Is Danny Ward now the long-term answer as Leicester City’s number one?
It’s been a remarkable individual response to what must have been a really challenging few weeks. If we’re talking about the long-term number one, I’m still going to need to see more.
The mental strength Ward’s shown to deal with the criticism and very quickly reach the kind of level you need as a Premier League goalkeeper has been immense, and that bodes well for the future.
I also think back to the shouting match with Wilfred Ndidi at Brighton. At the time it looked like someone out of their depth having a meltdown in very public view. With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps it was instead a frustrated figure unhappy with his own performances and the defence in front of him. Since Brendan Rodgers decided to spend a week concentrating entirely on defending in training, things must have been a lot easier for Ward. Who knows where we’d be now if we’d had that week in the summer.
I think my main concern with Ward is more physical than mental. He seems to have a real lack of athleticism. Even when he’s made crucial saves, like the one from Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Goodison Park, he gives the impression of a big lump falling on the ball rather than an elite goalkeeper making a considered save. I suppose the argument against that would be the reflex stop from Said Benrahma last Saturday. That’s the kind of thing that makes me hopeful.
The short-term answer to whether Ward is the long-term future between the sticks is that we have more pressing needs in January, and that wasn’t the case a few weeks ago.
David Bevan
I can't believe I'm saying this, but probably yes, at least for the the rest of the season. His transformation since August is remarkable and with a smaller pot of funds for new signings we can now prioritise other positions.
So much of what happens on the pitch starts with the confidence in the goalkeeper, both in himself and of the rest of the team. The nerves from Ward permeated through the team, particularly his defensive unit, so it looked like there was no hope. He genuinely looked like he had had a freaky Friday body-swap moment with someone who had never played in goal during our poor start.
Fair play has to go to him and Brendan for sticking at it. I heard he was good in training even during the terrible start but it would have taken a lot to get through that spell, particularly with the whole football world mocking you. He's stepped up and made some brilliant saves and been commanding on crosses and corners. Long may it continue!
Becky Taylor
Amazing how quickly things can change in football! 6 weeks ago he was the worst keeper in Premier League history but in the last month he's been Petr Cech the Second!
The truth is probably somewhere in between, which begs the question: are we happy with that or do we aspire for more?
It’s certainly the case that the above is something for the summer. With the last month in mind, I think there's more pressing areas that require the recruitment teams attention (full back, centre back and, I'm just going to put this out there, maybe a right winger!?)
In the summer though we'll need to make a call on Ward (with a lot more games to base it on) and indeed Daniel Iversen, who can feel himself very unlucky not to have played the last 8 games and had what would have the best start to any goalkeeping career in living memory.
Fair play to Danny Ward though. He's in his late twenties but has only had one season as a number one (4 years ago). He simply hasn't had consistent game time to learn his trade and there were too many 'stick or twist' moments in the early games. He looks more settled now and he'll have learned a lot about what sort of keeper he is. Very pleased for him. Top stuff.
Iain Wright
I have to admit, like most of us, that I was wrong about Danny Ward and was probably too quick to judge him.
Given that he had been a number two for most of his career and was replacing the best goalkeeper we've ever had, I think I was probably a bit too harsh in my criticism of him.
His turnaround has been remarkable. From conceding 22 in the first 7 games to conceding just 3 in the next 8 is a testament to how hard he's worked alongside the back four.
He looks visibly more confident and has made key saves at crucial times in games as well so for him to get 6 clean sheets, the most in the league now, is fantastic.
I think a lot of credit also has to go to the arrival of Wout Faes but also Dan Amartey, who is keeping Jonny Evans out of the team.
I think Ward is definitely the long-term answer now, I just hope he doesn't play as well as he has been recently in the World Cup!
Jordan Halford
Ward is a brilliant shot stopper and is a valuable part of the squad, but even with his recent upturn in form I still see him as a weakness in our starting XI. We all know that he’s capable of the extraordinary, and while his braveness when springing off his line for set pieces is refreshing, the execution just isn’t there.
The overriding feeling I get when watching Ward is unpredictability and that he relies massively on confidence. At his lowest, it felt like 80% of opposition shots on target would end up in a goal.
In fairness to Ward, it’s nowhere near as desperate as the first few weeks of the season, where most fans (myself included) were begging for him to be dropped and for us to sign a keeper in January.
No amount of cup games and simulated training matches can prepare you for consistent competitive games in one of the best leagues in the world, and during August and September it really showed.
It will be interesting to see whether the club sees the position as a priority in the upcoming window. The rumoured interest in Dragowski of Spezia seemed legitimate and would make sense in terms of his profile, but his horrible injury on Sunday would probably rule out a January move.
Whatever happens, I hope Ward has a brilliant World Cup with Wales and comes back with even more confidence ahead of a massive game on Boxing Day.
Matt Jedruch
