Goalkeepers' Union

We're often asked how much longer we can continue to interview goalkeepers for. How can you think up new topics? How can you keep it fresh? Doesn't every interview become the same after a while? Is the aim to have every goalkeeper to have ever played on the Goalkeepers' Union Podcast? Granted, that last question might be a bit of a stretch. The others, however, are all part and parcel of what...

FA Cup Semi-Final weekend sees the focus on Dean Henderson and Matz Sels in this episode of Between the Sticks. The former making a bog stop in Crystal Palace's win over Aston Villa. The latter called out for not coming for a corner which all but ended Nottingham Forest's hope of a dream day out as Man City booked their place in a third successive final. In the EFL, three goalkeepers bagged th...

Not often do you hear of a goalkeeper going from the Premier League to Tier 9 in the space of a few short years - only to gradually make his way back into the throes of a League One promotion race at the age of 37. Ben Hinchliffe (that's Hinch-liffe, not Hinch-cliffe) is a straight-talking stopper with a whopper of a story to tell - from driving trucks part-time to dislodging every aspiring go...

Very rarely does a goalkeeper make four assists across an entire career. Ederson has achieved it this season alone. The Brazilian racked up his goal-providing quad in Man City's 5-2 win over Crystal Palace, marking this as the most successful-ever season for assists from goalkeepers in a single Premier League campaign. Fellow Brazilian Alisson returned for Liverpool to remind everyone why he'...

Richard Lee returns to the fold to talk about the steadiness of Bernd Leno as a Premier League goalkeeper, the bit-between-his-teethness of Dean Henderson and 100 in succession for Jordan Pickford. In the Championship, Karl Darlow was finally given the nod ahead of Illan Meslier as Leeds were held at Luton, while Max Crocombe was the subject of a dubious penalty awarded to Wrexham and Wyll Sta...

Everton goalkeeper Asmir Begovic makes his return to the GKU starting lineup to talk all things The Toffees, FA Cup Quarter Finals and goalkeeping goodness from the EFL. We touch on his close relationship with Jordan Pickford, what the immediate future holds for Illan Meslier at Leeds and teammate Harry Tyrer's loan spell with Blackpool.

Father and son goalkeepers. How many can you name? Let us know any who pop out via all the usual channels. In addition to that, plenty of goalkeeping analysis to dive into this week. Joe Hart and Shay Given both stood up for stoppers as they ran the rule over performances from Dean Henderson, Ederson and David Raya against Ipswich, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United respectively. Meanwh...

So, the eight-second ruling as imposed on goalkeepers by IFAB is due to finally come into effect as of next season. Following yet another trial during the Club World Cup over the summer, it's possible referees will award corners to opposing teams should goalkeepers fail to release the ball after eight seconds. Let's see how it plays out. Meanwhile, penalty shootouts took centre stage in the F...

It's fair to say the narrative surrounding Chelsea goalkeepers has not been particularly positive in recent seasons. Aston Villa's winner in their defeat of The Blues won't have helped that cause as Filip Jorgensen allowed Marco Asensio's effort to squirm under his body at the weekend. We discuss that moment, in addition to the art of combating the "dinker". Aaron Ramsdale was twice beaten by ...

It may not have been a particularly busy transfer window for goalkeepers in the Premier League, but there was still one big move for one English stopper. Alex Palmer earned a shot at the top flight following his move from West Brom to Ipswich. He started Tier 1 life in fine fashion with a Man of the Match performance on his debut at Aston Villa. An incredible four klaxons were sounded overall...

If errors leading to goals are a clear marker of a goalkeeper's game, Robert Sanchez would be in the lower echelons of those performing in this season's Premier League. The much-maligned Chelsea stopper was at fault for Man City's winner on Saturday, so we look at whether the negative hype is fair or perhaps somewhat exaggerated based on his actions aside from goals conceded. Elsewhere, Thoma...

What is a howler? That is the question. 'Twas a word which cropped up a fair few times over the weekend. Andre Onana, Robert Sanchez and James Beadle just three of the suspects suspected to have committed the most catastrophic of calamities if reports were to be believed. In reality, two were errors and one shouldn't have even been discussed as anything other than how it would have and has si...

Everything comes to he who waits... That was the case for Brandon Austin who, after spending the best part of 17 years at Totttenham Hotspur, was finally granted his first team debut at the weekend. The soon-to-be 26-year-old acquitted himself well in the defeat to Newcastle, earning the Man of the Match award on TNT Sports and giving Ange Postecoglou something to think about ahead of Wednesda...

