Then & Now: Joe Corrigan

‘BETTER CONTROL BY RICKY VILLA AND I MAY HAVE SAVED IT’

Joe Corrigan would have won far more than nine England caps had he not played in the same era as Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence. He went onto become one of the first specialised goalkeeping coaches at a big club and still looks after Chris Kirkland, Jerzy Dudek and Paul Jones. This weekend, while he prepares for the Reds FA Cup tie against Newcastle, endless repeats of Ricky Villa’s 1981 Wembley goal are bound to be shown in the build-up to Manchester City v Spurs on Sunday.

THEN…What was it like being rivals to Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence?

Goalkeepers always look out for each other and there was a special bond between the ‘keepers in my day. We all knew there was only one place between the three of us but that didn’t stop us constantly talking about the art of goalkeeping, where to improve and things like that. It wasn’t just Peter and Ray – Phil Parkes and Jimmy Rimmer were around as well so we knew it was a special time for English goalkeepers. Most of the time Ray and Peter would alternate in the team and I would sit in the stand and watch with the rest of the squad who hadn’t made the bench. Mind you, I saw some cracking matches! I remember one save by Clem against Scotland at Wembley where he seemed to re-divert his body in mid-air – it made the whole match for me. I was lucky enough to get to the 1982 World Cup finals as cover as well, so I regarded being with England as an honour rather than a waste of time.

NOW…Gerard Houllier says Chris Kirkland is the future England goalkeeper but adds he must learn to shout and make his presence felt a bit more

Communication is a massive part of being a goalkeeper, going back to Shilts and Clem; they were great organisers but probably developed that part of their game as their career went on. Chris is already learning and both Paul Jones and Jerzy Dudek are good role models, they make themselves heard and understood on the pitch. Defenders like goalkeepers who communicate, the ‘keeper is their eyes and ears a lot of the time. The biggest problem for Chris in the last couple of years has been injuries. Every time he has a run in the side, something happens. But that won’t put him off – you have to overcome setbacks to reach the top and Chris will be ready when he has his next chance. Jerzy has shown the character you need to bounce back. You need that competitive instinct and you have to want to be Number One.

THEN…Which England players did you hate to see coming towards you in training?

Kevin Keegan and Bryan Robson – for different reasons. Kevin was so alert and sharp, you really needed your wits about you to stop the ball going in. Robbo was a hard player, if you were up against him in a one-against-one you knew you would end up getting clattered and it would hurt. He relished the physical side of the game and wouldn’t shirk out of any 50-50s with the goalkeeper.

NOW…David Seaman has won a lot of tributes since retiring. You coached his England successor David James at Liverpool. What do you think of both men?

Well, David has been a fantastic goalkeeper down the years. We had some great ones in my playing days but David ranks alongside them all. He isn’t particularly known for spectacular saves but that’s because he was so good, he made things look easy. And that is the key to being a good goalkeeper. David James went from the Liverpool reserves to England during my first couple of years at Anfield. He is everything a goalkeeper should be; tall, strong and tremendously agile. I thought he did a great job for the club and he’s a good signing for City.

THEN…You were a Manchester City legend, what memories stick out particularly?

Besides winning the League Cup in 1976, it has to be the 1981 Centenary FA Cup finals against Spurs at Wembley. The fact it was the Centenary cup final made it special anyway but I was kept busy in both matches and ended up with the man-of-the-match trophy both times. Cup finals were terrific, my wife, parents and kids all came down to Wembley although my children were probably too young to remember much about it. We led 1-0 in the first game until there was a bit of flukey own goal. In my mind, that is probably where we lost the cup although the replay was a real thriller, with Spurs winning 3-2. I am glad there are videos because the games flew past in a blur but it’s all recorded so I can remember the saves I made.

NOW…In your opinion, who is the best goalkeeper in the world?

I tend to watch the goalkeepers closely when the big matches are on television and it’s not easy to name one above all the others. If you pushed me, I think that consistency is important for a goalkeeper and Gianluigi Buffon has been at the top for years with Juventus and Italy. He is capable of making good saves, organises his defenders and they know they can rely on him week-in week-out.

THEN…The 1981 Cup Final winner scored by Ricky Villa has become legendary. With Man City and Spurs playing each other in the fourth round, it will probably get repeated quite a bit this weekend as well

It does make me a bit sick that they only ever show his goal. There were some other fantastic goals in that final – Steve Mackenzie scored a brilliant volley for us but it doesn’t get remembered because it wasn’t the winning goal. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and when you look at it on video you can see the goal might have been stopped at source. Also, Ricky took a touch that seemed to let the ball get away from him. It made my mind up to come out and try and get the ball and that’s when he stretched a leg to put it past me. If his touch had been perfect I wouldn’t have raced out and the end result might have been different.

NOW…Why do you think less than half the Premiership clubs have English first-choice goalkeepers?

I still think foreign goalkeepers need time to adjust to the English game, we might think ‘keepers are over-protected here but it’s still a lot more physical in the Premiership than overseas. It’s a shame there aren’t more young English goalkeepers being given a chance but the pressure on directors and managers of clubs is immense. They may see it as less risky to sign an overseas player with international experience rather than throw a young Englishman in the deep end. The irony is that we have more goalkeeping coaches now but not so many top-class homegrown goalkeepers. I think you have to remember 25 years ago clubs didn’t really consider buying foreign goalkeepers, now the opportunity is there so they go out and do it.

THEN…Did you ever have the benefit of a goalkeeping coach?

No, it wasn’t around in my day. Even when I stopped playing I think Bob Wilson at Arsenal was about the first specialist goalkeeping coach. I worked part-time all over the place; Celtic, Barnsley, Middlesbrough, Manchester City – there was a lot of time spent in the car. Then Graeme Souness asked me join Liverpool on a part-time basis and that became full-time under Roy Evans. In my playing days, you watched and learned off other goalkeepers. Who knows, I might have been a better player if someone like Bert Trautmann had been at City training the ‘keepers.

NOW…Will you be scared to watch the TV this weekend in case THAT goal comes up again?

It’s normally shown around FA Cup Final time – I had forgotten Manchester City and Spurs had drawn each other in The FA Cup which gives them another excuse! Let’s just say I’m glad that Liverpool have got a game against Newcastle. That kicks off Saturday tea-time so I’ll be busy with that rather than concentrating on any other games.