THE MAGAZINE FOR THE GOALKEEPING PROFESSION SPRING 2020 Featuring: Aaron Ramsdale Tomáš Vaclík Bartosz Białkowski Paul Rogers Anthony White Michael Rechner GK1 Statistics Kid Gloves CRAIG GORDON - client #CreatingChampions Welcome to The magazine exclusively for the professional goalkeeping community. Andy Evans editorial “Welcome to the Spring 2020 Each office launch has been accompanied by an expanding client edition of GK1 - the magazine list of top-class goalkeepers delighted to join our goalkeeper for the professional specialist agency. goalkeeping market. Since our last edition, our research and analytics department GK1 Magazine is published has continued to excel and provide excellent work for clubs by GK1 Management, the looking to recruit goalkeepers, as well as players who are seeking goalkeeper specific and to review their own performance through detailed statistical Andy Evans - Chairman of World in Motion / GK1 specialist agency, which is analysis. Just as in the previous edition, this magazine has a ‘GK1 part of the World in Motion Statistics’ section, this time taking an in-depth look into how Group, a leading global agency specialising in representing goalkeepers deal with crosses. football players and elite athletes across a range of other sports. Additionally, we are constantly developing our tailor-made In the past few years, World in Motion has extended its internal ‘App’ which brings all of our global agents, players and already far reaching network by opening offices in exciting clubs together on one platform, facilitating the transfer and new territories such as the USA, Colombia, Czech Republic, recruitment of goalkeepers and coaches. Scandinavia, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece and Italy. We have also opened a second UK office in Cardiff, as a satellite office to our With GK1 Management on your side, your future is in safe hands.” Head Office in London. Andy Evans (Chairman of World in Motion / GK1) C O N T E N T S Welcome to GK1 3 GK1 Management Aaron Ramsdale 4 Chancery House Tomáš Vaclík 8 1 Lochaline Street London, W6 9SJ Kid Gloves 12 +44 (0) 20 8741 6060 GK1 Statistics 14 www.gk1.co.uk Coaching – Paul Rogers 18 Publisher Coaching – Anthony White 22 World in Motion Ltd Coaching – Michael Rechner 24 Editor-in-Chief Bartosz Białkowski 26 Andy Evans Essential Equipment 30 Deputy Editor Ben Read Guest Feature – Udo Seckelmann 38 Outside the Box 40 Graphic Design Tim Alexander Meet the Team 42 SPRING 2020 3 His team, Bournemouth, are currently enjoying their fifth consecutive season in England’s top division, and their goalkeeper will have a big part to play if they are to have a sixth in 2020/21. But pressure is nothing new to the 21 year old, who has spent the second half of each of the last two seasons trying to help teams avoid relegation in the lower leagues. On Loan Ramsdale went to Chesterfield in January 2018 with the aim of helping them stay up in League Two, but they ultimately finished bottom. “That was a tough period, because we had a good team but we never got the results, never hit the heights”, he said. Even so, it was an invaluable experience for the young shot stopper, as he gained playing experience and was toughened up, which would prove useful in the higher leagues. “Getting knocked about and pinned in for corners, it’s tough. But it allows me now, with less physical contact in the Premier League, to come for crosses and know 4 SPRING 2020 I’ll be alright. I’ve come up against Ade always a punch. I’m more than happy award. “It’s nice to pick up awards, but Akinfenwa and done okay! The more to come and affect things, even if I I couldn’t have cared less as long as we strings you can add to your bow, it will don’t always get it right. I just have that stayed up”, he said. always stand you in good stead.” mentality where if I can help the team, I’ll do what I can.” And stay up they did, which was no mean “I’m comfortable coming for high balls feat. The Dons were bottom when he now, whether it’s catching or punching”, Keeping Wimbledon Up joined, and only took one point from his Ramsdale added. first five games. The following year, Ramsdale moved up “A lot of people see punching as a to League One when he played for AFC However, their form improved negative thing, but sometimes it’s your Wimbledon. His form was so impressive dramatically and they only lost one of best option. If you have any doubt, it’s he won the club’s Young Player