Steve Nicol's opinions as a soccer-panelist guru do not often coincide with mine. No matter -- I like listening to Nicol when he takes part in those TV soccer panels. Because he brings to the studio, to the frequently tedious and over-clever discussions, a genuine soccer voice that, it seems to me, has managed to remain uncorrupted by both the modern -- and often ludicrous -- soccer jargon, and by the much more pernicious nonsense and mendacious drivel of the marketing mob.

It is one of the persistent claims from the goalkeeping fraternity that, in addition to making saves and preventing goals, they also contribute to a team's attacking play.