Sprake is arguably the best keeper ever at Leeds, there might be others that might think Martyn or Harvey should have that mantle but for me Sprake was number one.
He made 381 apperances for Leeds between 1962-1973 making his debut at The Dell after the club paid for a private plane to get him to Southampton as the regular keeper had a stomach complaint. He is probably better known for his gaffs than his brilliance. I remember on my first visit to Anfield back in 1967 when Spake actually threw the ball into his own net. This caused The Kop at full volume to belt out a rendition of Ken Dodds careless hands.
Never saw the guy play, so for me the best keepers we've ever had are as follows:
1. Nigel Martyn
2. Paul Robinson
3. John Lukic
I never saw enough of Banks to rate him above Shilton, either. I actually think Neville Southall was the best British keeper - certainly the one I'd want between the sticks given the choice of any of them.
Lev Yashin is supposed to be the finest of all time, but Schmeichel was incredible too.
Seriously think Neuer could top the lot, given time ..
Sprake was obviously a good keeper but not a great keeper. It should be remembered that he was playing behind a 'great' defence which helped his stats. I think Martyn was a better keeper for Leeds. The best 'one-off' goalkeeping display I ever saw was by Sam Bartram. Saw Frank Swift play but still think Gordon Banks was the best.
NottinghamWhite wrote:Neville Southall ended his career playing for Torquay United & a word that springs to mind to describe him during his Plainmoor days is rotund
Thing is, he wasn't exactly fit when he was at his peak for Everton, was he ??
Sprake's weakness was the team's great strength in defence He didn't have much to do in many games and so, very occasionally, he lacked concentration and there were times it cost us. His discipline wasn't good either. The only thing I can use to gauge who our best keepers have been is choosing ones that have won something with the team. So that's Sprake, Harvey and Lukic/Mervyn Day, though I always rated Martyn the highest, which contradicts everything I've just wittered on about
