IAN LADYMAN: Jack Butland's story shows a footballer's life is fragile
IAN LADYMAN: Jack Butland’s story tells us a footballer’s life is a fragile one… but despite his fall from grace, the Crystal Palace goalkeeper can rise once again
- Jack Butland’s story reminds us that a footballer’s life is a fragile one
- The Crystal Palace goalkeeper has fallen far from the expectations set for him
- He remains a long way off a potential spot on the plane to the World Cup
Watching Jordan Pickford play so well against Liverpool, my mind wandered to another goalkeeper I once thought may replace him for England: Jack Butland.
There are people I know who still laugh at me for a prediction that made it into print more than once.
Pickford is possibly in the form of his life just now, while only another injury prevented Butland leaving Crystal Palace on loan this summer.
Jack Butland was once touted to be England’s starting goalkeeper, but has fallen far from that
But what has happened to Butland since he became England’s youngest goalkeeper at the age of 19, a decade ago, is not particularly funny. It’s an example of what can occur when injuries, and the mental and physical difficulties that often come with them, strike at the wrong moment.
Butland was always a natural goalkeeper. Tall and athletic, he attracted much attention as a teenager at Birmingham. When he signed for Stoke City in 2013, he had already played for England.
But it was with his country that Butland first had sand kicked in his face.
An innocuous-looking stumble in conceding a goal against Germany in 2016 was actually the consequence of his ankle breaking. That signalled the start of a spiral down from which he has struggled to recover.
Butland picked up an ankle injury during England’s game with Germany in 2016
Relegation to the Championship with Stoke did not help, nor did a crisis of confidence he believes originated from trying too hard to lead the club back to the top flight.
‘I lost all confidence,’ Butland said last year. ‘I knew what I could do but I was in a bad place. I wasn’t in a depression but I was struggling for form and confidence so much.
‘It became a vicious cycle of trying hard, not performing, trying harder and getting myself into a bit of struggle.’
Butland played for England four more times after that injury against Germany and was in Gareth Southgate’s squad at the 2018 World Cup.
Jordan Pickford has solidified himself as England’s first-choice goalkeeper for the World Cup
He is not old for a goalkeeper — just 29 — and played nine times for Palace in the Premier League last season. He still has time.
But the days when staff at Stoke felt they had a £50million goalkeeper on their hands would appear long gone. Before breaking his hand in pre-season, Butland had already been earmarked by Patrick Vieira for a loan away from the club.
Pickford deserves his place in the sun in Qatar this winter. He is a much improved goalkeeper. I was wrong about him. But if Butland’s story tells us anything it is that a footballer’s life is a fragile one.
That is one of the reasons they move clubs for big money and fat contracts.
TIME’S UP FOR TIMEWASTERS
There have been several attempts to go back through the additional period of play at Anfield last Wednesday. Some concluded Liverpool were right to be given eight minutes to score their winning goal when only six were initially signalled. Others think Newcastle were hard done by.
However, the wider point is this. If teams are so intent on wasting time in a bid to get a result, then they are not deserving of any sympathy if they occasionally come out the wrong side of a tight call.
At Anfield, Andre Marriner made it clear he was not being duped by the antics of Eddie Howe’s team during the added period and other officials need to be brave enough to follow his lead.
At Anfield, Andre Marriner made it clear he was not being duped by Newcastle’s antics
Rather than being seen as a night of controversy, we should hope Fabio Carvalho’s goal is one day recognised as a watershed moment.
Interestingly, West Bromwich’s equaliser against Burnley two days later arrived in the 98th minute. Coincidence? I hope not.
BALOTELLI OUT IN THE FIRING LINE
One of Mario Balotelli’s strangest antics at Manchester City was to feign injury whenever he made a mistake in training.
Balotelli could not deal with people seeing him get something wrong. Balotelli, 32, has now moved to the Swiss League to join FC Sion, a club with an average attendance of less than 7,000.
It finally seems one of football’s strangest characters has the anonymity he craved all along.
Former Man City striker Mario Balotelli has now moved to the Swiss League to join FC Sion
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