Jaaskelainen has become an icon of the premier league during the fourteen years he has been between the posts for Bolton, a symbol of consistency, reliability and unquestionable skill. He has always been regarded as one of the top, top goalkeepers in the league. But now, he's coming to a stage in his career where his position is actually under some threat, new territory for a man who has had such a firm hold on his first team status for over a decade. The dilemma that Bolton face now is a tricky one, should we gamble on a fresh young talent, or stick with the mighty Finn, what to do, what to do? Such a crisis!
... No, of course it's not. For a real goalkeeping nightmare look to Tottenham and a certain Heurelho Gomes. Seriously, how is that guy still playing for them!? He is a walking disaster zone, search YouTube for five minutes and you come away staggered by the amount of high profile mistakes from this calamitous clown. Brought to light more recently by the 'was it/wasn't it' fiasco in the Spurs - Chelsea game at the weekend where Lampard's shot was fumbled with spectacular butter-fingeredness by Gomes appearing to cross the line (when actually the whole of the ball hadn't gone over, come on guys, sort it out, technology, now! ... but I digress). They say a good goalkeeper earns his team around ten points a year, I can only imagine the kinds of things Spurs would be accomplishing if they had a goalkeeper with even some basic level of competence. And, I know, people are always telling me, "but Gomes is still one of the best shot stoppers in the league", if you had a striker who could glide through the midfield, rip apart a defence like an angry child with a wet paper bag, and round the keeper into an open net... only to spoon the ball wide from two yards out, he's a crap striker! In the same vein, Gomes is still a poor choice of goalkeeper even if he makes a string of diving, one handed saves to try and make up for his mistakes.
Defences panic when they don't know what they're going to get from a keeper, will he come out, will he stay on his line? Will he catch it, will he fumble it into his own net? But it's not just Tottenham that have problems like this, Arsenal famously struggle in the goalkeeping department (although, this Szczesny looks like he might do a decent job), and what about United! They go through phases of having world class keepers only for them to retire, leaving them with clowns like Barthez. With the announcement that Edwin Van Der Sar will be playing his last game this season, United have stepped up the hunt for an accomplished replacement once again. These are top clubs, and we, a minnow of the premier league, have never really shed any sweat on the issue. So whatever happens at Bolton in the summer, whether Jussi steps aside to make way for Bogdan, or he ups his game now that the real competition has arrived, or the tempting third prospect of Ali Al-Habsi, I rest easily knowing that the future of goalkeeping at Bolton is (at least for now) in good hands.
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