[Devongone]

Can anybody tell me the sense of warming up a goalkeeper to the point he gets injured doing it?

Few people can have devoted more thought to their own time keeping goal than me, even if it was at a not very high level. I took it / take it seriously.

Of all the thoughts I ever had, of all the mistakes I ever made ........ I never put a ball going past me down to NOT having warmed up sufficiently. ALL I ever did, even for finals at Saltergate was a kick-in and some handling on crosses. I NEVER dived, I NEVER sprinted. BUT I did always try to think about the game beforehand and all the things I'd be required to do, I relaxed and cleared my head.

Our young, apparently superfit keeper injured himself on Saturday in the warm-up. It's quite common these days. It used to be a NEVER event. I've no objection to Ryan Boot playing. That didn't make us rubbish - every other team knowing what to expect did. BUT what is the point? He'd be better off telling the goalkeeping coach it's rubbish and he'd rather meditate quietly alone in the dressing room.

Being warmed up enough to prevent immediate injury shouldn't be very vigorous. Sport requires your brain to be on-song, not coping with a breathless, panting body. We need good alert decision-makers out there, not lactic-acid junkies.

I can say that at cricket I've taken several first-ball slip catches off fast bowlers without injury on a gentle warming up and a bit of catching practice. AND never dropped one. Like much of professional sport extensive warm-ups are for the benefit and justification of the coaching staff only. Philip Larkin got it wrong, it isn't only your mum and and dad who xxxx you up.

[Dancingwilldoit]

I bow to your goalkeeper fitness knowledge but I must admit it's strange. The number of injuries in what should be a warm up seems crazy. Not sure what he was doing but whenever I've been to a game they never seem to over exert themselves. It's usually the sub keeper that does the diving during shooting practice (waste of time in our case).

[Devongone]

I do think extensive warming-up is no more than a showcase for the plethora of pointless coaches. Goalkeeping coaches who never used to exist have steadily edged some of the skills used in the position out of the game. How many goalies now come for a cross under challenge around the edge of the six-yard box? How many starfish themselves and end up stranded on the beach in one-on-ones inside the box? Keepers have become bigger (though that may be changing again) and more athletic and gymnastic than ever before, but only Emi Martinez has got the idea that catching the ball absolutely ends that attack. Keepers parry unnuecessarily, punch under no challenge and are regularly hit in the body by wholly catchable shots. Goalies are for catching the ball, not doing Cruyff-turns and misplacing a pass straight to the opposing winger .........

And hey why not adopt the mantra that playing in the game is what all the work and training is about - there's no point taking people so close to the edge of super-fitness they get injured doing the hoovering the night before ......

Is it wrong of me to suggest that most coaches are tracksuit yes men, nodding whenever the manager looks their way?

[Dancingwilldoit]

Money makes the world go round. Success brings in the cash. If it takes a goalkeeper coach, defensive coach, attacking coach and dead ball coach for the Premiership clubs the rest of the leagues will follow suit. The thing is more isn't always better. A good coach (singular) would be worth his weight in gold today. I agree coaching is responsible for a lot of today's woes but it ain't going to change anytime soon.

[Devongone]

Dancing, you are so right. Good coaching and good management bring high rewards and improved play, but there is also wisdom a-plenty in "too many cooks spoil the broth".