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• The perils of being a safe pair of hands

The perils of being a safe pair of hands

By Bill Smyth, Belfast Telegraph

"YOU'RE EITHER a hero or a villain" — the view of locally based goalkeeping coach Alan Simpson about the very specialist position of net-minder.
"Goalkeepers, like anyone else, make mistakes — some of them fatal and he is the worst in the world," he said.
"Strikers on the other hand miss the post by a hairsbreadth or clip the bar — and the applause is deafening."
Both mistakes — but the reaction is polarised — and Simpson says as a goalie you just have to learn to live with it

Clubs should be thinking ahead to their game - Alan Simpson

From an early age goalkeeping was the chosen option. But having been encouraged by a teacher at school to go outfield, Simpson moved on to finish-up at Dundela. But then while in his mid-20s, catastrophe struck — he broke his leg and had to sit down and make some serious choices.
He went for his goalkeeping badges and having achieved those talked to the IFA about how he could put his skills to best use on the local scene.
They said go and talk to Linfield who had a Football Academy — and so Simpson ended up at Windsor Park five years ago.
The Blues at that time were probably the only top-level club to have a goalkeeping coach — although "an unbadged" one. They also had the best keeper on the local scene at the time — Alan Mannus.
And it was his high-profile which gave Simpson the opportunity to show what he could do with those at the top of the tree
"I remember as a kid being a ball-boy at an Irish Cup semi­final when I was just maybe seven or eight years of age — Crusaders were in it playing the RUC — I think at Windsor Park and the Crues' keeper Roy McDonald came in to talk to us — it really inspired me," he continued.
"Many kids dream of being strikers, they are the ones in the spotlight, the ones the media pick up on and that is understandable.
"Score a goal, especially a winner, and you're a hero. Hit one just over the top or just wide of the post and you'll still get applause.
"On the other hand, think of the poor goalkeeper. He makes a mistake and that leads to them scor­ing, no consolation for him."
Simpson feels there is simply not enough coaching out there for the young goalkeepers who are currently coming through.
"Clubs should be thinking ahead to their next game and in my case try to anticipate what kind of bombardment the keeper can expect," he said.
"I go to Irish League games and study the goalkeeper and very often I find he's out on his own, ig­nored in a way."
So what is the best way forward for a youngster who has definite ambitions to be a goalkeeper?
"Get in touch — call me at the IFA or get your parents to do it and we'll take it from there," he added.

 

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"Maik Taylor isn't going to be around forever, we need to be looking for keepers for the future. They are out there, guys like Alan Blayney and don't over­look Wayne Drummond, the Rangers youngster in the U21's."
The view of Alan Simpson, who does not mind in the slightest being labelled a goalkeeping fanatic. He is in fact more properly termed a goalkeeping coach.
And to back up his claims, he made sure he got all the right badges at a time when nobody else seemed to be getting involved. Goalkeeping coaches are a relatively new venture for Carling Pre­miership clubs, not all have them even yet - costs of course being a factor.
As a kid playing at school he knew between the posts was where he wanted to be. But a teacher suggested an outfield role. He ended up at Dundela, where unfortunately he broke his leg and that forced a radical rethink.
Back to goalkeeping and a talk with the IFA who advised him to join a club and put his skills to use.They suggested Linf ield, who had in fact at the time made the ground-breaking move and appointed a goalkeeping coach - but one without badges.
Soccer remains his first love and with clubs as always anxious to keep ahead of the game he has no difficulty attracting youngsters who share his ambition - and coaches who are anx­ious to help.
Both need Alan Simpson and he is available to help. His last course attracted 28, including aspiring coaches.