Galaxy Chasing Jamaican Goalkeeper

Thanks Nick.

Hmm, I was kinda hoping they'd trade for Hartman (Gato) however I'm just happy they don't want to start with Cannon/Wicks, who IMO both should be sent packing ASAP.

Nick replies: Hmm, did you mean to say Cannon or Cronin?

My bad (it's early morning over here). I wanted to write Cronin.

Nick,

Thanks so much for sharing this info with us. Appreciate it. I am so glad that So Cal has a journalist that stays on top of his craft and his area in the realm of soccer/football.

Have a great holiday season. And, please if your clever ears & nose do hear "whiffs of info" - please continue to share. Cheers!

The ultimate question isn't who's going to be in goal but who's going to play in central defense and central midfield. Unless the Galaxy can get players of substance in those positions, it won't matter if Lev Yashin comes back from the dead to play for the Galaxy.

Does anybody know how Ricketts rates when it comes to organizing a defense? That might be more important than shot-stopping ability, given the relative inexperience of the Galaxy's defenders.

'The Don' played for my club Bradford City in England for a couple of years. He is an excellent shot stopper BUT he is very prone to mistakes. He drops the ball a lot, doesn't collect crosses and concedes a lot of sloppy goals. I was glad to get rid of him so beware!!!

The Don is a good 'keeper, not great on crosses and occasionally loses the plot and comes charging out. But as a shot stopper he's superb, a great guy and good organiser of a defence. I'd have him back at Bradford if he could get a work permit.

Great shot stopper - doesn't come for crosses. Likes to throw the ball rather than kick it. Is prone to a comedy moment in every game he plays. Good entertainment value. Couldn't organise a drunk night out if he was manager at the JD distillery in Tennessee. Other than that he is a nice chap.

As a Bradford City fan, i can say that Ricketts should be OK for LA Galaxy, I think. He's a pretty good shot-stopper and can throw the ball a long way. A couple of down points is that he's shaky as anything on crosses coming into the box (he's 6ft4 and seems scared to go for the ball) and he's probably not the best at organising defences.

As a native of Bradford, I can tell you a little bit more about Donovan Ricketts. In short he's an amazing shot-stopper who can throw the ball almost the full length of the pitch (that's right THROW). The downside being, despite his 6'4" height, he's not too comfortable collecting crosses and doesn't physically command his area as much as he should. He was released from Bradford, I believe, for his lack of consistency last season. On his day he's fantastic, but every so often he'll do something crazy and concede a stupid goal. I hope this has helped all you Californians.

As was said above - the Don is a good shot-stopper but lacks the ability to properly organise a defence. He deserves his place in the Jamaican national side and is most effective when used with a strong defence.

Having said that he is by no means 'world class' or anything close - and should by no means be played in the same team as David Beckham! The gulf in class is unimaginable! (bear in mind Bradford played in the third tier of English football when the Don played for them.)

His entertainment value, however, is undeniable! Watch out for his woeful kicking ability and long throws!