Young supporters may be surprised to know
that Arsenal was once consider a stockade of goalkeeping excellence.
Following the diminishing talents in Lukasz Fabianski
and Manuel Almunia, the gunners were reliable and consistent in producing the guardians
of the net.
Yes;
Let me take you through the best 5
goalkeepers who ever played for Arsenal.
5. FRANK MOSS
To make this short Frank was more than a
goalkeeper; he was extraordinary in the making. Most importantly to note from
him is that he is remembered for scoring than saving.
In 1933, there was a tittle race between
Arsenal and Sunderland. In the last match against Everton; the gunners needed a
win in order to snatch the trophy from Sunderland.
Frank’s shoulder got injured forcing him not
to continue with goalkeeping. Surprisingly instead he decided to play left
wing. He scored the first goal which secured the gunners with a 2-0 draw over Everton.
This is courageous!
4. Jens Lehman
Any goalkeeper who
can go through an entire Premier League season unbeaten is worthy of a spot in
this list.
Jens Lehmann was one
of the game's great characters, and some goalkeeper too. His eccentricity was
matched only by his agility.
Rather tragically,
the greatest occasion of Lehmann's Arsenal career was cut short, as he was sent
off just 18 minutes in to the 2006 Champions League final. Lehmann's form never
fully recovered, and in 2008, he was released to join Stuttgart.
Like other great
Arsenal goalkeepers including John Lukic, Lehmann returned for a second spell
at the club towards the end of his career. He is now completing his coaching
qualifications.
Who knows? Perhaps
Lehmann will soon return to Arsenal once again to drill their existing
goalkeepers into shape.
3. Jack Kelsey
Jack Kelsey's time at
Arsenal spanned three decades.
He joined in 1949
after being spotted playing for his local side in Wales. It took Kelsey two
years to oust incumbent goalkeeper George Swindon, but once he had the No. 1
shirt, he held it for more than eight years.
Kelsey was an
innovator. He was one of the first goalkeepers to rush out of his penalty box
to halt attackers. In the days before goalkeepers wore gloves, Kelsey was also
said to rub chewing gum on his hands prior to matches in order to improve his
grip.
This thoroughly
modern goalkeeper created a template for future Arsenal legends to
follow.
2. Pat Jennings
Like Jack Kelsey, Pat
Jennings was unorthodox. His bravery and athleticism saw him develop a unique
style: Jennings was one of the first goalkeepers prepared to use parts of his
body other than his hands to block the ball.
The greatest compliment
one can pay Jennings is that he became an Arsenal legend despite having spent
the peak of his career at Tottenham. When Jennings moved across North London,
many assumed he was finished.
They were wrong.
He went on to play
327 matches for the Gunners and reach three FA Cup finals. His Tottenham past
was almost entirely forgotten.
1. David Seaman
David Seaman is the greatest
goalkeeper in Arsenal's history.
He served the Gunners between 1990 and 2003, collecting a
string of trophies along the way.
Seaman's career was crowned by this extraordinary save
from Paul Peschisolido in the FA Cup. Seaman showed extraordinary reflexes and
strength to turn the ball out of the net when it appeared a certain goal.
As Seaman's powers waned, he arguably held on a little too
long to his place as Arsenal and England's No. 1. However, time has restored
his reputation.
David Seaman is rightly remembered as the greatest stopper
Arsenal have ever had.
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The race for the player of the month of march is on. Though the Armenian whom we signed from Manchester united is still on the lead with 62% of the gunners who vote.
