The lime green keeper kit Schmeichel had in his last year was incredible. Loved it. Also, as great as Schmeichel was, I feel he often tends to get romanticised on here quite a lot. I remember him being quite poor by his own incredibly high standards during his last year (though I still think he could have stayed another 4 years and been better than anybody else we signed)
Better keeper - Schmeichel or Van Der Sar
- Thread starter FujiVice
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Huge Pete, by a distance. Also, the voting percentages do not add up to 100.
Most people voting probably never even saw Schmeichel play.
Great goalkeeper but a little eccentric at times, for me VDS was amazing, retired as the best goalkeeper in the world and i would have to choose him.
Great goalkeeper but a little eccentric at times, for me VDS was amazing, retired as the best goalkeeper in the world and i would have to choose him.
What makes you say that? Some probably.
Schmeichel was the worlds best for me
I'd suggest people go back and watch those old matches again, particularly if you're too young to have seen him play
Random thing that comes to mind, someone playing a back pass, forward closing him down, he flicks it over the forwards head then volleys it clear. Fantastic bit of skill!
Also who can forget the goals!?
I'd suggest people go back and watch those old matches again, particularly if you're too young to have seen him play
Random thing that comes to mind, someone playing a back pass, forward closing him down, he flicks it over the forwards head then volleys it clear. Fantastic bit of skill!
Also who can forget the goals!?
Schmeichel was better but Van Der Sar was more likable and, with his excellent quality on the ball, probably suited the time he played more than Schmeichel would have if he'd been around then.
What do the players who played with both say on the subject did anyone know?
You dont exactly need to be an old man to have seen Schmiechel play, im 30 and saw him from 93-99, reason why some prefer VDS is because Schmiechel made some massive blunders from time to time and for me Edwin was exactly what you wanted from your keeper calmness personified, never panicked, never really made a mistake, "captain dependable" that radiated calm through the whole defence.
Schmiechel was more talented obviously and I dont think many are denying it, just some may have a preference for Edwins attributes and i dont think should just be labeled away as "never saw him hurrhurr"
Schmiechel was more talented obviously and I dont think many are denying it, just some may have a preference for Edwins attributes and i dont think should just be labeled away as "never saw him hurrhurr"
Yeah thats it, Schmeichel was an unorthodox goalkeeper, probably uncoachable from a goalkeeping pov because his style was just save, put any part of your body in the way, bollocks anything, just save.
Whereas VDS was proper goalkeeper, no blunders/flapping at corners etc just a proper goalkeeper.
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I couldn't possibly pick between them, at the time they were both one of my favourite players at the club and both had such a massive influence on us. It goes without saying we should have bought Van der Sar much earlier, if we would have replaced Schmeichel with him we would have won even more trophies. That period when we went without conceding a goal for like 12 games was an unbelievable achievement and one that I doubt will be beaten in the premier league.
Voted too close to call as they were both great for us, but think Schmeichel just edges it
VDS was one of the best of his generation, Schmeichel probably the best of all time. As good as Edwin was this isn't a difficult question to answer for me.
Deserves a mention indeed. He had Clemence and Shilton to compete with - just as Stepney had Banks (and others).
And then his career ended prematurely - arguably just as he entered what should have been his absolute prime.
Yup.
Throughout Schmeichel's United career he was the best in the world and only Kahn came close to his level. Definitely among the top 5 of all time for his position at the moment, wouldn't look out of place in the company of Yashin, Zoff, Banks, Meier. Edwin was great but there were a couple - Buffon (the greatest since Schmeichel) and Cech who were better than him or around his level. Historically he'd be in the Top 15 behind Fillol, Shilton, Preud'Homme, Zamora, Pfaff, Dasaev, Zenga, Jennings, Gimlar and now Neuer.
I still remember that save he made against Brighton in the replay in 1983 (not to mention his saving us in the last minute of extra-time in the first game). We were 2-0 up when Brighton went on the attack. Jimmy Case let fly but it took a deflection of Moran and looped high towards goal. Bailey had to backpedal, jump, and tip the ball over.
Schmikes, though not by much.
In about 10 years there's going to be a thread on the caf asking whether De Gea was greater than Schmikes. I'm old enough to remember Schmikes very well and am young enough to expect to be here in ten years to respond to the poll.
In about 10 years there's going to be a thread on the caf asking whether De Gea was greater than Schmikes. I'm old enough to remember Schmikes very well and am young enough to expect to be here in ten years to respond to the poll.
It wouldn't take him as 34 y.o. to (again) play for big team, if VdS were as good as Schmeichel to begin with.
I personally think that's nonsense. Not old enough to see Peter at his peak but some of the saves that VdS was making in his final two seasons was absolutely astounding.
Different types of goalkeeper. Van der Sar was a technician and went about his business with a quiet confidence. Schmeichel was everywhere, berating his own defenders and psyching out opposition forwards with the force of his personality.
Loved both of them. Schmeichel though, shades it for me as he was instrumental in creating SAF's first great United side - before we became serial winners.
That night against Newcastle in March 1996 lives long in the memory - against any other 'keeper, Newcastle would have been four or five up at half time but Scmeichel kept us in it an and Cantona was able to derail their title challenge and set us on the way to the double.
