4-1 formation, this is just an example and each team may differ accordingly, but whatever formation given can you encourage your players to maintain their shape?

Lots of encouragement and coaching is needed from you, as you need the players protecting you to work incredibly hard at closing the ball down. Remember the opposition will have more space available, so it is imperative that you can encourage the first defender (nearest to the ball) to close down and stop the forward pass. Try to rein your players in from chasing the game – they are no use to you chasing down an aimless clearance over their full back if it will leave your midfield exposed for instance.

You need your protection layers to do just that; protect! Make sure that you are always on your front foot and ready to sweep up any long balls as this is what you will be trying to force from the opposition. You need to dominate your penalty area, and gain team confidence by coming for deep crosses and immediately taking the pressure off your side. You can dictate their attitude.

When in possession, your side will need patience and the ability to build slowly before hitting on the break. Possession is the order of the day here, and you need to be taking an active role in providing an outlet for the man in possession.

This does not necessarily have to be you showing for the ball, your vantage point on the field will allow you to encourage movement into space from the supporting players, so you should all the time be scanning the pitch and observing what space is available at any given time. If the ball is rolled back to you, can you immediately switch play to your opposing full back or have the opposition pushed up the pitch far enough for you to unleash your forward with a long drive over the top?

Be aware of the role that you can play in a 10 man side, take responsibility for the result and certainly take charge of your penalty area. When your back is against the wall, can you be the one to inspire your team to an unlikely result? The answer is yes.

Goalkeeping: Playing without training

Argh, it’s game day and it’ll be the first time in a week that you have pulled the gloves on! You feel sluggish, nervous and unconfident about the forthcoming 90 minutes, so what can you do about it?

I know full well that training is not always possible for a variety of reasons; work, family, illness or injury and that there will be thousands of footballer up and down the country that can’t train between games, so it is not an uncommon scenario to be involved in. (Though what I can’t accept is the Semi-Pro Level Clubs that don’t train! There are several of these Clubs, and I just find that inexcusable!)

To my mind, preparation for the game begins the day before – an old saying of “Proper Preparation and Planning Prevents P**s Poor Performance” is particularly applicable to goalkeepers: The day before is when you should be preparing your kit bag, polishing your football boots and making sure that your goalkeeper gloves are clean and ready to pull off that top corner worldy in the dying minutes! I was also meticulous in ensuring that my car had enough petrol, in and that my shirt, trousers and Club tie were always ironed and ready. By simply preparing yourself the night before also helps with your mental preparation for the game. Your mind can focus entirely on how you are going to play, rather than worrying whether you packed your shower gel or not!

The pre-match routine is vitally important, as this is what will entirely prepare you for the challenges of the game. A good warm up is the equivalent of a light Friday morning training session spent focussing on your shot stopping strengths – so choose your warm up partner carefully!

If you haven’t trained, then focus your warm up entirely on your strengths – what are you good at? If it’s handling then get your server to ping quality serves into your “comfort zone”, if it’s shot stopping then feel free to fly around your goal with “saveable” strikes from your server.

In short, warm up your confidence first and your body secondary.

As a goalkeeper, you should be used to being a sole warrior amongst your team mates. Use this solitary to begin visualising some of your greatest goalkeeping moments. Remember how good you felt when you tipped that dipping volley over the bar the other week, or when you emerged from that one on one situation with the ball? Channel these feelings into positive energy when you return to the changing room prior to kick off – use this preparation time to fully focus on exactly why you play in goal in the first place!

At grass roots level, training can be a luxury so it is always down to the individual to be fully prepared for the game ahead. First and foremost for any footballer is to enjoy their game, so remember that there is no pressure on you – pressure can cripple a footballer, specifically a goalkeeper as we can over think saves and make basic elementary mistakes, but when we are relaxed and playing with a smile on our face then we can be unbeatable.

If you haven’t trained then it really is not the end of the world, providing that you have prepared properly, however if we can’t enjoy what we are doing then this will reflect in our performance.