Caoimhin Kelleher and Mark Travers have been pretty much close to flawless since stepping in for Alisson and Kepa at Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively. At the weekend, Kepa was back in the Cherries' starting XI, while Kelleher - who pulled off two stunning saves in a home win over Aston Villa - will no doubt be back on the bench once his Brazi…

Have we witnessed a turning point for Southampton and Aaron Ramsdale? Two big saves in the victory over Everton gave the Saints and Ramsdale a first win and clean sheet of the campaign at the weekend. With a likely call-up to the England squad beckoning, the tide could just about be turning down on the south coast. Along the way is Mark Travers who…

Premier League appearance number 21 arrived for Bournemouth's Mark Travers at the weekend, stepping in for Kepa Arrizabalaga and yet again proving his worth as one of the most reliable No2 stoppers in the division. So, we ask, what next for the Irishman? Is his level as an elite-level No2, or does he flee the Vitality in order to pursue first-team …

Interfering or not interfering? Offside or not offside? And would Jose Sa have saved John Stones' header regardless? These are all questions delivered and deliberated upon in this week's show, as we look into that injury time winner for Man City at Wolves. Elsewhere, Matz Sels is making a name for himself with another match-winning performance for …

Finally, it's here. Having found a post-window moment to sit back and reflect, we take a look at all the key movers and shakers in this summer's goalkeeping transfer merry-go-round. Starting in the Premier League, the Ramsdale/Raya debate is put to bed (although another is as a result raised via a listener tweet) before a comprehensive list is offe…

Sometimes you witness a passage of play in goalkeeping that simply makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention. This weekend, Robert Sanchez and Matz Sels contributed to a "save off" that earned a point for their respective sides Chelsea and Nottingham Forest. Incredible goalkeeping in an incredible moment. For Liverpool, Czech 23-y…

Just when you thought it was safe to listen to goalkeeping punditry... Up popped Roy Keane with some rather preposterous analysis of Ederson's antics during Man City's draw with Arsenal at the weekend. Along with claiming the Brazilian needed to "come with violence" in a bid to halt his fellow countryman in Gabriel, Keane also suggested Matz Sels s…

On one hand they giveth... Goalkeeping punditry cranked up a notch at the weekend with Danny Murphy taking centre stage on MOTD. In showcasing Ederson's distribution in Man City's win over Brentford, he not only did so with understanding and well-reasoned analysis, but unknowingly carved a hole for the universe to strike a balance elsewhere. For ov…

Not nineteen forever. That's certainly what you'd imagine if Lukasz Fabianski's career history is anything to go by. In Saturday's defeat to Man City, the West Ham goalkeeper replaced Alphonse Areola at half-time, racking up his 19th direct involvement in a goalkeeping substitution. Three of those have come since January, meaning we're hedging our …

Only two games into the Premier League campaign and we already have a Save of the Season contender. David Raya earned three points for Arsenal with his stop from Ollie Watkins at Villa Park. Not only did it banish the demons from the title-denting defeat of last term, but it served as yet another reminder that the Spaniard is at the very top of his…

A little late this week. That can be blamed on both the transfer window and sleepless flights, which might just give you an insight into what this week's Voice of Goalkeeping will be. Silliness aside, Joe Hart is now a bonafide member of the Match of the Day setup - and if the Premier League's opening weekend show is anything to go by, we could be …

It hath been a while. Consider this a drop-in. A restart before the proper restart, if you will. With the window still very much in full swing, our standard summer schedule didn't quite go according to plan this time out. However, we do promise to make up for that once September is upon us. That means more interviews and a few specials thrown in fo…

As the curtain comes down on the domestic campaign, so too does this season's bout of Between the Sticks shenanigans. Stefan Ortega and Andre Onana both had moments in the FA Cup Final. We touch on each before a look at the Scottish Cup Final and Championship Play-Off Final, won respectively by Celtic and Southampton. Attention is then turned to th…

As the final weekend of the Premier League season cemented Man City's fourth successive title, we ask the question, "Was it all down to Stefan Ortega?" The German pulled off a masterclass in "No2ing" in the midweek victory over Tottenham and capped off another impressive campaign since joining the club as a relative unknown on these shores. Elsewhe…

Following his retirement from professional football in 2018, Adam Bartlett's ascent in the world of goalkeeper coaching has been rather rapid. Since officially taking the reins as Head of Goalkeeping at Newcastle United at the beginning of the 2022-23 season, he's overseen the arrival of Nick Pope, managed an unexpected scenario of having to play N…

Player of the Season is where we begin this week. How many goalkeepers, if any, were handed awards at EFL end-of-campaign shindigs this term? In the Premier League (where awards are yet to be handed out) decisions were made in favour of David Raya and Dean Henderson, but against Mark Travers. We discuss whether or not each one was correct. The Cham…

This week's pod comes unexpectedly live from the home of Coventry City (it'll all make sense inside the opening five minutes). In the Premier League, much has been discussed about Tottenham's need for a defensive set-piece coach. Richard Lee, however, isn't so sure. Neither was he convinced Cody Gakpo should have been allowed to tap into an empty a…

