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How Good is Mark Schwarzer?

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KBFulhams latest article inspired me to look a little closer at our keeper, so I thought I`d delve into the wonderful world of statistics.

Many people believe statistics mean absolutely nothing.

The answer to who was the better team is displayed clearly on the scoreboard at the end of ninety minutes. Who cares how much time of possession a team had.

It`s about winning and losing, right? Well, yes? and no. I`m a big believer in statistics. Winners and losers are obvious, but the truth of how they got there can often be revealed in those useless numbers compiled after every match. Which brings me to my question – how good is Mark Schwarzer?

Fulham have conceded 27 goals through 31 games, tied with Arsenal for 4th best in the league, and we`re 6th in the league with 12 clean sheets.

Good defense, right? Not really! Schwarzer has faced 171 shots on goal; 3rd most in the league.

More importantly, he`s made 144 saves; 1st in the league.

Now, I don`t know what you get from these numbers, but here`s what I get?

1) Our keeper is even better than I thought he was.

2) Our defense, despite the presence of Hangeland, is not what it should be and needs to be improved mightily over the summer.

In my mind, I had already penciled in Hangeland as our player of the year, but after this little exercise, I think I may change my vote.

So back to my original question – how good is Mark Schwarzer?

Answer: Really Damn Good! (But, you didn`t need numbers to tell you that, did you?)

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