Leeds United: Kenny not the problem; Ashdown not the answer

As a general rule, the most lazy method to go about improving a football team is to suggest the supplanting of the current number one with the backup. Over recent weeks I have repeatedly seen people call for the replacement of Paddy Kenny in the starting eleven with his reserve, Jamie Ashdown. This is a suggestion that leaves me baffled every single time I come across it.

Firstly, what has Paddy Kenny actually done wrong over the season? In fact, to be more accommodating for the other perspective, what is it that Paddy Kenny has done more wrong over the season than any other player in the first team? The goalkeeping berth has consistently been the position in which there has been no real issue. Given the utterly porous nature of our defence (on average, over the entire season), with the opposition getting chance after chance to convert, Paddy Kenny has to make 2 or 3 great saves per match. He tends to make them. Paddy Kenny, as much as people critique his reactive goalkeeping, as opposed to the more modern sweeping goalkeeping, tends to be one of our better players.

Secondly, what has Jamie Ashdown actually done right over the season? Or, more accurately, what has Jamie Ashdown done more right than Paddy Kenny? I can’t remember a single egregious mistake that Kenny has made to directly cost us an important goal in an important match. For example, the Wolves game was an example of him being a clever dick, yet it didn’t lead directly to a goal. Ashdown, on the other hand, let the ball go under his body against Chelsea, costing us a one goal lead and essentially condemning us to a loss, given we had no lead to protect. He’s not Rachubka-esque by any stretch of the imagination, but I can’t remember Jamie Ashdown ever looking entirely comfortable.

This is the thing with goalkeepers, they need to have your trust. I’ve never felt like Paddy Kenny is going to let us down, and in fact, he often wins us points by making saves that he shouldn’t be required to – think of Middlesbrough at home, for example. Ashdown, whenever I watch him, always looks on the cusp of conceding a goal he shouldn’t. We have big problems in the starting eleven, but without a shadow of a doubt Paddy Kenny is not one of them.

Follow Amitai Winehouse on Twitter (@awinehouse1).

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6 thoughts on “Leeds United: Kenny not the problem; Ashdown not the answer”

  1. you must be watching a different game to everyone else.
    how can you say kenny has done nothing wrong .
    the game against wolves – leeds 2-1 up the ball is going out of play for a goal kick ,kenny touches the ball it goes out for a corner which they score from 2 points dropped.
    nearly every game kenny is doing stupid things like against Peterborough ,running out when there was no need putting pressure on the defense and himself same in the game before .
    his distribution is poor at times .
    kenny has saved us at times and did some good saves against palace.

    ashdown hasn’t played much but has been fantastic ,hes a more sensible keeper ,doesn’t take chances and don’t think hes really made any mistakes.

  2. Kenny is very reluctant to step off his line and catch the ball. The second Palace goal came from a cross which 90% of goalkeepers would have simply collected without fuss.

  3. jesus christ Kenny is shite and needs to go, hence why did QPR let him leave as he wasn’t good enough and would have being dropped, how many teams has dickhead warnock got promoted with him that’ll be one and then they got relegated, he is dros who warnock likes as is half of the team and the sooner it is all cleared out the better

  4. I wouldn’t say Kenny is ‘shite’ although, yes, some of his decision making is questionable at times. I still think that his shot stopping is better than most though.

  5. His shot stopping skills are impeccable! Yes he is prone to mistakes but who isn’t? I bet people weren’t complaining when he set up Morrison against palace. Ken bates was right, absolute morons!

  6. P.S. QPR let him go because they signed Green (englands no.2) and Julio Cesar (one of the best keepers to have lived and Brazils no.1). As I said MORONS!

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