{"id":14762,"date":"2026-11-10T10:55:40","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T10:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=14762"},"modified":"2026-11-10T10:55:40","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T10:55:40","slug":"the-goonerholic-forever-hall-of-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=14762","title":{"rendered":"The Goonerholic Forever Hall of Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Jack Kelsey makes a spectacular save by diving to his right to prevent a Sheffield United goal during the league match at Highbury Stadium. 12th November 1955.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
  1. Goalkeepers<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    One of the most enjoyable things about blogs like GHF is the opportunity to reminisce . Treading carefully, might I suggest that we might represent one of the Arsenal blogs with the oldest average age! But with age comes experience and memories and we thought it would be fun over the next few months to try to build the GHF \u2018Best of All Time\u2019 XI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Such initiatives often fall down with younger readerships as they show recency bias. I  remember a survey a few years ago by an Arsenal blog to find the top 50 Arsenal players of all time. Sylvain Wiltord finished way ahead of Cliff Bastin, Frank Mclintock and Liam Brady! Good player though he was – and a title clincher to boot – that seemed a trifle unbalanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We will be asking you to vote during this interlull for your top three goalkeepers. To help our deliberations I\u2019ve asked a number of long- term supporters to give their views and they are attached here for your perusal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Please feel free to comment as much as you wish but if you could vote we\u2019d be most grateful for your views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Please give me your top three goalkeepers in order to peter@lebeauvisage.co.uk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you wish to make comments please feel free to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Could I have your votes by November 17th?  We will then establish who our goalkeeper of choice and our benchwarmer is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In the meantime, here is what some esteemed Holics have to say! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Firstly, our old friend Uplympian<\/em><\/strong> shares his thoughts: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I go back a long way – in the late 50s George Swindin (ex-England goalkeeper) was manager and the superb Jack Kelsey was our keeper but he doesn\u2019t quite make my list. During the period up to the late 60s the club was in the doldrums, Jack Kelsey had retired and the quality of players was poor including the glove butlers. Following the sacking of the abysmal Billy Wright as manager and the surprise appointment of club physio Bertie Mee, our fortunes changed which included the emergence of my favourite keeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bob Wilson – he was our keeper during the long awaited run of success at the end of the 60s and early 70s which included our first European trophy and the league & cup double of 1971. Not only was Bob a top keeper, he was the bravest keeper I\u2019ve seen, forever diving at the feet of on-rushing forwards or goal mouth scrambles – he saved our defence on innumerable occasions. How he avoided serious injuries was amazing. Apart from being a top keeper, Bob\u2019s personality shone through, an Intelligent man who conducted himself in such a classy way. It was no surprise that he became such a well respected broadcaster in the years following retirement. I cannot finish without recognising his compassion. He lost his daughter at a relatively young age and set up the Willow Foundation in her memory, a charity which this blog is proud to support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My second choice is Pat Jennings. The signing of this world class keeper in 1978 from our bitter rivals in Mddx for the princely sum of \u00a350000 was a complete shock (well to me). Yes he was 32 years old, but goalkeepers have a long career and he performed admirably for us over the following 8 years. He seemed larger than his 6ft frame, he was agile and had those huge hands. He had a modest personality and although an ex-Spud, he was welcomed by the Arsenal faithful. It was a bonus that every time he wore our shirt how much that must have rankled with the neighbours down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My third choice (unsurprisingly) is David Seaman who was an astute signing by George Graham. \u201cSafe Hands\u201d was playing really well at QPR but we already had a top keeper and crowd favourite in John Lukic. GG explained it as we have one of the top keepers in the country in Lukic but Seaman is the best<\/em> keeper in the country\u2026..and so it proved. He slotted in what proved to be one of the all time  best defences in English football. His outstanding record includes a club record 234 clean sheets. I still haven\u2019t quite forgiven him though for conceding the ex Spud Nayim\u2019s goal in the European final v Real Zaragoza! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Trev<\/em><\/strong> has seen a number of keepers guarding the Arsenal goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    These are his thoughts: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My three best keepers would be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1 – Bob Wilson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It has to be Bob.  