It is 200 up for GKU and Between the Sticks. A double century. One more game than Richard Lee managed in his career. To celebrate, we've simply produced a standard episode you've grown accustomed to listening to over the past few years. In it, we discuss Aro Muric's performance in Burnley's romp of Sheffield United, while also running the rule over…

Following a mini-break during the international and Easter interludes, GKU is back as per to cover all the key action as Storm Kathleen wreaked havoc with goalkeeping conditions over the weekend. Jose Sa was caught out direct from a James Ward-Prowse corner, Franco Ravizzoli saw a cross float over his head in the dying embers of the EFL Trophy Fina…

Very rarely can a subject of interviews on this podcast boast a career involving anything else other than "goalkeeper" or "goalkeeper coach". For Ian Feuer, however, vocations such as actor, stuntman, DJ and even part-time cook come into the mix. There's also the fact he was introduced to goalkeeping via the nephew of a notorious Vegas mobster, he'…

Across the four FA Quarter Final ties this weekend, five No2 goalkeepers were utilised. Considering the negative narrative surrounding Robert Sanchez on BBC's coverage of the Chelsea v Leicester clash, we look at the implications of such decisions. In the Premier League James Trafford was dropped for the first time this term, making way for Ara Mur…

It's been a while, but the Ramsdale/Raya debate returns following the former's display in Arsenal's win over Brentford on Saturday evening. Much to be said, and therefore much is discussed. Ederson's season looks to be hanging in the balance with an injury picked up in the draw between Liverpool and Man City. Basic error or poor goalkeeping to give…

Save of the Weekend contender kicks off the show this week. And that save was made by Bournemouth's Neto, who flew across his goal to brilliantly fling out a paw and pat away Jacob Bruun Larsson's free-kick in a 2-0 win over Burnley. Alphonse Areola bagged another MOM display as West Ham won at Everton, Emi Martinez put in a superbly solid performa…

It's all about Caoimhin Kelleher this week. For the second Carabao Cup Final in three years, he pretty much single-handedly dragged Liverpool to the trophy at the expense of Chelsea. Huge saves from Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher had Jurgen Klopp and Virgil Van Dijk singing his praises and forming a narrative which could prompt The Reds into a big…

A select band of names seem to be synonymous with goalkeeper coaching. Andy Quy is one of them. Following more than a decade at Stoke City - a period which saw them climb into, consolidate their status and then drop back out of the Premier League - he enjoyed short stints with Brentford and Burton before being tasked with assisting the creation of …

Just like Richard Lee the goalkeeper, we are short and sharp this week. Packed inside half-an-hour of goalkeeping goodness comes multiple Save of the Weekend contenders. Guglielmo Vicario and Jose Sa staked their claims in Wolves' win at Tottenham, while Gavin Bazunu, Viljami Sinisalo, Liam Roberts and James Belshaw fly the EFL flag for Southampton…

He may have been on the losing side, but Mark Flekken broke Premier League records for Brentford in their clash with Man City on Monday night. We briefly discuss his start to life in England, in addition to some familiarly rough treatment dished out to Guglielmo Vicario in Tottenham's draw at Everton. A day of deflections, own goals and rebounds oc…

Lucas Covolan, take a bow. A man-of-the-match performance from Maidstone's No1 helped The Stones defeat Ipswich and in turn become the first club from outside the top five tiers of the English football pyramid to make the FA Cup fifth round since Blythe Spartans in 1978. The Brazilian takes centre stage this week, along with the rest of the fourth …

Is it feasible for a professional goalkeeper to genuinely consider a career as a kicker in the NFL? That is a question we’ve posed on the podcast many times before. Indeed, Kasper Schmeichel - as you’ll be reminded of in this episode - provided a very frank response when comparing the two disciplines a couple of years ago. Now, we have an answer. F…

Gamesmanship? Cheating? Poor goalkeeping? Anything other than taking accountability? Those are the questions posed when pondering Ivan Toney's much-talked about opener in Brentford's win over Nottingham Forest at the weekend. From a goalkeeping perspective, we look at whether his ball-tampering tactics should have been flagged earlier by Forest - a…

Slightly different approach this week. Colin Barnes is a man with skin in the goalkeeping game. After 25 years in the coaching arena, he's contributed to the development of more than 40 professional stoppers over the course of his career (he may have also been Richard Lee's first-ever goalkeeping coach). Now, as Head of Emerging Talent at Crystal P…

Foul or no foul? That was the question on, well, some people's lips following Luton's last-minute equaliser at Burnley over the weekend. With James Trafford appearing to be impeded by Elijah Adebayo, a goal was given and the Twittersphere was split. We look at that incident, as well as Andre Onana's AFCON involvement which could pave the way for Al…

A typically unpredictable and reactive window has resulted in this week's podcast arriving a little later than usually expected. However, we quickly wrap up all the key action from the FA Cup Third Round. Big performances from Nathan Baxter, Dan Grimshaw and Max O'Leary helped Bolton, Blackpool and Bristol City take Premier League sides to respecti…

