Friedel Grabs The Rovers Plaudits

Blackburn Rovers hero Brad Friedel has been deservedly praised by Manager Mark Hughes following his penalty saves, that's right SAVES (two of them!) and rightly so.

"He's earned his money and we're grateful to him but we shouldn't have been in that position," said Hughes speaking when on the official Blackburn Rovers website when also referring to the decisions by referee Mike Dean to award Sheffield United with two penalties, the second of which would be given following the recommendation of one of his assistants.

Hughes would also say:

"Thankfully Brad Friedel was in outstanding form today."

Any suggestions that the legendary 35-year-old American goalkeeper is in any way shape or form below his usual high standards were well and truly put to rest and not only not only due his two penalty saves, he made a number of other fine and important saves.

The two penalties saved at Bramall Lane, the first from David Unsworth, the second from Rob Hulse, would take his seasons tally to three saves (adding to the one he saved in the opening day defeat at Portsmouth from Nwankwo Kanu) from four spot kicks. He would even dive the right way, and even get something on the Frank Lampard one that did beat him.

Friedel has a reputation for saving spot kick, with his penalty saving antics in the 2002 World Cup Finals in Japan and Korea for the United States seeing him dubbed with the title "The Human Wall."

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