Goalkeepers are not known for being shy, retiring types. They're never short of a word or two - both on and off the pitch. Unfortunately they're also prone of putting to putting their boots in it, as are their managers, chairman and teammates not to mention those that commentate on the game of football. However, some of their words occasionally contain a fair amount of wisdom. Only occasionaly, mind...

What kind of a goalkeeper is the one who is not tormented by the goal he has allowed? He must be tormented! And if he is calm, that means the end. No matter what he had in the past, he has no future. - Lev Yashin

For a goalkeeper, there is no hiding place - Brad Friedel

Tommy Lawrence, after after being nut-megged in the Liverpool goal: "Sorry, boss, I should have kept my legs together."
Bill Shankly: "No, Tommy, your mother should have kept her legs together!"

The goalkeeper is the jewel in the crown and getting at him should be almost impossible. It’s the biggest sin in football to make him do any work. - George Graham

It’s disappointing to be dropped from any team – even my mates’ fantasy league team - Robert Green

Poor Miklosko. Hasn't had to make a save yet he's let three goals in. - Trevor Francis

We didn't think we'd come here tonight and get any sort of result. - Les Sealey

My colleagues spend most of their time with their backs turned towards me. I don’t believe it's because I am unpopular – honestly - Brad Friedel

I dreamt of playing for a club like Manchester United, and now here I am at Liverpool. - Sander Westerveld

In football, you don’t really know what is going on but we will worry about that when it happens. - Neil Sullivan

Maybe the mistakes have looked worse because they led to goals. - Ian Walker

If you don't believe you can win, there is no point in getting out of bed at the end of the day. - Neville Southall

It was like deja vu all over again. - Shaka Hislop

And Seaman, just like a falling oak, manages to change direction. – John Motson

And there's Ray Clemence looking as cool as ever out in the cold. - Jimmy Hill

Once again it was Gough who stood firm for Scotland in the air - Jock Brown

Wolves Keeper John Burridge has consciously modelled himself on the great Peter Shilton, same sort of hair style - Byron Butler

There's no use in practising penalties... Di Biggio of Italy took 17 in practice and scored every time. But the next day he missed against France, which proves it doesn't work. - Ray Clemence

Adams is stretching himself, looking for Seaman - Brian Moore

Two Andy Gorams, There's Only Two Andy Gorams. - Celtic fans taunt Rangers Goalkeeper Andy Goram amid rumours about him suffering from schizophrenia

I believe in a Methuselah, Frankenstein, alien beings, flying saucers and the hand of God. But most of all, I believe in on-loan goalkeepers from Swindon who score goals in the dying seconds - Carlisle United chairman Michael Knighton after his keeper Jimmy Glass scored the winning goal in injury time to avoid relegation and keep them in the Football League.

I feel sorry for Scarborough, but I don’t think I’ll be going there on my holidays – The self-same Jimmy Glass after his goal for Carlisle sent Scarborough to the Conference instead.

In goalkeeping terms, Chris Turner is 5ft 11in - Ron Jones

Lukic saved with his foot, which is all part of the goalkeeper's arm - Barry Davies

But Jim Leighton isn't a soccer player, he's a goalkeeper - Swedish commentator

He had no chance of beating Schmeichel from there, but it was always worth a try - Alan Parry

I went to David (Beckham) afterwards, shook his hand and called him a bastard. But I got him in the England side, didn’t I? – Wimbledon goalkeeper Neil Sullivan after Beckham’s wonder goal from the halfway line.

I said to my dad: ‘How can I tell people I played well when I let in six goals?’ He said that if I’d played badly it would have been 12-0. – Mark Bosnich on Australia’s 6-0 defeat at the hands of Brazil

He (Mark Bosnich) may be the best keeper in the World, even if he is a bit potty – Ron Atkinson

I still go to bed with my goalkeeping gloves on. Everyone says it’s eccentric, but I find people who go to the bookies and blow 300 quid eccentric. – John Burridge

Finally, when is Andy Goram going to piss off and stop annoying us with his bloody wonder saves? - Letter to the Celtic fanzine Not The View

It’s not nice going into the Supermarket and the woman at the till thinking ‘dodgy keeper’ – David James

If I went upfield for an attack, I’d probably need a taxi to get back – Jim Leighton

He (Peter Schmeichel) is United’s key player. It’s his presence that frightens opponents. In one recent match, Spurs hit the bar twice. I’m sure it was because they were trying to avoid him. – Ruud Gullit

After the Nayim goal in Paris, people thought it was funny to totter backwards like I did that night, pretending to watch the ball fly over their heads. – David Seaman

People come up to and remind you of your mistakes, but it helps being 6ft 4in and 15 ½ stone – David Seaman

As you get to 38, 39 and 40, you know you can’t cover the ground to get to crosses anymore and you don’t fancy getting knocked about. I call it Peter Shilton syndrome: blaming everyone else for what you can no longer do – Ex-Millwall goalkeeper, Bryan King.

