The Curse of Scott Carson
Is someone going to try and tell me that it’s a complete coincidence that Scott Carson has seen three spectacular own goals fly past him on the week of Halloween!? The Derby County keeper has been a cursed man this week, left dumbfounded by his colleague’s sudden lack of ability to kick the ball in the right direction.
Of course, there is an argument that Scott Carson has always been a cursed man. Who can forget that fateful night at Wembley in the rain? Everyone’s favourite ‘Wally with a Brolly’ watched on helplessly as, on a rare England appearance, Carson managed to let a low shot down the middle of the goal ricochet off him into the top corner. It was a moment that pretty much destroyed his international career. True it was hapless goalkeeping, but you do feel like Scott Carson is not a man with access to any large mines of luck.
Perhaps it’s the presence of Frank Lampard? Derby’s manager scored a penalty to give England hope on that day in 2007, although it was not enough to save the Three Lions. Maybe, through some other-worldly forces, things are destined to collapse when the two men are within the vicinity of each other on a football pitch. Lampard has had an impressive start to his career as a manager, but he might want to look to the stars and consult a medium over his goalkeeper.
Unlike his gaffe in 2007, though, the comic moments that have haunted Carson this week have not been down to him. On Saturday, right back Jayden Bogle managed to shin an attempted clearance into his own net. It was a tough clearance to make - facing his own goal and looking to volley the ball back over his own head - but for it to go that badly wrong was strangely mesmerising. Oh, and it was in the last few minutes as Derby were leading Middlesbrough 1-0.
Come Wednesday night, and yet more mysteriously comical own goals. Chelsea loanee Fikayo Tomori managed to help out his parent club massively with an early strike into his own net. In fairness, though, the own goal was anything but deliberate as Tomori swung his left leg at the ball, missed it and helplessly watched the ball bounce past Cursed Carson off his standing leg.
Fifteen minutes later and it was deja vu. Another cross from right and this time the culprit was Richard Keogh. The experienced defender couldn’t sort his feet out as the ball came in, and could only haplessly leather the ball off of his shin into the net. For all three own goals, Carson could literally do nothing but think, “why me?”
With the Gods against him, however, Carson has managed to keep it together pretty successfully. Of course, his England career was pretty much over after that night in 2007. But that’s hardly surprising in many ways. The England goalkeeping position does seem to be something of a poisoned chalice. Just ask Paul Robinson, Rob Green and most recently Joe Hart.
On the back of an early career set back, Carson has done well to sustain his career at a good level. A successful spell at West Brom in the Premier League saw a move to Turkey with Bursaspor for a couple of years, before a return to England with Wigan. Now at Derby since 2015, Carson is one of the more established and consistent Championship goalkeepers. Considering the set back he received at the start of his career, you have to take your hat off to him.