Graeme Souness destroys ‘bomb scare’ Everton star Jordan Pickford live on talkSPORT
Graeme Souness has hit out at Everton star Jordan Pickford live on talkSPORT, describing him as a bomb scare and an accident waiting to happen as he assessed the quality of England’s goalkeepers.
The conversation initially began as praise for Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland but quickly descended into an attack on the Everton goalkeeper who Souness claims makes the game all about himself.
The former Liverpool midfielder slammed Pickford for his reactions in games, claiming he shouldn’t be shouting at his defence and should not be noticed during the game.
Speaking live on talkSPORT [8 January, 12:27], Souness ranted: “I don’t think England are terribly blessed for goalkeepers right now. I think he [Pickford] is a bomb scare. He’s an accident waiting to happen.
“I look at him and why he gets annoyed and rushes off his line after making a save and waving his finger and pointing his finger at his teammates – that’s what goalkeepers are paid for, son. To make saves.
“A goalkeeper should be like a referee, making the job look simple. That’s the sign of a top goalkeeper, who goes more or less through the game unnoticed.
“Bruce Grobbelaar did but he didn’t come off the line waving a finger or an arm at his defenders. I like a goalkeeper to be calm and go through the process of having a great game but don’t make it all about you. I just feel with Pickford he does a bit of that.”
Unprovoked and underserved criticism
Souness’ rant came out of nowhere amid praise for another England international, and it turned into an attack on Pickford despite the Everton shot-stopper’s performances so far this season.
It has often been a misconception by those who don’t watch Pickford on a regular basis that he’s overly mistake-prone and only steps up for England, but the truth is he’s one of the most consistently impressive performers in an Everton shirt.
He has stepped up at a time when Everton need him most after their ten-point deduction and has kept them in plenty of games this season with several impressive stops.
The call from Souness for a goalkeeper to go unnoticed and unmentioned is something out of their control and more focused on the defence. If the opposition are having more shots, of course, the goalkeeper is going to be called into action more often.
Ultimately it appears the Scotsman will never be a fan of England’s number one, with his opinion set in stone.
In other Everton news, Arsenal are in intensive talks over a deal for one Everton star.