What a week it's been for Fraser Forster. First there was Manchester United in the Carabao Cup, which Tottenham won. Then there was Liverpool in the Premier League, which Tottenham resoundingly lost. The understudy to Guglielmo Vicario has been called out for his lack of ability when playing out, raising suspicions Spurs might enter the market in January with Vicario not back until mid-Februa...

Did we witness the greatest-ever save in footballing history at the weekend? Or was it just the best save ever seen in the Premier League? Or was it neither? We run the rule over that stop from Emi Martinez in Aston Villa's defeat to Nottingham Forest, before touching on respective heroics from England goalkeepers Jordan Pickford and Dean Henderson in a draw with Arsenal and win over Brighton....

Andre Onana was back in the error-stricken headlines this week. It's been a while since the Manchester United stopper courted column inches, but that he did after conceding to Morgan Gibbs-White in Nottingham Forest's win at Old Trafford. Elsewhere, two klaxons were sounded - one in the Premier League courtesy of Mark Flekken and one in League Two via Josh Keeley - while weather wreaked havoc...

Two contentious decisions took place in the Premier League at the weekend: 1) Did Adam Armstrong interfere with Bart Verbruggen's ability to prevent a goal scored by Southampton in what ended in a 1-1 draw with Brighton? 2) Was it right to award a penalty for Lukasz Fabianski's challenge on Gabriel in West Ham's 5-2 defeat to Arsenal? We attempt to answer both, albeit with a little fence-sit...

As conditions wreaked havoc across the country at the weekend, it was in non-league where goalkeepers truly felt the force of Storm Bert's brutal ball bamboozlement. We start with Wroxham and Gloucester City in the Isthmian League North and Southern Prem respectively. The Premier League then takes centre stage with Save of the Weekend contenders from Andre Onana and Guglielmo Vicario, the latt...

Caoimhin Kelleher and Mark Travers have been pretty much close to flawless since stepping in for Alisson and Kepa at Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively. At the weekend, Kepa was back in the Cherries' starting XI, while Kelleher - who pulled off two stunning saves in a home win over Aston Villa - will no doubt be back on the bench once his Brazilian teammate returns to fitness. So, what ne...

Have we witnessed a turning point for Southampton and Aaron Ramsdale? Two big saves in the victory over Everton gave the Saints and Ramsdale a first win and clean sheet of the campaign at the weekend. With a likely call-up to the England squad beckoning, the tide could just about be turning down on the south coast. Along the way is Mark Travers who, after stepping in for the injured Kepa Arri...

Premier League appearance number 21 arrived for Bournemouth's Mark Travers at the weekend, stepping in for Kepa Arrizabalaga and yet again proving his worth as one of the most reliable No2 stoppers in the division. So, we ask, what next for the Irishman? Is his level as an elite-level No2, or does he flee the Vitality in order to pursue first-team football elsewhere? That was the key take fro...

Interfering or not interfering? Offside or not offside? And would Jose Sa have saved John Stones' header regardless? These are all questions delivered and deliberated upon in this week's show, as we look into that injury time winner for Man City at Wolves. Elsewhere, Matz Sels is making a name for himself with another match-winning performance for Nottingham Forest in their victory over Cryst...

Finally, it's here. Having found a post-window moment to sit back and reflect, we take a look at all the key movers and shakers in this summer's goalkeeping transfer merry-go-round. Starting in the Premier League, the Ramsdale/Raya debate is put to bed (although another is as a result raised via a listener tweet) before a comprehensive list is offered up all the way down to Step 2. Roll on J...

Sometimes you witness a passage of play in goalkeeping that simply makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention. This weekend, Robert Sanchez and Matz Sels contributed to a "save off" that earned a point for their respective sides Chelsea and Nottingham Forest. Incredible goalkeeping in an incredible moment. For Liverpool, Czech 23-year-old Vitezslav Jaros made his Premier Leag...

Just when you thought it was safe to listen to goalkeeping punditry... Up popped Roy Keane with some rather preposterous analysis of Ederson's antics during Man City's draw with Arsenal at the weekend. Along with claiming the Brazilian needed to "come with violence" in a bid to halt his fellow countryman in Gabriel, Keane also suggested Matz Sels should be docked a week's wages for allowing Da...

