New look! What can I say. New vibes and new feel. I like it a lot. Hopefully you guys will give it the nod. One thing is clear though this is still your haven for football and it will be for a very long time. I've chosen Sr. Lionel Messi to be the face of the site and I'm personally feeling the sky blue theme. It's amazing what you can do with a few run of the mill templates. Don't worry though this is still Green Lizard and if you look carefully you can see some verde in there. A name change maybe in the works but who knows it all depends how I feel. What I am feeling is this new installment of "The Keeper." You know I have a real soft spot in my heart for goalkeepers having being a top notch one at youth level. If you didn't know...well I just told you. I love my goalkeepers I don't what it is. Maybe it's the isolation that comes with the position that attracts an introvert like myself or it could be the fact that you get to jump around like kid. Whatever it is it keeps me fascinated. That's why I am such a huge defender of them. I may say a keeper isn't playing well. What I will never say that there is a bad keeper. I don't care if they ply their trade at the dizzying heights of Serie A or just a part timer in bush league. I will always have any goalkeeper's back simply because I know how it feels between those bars. You have to be special to play there and this guy is more than that.
Name: Kasper Peter Schmeichel D/O/B: 11/05/1986 Place of Birth: Copenhagen, Denmark Position: Goalkeeper Height: 6'2 ft National Team: Denmark National Team Debut: Denmark vs Macedonia (Feb. 6 2013) Club Team(s): Manchester City F.C. 2004-2009, Darlington F.C. 2006 (loan), Bury F.C. 2006 (loan), Falkirk FC 2007 (loan), Cardiff City F.C. 2007-08 (loan), Coventry City F.C. 2008 (loan), Notts County F.C. 2009-2010, Leeds United A.F.C. 2010-2011, Leicester City F.C. 2011-present* Let's get the obvious out of the way. Kasper Schmeichel is the son of goalkeeping icon Peter Schmeichel. Schmeichel senior had a long and successful career minding the net for the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Brøndby and Sporting Lisboa picking up title after title, crafting a legacy that his son Kasper is trying mirror. It will be difficult for him seeing what his father has done but the young Dane has the ability to at least be one of the world's greatest gloveman. Kasper Peter Schmeichel was born on November 5th 1986 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Kasper spent most of his life in England due to his father's playing career. Young Schmeichel also spent time in Portugal while his father was playing for Sporting Lisboa but it is England where he grew up. He has adopted the culture and even has an English accent. Schmeichel's dive into the goalkeeping world started at a then humble Manchester City in 2002. The young custodian came through the ranks and signed a long term contract all while in school. The contract spilled over to professional realm and just like that Kasper was a budding pro. As with most young players loan spells are always on the cards and Kasper was no different. So in 2006 the young keeper found himself on the books of Football League Two side Darlington where he made his first senior appearance. Schmeichel played only four games for Darlington before he returned to Manchester City. Determined to get their asset more playing time the Manchester club farmed the Dane out on loan again in the same year. Bury was his next destination where he had two stints, the first of which he logged 15 games for the club. The second spell came the following season in a three month period, whilst there Kasper stepped in to register 14 more games for "The Shakers." The 2007-08 campaign kicked off and Schmeichel found himself on the wander again this time up north in Scotland. Falkirk decided to pick him up on loan where he impressed in his 15 appearances so much so both he and the Scottish club tried to extend his loan. Satisfied with his performances Man City decided to incorporate the Dane in their first team plans soon after the request made. It was the Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson that handed Kasper his Premier League debut, this against West Ham in August 2007. A game that saw the young Dane register his first clean sheet in the division. Eriksson gave Schmeichel a lengthy run out having him play games against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United, matches that he handled very well. Manchester City rewarded the youngster with a new four year contract, an indication that the player was to be a vital part the club's plans. So it would seem from the start, City's Swedish manager however had options in the goalkeeping department having Joe Hart and Andreas Isaksson along with the young Dane. Eriksson for a time at the time prefer Hart and Isaksson and allowed Schmeichel to go on loan to Cardiff City for the 2007-08 season. There Kasper played 14 games for the Welsh side in a useful cameo. Schmeichel was keen to stay in Wales but Andreas Isaksson's transfer request rang alarm bells at Eastlands so the Premier League outfit was anxious to get Dane back in the side. Despite this Manchester City allowed Cardiff to hold onto Kasper for a few more games. The rest of the campaign Schmeichel found himself on loan again this