Chris Kirkland...anyone seen him for West Brom this season?

Leaving aside the raging sicknote issue, has he actually done anything of note this season? I'll even ignore the most goals conceded tag, as that doesn't tell the whole story.

I thought the myth of Kirkland as the new Peter Shilton was well and truely exploded last season in his few games for Liverpool (Before, predictably, yet another injury). In fact, he looked outstandingly average at best.

Allowing for him possibly not being fit, I paid particular attention to MotD at the start of the season where, one game in particular, he was lauded for having an amazing game. Judging on the highlights shown, that consisted of two competent stops followed by a raft of the dribbly scuffed shots your nana would have collected, including the time to put down her knitting and get out of the rocking chair. He's got good reach, but he's slow to get down, doesn't command his box, and he's a bit crap in the air.

I'm not saying Greeno's perfect. He's not quite lived up to 2003-2004, but that was in a team on an absolute flier, behind a s**t-hot defence, and it just seemed to be a red-letter year where everything went right for him.

Without bagging either of these two, are they necessarily any better than, say Kelvin Davis at Sunderland? For regular keepers, after Davis, we're down to the aging, erratic James, and Jamie Ashdown (too short, too erratic). Then there's Scott Carson, third in line at Liverpool, who has looked less than impressive.

Best of a small bunch?

Posted By: Lister of Smeg, Oct 2, 21:58:42