He was the first keeper I saw and, therefore, remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s too long ago and I was too young to remember whether Bob was a great technical keeper but he was fearless – or at least incredibly brave, often throwing himself at the feet of an onrushing centre forward, and there were some big brutes at centre forward in those days.   Always an intelligent, lovely man and later on the founder, as we all know, of the Willow Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2 – Jens Lehmann<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A lot of competition for this nomination – David Seaman being the most obvious and Emi Martinez the least popular – but Jens gets it mostly because he was our keeper in the Invincible season of 2003\/04.  Theatrical at times, simply bonkers at others, but a character keeper with a big talent and an even bigger presence in a side full of top, top players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3 – David Raya<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It has to be David Raya as, after a less than convincing start to his Arsenal career, he has established himself as undoubtedly one of the world\u2019s best.  If the test of a goalkeeper is whether he gains you points you wouldn\u2019t otherwise have won, Raya has proven himself over and over again.  A brilliant season last time round to play a major role in our first title win since the Invincibles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    JML<\/em><\/strong> (John Matthews Lives) modestly remembers some of our great custodians: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Evening gents…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Not sure I can be of much help here…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1) Bob Wilson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Having been saved from being a Chelsea fan at 6 years old by my brother (older sisters tried to influence me)\u2026he told me that I can’t be a Chelsea pooftah being from ‘Olloway \u2026 thanks bro!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One of the heroes of that double winning team. Wonderful,  lovely bloke. The less said about Geoff Barnett, the better….<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2) David Seaman<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Safe hands. What more to say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3) Jens Lehmann.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Invincible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Honourable mentions to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Jimmy Rimmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dunno, maybe \u201976 …. midweek night game against some lowlife bums (West Brom methinks) 16-17 thousand of us at Highbury \u2026 Jimmy goes out towards the right corner flag (seen from the North Bank) and plays it back across goal \u2026 one of their players jumps on it and scores. We lost 0-1. For the rest of the night we were singing, ‘Cheer up Jimmy, cheer up Jimmy, cheer up Jimmy, cheer up!<\/em>\u2019  Had f*ck all else to sing about back in those days! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now a Scottish viewpoint from the inimitable BtM<\/em><\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When goalkeeping coach I\u00f1aki Ca\u00f1a pushed Arsenal to sign David Raya in August 2023, it sparked fierce debate. Fans questioned the move given the presence of beloved, first-choice keeper Aaron Ramsdale and other pressing squad needs. Yet, Ca\u00f1a and Mikel Arteta saw Raya\u2019s elite distribution and composure as the key to elevating the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The skepticism only grew when critics dismissed Raya as too small for the Premier League. But Raya answered the doubters with excellence. Through world-class shot-stopping and relentless dedication, he transformed from a questioned signing into Arsenal\u2019s undisputed number one. By establishing a phenomenal record of clean sheets, he silenced his critics \u2014 proving that true greatness is measured not by physical stature, but by heart, resilience, and an unwavering belief in one’s ability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ultimately, his brilliance has delivered the ultimate reward. Raya\u2019s heroics have been critical to Arsenal winning the Premier League for the first time in over 20 years. From a doubted signing to the cornerstone of a championship-winning team, Raya didn’t just silence his critics\u2014he was fundamentally important to bringing the title home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Currently, in my very humble opinion, David Raya is the very best goalkeeper in world football. That\u2019s a claim that it\u2019s hard to make for many\/any of his very distinguished predecessors and that\u2019s why he gets my vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Noosa<\/em><\/strong> offers useful perspective when comparing glove butlers from different eras:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As the game has changed over the years, keeper’s attributes have had to change also. Whilst Kelsey and Wilson may have had to contend with some argy-bargy centre forwards,\u00a0latter day keepers have to contend with a whole lot more chaos around them from set-pieces particularly and the ability to play out from the back is now essential to most team’s strategies.