time for Coventry City where he played few games to round off his season. A season that saw him play for three different sides. The 2008-09 season was a phantom year for Schmeichel he played little games for the club and was basically Joe Hart's understudy. Unhappy with his role at Manchester City he decided to leave and in the 2009-2010 season the keeper signed for League Two side Notts County joining former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson. It was believed that Schmeichel had broken the club's transfer record with his move and it was also reported that he became the side's highest earning player ever taking home a million a year. Kasper played his first of his 43 games for the club against Dagenham & Redbridge where he held onto a clean sheet helping his side in a 3-0 victory. Everything started well at Notts for him but come the end of the season the League Two team had no choice but to release the keeper, reason being cited as a financial one. Again on the move Schmeichel landed at Championship side Leeds United for the 2010-11 campaign. The Dane signed a two year deal with the Yorkshire club and on August 7th, 2010 made his debut versus Derby County in a 2-1 loss. Kasper registered 37 games for Leeds in a mundane season. When the campaign came to a close Leeds decided to sell Schmeichel to Leicester City where he now plays. City inked the Dane to a three year contract thanks to Sven Goran Eriksson yet again who was the manager there at the time. Under the Swede in his first season Kasper put in some glittering performances and in his second and third seasons with manager Nigel Pearson in the driver's seat the keeper looks very solid. Schmeichel has already logged over 100 games for the now Championship side and in the 2013-2014 season he is putting Leicester into a favorable position making them genuine title contenders. Internationally there was talk that Kasper Schmeichel could represent England with the English Football Association seeing if it was a possibility due to his swell performances at Manchester City but that notion was batted away quickly by Schmeichel himself. At youth level Kasper went onto representing Denmark at the U-19, U-20 and U-21 levels. At the senior level he hasn't found it easy going. To date Kasper has only logged two senior appearances for his nation. The first of two came on February 6th 2013 in a 3-0 loss to Macedonia in Skopje. As previously stated the young custodian has found it hard getting into the national team set up due to the prowess of Thomas Sørensen and Anders Lindegaard who were playing well. This is paragraph is where I get to inject by opinion. I've been looking forward to this since I jotted down the first letter on this page. I want to make clear that I think Kasper Schmeichel is better than most of the goalkeepers walking around Europe today. He is aggressive, technically sound and has personality for the position. Simply, I like him. Do I like the course his career has taken? Of course not. I mean this with respect but Schmeichel is better than, Bury, Falkirk, Darlington, Coventry, Notts County, Leeds and Leicester. I understand he needed these clubs to gain experience but he is such a talent that he deserves better than what he got. Those moments at Manchester City showed how skillful he is and it's unfortunate that City could at least get more game time out of him. As for his national team situation I don't see why he couldn't grab the No.1 jersey right now. He is playing well currently at Leicester which should be a Premier League side for the 2014-15 season, Andreas Lindegaard isn't playing regularly right now and the Danish keepers in Denmark are not faced with the level of competition Kasper faces. He might not be his father but I'm sure Kasper will have a killer career. Kasper Schmeichel
They are so many cliches about goalkeepers. Some say they are crazy, oddballs and prone to moments of madness but few ever say that the position is easy. Well if you are in the minority good for you and I can't deny the fact that goalkeeping is extremely hard. I take this stance from personal experience and plain old logic. Growing up I wasn't the quickest across the ground so I could be a forward or a fullback. I didn't have the stamina to be a midfield man and the idea of playing center half seemed boring, after all I was a kid only interested in having fun...goals are fun not booting a ball in the air from the back. The only viable option, was for me to be in goal...plus I was only kid in my age group to own a pair of proper goalie mitts so by default or by fate I was chosen to don the "Number. 1," jersey. As for the training, the games and my skills let's just say I had fun despite fetching the ball from behind me most of the time. It was hard. Simple. Which brings me to the logical part, everyone isn't cut out to be a keeper. The mental aspect of it is one thing but the skills one has to acquire just to cover the basics is almost unreal. Also it's a known fact that keepers mature far slowly than outfield players. So while your best friend who plays in midfield is ready to play with the big boys at U-17 level you are stuck with the U-13s at the summer camp. Honestly I have a ton of respect for goalkeepers having been an average one myself and I think they need to be cut a little more slack.