A goalkeeper is a goalkeeper because he can’t play football – Ruud Gullit

People say goalkeepers are mad but I’ve always thought it was the other way round. At least the ball comes to us whereas the outfield players have to chase it around like idiots – Steve Ogrizovic

I was a bit anxious when I got to the stadium, but in all fairness if hadn't been anxious I'd have been worried - Paul Robinson

If you're a goalkeeper, it doesn't matter what you save the ball with - if you keep it out, it's not a goal - Mark Lawrenson

Peter Shilton conceding five - you don't get many of that to the dozen - Des Lynam

I realise now that computer games have affected my performance badly. I was getting carried away playing Tekken II and Tombraider for hours on end - David James

Jim Rosenthal: 'So, what's an American doing playing in goal for Millwall?'
Kasey Keller: 'Trying to keep the ball out.'

Ironing Board Ruined My Life - The Sunday People make a stab for Headline of the Year, covering the unfortunate injury to Liverpool's Michael Stensgaard.

The first time they contacted me, I had to ask who they were, then I had to pull out an atlas to locate Huddersfield. - Terriers keeper Nico Vaesen remembers his excitement when the club moved in for him.

I hope Danny Wilson will do the decent thing and let me leave. I don't want to be back on the bench. - Kevin Pressman makes his case on match day.
I don't know why I wasn't on the bench. Kevin Pressman looks for explanations as to why he was dropped the following day.

I spent four years at Millwall so I'm sure thats prepared me for whatever happens on Sunday. - USA keeper Kasey Keller looks forward to the Iran-Great Satan clash ahead of the 1998 World Cup Finals.

If I spend the whole of this week thinking about Brazil and all their great players, I would probably be terrified by Friday. - Peter Schmeichel explains why the Danes are relaxing ahead of their World Cup quarter-final against the then-reigning champions, also in 1998.

Solskjaer never misses the target. That time he hit the post. - Peter Scmeichel again

What can I say about Peter Shilton? Peter Shilton is Peter Shilton, and he has been Peter Shilton since the year dot. - Bobby Robson

Goalkeepers aren't born today until they're in their late twenties or thirties. - Kevin Keegan

I usually go out after a game wearing a normal suit - Versace, Armani, the same as what most of the lads wear. - David James

I'd rather have Bruce Grobbelaar trying to throw a game than have Dave Beasant trying to win one. - Southampton Fan considers his club's goalkeeping situation.

A goal keeper must radiate pace. But he must watch out that he thereby doesn't fall asleep. - Sepp Maier

You've got to believe that you're going to win, and I believe that we'll win the World Cup until the final whistle blows and we're knocked out - Peter Shilton

Francis Jeffers is a disgusting, dirty little twat. - Sander Westerveld shares his views on the former Everton striker

I now have a farm in Lanark. I've got two pygmy goats - Gin and Tonic. - Andy Goram

Northampton is a massive club. - Goalkeeper Adam Sollitt gets a little carried away

If you stand still there is only one way to go, and that's backwards. – Peter Shilton

Carra doesn't like me to fist him before the games, so I give him a high-five instead. - Pepe Reina shares Liverpool's pre-match rituals.

I score more than 1,000 goals in my life, but the goal I don't score is the one they remember - Pele on Gordon Banks' famous save in 1970

The boys have nicknamed me Ena Sharples becuase my head is forever in the net - Ian Thain, Keith goalkeeper, after conceding ten goals to Rangers in the Scottish Cup

I am often scared by my lack of fear. - Toni Schumacher

Diego Maradona - a flawed genius who has now become a genius who is flawed - Bob Wilson

Don't worry - I wasn't looking at a goalkeeper! - Sheffield Wednesday manager Alan Irvine after telling local reporters that he'd been on a scouting trip to Scotland to watch the 6-6 draw between Motherwell and Hibernian in May 2010

Unconsciously, I fell in love with the small round sphere, with its amusing and capricious rebounds which sometimes play with me. - Fabien Barthez explains why he chose football over rugby

Aye, watch it Bob, it's very greasy and treacherous out there. Very difficult for goalkeepers. - Bill Shankly to Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson before the 1971 Cup final

At the moment I’m just swallowing it all as part of the humiliation but I think – and this is aimed at my dear manager – one shouldn’t humiliate players for too long - Jens Lehmann

The joy of seeing Yuri Gagarin flying in space is only superseded by the joy of a good penalty save. - Lev Yashin

Pressure? This is just a football match. When you do not know how to feed your children, that is pressure. - Jose Luis Chilavert

Somewhere in there the grace of a ballet dancer joins with the strength of an SAS squaddie, the dignity of an ancient kind, the nerve of a bomb disposal officer. - Eamonn Dunphy waxes lyrical about goalkeepers

I’ve been training for just over a month now but for the first two weeks of that I couldn’t even catch flu - Anti Niemi

