How Pope was meant to stop either goal I dunno. The first was an almost unfeasibly angled header and although the second looks as though he might have got the cross he had a pile of men from both sides between him and the ball. It's alright thinking he should knock four or five out of the way .... reaching over those men or ploughing through them is well-nigh impossible in fact. It was nothing like Kelleher's weak effort for Brentford ...... To me the solution to Pope's problem is not to mark opposition players two or three yards from goal, pick em up if they move beyond the six-yard box into a position to win the header. Given any space a decent keeper will catch inside the six yard box. Your own players can be an obstacle not a help. If you are moving forward as you catch your momentum wil obviate any contact!
As for jostling the keeper - let him deal with it. If you go for a punch on the ball you can also leave a huge deterrent on any jostler for the next dead-ball.
Every goalie wants plenty to do, otherwise there is too much thinking time. Every nice save builds you up and any hero moment is the reason you put on those gloves (which I often didn't have to wear I'm so old, because not every pitch I played on had been idiotically watered ten minutes before kick off).
Equally being totally blameless and still having three pinged past you in the first fifteen still knocks your confidence.
And finally, anyone who can't see that Nick Pope is an entirely higher level of keeper than James Trafford needs that Specsavers appointment - so that includes you Eddie Howe!
For the sake of the rest of your division I hope you don't start getting five or more shots on target at that 1:1 ratio. It isn't only Arsenal who can win at St James's Park.
As for jostling the keeper - let him deal with it. If you go for a punch on the ball you can also leave a huge deterrent on any jostler for the next dead-ball.
Every goalie wants plenty to do, otherwise there is too much thinking time. Every nice save builds you up and any hero moment is the reason you put on those gloves (which I often didn't have to wear I'm so old, because not every pitch I played on had been idiotically watered ten minutes before kick off).
Equally being totally blameless and still having three pinged past you in the first fifteen still knocks your confidence.
And finally, anyone who can't see that Nick Pope is an entirely higher level of keeper than James Trafford needs that Specsavers appointment - so that includes you Eddie Howe!
For the sake of the rest of your division I hope you don't start getting five or more shots on target at that 1:1 ratio. It isn't only Arsenal who can win at St James's Park.