Today's article is the last article in the 7 Days, 7 Guests feature on The Liver Bird. Thank you to all of you that took the time to take part!
Today we have an article on some of the unsung heroes between the sticks at Anfield written by Emil who you can follow on Twitter @EmilLFC7.
Today we have an article on some of the unsung heroes between the sticks at Anfield written by Emil who you can follow on Twitter @EmilLFC7.
WITH a number of comings and goings expected this summer at Anfield, one of the positions that King Kenny is expected to change is that of understudy to Pepe Reina.
The current reserve is Brad Jones who arrived for a little over £2 million 12 months ago. However, there remain some doubts over Jones’ Anfield future with the Reds offering a contract to former Liverpool keeper, Brad Friedel, who chose Spurs over a move back to L4.
So, here is a reminder of some former bench-warming goalkeepers from the past who had one of football’s toughest jobs.:
Steve Ogrizovic
Had the misfortune of being understudy to goalkeeping legend Ray Clemence for four years and later, spent a season in the shadow of Bruce Grobelaar, ‘Oggy’ managed only two first team appearances before leaving for Shrewsbury and later being a mainstay in the Coventry side of the 80’s.
Chris Kirkland
Bought in the summer of 2001for £6m when the Reds made the double goalkeeping purchase of Jerzy Dudek and Kirkland, after then-No.1 Sander Westerveld became increasingly error-prone. Kirkland was regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the game but a series of injuries saw him shipped out to Wigan in 2006. Played 45 games for LFC, including a run of group games in Europe in 2005 when they went on to win the Champions’ League in Istanbul.
Bob Bolder
Like Oggy before him, Bolder’s Liverpool career coincided with a goalkeeping legend’s ever-present run for the Reds. Bought in 1983 from Sheffield Wednesday and sold on to Sunderland in 1985, Bolder failed to make a single appearance for LFC due to the form and fitness of Grobelaar, although he did win a European Cup medal as an unused sub in 1984 European Cup.
Billy Molyneux
Joined the Reds as an amateur in 1961 and turned to pro in 1963 but found his route to first team football blocked by Tommy Lawrence who was known as the ‘Flying Pig’. Made his solitary first team appearance in a league game when Shankly rested the Flying Pig, shortly before the 1965 FA Cup final. Molyneux left Liverpool for Oldham in 1967.
Brad Friedel
Joined LFC for £1.7m in 1997 and made 25 first-team appearances for the club, Friedel was understudy to first, David James and later Sander Westerveld. Friedel made his debut in 1998 against Aston Villa, a club we would later play for, and went on to make 11 appearances in his first season but struggled to make an impact in his two last seasons at Anfield. Left Aston Villa this summer and was said to have been offered a contract by Kenny Dalglish, but the 40-year old decided to sign for Tottenham who have offered Friedel more first-team opportunities.