Who was/is the best Villa goalie ever?

[pendinevilla]

In terms of kicking distance I don't think anyone approaches Cumbes. He could land them on the edge of the opposition 18yard box on a good day.
If I remember rightly he also had a mean throw.
Didn't he used to play top flight cricket as well?

[hawkeye]

In terms of kicking distance I don't think anyone approaches Cumbes. He could land them on the edge of the opposition 18yard box on a good day.
If I remember rightly he also had a mean throw.
Didn't he used to play top flight cricket as well?

yes bowled for worcs, there was a famous goal from a kick of his and a kick that bounced in the penalty area and went over the bar

[cdbearsfan]

Rimmer for consistency, Bosnich a close second for one-offs. Some of his displays were amazing.

You're right and he had that one spell, I can't remember the season, when he saved two pens at Tottenham (1 re-taken?), after saving one at Villa Park the Saturday before. At that point he was seriously unbeatable. The natural talent was better than anything I've seen at Villa. But, I always had my doubs about how good he could have become because of his suspect kicking. The better teams you play will punish them.

I think he actually saved two penalty kicks at Tottenham three days after saving three against Tranmere. There's a player who left Villa to further his career, and what a success he made of that! A lesson to any fat midfielders in the Hastings area who might be reading...

[cdbearsfan]

In terms of kicking distance I don't think anyone approaches Cumbes. He could land them on the edge of the opposition 18yard box on a good day.
If I remember rightly he also had a mean throw.
Didn't he used to play top flight cricket as well?

Played for the scummy Pears. Now Chief Exec of Lancashire CCC.

[hawkeye]

i am strugling to remember the game when rimmer made the best save i have ever seen live, i know it was at the holte end as i was right behind the goal, the ball came across and bounced about 2 yards in front of the right hand side of the goal, the player i think was manu larraped it and somehow rimmer dived and parried what looked like a certain goal from point blank range, there were games in the championship winning season that he kepy us in the game before we decided to beat the opposition, if my memory serves me right, didnt we go a goal down several times before going on to win the game that season

[pendinevilla]

My recollections of that season were our ability to go out and soak up the pressure for about 20mins - if we conceded it didn't really matter because we seemed to assess the opposition in that period and then start to play.
It happened too often for it to have been a coincidence.

[Chris Harte]

No Mervyn Day or Kevin Poole in the poll? :smt002

[Oscar Arce]

In terms of kicking distance I don't think anyone approaches Cumbes. He could land them on the edge of the opposition 18yard box on a good day.
If I remember rightly he also had a mean throw.
Didn't he used to play top flight cricket as well?

Cumbes' kicking was awesome.
He sent the ball downfield one bounce for Andy Lochead to score in front of the Holte against Shrewsbury, and several other 'assists' I can remember, including one on his debut against Oldham in a 6-0 thrashing.
His kicking aside, he actually was a pretty poor goalkeeper in my opinion.
Interesting Willie mentioned John Dunn, he also got a bit of stick from the crowd I can remember, and was'nt that consistent.
Withers, my original choice as just sneaking into my top five, kept us in games when we were a very poor side, all I can remember from my first visits to Villa Park was his saves, although I also remember him punching the ball into his own net!
Anyone remember John Phillips ?

[OldUser]

Scott Carson had a great kick on him.

[Flamingo Lane]

One of Coombe's kicks can be viewed on the History of Aston Villa video, at Blackpool in 1975 when Brian Little scored.

[Deano's Mullet]

just found this excellent video featuring jimmy rimmer

[charlie]

Rimmer by far, he was reliable, instinctive, gave confidence to McNaught and Evans, good distribution, told the defence what to do and made himself big. Rimme last season we could have been 5th easily. He was helped by the abovementioned pair and Swain who gave him an outlet, and Wiiliams who often became a 3rd centre back, but he was very good......, and I grew up watching the best.. Banks, then Shilton!

[peter w]

I even remember coming out to take a throw-in one game.

[pendinevilla]

In terms of kicking distance I don't think anyone approaches Cumbes. He could land them on the edge of the opposition 18yard box on a good day.
If I remember rightly he also had a mean throw.
Didn't he used to play top flight cricket as well?

Anyone remember John Phillips ?

I remember Phillips - didn't he come from Chelsea? Not a bad keeper actually.

[E I Adio]

Jim Cumbes did have an awesome kick as well as a great throw, but you could also rely on him at least once in every game - (sometimes several times), leaping for the high cross, arms outstretched, reaching for the sky, only to see the ball sail way over his outstretched fingers. He was a tall guy, but I guess he thought he was even taller.

Agree with many others that Jimmy Rimmer was the best Villa keeper I have seen, but Colin Withers was my first goalie hero. He was spectacular in a miserably poor Villa side in the 60's, so he always had lots to do, although he did punch the ball into his own net from a corner at the Holte end which stunned the crowd into silence. If I remember correctly, his career at Villa Park seemed to come to an abrupt end very quickly afterwards.