MATT BARLOW: Keepers have enough on their plate without fear of being subbed… they stand alone and it will take heroic levels of man-management to start taking them off

• Mikel Arteta has spoken about the possibility of subbing goalkeepers in-game
• Tennis balls, meanwhile, have become the main source of objects for protests
• Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here

Edwin van der Sar had not long since left Manchester United when we spoke about blame and the art of goalkeeping, and his words sprang back to mind as Mikel Arteta triggered a new swirl of debate.

Van der Sar used the example of a goalkeeper defending a free-kick to illustrate his point. It went something like this.

Nobody is blaming the keeper if someone bends it over the wall and into the other side of the net. It’s a good free-kick, not a mistake, and credit goes to the taker, so concentrate on your side of the goal if you’re keen to avoid blame.

What if something tells you he’s going to curl it over the wall, though? Instinct, maybe, or research, the way the kicker addresses the ball.

‘It’s all a mental game,’ said Van der Sar. ‘Do I move another 10cm from the post because they have someone with a great curl? I might need those 10cm, otherwise I won’t make it. Or do I focus purely on myself because if the ball goes in that side, nobody will blame me?

Mikel Arteta has spoken about the possibility of substituting his goalkeepers during games

Aaron Ramsdale (left) and David Raya (right) have both staked their claim to be No1 at Arsenal

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‘Are you going to help your team? Or are you going to choose to help yourself? These are the decisions you have to make all the time.’

We were talking in the shadow of Robert Enke’s suicide in 2009, a tragic moment of awakening for mental health in football and for goalkeepers in particular.

Their craft has evolved beyond all recognition and yet they still stand alone in the role. One mistake spells big trouble, open to ridicule as Andre Onana was for four days at Manchester United between an error in Munich and a clean sheet in Burnley.

They are scrutinised more closely than ever by those sitting in judgment with a sophisticated array of data technology and a plethora of camera angles. So perhaps Arteta is on to something by trying to bring keepers into the safety of a crowd.

Part of the team, no different to the other 10 players, selection based on different strengths in different games and all available for substitution.

In reality, however, it will require heroic levels of man-management to start substituting goalkeepers without increasing pressure in an industry so public. It would be the ultimate humiliation regardless of performance or tactical innovation.

And where does it leave them on the Var der Sar scale of risk to personal reputation versus keeping the ball out of the net?

Goalkeepers thrive on stability. They want trust and understanding with those around them. They can do without another layer of anxiety; what might the manager do if their passing is off key or they have misjudged a cross or let one through from a free-kick on their side of the goal?

PS: Managers such as Arteta and Roberto De Zerbi might talk about their two No 1s but any Premier League goalkeeper starting in the Carabao Cup this week knows they are probably not first choice.

Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi also swaps between goalkeepers from match-to-match

Tennis balls are the new orange 

The tennis ball has become an orb of protest. A handy missile, made to travel through the air, unlikely to do much damage and still catch the eye and disrupt a game if need be as Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Southend have found out recently.

Reading’s ‘Sell Before We Dai’ campaign aimed at unpopular owner Dai Yongge and the latest four-point deduction inspired solidarity among Bolton Wanderers fans, who have endured their own rotten owners and stood to join a chorus of disapproval.

Bolton also bore witness to the original tennis-ball protest, which came from Hull City supporters in a League Cup tie in September 1998. They hurled hundreds on to the pitch to register outrage at owner David Lloyd, tennis star and entrepreneur who turned out to be less good at running a football club.

Tennis balls have become the choice of missile in protests, seen recently at a Reading match as they target Dai Yongge (not pictured)

Hull fans of another generation threw orbs of affection at goalkeeper Ian McKechnie after someone spotted him feasting on a juicy orange one day after training. Next game, a couple of oranges were tossed into his goalmouth during the warm-up and, when the popular keeper stopped what he was doing to peel and eat them, a craze was born.

McKechnie, who foiled George Best in a Watney Cup semi-final to become the first keeper to make a save in a competitive penalty shootout in this country — and tried out as an NFL kicker during a spell in the USA — became besieged by the fruit. Until, that is, a game against Wolves when more than 600 descended from the terraces at half-time. The PA announcer had to inform Hull fans that ‘Ian McKechnie has gone off oranges’.

Sharp shooter Billy has six in six for LA

Billy Sharp’s exit from Sheffield United did not befit his legendary status. There were allegations of broken promises about another year and a coaching role, before Blades released their 37-year-old captain, who ended up in tears at the promotion parade. 

Sharp is thriving in California. A midweek hat-trick took him to six in six for LA Galaxy.

Billy Sharp has scored six goals in six games since joining LA Galaxy in the United States

Gateshead goal worthy of the San Siro 

Reward for 600 who chose to watch Gateshead on a night Newcastle played AC Milan in the Champions League came in the shape of one of the goals of the month, scored by Marcus Dinanga after 37 passes featuring 10 players — everyone but Luke Hannant, who claimed to have made a vital decoy run. 

It was the first in a 3-0 National League win against Kidderminster and better than anything seen at the San Siro.

Cheltenham remain hapless 

A goal drought has gripped the spa town of Cheltenham. None in their first nine League One games and out of the Carabao Cup without scoring against Birmingham. 

They did find the net in a 4-1 defeat by Bristol Rovers in the EFL Trophy, but it was an own goal. The last Cheltenham player to score a goal was Alfie May, now at Charlton, 141 days ago.

Dickinson’s statue is unveiled 

Jimmy Dickinson is said to have been the first Portsmouth player allowed to drive a car, an exception made because of his status at a time when it was considered dangerous for sportsmen. 

Dickinson, a left-half capped 48 times by England, was Pompey’s captain when they won league titles in 1949 and 1950. He made 828 appearances for his one and only club and later became manager. 

He died in 1982, a legend worthy of the magnificent statue unveiled at Fratton Park thanks to the Pompey Supporters Trust on Saturday. Portsmouth won to stay top of League One. Marcus Rashford crashed his Rolls Royce.

A statue of Portsmouth legend Jimmy Dickinson was recently unveiled outside Fratton Park

Players see red

Red mist in the sixth tier on Saturday with a dozen dismissals in 24 games. Eight in the National League South, four in the North.

Big wins in the Vase

Double trouble at Millbrook in the FA Vase. Millbrook of Southampton went down 8-0 at Farnham Town and Millbrook of Cornwall were hammered 7-1 by Dobwalls.

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.

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