' David Marshal/Arsenal '

' Why Arsenal FC's decision not to sign Cardiff City goalkeeper David Marshall has proved a huge boost for Bluebirds '


Wednesday Dec 03, 2014


Head of sport Paul Abbandonato on the continuing excellence of Cardiff City goalkeeper David Marshall in a golden era for British stoppers


Football goes in cycles and this is the period we will one day reflect upon as the golden one for goalkeepers in British football.

Never before can our game have been so enriched with such a bumper crop of top quality number ones, perhaps best summed up by the fact that David Marshall is plying his trade in the Championship with Cardiff City.

The Bluebirds shot-stopper was, in the eyes of many, the best in the Premier League last season.

Even Sky pundit Jamie Carragher, who openly admits to being sceptical about goalkeepers “because everyone talks them up for making stops when they are paid to do just that very job”, declared Marshall had broken the trend during 2013-14.

“He was the stand-out performer, the exception to the rule, because he made quite a few stops for Cardiff which were out of the ordinary and really made you sit up and think ‘wow’,” said Carragher.



And he was right. Chelsea’s Petr Cech made the Premier League team of the year, but it should have been Marshall.

It is perhaps indicative of the very strengths in the Premier this season that just a few months on neither of those two men are plying their trade in the top flight any more.

Marshall, of course, has dropped down into the Championship, sticking with Cardiff – where he is very settled – during a summer of intense speculation linking him with Arsenal, Celtic and a glut of other huge clubs.

Cech is still with Chelsea, but has had to play second fiddle to Thibaut Courtois, the Belgian No1 who has returned from a loan spell with Atletico Madrid after establishing himself as one of the finest goalkeepers on the planet.



Courtois is just one of a number of great goalkeepers playing in the UK right at this moment in time. Germany’s Manuel Neuer is the stand-out number one in the world game, demonstrated by the fact that the Bayern Munich man stands next to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the three-man short-list for the Fifa Ballon d’Or.

But there are a glut of Premier League keepers who are only a whisker behind Neuer, including Courtois, Manchester United’s David de Gea and French captain and Spurs man Hugo Lloris.

Asmir Begovic (Stoke) and Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal) are two other highly-rated goalkeepers, while Manchester City’s Joe Hart has this season rediscovered some of the form which saw him so talked up in his younger days.

Michel Vorm is another brilliant goalkeeper, but like Cech isn’t getting a game because he is having to play reserve to Lloris at Tottenham.


The English top flight has some truly legendary number ones over the last three decades or so, Peter Shilton, Neville Southall and Peter Schmeichel perhaps the finest of the bunch.

But while none of the current crop are quite as good as those three yet, lumped together they make a pretty effective Class of 2014.

In fact, it makes you wonder why Barcelona and Real Madrid, who have signed up pretty much every other top player in the world between them, haven’t come in for the likes of de Gea and Courtois when goalkeeper is probably the weakest position in each of the Spanish sides.

After that initial group of Premier League shot-stoppers I’ve mentioned, Marshall is as good as anyone. He could easily be playing between the sticks for the likes of West Ham, Southampton, Aston Villa, even Everton, and in doing so improve their team.

every bit as good as anyone else in the premier league.

every bit as good as anyone else in the premier league.

Totally agree Paul, if we got promoted again Marshall is the only one in my opinion guaranteed to play for us

every bit as good as anyone else in the premier league.

Totally agree Paul, if we got promoted again Marshall is the only one in my opinion guaranteed to play for us

Not only your opinion, Annis. But it worrying that he is.

every bit as good as anyone else in the premier league.

Totally agree Paul, if we got promoted again Marshall is the only one in my opinion guaranteed to play for us

Not only your opinion, Annis. But it worrying that he is.

Very worrying as I feel we would need virtually a total clear out of squad, but I suppose at this moment we should not even be thinking about that.

I noticed once again the latest teams to be promoted are struggling QPR,Burnley & Leicester, the 3 might come straight back down.

Interesting debate !

Marshall is clearly outstanding. However, I'm not sure that that he is the only one who could make the transition.

Manga looks pretty good (he may be even better in the Prem with less physicaility required), Noone proved himself before getting injured (don't forget Malky wouldn't even pick him until November, Brayford might be interesting, if Daehli is as good as many on here claim then he should be OK, Pilkington played well for Norwich (wasn't he top scorer for a while ?) and I still think if played in a 5 man midfield in an advanced position Whitts can finally prove himself to the doubters.

I may be a bit optimistic with that but I'm not sure we need to worry too much. I would certainly rate our current first XI as a match for Burnley, Palace and Sunderland even without buying. As long as we're not looking to do anything other than survive at Prem level, if we ever get there again, then I don't think we're a million miles away I'd better go and have a drink out of that half full glass of mine now

Interesting debate !

Marshall is clearly outstanding. However, I'm not sure that that he is the only one who could make the transition.

