The New Phenomenon - Goalkeepers that can Play

DooReg

Active Member
Remember back to when McGeeney drafted in young Courtney to play goalkeeper (that was during the time when the poison chalice in Armagh stood between the posts)- he was coming out the field with the ball, providing overlaps etc. Armagh were branded a joke; McGeeney lambasted as a fool. Supporters up in arms with this tactic. Brolly (as always) had a right go.

The previous orchard forum (and the media) ensured 'the experiment' was cast aside pretty quickly by Geezer. I remember it well, as i thought what Courtney was doing was class and something different.

Move on 4 to 5 years and now we have Beggan with an All-Star (with his trademark wandering out the field) and Morgan now also at it. I don't hear a single negative word muttered about it.
 

Nab14

Active Member
McGeeney will never get the credit he deserves in terms of his Football IQ and knowledge of the game, too many supporters think they know better than a man who played inter country for 15 years, went straight from retirement into bringing Kildare from nowhere to consistent all Ireland quarter finals and rebuilt this Armagh squad.
 

bcb1

Well-Known Member
Did you see the fcuk up by the ‘footballing’ keeper for An Spideal the other day?

I remember Benny Tierney doing the same in an u21 game (so that tells you how long ago it was!) and losing the ball and pulling a hamstring trying to get back to the goals to save it:p
 

Bo Darville

Active Member
Morgan plays outfield for his club but was drafted in by Harte as a keeper because of his kicking ability and because he was/is a soccer goalkeeper.

Courtney was drafted in because he was there and available and the best option at very short notice.

I’d agree that maybe some are overly hard on McGeeney but to claim Courtney in goals was part of a master plan for a fly keeper would be just plain wrong. To be honest you are selling Kieran short if you think he would have abandoned such a plan, if one existed, just because Brolly or some keyboard warriors made fun of it.
 

DooReg

Active Member
Morgan plays outfield for his club but was drafted in by Harte as a keeper because of his kicking ability and because he was/is a soccer goalkeeper.

Courtney was drafted in because he was there and available and the best option at very short notice.

I’d agree that maybe some are overly hard on McGeeney but to claim Courtney in goals was part of a master plan for a fly keeper would be just plain wrong. To be honest you are selling Kieran short if you think he would have abandoned such a plan, if one existed, just because Brolly or some keyboard warriors made fun of it.

So, do you think that Courtney was not informed by Geezer to leave the goalmouths when possible and act as a overlap player as part of their kick-out strategy ?- do you really think Courtney decided to just do this for the craic that day? The reality is that it was a clear strategy by Armagh to do this - as at that time we were seriously struggling to win our own kick-outs and we were going through keepers like water through a sieve. This was Gezzers way of saying "we need to do something different here to win our own ball".
 

DooReg

Active Member
I think he is right

Other keepers have played outfield for their club including Hughes and I think Geoghegan and maybe at times Tierney. That’s not the issue though is it?
You said “we put a midfielder in goals” - it’s exactly the point!
 
A keepers feet are more important than his hands in modern football. They will face maybe 3 shots in a game compared to at least 10 kick outs in a sport where possession rules at the expense of adventurism.
 

bcb1

Well-Known Member
A keepers feet are more important than his hands in modern football. They will face maybe 3 shots in a game compared to at least 10 kick outs in a sport where possession rules at the expense of adventurism.


I would agree with that apart from the fact that a goalkeeper will have at least 20 kick outs a game easily. Kick out strategies are far more important than anything as they are the single most controllable element of attaining possession in any game and should be practiced over and over
 
I would agree with that apart from the fact that a goalkeeper will have at least 20 kick outs a game easily. Kick out strategies are far more important than anything as they are the single most controllable element of attaining possession in any game and should be practiced over and over
Today was disappointing in that respect though as we didn’t see one kick out launched to midfield for a traditional contest. I’m not being a romanticist here, I’m all for strategic development but I can’t be on my own with childhood memories of the collisions of humanity at centre field?
 
Top