Birmingham City achieved a vital 1-0 victory over champions Chelsea today.
One of the main reasons for that victory was keeper Ben Foster’s man of the match performance.
He saved the Blues on numerous occasions against the league leaders and was on top form.
Heroic
The England international came to the rescue of Birmingham when they really needed a hero and performed heroics to deny Didier Drogba and co. He basically won the Blues the three very vital points.
Previous
At 27 Ben Foster still has a lot to prove to his critics. When he joined Manchester United from Stoke City in 2005 he was a promising young keeper. He couldn’t make the breakthrough into the first team.
United boss Alex Ferguson decided he wasn’t quite ready and sent him on-loan to Watford for two seasons. While at Vicarage Road he helped the Hornets to promotion to the Premier League and was fantastic between the posts.
When he returned to United he was expected to challenge for the number one shirt but unfortunately he endured a frustrating time at United due to injuries and lack of first team opportunities. He ended up making just twelve league appearances in his time at Old Trafford.
Switch
Due to the lack of first team football he decided to move on this summer and by all accounts has been in good form for Birmingham. The move worked out well for both Foster and for City.
City needed a keeper to replace Joe Hart, who had returned to Manchester City and Foster wanted regular first team football. He cost Birmingham £5million but could prove a real bargain.
Premature
With Manchester United now looking for a new keeper did Sir Alex Ferguson sell Foster at right time? Fergie knew that number one keeper Edwin Van Der Sar would be retiring soon and still decided to let Foster leave.
Ferguson must have thought that the keeper wasn’t reliable or good enough to be his first choice. Or maybe Foster just decided that he would never get the chance as the number one keeper at Old Trafford.
United are believed to be in negotiations with Norwegian side Aalesund over the £3.5million transfer of keeper Anders Lindegaard. Whether he will be the solution to Fergie’s problems remains to be seen but surely Foster would have been a good option for the United boss to have.
Another question would be is the 26 year-old Danish international better than Ben Foster? I couldn’t comment on the Danish star as I have never seen him play, however he must be good if Sir Alex is willing to make him his number one.
England
In recent years people have talked about a lack of reliable English goalkeepers. Yet Foster has always been talked about as a future England number one.
He has made just six appearances for the Three Lions but if he keeps playing consistently then he could push current England number one Joe Hart for the position. It will be good for England and good for the pair that they are competing for the position. It will stop them getting complacent and keep them on their toes.
Consistently
If Ben Foster can continue to perform consistently then he will have a good chance of establishing himself as a regular starter for club and country. After watching his performance against Chelsea United boss Sir Alex Ferguson must be asking himself if he made the right decision in selling Ben Foster.
Did Manchester United sell Ben Foster prematurely?
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