Happy New Year to goalkeepers far and wide. We kick off 2024 in reluctant fashion with... Commentary Corner! Yes, remarks directed towards Matt Turner in Nottingham Forest's victory over Manchester United were simply too ridiculous to ignore, so we run the rule over whether they were justified. (Spoiler: they were not.) In the EFL, Viktor Johansson…

Crystal Palace now have a conundrum on their hands. Dean Henderson's welcome to return to action in the draw with Man City most likely means the No1 jersey is his to lose. A No1 jersey which, up to this point, had been deservedly maintained by fellow England goalkeeper, Sam Johnstone. We discuss that and plenty more in this week's show, including a…

It's been a long time coming, but Burnley have bagged precious points in recent weeks - and the draw at Brighton was thanks largely to MOM, James Trafford. The uber confident 21-year-old made 10 saves to silence The Seagulls in a performance to show the Premier League he has very much arrived. Returning from a short absence was Alisson, whose prese…

Every so often you meet a goalkeeper and think, "Yeah, this lad's got that bit extra." Connor Ripley is one of those lads. After waiting more than ten years to earn a sustained period of first team football at his registered club, the Middlesbrough-born stopper has revelled in his rightful role as No1 in recent seasons. Successive campaigns at More…

According to Erik ten Hag, Manchester United's Andre Onana is the second-best goalkeeper in the Premier League "based on stats". We discuss the Dutchman's claims and look back over his stopper's midweek performance at Galatasaray, before turning attention to Newcastle and a gaping void left by the injury suffered to Nick Pope. If only there was a p…

First on Match of the Day and also opening this week's show are Luton and Thomas Kaminski. The Belgian has been solid for The Hatters since his summer arrival from Blackburn, and a series of saves in a first Premier League home win at Kenilworth Road continues to raise his profile. Andre Onana kept a clean sheet away at Everton and looks like he's …

It's not often you encounter a dog taking part in First Team training. At Mansfield Town, however, Bobbie (pooch of manager, Nigel Clough) is very much part of the furniture. As is Adam Collin, a Goalkeeper Coach enjoying his first full season in the role. Following a morning on the grass, we sat down with the ex-EFL stopper to discuss his transiti…

For the first time ever on the Goalkeepers' Union Podcast, it is two for the price of one. A goalkeeper accompanied by his goalkeeper coach. Dan Bentley flanked by Neil Cutler. We visited Wolves' training ground to sit down with the pair on how they operate, the inner workings of a Premier League goalkeeping department and the implementation of a v…

Normal service resumes on Between the Sticks with a full rundown of the key goalkeeping action from the weekend. Alphonse Areola, winner of October's Premier League Save of the Month, whacked his name in the hat for November's award with a fine stop from Taiwo Awoniyi in West Ham's victory over Nottingham Forest. He could be accompanied by a) Nick …

Premier League, Championship and FA Cup First Round action is discussed and dissected this week. The standard debate around David Raya kicks things off, followed by Guglielmo Vicario's almost point-saving performance as Tottenham fell at home to Chelsea. In the second tier, Illan Meslier was praised as "the best goalkeeper in the league" by boss Da…

Raya and Ramsale? Again? Yep, following the weekend's clash between Chelsea and Arsenal, that debate takes centre stage once more. We discuss whether Mikel Arteta's current No1 was at fault for Mykhailo Mudryk's cross-cum-shot, whether criticism of his performance was justified and whether Aaron Ramsdale should be "banging the manager's door down" …

Following on from Part One of our chat with Simon a few months, this is just a quick clean up where he talks about more of the goalkeepers he's worked with over the years. The likes of Pavel Srnicek, Joe Hart and Martin Dubravka receive a mention, as do some lovely stories of Simon's time with Sir Bobby Robson.…

As much as we all try to move on, the Raya/Ramsdale debate continues to bag headlines and, as a result, the centre of attention on this very show. Some suggested the current Arsenal No1 looked shaky in the first-half of The Gunners' win over Man City at the weekend. Taking his entire performance into account, we argue whether such analysis was a li…

A bit late this week. With Rich over in the US, we opted to hold off until the midweek fixtures had occurred, thus including Champions League action into this episode's analysis. Andre Onana's start to life at Manchester United is reviewed following Tuesday's home defeat to Galatasaray, a first minor slip from David Raya occurred as Arsenal lost at…

In the 2020-21 campaign, one name tended to crop up a fair bit during the EFL Overview. Affectionately referred to as "K-Leth" on the pod, Kyle Letheren's 24 appearances for Morecambe in the second half of that season were a key factor in The Shrimps' League Two Play-Off promotion. Since then, it's been something of an itch to have him sit opposite…

Once again the Raya/Ramsdale debate takes centre stage in this week's episode. With the former in for three straight games since his introduction, we discuss whether Mikel Arteta will stick to his reasoning that each stopper will be selected on a game-by-game basis - and comment on that noticeable applause offered by Ramsdale upon Raya's save from …

Raya or Ramsdale? That is the question. And it is a massive, potentially position-changing question in a fascinating scenario which will no doubt rumble on until the end of this season - at the very earliest. Mikel Arteta has been respectfully firm in his stance that rotating goalkeepers shouldn't be such a big deal; his argument leaning towards ho…