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Over time, innovations such as the\u00a0three step rule, no handling back passes, time limits on holding the ball etc. have also changed a keeper’s skill set requirements. Therefore, it is difficult to rank different keepers from different generations. Maybe Raya will turn out the best so far, good footwork, generally good with crosses and fantastic reaction saves but final judgement for him comes too soon now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In the meantime, I’ll mention the following three in no particular order:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bob Wilson for his bravery, a lasting memory of diving headfirst at strikers’ feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Pat Jennings: I loved the way he caught every cross, often one-handed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dave Seaman: Some famous missed crosses aside, “safe hands” says it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Finally, we hear from North Bank Ned,<\/em><\/strong> with some terrific insights into the men behind the sticks for Arsenal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I based my selections on longevity and consistency, and, at the opposite end of the spectrum, on standout individual matches and memorable saves that stick in the memory. As a tie-breaker, I went with impact on the team as a whole. Not overly scientific, but there you go\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    David Seaman tops my list. More than 500 games, more than any other Arsenal keeper. Three league titles, four FA Cups, a League Cup, a European Cup Winners\u2019 Cup, and an undisputed England No 1 in his era. Unrivalled \u2018tache and ponytail, plus that immortal FA Cup semi-final save against Sheffield United.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Then it is a toss-up between two towering personalities, Big Pat Jennings and Mad Jens. Lehmann was an Invincible, won us the 2005 FA Cup final against the Red Mancs, and was the rock on which the run to the 2006 CL final was built. Jennings crossed the divide of the Seven Sisters Road and was a commanding presence in the end-70s\/early-80s side that reached more finals than it won. Outstanding shot-stopper and probably the best keeper in Europe when he was playing for us, but Mad Jens just gets the nod as the better all-round keeper and commander of his defence (and Pat never had to marshal a defence with Ebou\u00e9 in it!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Jack Kelsey is my third choice. He made more than 350 appearances for the club and was arguably our only world-class player in a mediocre fifties\/early sixties side. He was known for his positioning and safe handling \u2014 the Brazilians called him ‘the cat with magnetic claws\u2019 after his 1958 World Cup quarter-final heroics. He was undoubtedly the best British keeper in the 50s and, arguably, in the same pantheon of \u201850s greats as Lev Yashin, Gyula Grosics and Vladimir Beara. Fearless and brave, when keepers didn\u2019t get the protection they do today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As a footnote, I excluded Raya from consideration to avoid recency bias, but there is a good chance he will be at the top of the list if you repeat this exercise in 10 years\u2019 time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    TTG\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> conclusions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Many thanks for those insights from Holics who have followed Arsenal over many years . For what it is worth, I would place Seaman at number one. His performances in the 90\/91 season after joining from QPR were  incredible and he produced a very high level for years afterwards. I\u2019d have to include Bob Wilson because apart from his stellar career he is the father of Arsenal goalkeeping, doing an incredible job of making his successors better keepers and he is a giant in the history of our club. My third keeper would be the late  Jimmy Rimmer who was protected (if that was the word) by what was often a shaky defence in one of the worst teams Arsenal have ever had. Sometimes it seemed he was the only thing between us and relegation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But, as others have said, Raya is a magnificent keeper and was a huge part of our title success. I like to watch him warm up before matches and he does it with the energy and conscientiousness of a true professional. It\u2019s interesting to compare his situation with Rimmer\u2019s. Raya has fewer shots to save than any goalkeeper I\u2019ve ever seen (and long may it stay that way!). Rimmer was diving all over the place in an under-pressure team struggling to survive on many occasions. Seaman played behind a legendary back four and most of the rearguards in front of Bob were high quality. Raya\u2019s story hopefully has a long way to run but he will surely become one of our greatest keepers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Please, if you enjoyed this article and would like to contribute drop your 1\/2\/3 to me at peter@lebeauvisage.co.uk by November 17th <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I also look forward to reading your thoughts in the \u2018Drinks\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Goalkeepers One of the most enjoyable things about blogs like GHF is the opportunity to reminisce . Treading carefully, might I suggest that we might represent one of the Arsenal blogs with the oldest average age! But with age comes experience and memories and we thought it would be fun over the next few months […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12,28,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14762"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14762"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14770,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14762\/revisions\/14770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}