Graeme Souness thinks Everton’s Jordan Pickford must ‘act like a REFEREE’ if he is to improve
Given how important he is for Everton, the scrutiny that Jordan Pickford continues to receive is inexplicable.
The fanbase knows that without his goalkeeping heroics, the Toffees would certainly not be a Premier League club, having emerged from the mire to save his side from the drop not once but twice.
His legend sits alongside the likes of Seamus Coleman and Richarlison as saviours over that period, with his longevity only bolstering that status as a hero around Goodison Park.
So, to see him relentlessly dragged through the mud by pundit after pundit, who have no real support for their ludicrous claims, is getting exhausting.
Graeme Souness is the latest to run his mouth about England’s number one, turning his monologue about how impressive he finds Rangers’ Jack Butland into a rant about Pickford’s inability to be trusted.
Crystal Palace v Everton – Emirates FA Cup Third Round
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Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Liverpool midfielder noted: ‘My point is this: I don’t think England are terribly blessed for goalkeepers right now.
‘I think he’s a bomb scare. I think he’s an accident waiting to happen. I look at him and, why he gets annoyed and rushes off his line after making a save, and waving his finger and pointing a finger at teammates, that’s what goalkeepers are paid for. To make saves.
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‘A goalkeeper should be like a referee. Making the job look simple. And that is the sign of a top goalkeeper, when they can go through a game more or less unnoticed, instead of having to dive full length to save something, he’s taken a step to the left or to the right and made the save.’
How important is Jordan Pickford for Everton?
Whilst Pickford is theatrical, and loves to lambast his defenders when he is forced to make a save, that is all part of the charm that has endeared him to Evertonians.
He is deeply passionate, and having moved from his boyhood Sunderland to Merseyside, it has taken no time at all for him to play as if still fighting for his favoured club.
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His frustrations come from poor pieces of defending, with that temperament surely only boasted by the elite-level stoppers who have a bit of personality to go with his talent.
This campaign has admittedly been a quieter one for the 29-year-old, having not been called upon as often due to the steely partnership of Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski.
However, Sean Dyche will know that, should his backline be breached, he is arguably in the best hands to pull off a miracle save.
The fact he earned the 2021/22 Save of the Season award for his unbelievable stop against Chelsea only emphasises that further, whilst he ranks joint-top for clean sheets earned this season in the Premier League.
He can do it all, and Souness has merely joined the back of a long line of haters who Pickford will continue to prove wrong with a broad smile on his face.