On one hand they giveth... Goalkeeping punditry cranked up a notch at the weekend with Danny Murphy taking centre stage on MOTD. In showcasing Ederson's distribution in Man City's win over Brentford, he not only did so with understanding and well-reasoned analysis, but unknowingly carved a hole for the universe to strike a balance elsewhere. For over on Sky Sports, messrs Neville and Carraghe...

Not nineteen forever. That's certainly what you'd imagine if Lukasz Fabianski's career history is anything to go by. In Saturday's defeat to Man City, the West Ham goalkeeper replaced Alphonse Areola at half-time, racking up his 19th direct involvement in a goalkeeping substitution. Three of those have come since January, meaning we're hedging our bets that number 20 could well occur before th...

Only two games into the Premier League campaign and we already have a Save of the Season contender. David Raya earned three points for Arsenal with his stop from Ollie Watkins at Villa Park. Not only did it banish the demons from the title-denting defeat of last term, but it served as yet another reminder that the Spaniard is at the very top of his game right now. Two contests come in the for...

A little late this week. That can be blamed on both the transfer window and sleepless flights, which might just give you an insight into what this week's Voice of Goalkeeping will be. Silliness aside, Joe Hart is now a bonafide member of the Match of the Day setup - and if the Premier League's opening weekend show is anything to go by, we could be in for a wealth of high-profile goalkeeping p...

It hath been a while. Consider this a drop-in. A restart before the proper restart, if you will. With the window still very much in full swing, our standard summer schedule didn't quite go according to plan this time out. However, we do promise to make up for that once September is upon us. That means more interviews and a few specials thrown in for good measure, too. For now, behold the fir...

As the curtain comes down on the domestic campaign, so too does this season's bout of Between the Sticks shenanigans. Stefan Ortega and Andre Onana both had moments in the FA Cup Final. We touch on each before a look at the Scottish Cup Final and Championship Play-Off Final, won respectively by Celtic and Southampton. Attention is then turned to the season as a whole. Rich rates his Goalkeepe...

As the final weekend of the Premier League season cemented Man City's fourth successive title, we ask the question, "Was it all down to Stefan Ortega?" The German pulled off a masterclass in "No2ing" in the midweek victory over Tottenham and capped off another impressive campaign since joining the club as a relative unknown on these shores. Elsewhere, Nick Pope returned to action for Newcastl...

Following his retirement from professional football in 2018, Adam Bartlett's ascent in the world of goalkeeper coaching has been rather rapid. Since officially taking the reins as Head of Goalkeeping at Newcastle United at the beginning of the 2022-23 season, he's overseen the arrival of Nick Pope, managed an unexpected scenario of having to play No3 Loris Karius - a man who hadn't started a c...

Player of the Season is where we begin this week. How many goalkeepers, if any, were handed awards at EFL end-of-campaign shindigs this term? In the Premier League (where awards are yet to be handed out) decisions were made in favour of David Raya and Dean Henderson, but against Mark Travers. We discuss whether or not each one was correct. The Championship's final day saw clean sheets and su...

This week's pod comes unexpectedly live from the home of Coventry City (it'll all make sense inside the opening five minutes). In the Premier League, much has been discussed about Tottenham's need for a defensive set-piece coach. Richard Lee, however, isn't so sure. Neither was he convinced Cody Gakpo should have been allowed to tap into an empty after confusion reigned between Alphonse Areola...

It is 200 up for GKU and Between the Sticks. A double century. One more game than Richard Lee managed in his career. To celebrate, we've simply produced a standard episode you've grown accustomed to listening to over the past few years. In it, we discuss Aro Muric's performance in Burnley's romp of Sheffield United, while also running the rule over his opposite number in that clash, Ivo Grbic...

Following a mini-break during the international and Easter interludes, GKU is back as per to cover all the key action as Storm Kathleen wreaked havoc with goalkeeping conditions over the weekend. Jose Sa was caught out direct from a James Ward-Prowse corner, Franco Ravizzoli saw a cross float over his head in the dying embers of the EFL Trophy Final and Thimothee Lo-Tutala launched airmail for...

Very rarely can a subject of interviews on this podcast boast a career involving anything else other than "goalkeeper" or "goalkeeper coach". For Ian Feuer, however, vocations such as actor, stuntman, DJ and even part-time cook come into the mix. There's also the fact he was introduced to goalkeeping via the nephew of a notorious Vegas mobster, he's son to a musical maestro who worked closely...

