| Not many goalkeepers can have experienced the misfortune of being
unceremoniously dropped having been part of a team that had just landed
five trophies in nine months. Yet that was the exact fate which befell
Liverpool's Dutch custodian Sander Westerveld in the summer of 2001.
On
27 August 2001, the six foot three inch stopper let a tame last minute
effort from Dean Holdsworth squirm under his body, handing Bolton
Wanderers an unlikely 2-1 win at the Reebok Stadium. It proved to be one
error too many for Westerveld who was promptly dropped by Gerard
Houllier and replaced by not one but two goalkeepers, Jerzy Dudek and
Chris Kirkland both signing as potential replacements within hours of
each other just days after that mistake. It was viewed by many as a
harsh way for the Dutchman to finish his Anfield career, given the
success that he had helped the team to enjoy during his two full seasons
on Merseyside.
Houllier had signed Westerveld for £4 million - a
then British transfer record fee for a goalkeeper - from Dutch side
Vitesse Arnhem in the summer of 1999. He made his debut for the Reds in a
2-1 victory against Sheffield Wednesday in the opening match of the
1999/2000 season and went on to play in 36 league matches in that
campaign, conceding just 29 goals - the fewest in the Premier League -
as Liverpool qualified for the UEFA Cup. However, while Sander had
proved himself to be a useful shot stopper, questions were asked about
his capability when dealing with crosses and his command of the area.
Westerveld's form, however, was good enough for Holland to include him
in their squad for Euro 2000; a tournament in which he made three
appearances (two as a substitute).
It was the following season
when some of the doubts that had surrounded Sander in his inaugural
season at Anfield started to become more pronounced. Although he was the
hero in the Reds's League Cup triumph against Birmingham, saving Andy
Johnson's penalty in a shoot out - the Dutchman was one of three
goalkeepers to save penalties for Liverpool in a major final during the
decade - and also played in the UEFA Cup and FA Cup final victories,
more and more question marks were being asked regarding the goalkeeper's
quality.
Many Liverpool fans held the goalkeeper accountable
for all four goals conceded against Alaves in the thrilling UEFA Cup
final which the Reds won 5-4, while a 3-3 draw against Southampton and
4-3 defeat to Leeds hardly covered the stopper in glory.
Still it
appeared that Westerveld had weathered the storm when no new
goalkeepers arrived at Melwood before the start of the 2001/02 campaign.
Indeed, the Dutchman played in a 2-1 Charity Shield win against
Manchester United (the photo above is during the game 12th. August 2001) and a 3-2
European Super Cup victory over Bayern Munich. However, his first league
outing of the season was to be his last appearance for the Reds as his
gaffe at the feet of Holdsworth finally convinced Houllier to invest in a
new custodian (or two as it turned out).
Sander had made a total
of 103 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool and won a quintet
of trophies. The silverware couldn't save him, though, and in December
2001 Westerveld joined Real Sociedad for £3.49 million. In the 2005/06
season he had a brief cameo back in the Premiership, firstly with
Portsmouth where he made 6 appearances, before a surprise return to
Merseyside which saw the Dutchman play twice for Everton. (David Fuller)
|