|
|
I-League Special: Best Goalkeeper Of The Season
And the best custodian is....
30-May-2010 9:42:00 PM
By Amoy Ghoshal
Normally in the I-League, the foreigners draw all the attention in the outfield. But just like in previous campaigns, this term also none of the clubs had any foreign goalkeeper which allowed the Indian custodians to shine and showcase their talent.
Many times this season we saw goalkeepers winning man of the match awards after some outstanding individual performances. The teams that had good defensive records were obviously backed by their keepers but even the sides that conceded a lot of goals, won some crucial points thanks to the heroics of their goalkeepers.
Here we list the five nominations for the best goalkeeper category and also choose the one we think was the very best under the bar.
Nominations:
Karanjit Singh (JCT): JCT finished with the joint second best defensive record along with Mahindra and the main reason for that was the consistency of their goalkeeper Karanjit Singh. The 24 year old goalkeeper had a fantastic season for the club from Ludhiana as he put in a number of man of the match performances over the course of the season and earned his side valuable points. The back four in front of him kept changing as the season progressed but Karanjit never lost his form. His super displays under the bar were one of the main reasons why JCT survived so comfortably.
Kalyan Chaubey (Salgaocar): There is a saying ‘Old Is Gold’ and that is perfectly applicable for the case of Kalyan Chaubey. Aged 31, Chaubey was one of the most experienced goalkeepers to feature in this I-League and that showed as he was in top form despite playing in a young and inexperienced side. Chaubey won some very important points for the Goan side despite being plagued with injuries. His glove work was instrumental in Salgaocar’s revival in the second half of the season, which eventually helped them finish sixth in the table.
Subrata Paul (Pune FC): India’s number one was the main reason behind Pune’s impressive defensive record. Paul struggled at club level while playing for East Bengal last season but this term for Pune he was nearly as good as he has been during national duty. In many games this campaign Paul made some remarkable saves to earn his side some valuable points and at the same time he hardly committed any mistake. His goal from the penalty spot against Churchill was the icing on the cake.
Subhashish Roy Chowdhury (Mahindra United): India’s number two goalkeeper was fairly consistent week in week out for the India Re Devils and did come up with some unbelievable saves in important matches. Mahindra lost four of their last six matches in the league but until round 20 they were beaten only once and much of that credit goes to the heroics of Subhashish. He truly matured as a keeper this season.
Arnab Das Sharma (Air India): Air India conceded the most goals and avoided relegation only by a point in the end but it could have been a whole lot worse for the Airmen if their young goalkeeper Arnab Das Sharma didn’t have a consistent campaign. The 22 year old hardly got a chance at East Bengal last season but he established himself as the first choice custodian in the Mumbai club and came up with a number of inspiring performances. Air India probably had the weakest defence in the league so that made Das Sharma’s task even tougher therefore all credit to him for still producing some outstanding displays.
Our Vote:
Subrata Paul – Many questioned his decision to join a newly promoted club as it apparently limited his chances of finishing in a good position in the league. But Paul silenced his critics by having a fantastic season with Pune. His presence made the Pune backline’s task a lot easier and the good defensive record was eventually instrumental in their third place finish.
So do you agree with our choice? Or do you think someone else should be the best goalkeeper of the season? Is it someone other than these five? Share your thoughts in the comments box.
Become a fan of Goal.com India's Facebook fan page for all the latest news and insight into everything related to the beautiful game!
Many times this season we saw goalkeepers winning man of the match awards after some outstanding individual performances. The teams that had good defensive records were obviously backed by their keepers but even the sides that conceded a lot of goals, won some crucial points thanks to the heroics of their goalkeepers.
Here we list the five nominations for the best goalkeeper category and also choose the one we think was the very best under the bar.
Nominations:
Karanjit Singh (JCT): JCT finished with the joint second best defensive record along with Mahindra and the main reason for that was the consistency of their goalkeeper Karanjit Singh. The 24 year old goalkeeper had a fantastic season for the club from Ludhiana as he put in a number of man of the match performances over the course of the season and earned his side valuable points. The back four in front of him kept changing as the season progressed but Karanjit never lost his form. His super displays under the bar were one of the main reasons why JCT survived so comfortably.
Kalyan Chaubey (Salgaocar): There is a saying ‘Old Is Gold’ and that is perfectly applicable for the case of Kalyan Chaubey. Aged 31, Chaubey was one of the most experienced goalkeepers to feature in this I-League and that showed as he was in top form despite playing in a young and inexperienced side. Chaubey won some very important points for the Goan side despite being plagued with injuries. His glove work was instrumental in Salgaocar’s revival in the second half of the season, which eventually helped them finish sixth in the table.
Subrata Paul (Pune FC): India’s number one was the main reason behind Pune’s impressive defensive record. Paul struggled at club level while playing for East Bengal last season but this term for Pune he was nearly as good as he has been during national duty. In many games this campaign Paul made some remarkable saves to earn his side some valuable points and at the same time he hardly committed any mistake. His goal from the penalty spot against Churchill was the icing on the cake.
Subhashish Roy Chowdhury (Mahindra United): India’s number two goalkeeper was fairly consistent week in week out for the India Re Devils and did come up with some unbelievable saves in important matches. Mahindra lost four of their last six matches in the league but until round 20 they were beaten only once and much of that credit goes to the heroics of Subhashish. He truly matured as a keeper this season.
Arnab Das Sharma (Air India): Air India conceded the most goals and avoided relegation only by a point in the end but it could have been a whole lot worse for the Airmen if their young goalkeeper Arnab Das Sharma didn’t have a consistent campaign. The 22 year old hardly got a chance at East Bengal last season but he established himself as the first choice custodian in the Mumbai club and came up with a number of inspiring performances. Air India probably had the weakest defence in the league so that made Das Sharma’s task even tougher therefore all credit to him for still producing some outstanding displays.
Our Vote:
Subrata Paul – Many questioned his decision to join a newly promoted club as it apparently limited his chances of finishing in a good position in the league. But Paul silenced his critics by having a fantastic season with Pune. His presence made the Pune backline’s task a lot easier and the good defensive record was eventually instrumental in their third place finish.
So do you agree with our choice? Or do you think someone else should be the best goalkeeper of the season? Is it someone other than these five? Share your thoughts in the comments box.
Become a fan of Goal.com India's Facebook fan page for all the latest news and insight into everything related to the beautiful game!
Inside Goal.Com
-
Cartoon: Rio Ferdinand may have the last laugh
Goal.com cartoonist Omar Momani gives us his unique take on the football news of the day...
-
Euro 1996 Legends: Matthias Sammer, Germany
The heir to Franz Beckenbaur's throne, Sammer's excellent displays as sweeper for Germany led them to their third European title...
-
Euro 2012 Trivia: Which team has the fewest combined caps among them?
Which is the least experienced team in Euro 2012? Time to test your knowledge, mate
-
Vote for your Goal.com World Player of the Week
Have your say on who you think should win Goal.com's weekly honour
-
Euro 2012 a timely respite for depressed Spain
With 24 per cent unemployment, wage cuts and little hope for improvement in the short term, the continental competition will at least take people's minds off their sad situation