Better keeper - Schmeichel or Van Der Sar

Schmeichel vs Van Der Sar

  • Peter Schmeichel

    Votes: 187 67.5%

  • Edwin Van Der Sar

    Votes: 49 17.7%

  • Too close to Call

    Votes: 55 19.9%
  • Total voters
    277

FujiVice

Full Member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
7,715
Just watching the Champions League shoot out and got a smile on my face seeing Fergie telling Van Der Sar "you're my number 1" as they were going up for the trophy. Loved VDS so much around that time. He was just a rock. So reliable. Schmeichel was the same for me. Growing up, he was always my favourite player. In terms of body of work, its hard to choose between them.

Who's your man?
 
Schmeichel.


Van der Sar is in the top 10 of all time though.
 
Edwin proved how ridiculously good he was at Fulham. That was a real test and he was world class there. Not many keepers playing for a club of that size can do that.
 
Love them both to bits, couldn't choose.
 
Hed Zitin said:
Edwin proved how good he was at Fulham. That was a real test and he was world class there. Not many keepers playing for a club of that size can do that.
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Schmeichel won a Euro with Denmark. Check mate.
 
Lynk said:
Schmeichel won a Euro with Denmark. Check mate.
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Schmeichel helped us to our first championship in 19 years. He will forever have my gratitude. Was in college already and had never seen Sporting being champions. One of the happiest days of my life. Big Dane is my favourite keeper ever.
 
Sly said:
Schmeichel helped us to our first championship in 19 years. He will forever have my gratitude. Was in college already and had never seen Sporting being champions. One of the happiest days of my life. Big Dane is my favourite keeper ever.
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How was he for you guys? I never kept tabs on him while he was over there.
 
VDS retired as a United player, Schmeichel went to City, and that might hurt his reputation with some fans

But as a fan who watched plenty of VDS and bits and pieces of Schmeichel, I have to say that VDS was incredible. He was a commanding force, and a real likable character. The only thing that seems to separate them is minuet differences in reflexes and Peter's incredible ability to be the instigator of that transition from defense to attack. VDS was still quality in that aspect, just seems like Schmeichel was on a different level.

From my perspective, though VDS was incredible, Schmeichel seems like a god. I wasn't really around to watch his mistakes, so all I really know of is his incredible saves. I know that in 99 he had some struggles, but VDS had that really frustrating tendency to, at RARE times, punch shots back into play. As a player, I think Schmeichel was probably better. But as a unit, I don't think that trio of VDS-Rio-Vidic has ever been topped at United. None of those three are necessarily the best player in their position in United history, but as a group, I think they're unmatched

I'd like to hear anyone who has seen all three of Stepney, Schmeichel and VDS, and their opinion.
 
Schmeichel. His presence. His completely unorthadox approach. His command. He was a goalkeeper opponents feared. I absolutely loved Edwin, and I love David De Gea just as much, but Schmeichel was a different breed. There's nobody even remotely like him in the modern game.
 
Don't forget Van Der Sar broke the clean sheet record.
 
Shamwow said:
Don't forget Van Der Sar broke the clean sheet record.
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I think Vidic had a lot more to do with it that season. September to March was the best period I've ever seen of a United defender. Not to discredit VDS, but he barely had any saves to make. Vidic was a constant with Ferdinand out and young Evans being brought through.
 
Lynk said:
How was he for you guys? I never kept tabs on him while he was over there.
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Very good on the first year, very professional and an integral part of our championship campaign. He had games where he had "best United days" form. In the second year, he was enjoying the portuguese life too much. Getting fat and complacent.
Watching him live at the stadium was amazing. We had our very own "Gary Neville" who was our left back Rui Jorge, who was getting constant verbal abuse from him. Opponents and some teammates were scared of him. He was spectacular when he made those "handball based" technic saves.
 
Wasn't ever old enough to appreciate Schmeichel - I don't think you can ever judge goalkeepers from highlight videos etc because the role's about consistency and context/moment those saves were made in comes into it a lot.

But I fecking loved Van der Sar. That is all.
 
Most of the younger generation will think it's close or chose vds

I would choose Pete without hesitation, I've simply never seen a better a better keeper in 30 years of watching football. When he was injured utd suffered majorly even if the rest of the team were fully fit. I think that's the best possible way I can describe his importance.

This is nothing against vds who I thought was one of the most consistent and well rounded keepers I have ever seen and is really not all that far from Peter
 
Lynk said:
I think Vidic had a lot more to do with it that season. September to March was the best period I've ever seen of a United defender. Not to discredit VDS, but he barely had any saves to make. Vidic was a constant with Ferdinand out and young Evans being brought through.
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It was a team effort.
 
As an outsider I'm really surprised this is a debate. PS was arguably United's best player for many many games. He was THE difference so often. Van der Sar was very good but not close in my mind.
 
PickledRed said:
As an outsider I'm really surprised this is a debate. PS was arguably United's best player for many many games. He was THE difference so often. Van der Sar was very good but not close in my mind.
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That may have something to do with the fact that for a large part of his United career, VDS had a good defence in front of him. I don't think Schmeichel ever really have anything of that quality there. The one really settled centerhalf partnership he had for a while with us was Bruce and Pallister. All and due respect, they were not as good as Rio and Vidic. After that it was a mix of Pallister, May, Johnsen, Berg, Stam, Gary Neville...
 
PickledRed said:
As an outsider I'm really surprised this is a debate. PS was arguably United's best player for many many games. He was THE difference so often. Van der Sar was very good but not close in my mind.
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I'd imagine a teenager made the poll and only ones to vote VDS are that age also which is fair enough.
 
Chalk and cheese but it's VDS for me. He was the iceman. A perfect organiser, great at all aspects. Unflappable.
 
lem8sh said:
I'd imagine a teenager made the poll and only ones to vote VDS are that age also which is fair enough.
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There's a hell of a lot of hyperbole around Schmikes due to his style, character and nostalgia. My preference is VDS and its a lot closer than people are making out. Just look at their starts for a start.
 
Pexbo said:
There's a hell of a lot of hyperbole around Schmikes due to his style, character and nostalgia. My preference is VDS and its a lot closer than people are making out. Just look at their starts for a start.
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All about personal opinion as they say. In my opinion in wouldn't be even close, Schmikes was the best I've seen but that's the beauty of it not everyone thinks the same.
 
VDS better with the ball at his feet but Schmeichel absolutely terrified strikers in a way no modern goalkeeper can. Just look at Ian Wright's record against him and Wright was an excellent poacher.
 
Van der Sar.

Schmeichel re-invented goalkeeping and was an amazing presence between the sticks but if Van der Sar made more mistakes than can be counted on two hands I'd be very surprised. He was so consistent week after week.

It's very close but consistency for a goalkeeper is so important it has to be VdS
 
Hed Zitin said:
Edwin proved how ridiculously good he was at Fulham. That was a real test and he was world class there. Not many keepers playing for a club of that size can do that.
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Agreed. He was blessed with a fantastic defence ahead of him for us, but they were also blessed with having such a great organiser behind them. I can't remember ever seeing him have a bad game for us.
 
If it's who was the better United keeper it is Schmikes, although VDS was absolutely fantastic and the 2nd best in my time.

If it's who was the better keeper, and over the length of their career, I really couldn't call it, VDS at Ajax was something special and won the European Cup with them, but Schmikes won the European Championship with a Danish team that only qualified by default for Euro 92.
 
You could probably argue VDS had the greater and more prolonged career of the two and will go down on many people's eyes as one of the best GKs ever, but Schmeichel at his best was an entirely different beast to any other GK I've seen. Definitely the better of the two.
 
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