Comments on: Maarten Stekelenburg: the new No. 1

By: goose

goose — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:31:00 +0000

Stekelenbyrg does have more charisma than vdSar (not difficult to top)

but goalies (esp. in the national team) need time and experience to really get confident

By: tiju

tiju — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:59:42 +0000

this guy is too strong and looks like a giant.he is more courageous than vandersar i think if he can focus for 10 years he will became the next hans van brukelen(i think in penaltys he is better than van der sar)
(who knows he may be the star for us in wc2010)
van der sar had consistancy through out his carrier but he was a fearfulguy.he could do unbelivable saves and missed very simple ones also.
for me for a goal keeper half part is mental and 25 % is experience and 25 %is talent.
hup martyn hup you can do better than van der sar

By: finnster01

finnster01 — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:42:09 +0000

@Carlos: He is a big lad isn’t he? I like him. He has no fear.

By: Carlos

Carlos — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:06:20 +0000

Stekelenburg – watched the recent Russia game again and particularly early in the game when a rare Russian break had Steks runnng out of his area to clear the ball with a one on one on the Rusky. Wow ! then realized Steks is as tall as Sar but twice as wide. The Russian guy was flattened (legally) and watching slowmo replays shows this huge keeper fearlessly coming thru. Not a sight I want to see coming at me (and I played first grade Rugby in Australia). Think he’ll be alright provided as Goose says…he gets the coaches and teams confidence

By: finnster01

finnster01 — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:31:51 +0000

@Jess and others: There are many books on just about every aspect of soccer you can think of. Tactics, training, biographies, stories, you name it.

But I will tell you what is my all time favorite. It is a book called “The Glory Game” written by Hunter Davies and was published in 1972. There is a new edition reprinted in 2001. Amazon has it listed as the best book ever on soccer, and actually it might be.

It is the story of Tottenham Hotspurs in the 1970-1971 season and the author travelled with the team for a full year. It is the first book of its kind as it has a journalist following the team through a season. This was never permitted before. Kind of reality TV before it was invented and in book form. Each chapter focuses on a player and their character, for good and for bad. It is very well written and a fantastic read, and if you put it in perspective, it is written in the hey-days of the great Ajax teams, JC, Neeskens etc. and you get to get a sense of some of the bohemian behaviour of the players of the time. I am no Spurs fan, but that book is a spectacular read and I must have read it 10-12 times over since I got it as a present as a teenager.

Here is the link on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Glory-Game-Hunter-Davies/dp/0809293323

By: Jess

Jess — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:21:50 +0000

Sorry to go off topic but looking for some advice

I have picked up a copy of Brillant Orange but I am wondering if there are any other good books/movies out there that can help me learn more about the finer side of football. I figure if I can learn I can add more to the discussions although I have already learned so much from everyone here. Any suggestions would be great! Thank You. Oh and if they could be in English that would be great too as my language skills are sadly lacking.

By: goose

goose — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:24:13 +0000

Jan; you forgot to translate the last part.

just think its very importent that vMarwijk stands behind Stekelenburg and will give him time; the most importent things for a goalie; confidence and experience