Tomasz Kuszczak Is The Man

Despite having a name that would win you almost any scrabble game, Tomasz Kuszczak has many greater qualities.

At the start of the season, I was skeptical about the impact that he would make. I wasn’t a fan of Randolph, but felt that Tomasz may not improve the squad greatly.

At first, I was a massive fan of Legzdins and I still am. But I am less of an advocate for him starting based on the terrific form of big Tommy K.

What I look for in a goalkeeper, is someone who is commanding as well as having the ability to physically stop the ball from entering the net. Why I am not a manager, I’ll never know. Seems easy this coaching lark doesn’t it!

Initially, I feared about Kuszczak’s vocals. He didn’t seem to take charge of situations and this made me think that we would concede a lot of goals from crosses and set pieces. This has happened in places but it is a lot better. As the confidence of the defense has improved, the quality of the ‘keeper has.

For me, he is the first name on the team sheet now. Despite not having as many clean sheets as he would like, the fact that he has saved us points makes up for that. I’d rather win 2-1 than draw 0-0 is what I’m trying to say.

He has meant that we have walked away with points whether it be the full total against the likes of Leeds or it be a draw against Derby, I feel that if he wasn’t in goal, then these points may have been dropped.

Goalkeepers often don’t get the recognition they deserve unless they save a penalty. Tom did that when we hung on against Reading and yet he is often forgotten. Chatting with fans has shown me that the fans favourites are the likes of Donaldson, Shinnie, Gray and even Davis… But Tom barely gets a mention yet he is a crucial part of all that we do.

Lets hope he can keep up the form and keep making the crucial saves. If he stays fit, he will be an integral part to where we end up this season.