Manga looks pretty good (he may be even better in the Prem with less physicaility required), Noone proved himself before getting injured (don't forget Malky wouldn't even pick him until November, Brayford might be interesting, if Daehli is as good as many on here claim then he should be OK, Pilkington played well for Norwich (wasn't he top scorer for a while ?) and I still think if played in a 5 man midfield in an advanced position Whitts can finally prove himself to the doubters.

I may be a bit optimistic with that but I'm not sure we need to worry too much. I would certainly rate our current first XI as a match for Burnley, Palace and Sunderland even without buying. As long as we're not looking to do anything other than survive at Prem level, if we ever get there again, then I don't think we're a million miles away I'd better go and have a drink out of that half full glass of mine now

completely agree

Interesting debate !

Marshall is clearly outstanding. However, I'm not sure that that he is the only one who could make the transition.

Manga looks pretty good (he may be even better in the Prem with less physicaility required), Noone proved himself before getting injured (don't forget Malky wouldn't even pick him until November, Brayford might be interesting, if Daehli is as good as many on here claim then he should be OK, Pilkington played well for Norwich (wasn't he top scorer for a while ?) and I still think if played in a 5 man midfield in an advanced position Whitts can finally prove himself to the doubters.

I may be a bit optimistic with that but I'm not sure we need to worry too much. I would certainly rate our current first XI as a match for Burnley, Palace and Sunderland even without buying. As long as we're not looking to do anything other than survive at Prem level, if we ever get there again, then I don't think we're a million miles away I'd better go and have a drink out of that half full glass of mine now

Manga has a very good chance

Pilkinghton and Brayford ? ?


Remember last time we got promoted most fans thought our players were already good enough,its a massive massive step up and do we want to b just a struggling club?

Manga has a very good chance

Pilkinghton and Brayford ? ?


Remember last time we got promoted most fans thought our players were already good enough,its a massive massive step up and do we want to b just a struggling club?

I disagree with you to some extent. Last season we had a team well capable of surviving in the premiership, at least in the bottom half of the table.

In my opinion, if none of the Malky scandal took place and he was able to get on with the job, we would have definitely have survived. But what has happened has happened and we have to move on from that.

Yes, its a massive step up for many players playing in the premiership; but its about adapting to the league. One thing was for sure, Palace this time last year were favourites to get relegated. Pulis came in and changed the system and got a good run of results.

"But there are a glut of Premier League keepers who are only a whisker behind Neuer, including Courtois, Manchester United’s David de Gea and French captain and Spurs man Hugo Lloris."

Interesting debate !

Marshall is clearly outstanding. However, I'm not sure that that he is the only one who could make the transition.

Manga looks pretty good (he may be even better in the Prem with less physicaility required), Noone proved himself before getting injured (don't forget Malky wouldn't even pick him until November, Brayford might be interesting, if Daehli is as good as many on here claim then he should be OK, Pilkington played well for Norwich (wasn't he top scorer for a while ?) and I still think if played in a 5 man midfield in an advanced position Whitts can finally prove himself to the doubters.

I may be a bit optimistic with that but I'm not sure we need to worry too much. I would certainly rate our current first XI as a match for Burnley, Palace and Sunderland even without buying. As long as we're not looking to do anything other than survive at Prem level, if we ever get there again, then I don't think we're a million miles away I'd better go and have a drink out of that half full glass of mine now

Manga has a very good chance

Pilkinghton and Brayford ? ?


Remember last time we got promoted most fans thought our players were already good enough,its a massive massive step up and do we want to b just a struggling club?

It's very rare for a promoted club not to struggle initially. Even the Jacks struggled initially but they were realistic and built gradually.

First season, stay up any way any how. Then build, let's just hope we get the chance

"But there are a glut of Premier League keepers who are only a whisker behind Neuer, including Courtois, Manchester United’s David de Gea and French captain and Spurs man Hugo Lloris."

the day Paul's nonsense is out in print, Lloris passes the ball to Chelsea to score their second

Great to see Neuer in the top 3 for the award, great to see a keeper/defence if you could say amongst it.

every bit as good as anyone else in the premier league.

PL goalkeepers don't fall over at corners to give away a soft goal (Millwall) or let the ball through their legs (Reading)

every bit as good as anyone else in the premier league.

PL goalkeepers don't fall over at corners to give away a soft goal (Millwall) or let the ball through their legs (Reading)

I think you'll find they do ! DeGea made no end of mistakes until the last 6 months but he'll make them again. Similar with Joe Hart. No keeper is faultless

every bit as good as anyone else in the premier league.

PL goalkeepers don't fall over at corners to give away a soft goal (Millwall) or let the ball through their legs (Reading)

Plenty of goals are scored through a keepers legs

every bit as good as anyone else in the premier league.

PL goalkeepers don't fall over at corners to give away a soft goal (Millwall) or let the ball through their legs (Reading)

Forster just conceded through his legs, should Southampton think about changing keepers?

every bit as good as anyone else in the premier league.

PL goalkeepers don't fall over at corners to give away a soft goal (Millwall) or let the ball through their legs (Reading)

Forster just conceded through his legs, should Southampton think about changing keepers?

And another