of the Year their final 12 matches to stay up on the final day with a 0-0 draw at Bradford. Despite what he has achieved since, Ramsdale still describes it as one of the highlights of his career so far. “The last day at Bradford was the worst we played as a team from January onward, but with the team spirit we had showed for 20 games or so, we managed to grind out a 0-0 draw and ended up staying up.” “To go from where we were to staying up on goal difference, it definitely hit harder for me as I’d really played my part with seven clean sheets. I could look at myself and say I’d had a big part to play”, he added. “Having seen what had happened at Chesterfield, with people losing their jobs because we got relegated, it was SPRING 2020 5 something I never wanted to see again “So I’ve been working on my long But then there’s more modern analysis and something which I didn’t want on kicking, my short kicking, there’s been and coaching too, whether that be from my CV. We had all stuck together and a few games this year where it’s not GK1’s world class analysis service, or somehow got the results we needed. been as good. It’s all about finding that in-house experts like Anthony White, Thankfully all of our hard work had paid consistency. It’s knowing when to start who is currently undertaking a PhD in off.” attacks, and that’s what we work on.” Goalkeeping Coaching Science. (See Page 22). Premier League AFCB’s GK Department Breakthrough As Ramsdale explained, “Anthony spends In speaking with Ramsdale, one quickly so much time watching our stuff, watching And so to the Premier League and first learns there is very little he doesn’t work other goalkeepers. Analysing them to team football with Bournemouth. Eddie on in order to improve his performance pick out things we can possibly do. Matt Howe, the club’s manager, has certainly on the field. The goalkeeping department Parker is another goalkeeping analyst at been impressed with how well Ramsdale at Bournemouth ranges from himself and Bournemouth.” has taken to life at the highest level. Mark Travers, who are just embarking on their careers, through to veteran “He spends all day watching goalkeepers Speaking after Bournemouth’s 3-1 win at goalkeeper Artur Boruc, and then also a but also the strikers we’re going to be Southampton, Howe said his new number whole host of specialists and coaches. playing. He analyses every detail of the one “has adapted very well to shots and their favourite Premier League life. He did really sides for shooting, which can well, he was hugely impressive.” I owe a lot of be vital.” “His distribution was good, he “All of our staff are great. The was brave, which we want him respect to a lot of analysts, the physios and to be, and he made a couple of (Bournemouth legend) Neil really good saves in that second fans, even for just“ Moss at the head of it. He half.” provides the old school look at things too. If we’re getting Not only did Ramsdale make singing my name, too modern and stat based, some vital saves in that match, Neil strips it back!” but he also got an assist! At the “it gives me an extra half way point of the 2019/20 “We’ll have a session were season, he’s one of only 16 players boost... just diving about, saving aged 21 or less to have one in the shots, having fun. We’ve got a Premier League. Though he didn’t great team.” even realise it had happened at first. “Mark and I are young, and we know Relationship With “It was more the fact we were 2-1 up, we’ve hopefully got long careers ahead The Fans under a lot of pressure, and we’d never in the game. It doesn’t really affect our won at St Marys before. When the goal relationship who’s playing, as we’re both The word ‘team’ comes up a lot with went in, I wasn’t thinking about an still learning on the job.” Ramsdale, be that in reference to assist, I was happier that we’d got over the Bournemouth side, the group of the line to win. It was only over the “Then there’s Artur, who has a completely goalkeepers and specialist coaches coming days when people messaged different style to how Mark and I play. A he is part of at the club, or his bond me about it that I realised. I looked at different style to most keepers now, in with the fans. my fantasy points and saw I had an fact, he’s almost from a different era! He’s assist!” capable of Peter Schmeichel-esque, starfish “It’s important for me to have a good saves, so if we can get his flexibility, how understanding with the fans.