If I could be a superhero, I would be Batman. He’s got the least silly tights - Paul Robinson

As a goalkeeper you need to be good at organising the people in front of you and motivating them. You need to see what's going on and react to the threats. Just like a good manager in business. - Peter Shilton

Football is a fertility festival. Eleven sperm trying to get into the egg. I feel sorry for the goalkeeper - Bjork

For 20 years, the only notable change in soccer was the removal of the pass to the goalkeeper - Michel Hidalgo

You have to create your own luck. At 2-0 the match is over. With a Beckham penalty it is 90 percent luck for a goalkeeper and 10 percent concentration. - Fabien Barthez explains the reasoning behind his penalty save during France's Euro 2004 game against England.

No one expects the goalkeeper to make the save - Jeff Attinella

They all have such good hand-eye coordination because they play basketball, American football and baseball. Playing goalkeeper comes more naturally to them because they can use these special skills. - Brazilian Dido argues that an American's best position is between the sticks.

Shilton wins you matches - Peter Taylor, assistant manager at Nottingham Forest, justifying the fee the club paid for goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

Fighting terrorism is like being a goalkeeper. You can make a hundred brilliant saves but the only shot that people remember is the one that gets past you. - Paul Wilkinson, London Daily Telegraph, Sep. 1, 1992.

The goalkeeper is the lone eagle, the man of mystery, the last defender - Vladimir Nabokov.

In football you sometimes have beauty and cruelty together - Peter Schmeichel.

Dealing with the high cross is the yardstick by which top goal keepers are measurerd. - Alex Welsh

I enjoyed the position I was in as a tennis player. I was to blame when I lost. I was to blame when I won. And I really like that, because I played soccer a lot too, and I couldn't stand it when I had to blame it on the goalkeeper - Roger Federer.

Some goalkeepers are really sexy with their feet. I have a little sexiness with my feet, but I dont like to bring it out - Tim Howard.

The conditions you need to be a good goal keeper are exactly the same conditions you need to be a good sculptor. You must have a very good connection, in both professions, with time and space. - Eduardo Chillida (Spanish sculptor).

The average English footballer could not tell the difference between an attractive woman and a corner flag. - Walter Zenga.

If David Seaman's dad had worn a condom, we'd still be in the World Cup - Comedian Nick Hancokck takes England's exit from the 2002 World Cup badly.

I didn't see the ball. I just saw it going to my right - Robert Green.

When I see Almunia's performances, I get angry and have to make a fist in my pocket - Jens Lehmann.

I like the money, but of course teachers should get more than us. I'm nost saying footballers should save the environment and change the NHS, but if we portrayed ourselves 15 per cent better then it would help - Brad Friedel.

Sometimes you surprise the goalkeeper and sometimes the goalkeeper surprises you. In my career, I tried to do more of the first than the second - Eric Cantona.

You score goals as a kid. Then grow up stupid and become a goalkeeper - Gianluigi Buffon.

Injuries can never be used as excuses - Victor Valdes

That Seaman is a handsome young man but he spends too much time looking in his mirror rather than at the ball. You can't keep goal with hair like that - Brian Clough.

That save from Pele's header was the best I ever made. I didn't have any idea how famous it would become - to start with, I didn't even realise I'd made it at all - Gordon Banks.

I played until the age of 41 just because I believe that it’s always possible to make improvements - Dino Zoff.

Jim Leighton is a rare bird – a Scottish goalkeeper that can be relied on - Brian Clough.

The money is in a different league these days, of course, but I have special memories of the 60s and 70s which players today don't have. There wasn't the same celebrity attitude and media exposure. We had a bit more freedom. - Peter Shilton.

I may have let in four goals, but at least I saved their lives - Hungarian goalkeeper Antal Szabó responds to Mussolini's infamous "Win or die" threats to Italy's team following the 1938 World Cup Final.

I don't want to be remembered as a good goalkeeper, I want to be remembered as a great person - Iker Casillas.

Goalkeeping is like extreme sports - sometimes you have to let yourself go - Jens Lehmann.

There have only been two world-class goalkeepers. One was Lev Yashin, the other was the German boy who played in Manchester - Lev Yashin

Don't shoot, I'm the goalkeeper! - Scotland's Alan Rough pleads his innocence after being apprehended by armed guards while climbing over the wall to get into his hotel after being locked out during the 1978 World Cup finals in Argentina.

At first I didn't choose 88. I wanted 00 but the league told me that was impossible. I also considered 01 but that was not considered a proper number. I liked 01 because it was the number on the General Lee car in the TV series the Dukes of Hazzard - Gianluigi Buffon explains his choice of shirt number while at Parma. The number 88 had offended Italy's Jewish community as it was symbolic with neo-Nazis.

After God, John Burridge is the main person - Wigan Athletic and Oman goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi gets slightly carried away with his enthusiasm for his mentor.