I was less impressed when he joined City and I think the decision may have been a lot closer had Fergie signed Van der Sar when he left Juventus rather than letting him waste four seasons at Fulham.
Loved both of them. Schmeichel though, shades it for me as he was instrumental in creating SAF's first great United side - before we became serial winners.
That night against Newcastle in March 1996 lives long in the memory - against any other 'keeper, Newcastle would have been four or five up at half time but Scmeichel kept us in it an and Cantona was able to derail their title challenge and set us on the way to the double.
I was less impressed when he joined City and I think the decision may have been a lot closer had Fergie signed Van der Sar when he left Juventus rather than letting him waste four seasons at Fulham.
Peter Schmeichel is not only better than VDS but you could argue that he is the best the World has ever seen, VDS he is most certainly up there as well but he's not on the same level as VDS. Like other players, time seems to have faded the memory as to how good he really was, unbelievable keeper. He won us more league titles than any other player in our history IMO.
The year we won the treble?
Yep
I think he played 60 games that season and was the wrong side of his thirties, all things considered I think he left us on a high.
He made a few mistakes in the first half of the season, which is why Fergie let him take that two week holiday, but when he came back he made some vitally important saves. His performances in the second half of that season were fantastic and more than made up for any sub-par games in the first half.
Edit: Now I await someone telling me that I've got the seasons confused.
http://www.insidespanishfootball.co...econd-best-goalkeeper-over-the-past-25-years/
Buffon
Casillas
VdS
Great Dane
O Khan
Buffon
Casillas
VdS
Great Dane
O Khan
Van Der Sar made the save that gave us our 3rd European Cup too. Good memories.
The IFFHS became an incredibly annoying federation that should never ever be quoted in a football discussion. It's more or less a single German guy, who spent a lot of time reasearching the past of the game and putting it into rankings, which was great at first. At one point he became delusional and started to make lists for the game today and created awards with big questionmarks about the voting process (basically selling 'journalists' no one ever heard of as football experts and let them decide). When Alfred Pöge, the founder of the IFFHS, died last year, it all stopped for almost a year until all of sudden some of those 'experts' took over. No one really knows what's going there at the moment. The IFFHS faced a lot of criticism in Germany, more or less exposed as a one man show without any credibility, and I'm still surprised how often their publications are quoted abroad.
Cheers for that Balu!That's very probable. I've found that opinions of memories tend to become more extreme as time passes. So my remembering him being poor for a few games may have become me remembering him being poor for the whole season. Kinda like how I remember Ronaldo being perfect the Moscow year, rather than him actually spending the first month the season headbutting Portsmouth players and being a bit shit
No, you have the season right.
obviously the penalty save against Arsenal when we had 10 men in the FA cup semi (before the Giggs goal), is an example of him pulling out his very best when it counted most.
Everyone credits Giggs with being the catalyst for the treble, but you could argue that penalty save from Bergkamp at such a critical time was just as big a factor.
Another one that comes to mind was 1996, when we went away to the barcodes, with Cantona scoring the winner, 0-1 and we went on to win the league...
but recall vividly in that particular game, Les Ferdinand went 1 on 1 with Schmeichel prior our goal and again he saved our bacon.
Those type of big moment stops can save games... seasons even!
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Might sound crazy given what happened in the final few games of the season and even later in that match but the penalty save is probably my favourite memory of that season.
(And special mention to the save from Zamorano against Inter)
I saw all three, fairly regularly, Schmeichel was the best keeper United ever had, I didn't like him playing for City, but that's another discussion.
Difficult to compare Stepney with either, the game was very different in his day, Sir Matt Busby described him as one of the main reasons United won the title in 1967. there is no doubt that all three were among the best in the world at the time they were in their prime.
In the video below you can see very different attitude to catching instead of punching or pushing away the ball, and notice the gloves, or in some cases no gloves, so different now.
Difficult to compare Stepney with either, the game was very different in his day, Sir Matt Busby described him as one of the main reasons United won the title in 1967. there is no doubt that all three were among the best in the world at the time they were in their prime.
In the video below you can see very different attitude to catching instead of punching or pushing away the ball, and notice the gloves, or in some cases no gloves, so different now.
The fact that Big Pete was more aggressive and imposed himself on the whole game much more means he will always be viewed higher. He was the most influential goalkeeper I can think of in that he scared attackers, made the box his own, made some saves he had no right to and started attacks in a very unorthodox way. Van der Sar was unflappable, never made a mistake, as reliable as a goalkeeper can be really. Schmeichel is more comparable to Kahn or Neuer now who I think will go on to be just as legendary. Van der Sar is more in the Cech category of keepers.
Schmeichel, but not by much.
I loved how calm Van der Sar always seemed, must have been nice to play with someone like that in goal, a real confidence boost. I'm going to have to go for Schmeichel though, when I was a kid he was my favourite United player, and the image of him almost throwing Beckham back down the pitch after his penalty save in the FA Cup semi against Arsenal is one of those moments that's practically etched in my memory.
No, he is not.
Juve fan would say that of course.
I think schmeichel one of the greatest men to roam the earth let alone play in goal for united haha! Only one winner.