Sask’s Signing Of The Season

As the title suggests, I have been tasked with deciding who of our new recruits has impressed the most this season and I have actually decided on a rather obscure answer to this question. I believe that out of all of the signings that Rowett has made, some have strengthened areas of the team and some have merely just added back up, but the decision I have taken is that Adam Legzdins is our signing of the year.

Now, just to be clear, I haven’t counted loan signings in this so for everyone who thinks I have gone a bit insane, I have not counted the loanees that we have acquired, all of whom have been excellent I must say. But in terms of permanent signings, Adam has been our best one. And before many of you kick up a fuss, I shall explain why.

Legzdins has a lot of quality, he has a goalkeeper with great presence who can command his area. This is pivotal if you are a number 2 goalkeeper as if the first choice ‘keeper gets injured, then it should be easy for a confident goalkeeper to talk to unfamiliar defenders. Communication is key if you are not used to playing together. Also, his actual skill set is great. He has a good kick on him which mostly goes accurately to the person in question and he is not afraid to have the ball passed back to him; yet again a sign of confidence. He also is a decent shot stopper and good at handling the ball. But this is not the reason that I have chosen him.

I have actually chosen Adam Legzdins because he has made Tomasz Kuszczak (referred to as Big Tom in the rest of the article) a much better player. The worst thing that can happen to a goalkeeper is they get complacent. If they’re guaranteed a spot such as Mignolet for Liverpool, then the training intensity is most likely not as high as if a player was pushing for a starting spot. Legzdins really gives Big Tom a run for his money which must surely improve Tom’s fitness and overall desire to play. It also enables Tom to have a good partner in training who he can practice with.

Now, this may not seem important. But the reason I think it is, is because Tomasz Kuszczak has been outstanding this year. He has made crucial saves including a memorable last minute penalty save, amongst many other really important interceptions. Many times he has kept us in matches and has often been called upon for crosses when Caddis and Grounds were going through a bad spell. So I think Tomasz Kuszczak has been one of our players of the season and this is undoubtedly down to the help and competition he has received off Legzdins. Not to mention Adam is a very confident keeper for Big Tom’s replacement now he is injured.