25 Feb 2026 18:07:44
Just like it soon became common knowledge that De Gea was suspect at crosses in the early days, and opposition teams targeted him as a result, word will soon get round that Lammens is very good in the air.

Hopefully, that helps with situation where players crowd round our keeper in the box at corners.

As an ex-keeper, I really like what I see with him, just as I had my doubts about Obama from day one.

Real cool customer for a young lad.

{Ed025's Note - im not sure the ex-president of the USA was much of a keeper Noucamp.. :)

1.) 25 Feb 2026
25 Feb 2026 18:36:53
I shouldn't probably be typing while I'm cooking, Ed. Mind you, I'd fancy Obama between the sticks over the other one. ?

{Ed025's Note - absolutely Noucamp, enjoy your dinner mate..

2.) 25 Feb 2026
25 Feb 2026 18:45:33
I'd back Michelle over him too.

{Ed025's Note - but he did get Barack,d a bit Key.. :)

3.) 26 Feb 2026
26 Feb 2026 01:49:35
Remember watching Stoke assaulting DDG on crosses, and he got no bloody calls at all. They would just plough into him, and then people would say he was rubbish on crosses. Crazy. I've been impressed with Lammens. What Everton were doing was anti-football.

I can't believe the ref doesn't just blow up for the foul and grab control of the game. Who wants to watch that nonsense. The stupid thing is that they have big players who would probably score if they just attacked a decent old-school corner.

4.) 26 Feb 2026
26 Feb 2026 06:13:03
Of their 10 corners, 5 should have been blown for a free out for us. It's the only way to stop it; favour the goalkeeper and defending team. It would stop the silly battles. The Yoro push should have been a yellow for Tarkowski and a free out.

5.) 26 Feb 2026
26 Feb 2026 07:35:25
It's all getting a bit silly, as is the time taken to take throw-ins, what with drying the ball. The authorities are useless. The laws are there today, but referees seem not to want to use them.

6.) 26 Feb 2026
26 Feb 2026 08:13:45
The corners - it's clear obstruction on the keeper every time. This isn't American football, where you can block players; even in rugby, I don't think they can block players, yet the utterly useless authorities are letting GK be blocked.

They are not leading on this. (Like they are not on VAR.) Are they worried it might upset Arsenal? Simply instruct the referees: blocking the keeper is obstruction; give a free kick to the defending team every time.

7.) 26 Feb 2026
26 Feb 2026 12:18:56
We do it too, Redman, and Jane only scored 2 less than Arsenal at set pieces, so we are just as guilty.

8.) 26 Feb 2026
26 Feb 2026 13:45:24
Tumble, because it's allowed and has been successful, everyone is doing it. The pushing, shoving and holding is ridiculous. It's really impossible to determine who's at fault, the attackers or the defenders. It's the complete antithesis of the beautiful game.

It will continue until the authorities find a way to stop it. A rule change at the end of the season should be regarded as a priority. No attackers on the goal line, and a limit of, say, 3, in the goal area before a corner or throw in is taken.

9.) 26 Feb 2026
26 Feb 2026 15:30:03
Arsenal have been getting away with crowding the goalkeeper and blocking them too. Hopefully, after the Everton game, officials will start to punish those offenders from now on.

10.) 26 Feb 2026
26 Feb 2026 16:07:48
It's gone crazy, but I don't agree with that suggestion at all in terms of a limit on people in the goal area. You'd swear some never saw Joe Jordan play. It's been happening since football started, but it's not to a crazy level.

I'm not sure how to stop it, but it starts with refs. Keepers are over protected, imo, it's a bit of a conundrum. You could award 3 pens and 3 free outs for offences at every corner kick.

11.) 26 Feb 2026
26 Feb 2026 18:25:48
It's totally crazy how refs are letting it go. It's become a total joke, even if we do it. Refs should just blow the whistle and award a free kick, book the offender with a straight yellow, and on the 2nd time send them off. It needs to be stamped out. It's like tuning into wrestling, and it's been getting worse.

It has got to be stopped! Refs need to be told to deal with it. They are looking straight at it most of the time, but VAR is just as bad; they watch it too. Love to see the excuses for why they're letting this go on.

12.) 26 Feb 2026
26 Feb 2026 20:36:57
Scrap corners. Fixed.

13.) 26 Feb 2026
26 Feb 2026 21:20:59
Chelsea had a tactic that seemed to work against Arsenal for corners. They had several of their players sprint out of the box as the corner was about to be taken. It forced several Arsenal players to go with them, as they couldn't risk the ball breaking to them, since they would have had 5 vs 3.

The other advantage is that, with fewer defenders in the box, the ref has less to observe and will see the fouling of the keeper much more easily.

14.) 27 Feb 2026
27 Feb 2026 00:47:44
What if the attacking team surrounds the keeper in a circle and links arms? Is it a foul? At some point, common sense has to take over and say that these anti-football tactics are bad for the game. No one has been shouting about 1 player standing with the keeper unless they push into them and foul them. Standing and fighting for your own space is fine. Jumping and challenging the keeper without wiping them out is fine (and often keepers are overprotected). I think the issue is when the attacking team builds a wall of players around a keeper in a box, and then they all push under them to affect their jumping, coupled with inswinging corners.

I quite like limiting the number of attacking players allowed in the 6-yard box before the kick is taken. 1 would be fine. Once taken, the players can run in if needed, but the space is already there and the keeper has room to breathe. We might see a few more towering headers from 10 yards out, which seem a rarity these days.

15.) 28 Feb 2026
28 Feb 2026 13:37:39
Dodgy, common sense would be that any attempt to block or impede the keeper without a clear attempt at winning the ball is a foul.

To be completely honest it can still be a foul even when you are attempting to win the ball.

I think the biggest problem this tactic creates and ultimately relies on is that it's always been hard for officials to see every single infringement of the rules in the melee that often happens at corners and freekicks from wide areas. The Ref only has one set of eyes and he can't be watching 14 different players at the same time.

This tactic of swamping the keeper makes it almost impossible for a Ref to see what is happening amongst the flurry of bodies.

In terms of how the FA deal with it, I could see a rule coming into force next season that attempts to deal with it. Whether it's a redrafting of existing rules with greater emphasis placed on protecting keepers, or whether it's an entirely new rule (something like only one opposition player is allowed within 2 yards of the keeper when a corner is taken) who knows. But something will be changed ahead of next season.

Until then managers will have to find ways to deal with it.

Whether that is allowing crosses into the box rather than blocking them and giving away the corner.

Pushing more of your players out of the box when defending corners, forcing the opposition to react and making it easier for officials to see infractions against the keeper.

Using your defenders to act as blockers and clear a path for the keeper.

Instruct your keeper to be theatrical and go down with every touch (knowing that if the keeper goes down 99% of the time the Ref will give the foul).

Or resulting to the dark arts, "accidentally" stepping on Gabriel's achilles tendon with your studs as you follow him in for the corner, a sly elbow, or Vinnie Jones greeting. Sure you might give away a penalty, but if they are going to score from a corner anyway you might as well make sure they don't want to use the same tactic again.

If two or three teams ends up injuring key players for teams using these tactics then it both reduces their ability to use those tactics while the player is out injured, and makes teams less inclined to keep using tactics that are getting their players injured. Also as we get closer to the end of the season and with a World cup just months away players will be less inclined to put themselves at risk of an injury.

I'm certainly not a fan or the dark arts or over exaggerating contact to win the foul. But if that is the only way to overcome this awful tactic (at least until the authorities can adapt the rules) then so be it.