Across the four FA Quarter Final ties this weekend, five No2 goalkeepers were utilised. Considering the negative narrative surrounding Robert Sanchez on BBC's coverage of the Chelsea v Leicester clash, we look at the implications of such decisions. In the Premier League James Trafford was dropped for the first time this term, making way for Ara Muric to step in and help Burnley to a rare vict...

It's been a while, but the Ramsdale/Raya debate returns following the former's display in Arsenal's win over Brentford on Saturday evening. Much to be said, and therefore much is discussed. Ederson's season looks to be hanging in the balance with an injury picked up in the draw between Liverpool and Man City. Basic error or poor goalkeeping to give away the penalty for that foul on Darwen Nun...

Save of the Weekend contender kicks off the show this week. And that save was made by Bournemouth's Neto, who flew across his goal to brilliantly fling out a paw and pat away Jacob Bruun Larsson's free-kick in a 2-0 win over Burnley. Alphonse Areola bagged another MOM display as West Ham won at Everton, Emi Martinez put in a superbly solid performance for a triumphant Aston Villa against lowl...

It's all about Caoimhin Kelleher this week. For the second Carabao Cup Final in three years, he pretty much single-handedly dragged Liverpool to the trophy at the expense of Chelsea. Huge saves from Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher had Jurgen Klopp and Virgil Van Dijk singing his praises and forming a narrative which could prompt The Reds into a big decision this summer. Does the Irishman stay...

A select band of names seem to be synonymous with goalkeeper coaching. Andy Quy is one of them. Following more than a decade at Stoke City - a period which saw them climb into, consolidate  their status and then drop back out of the Premier League - he enjoyed short stints with Brentford and Burton before being tasked with assisting the creation of an entirely new MLS franchise in Charlotte F...

Just like Richard Lee the goalkeeper, we are short and sharp this week. Packed inside half-an-hour of goalkeeping goodness comes multiple Save of the Weekend contenders. Guglielmo Vicario and Jose Sa staked their claims in Wolves' win at Tottenham, while Gavin Bazunu, Viljami Sinisalo, Liam Roberts and James Belshaw fly the EFL flag for Southampton, Exeter, Barnsley and Harrogate respectively....

He may have been on the losing side, but Mark Flekken broke Premier League records for Brentford in their clash with Man City on Monday night. We briefly discuss his start to life in England, in addition to some familiarly rough treatment dished out to Guglielmo Vicario in Tottenham's draw at Everton. A day of deflections, own goals and rebounds occurred in the EFL, where Bristol Rovers young...

Lucas Covolan, take a bow. A man-of-the-match performance from Maidstone's No1 helped The Stones defeat Ipswich and in turn become the first club from outside the top five tiers of the English football pyramid to make the FA Cup fifth round since Blythe Spartans in 1978. The Brazilian takes centre stage this week, along with the rest of the fourth round action where, yet again, "Foul or No Fo...

Is it feasible for a professional goalkeeper to genuinely consider a career as a kicker in the NFL? That is a question we’ve posed on the podcast many times before. Indeed, Kasper Schmeichel - as you’ll be reminded of in this episode - provided a very frank response when comparing the two disciplines a couple of years ago. Now, we have an answer. For Josh Lambo did just that. Following a sho...

Gamesmanship? Cheating? Poor goalkeeping? Anything other than taking accountability? Those are the questions posed when pondering Ivan Toney's much-talked about opener in Brentford's win over Nottingham Forest at the weekend. From a goalkeeping perspective, we look at whether his ball-tampering tactics should have been flagged earlier by Forest - and whether Matt Turner's wall wasn't positione...

Slightly different approach this week. Colin Barnes is a man with skin in the goalkeeping game. After 25 years in the coaching arena, he's contributed to the development of more than 40 professional stoppers over the course of his career (he may have also been Richard Lee's first-ever goalkeeping coach). Now, as Head of Emerging Talent at Crystal Palace, he's scouring South London to find the...

Foul or no foul? That was the question on, well, some people's lips following Luton's last-minute equaliser at Burnley over the weekend. With James Trafford appearing to be impeded by Elijah Adebayo, a goal was given and the Twittersphere was split. We look at that incident, as well as Andre Onana's AFCON involvement which could pave the way for Altay Bayindir's long-awaited first piece of ac...