A good goalkeeper is hard to find. PlayTheGame managers, particularly those competing in larger leagues of 15 or more teams, can confirm the veracity of the statement. Indeed, anyone forced to decide between Derby County's Stephen Bywater and Fulham's Antti Niemi can be forgiven for finding it a thankless task.
Before we go on to name the top ten keepers in the game, it is important to make the distinction between productive backstops that will offer a significant boost to your squad, the middling group that may offer only limited help in a handful of categories and the laggards who will not only fail to add to your counting statistics but will also hurt your team in the Average Goals Against (AGA) category.
While goalkeepers generally do not contribute in the goals/assists categeory, neither do many other defenders that rarely if ever venture into the opposition's half. In fact, there are midfield players in that predicament but that is another story. Having said all that, our top ten goalkeepers are:
1. Kasper Schmeichel
2. Chris Kirkland
3. Edwin van der Sar
4. Petr Cech
5. Jose Reina
6. Tim Howard
7. Jussi Jaaskelainen
8. David James
9. Marcus Hahnemann
10. Steve Harper
Schmeichel's place at the top of the heap was secured in large part by the strong start to the season enjoyed by his team. Manchester City's plethora of clean sheets also does wonders for the AGA of the club's goalkeepers and defenders. Meanwhile, a healthy points total goes without saying.
Managers with Schmeichel in their squad who are also pessimistic about the future prospects of Sven Goran-Eriksson's team, would be well-advised to attempt a transfer of the young Dane in exchange for one the league's more established performers who also play for a team that is more likely to finish the season among the league's leaders. Cech, Reina and van der Sar spring to mind but a more likely to succeed offer may involve an Arsenal keeper, provided one emerges as a full-time performer.
Notable absentees from the top ten include Robert Green, Brad Friedel and Craig Gordon who would all have been included in a top 15 list and either of the Arsenal keepers who have split time in goal. Perhaps the most notable absentee is Paul Robinson, the England No 1, who is 18th following his own and his club's wobbles to open the current campaign.
At the other end of the scale - and some of those in 20 team leagues will be all too familiar with this - consider the plight of Bywater. With zero clean sheets, an AGA of 3 and one point to his name, the Rams' No 1 can hardly be counted on to deliver his defence score of 112 without exacting a heavy price in the other categories.