Name: Stephane Ruffier D/O/B: 09/27/1986 Place of Birth: Bayonne, France Position: Goalkeeper Height: 6'2ft National Team: France National Team Debut: France vs Norway (2010) Club Team(s): A.S. Monaco 2005-2011, Aviron Bayonnais F.C 2005-06, A.S. Saint Etienne 2011-present The back drop to Stephane Ruffier's career is as textbook as it gets. Like a number players Ruffier started playing the game at his hometown club suiting up for the local outfit. Aviron Bayonnais began to school the Frenchman from early, at the age of six to be exact. Initially, Ruffier entered the academy as a forward but due to necessity or by fate he was chosen to play in goal due to academy's lack of players in that position. Ruffier's name started to be waved about even as a kid having had stellar performances at Bayonnais' academy even guiding the U-13 side to glory in the Coupe de Pyrenees, a local tournament. His showing in the tourney grabbed the attention of fellow French outfit Montpellier who gave Ruffier a trial albeit an unsuccessful one. The next club to come in for the keeper was Monaco in 2002 where Ruffier signed a youth contract with the side. In the principality, under the tutelage of goalkeeping coaches Jean-Luc Ettori, Andre Amitrano and Andre Biancarelli, Ruffier flourished and soon there after he was promoted to the club's Campionnat de France amateur in the country's fourth division. While there he notched ten appearances in the 2003-04 season and in the following campaign was named the first choice keeper where he made 17 appearances. Monaco was determined to see Ruffier play regularly and so sent him on loan to a familiar Bayonnais in the 2005-06 season. Ruffier's homecoming saw him take hold of the side's No.1 jersey. That season he played all 38 league games for his hometown club but despite his resilience between the sticks Ruffier could not keep relegation at bay, Bayonne finished 17th and were relegated and he returned to Monaco. His outing at Bayonne was enough to merit him his first professional contract and in May 2006, he inked a three year deal with Monaco thus making him the understudy to Flavio Roma in goal for the 2006-07 season. Roma's injury free campaign meant Ruffier didn't see a minute of action that season. However his chance came in the following the year. Three games into the 2007-08 season Roma suffered injury while playing against Metz paving the way to make his top flight debut in the same game. Adding to the occasion was the fact Monaco had won and a Ruffier earned a coveted clean sheet for his side. That same season Ruffier managed 12 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit and the following campaign, then coach Ricardo Gomes named him his "No.1." A successful season ensued as Ruffier managed 11 shutouts in his 36 starts and even helped his team to a semi final birth in the Coupe de France. Now a star performer for Monaco, Ruffier set his sights on glory and in the 2009-10 the custodian amassed 15 clean sheets in 32 Ligue 1 games and his super form trickled over to the Coupe de France where he steered Monaco to the final only to be bested by a very good Paris St. Germain side. The 2010-11 season brought promise former coach Guy Lacombe handed the captain's armband to the Frenchman but Ruffier's elation ended prematurely as he picked a season ending groin injury against Saint Etienne. Ruffier could only watch from the sidelines as the Monte Carlo based club went into free fall and with out him ultimately crashed out of Ligue 1 into the second tier of French football. Ironically following Monaco's retreat into Ligue 2 it was Saint Etienne that offered Ruffier a route back into the first division where he has been to date. At the moment Ruffier is a stalwart at "Les Verts," having taken over from club legend Jeremie Janot. Internationally Ruffier has immense competition from the likes of Hugo Lloris, Cedric Carrasso, Steve Mandana, Mickael Landreau and Sebastien Frey. Ruffier earned his first and only cap so far for his country when he played against Norway in a friendly on August 11th 2010. After France's tumultuous time in the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 where player unrest marred the country's play that subsequently led to "Les Bleus," failure in the tourney. New coach Laurent Blanc shook up the French squad and a benefactor was Ruffier who was apart of Blanc's plans through his reign with the national team. In my opinion Stephane Ruffier is one of the premier goalkeepers in the world. When Jeremie Janot left Saint Etienne after 16 years of excellent service many at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard may have been concerned but Ruffier has laid to rest fears. Ruffier may not be as charismatic as his predecessor, very players are but he his a character and that is very rare nowadays in a team oriented football world. Personality and antics aside the man from Bayonne possesses wonderful tactical awareness to go along with a stiff hand, he isn't a flapper when he comes for crosses he does so with bravery and isn't afraid to pip the ball of attackers feet if they are in range. What I like about this guy is that yes, he hams it up for the camera when he flings himself through the air but he is a tough guy. He gets kicked every which way and is good for a shoulder barge or jump kick from an opponent or two a game. Stephane Ruffier is a battler and turns into the hulk when he concedes...my type of keeper.
