blog.great-save.com

By Danny Wright

Blunder-prone keeper Heurelho Gomes believes he is getting better with every match and has revealed how manager Harry Redknapp has given the under-fire stopper a much needed confidence boost.

The Brazilian - touted as a world-class replacement for an out-of-form Paul Robinson before he left the club for Blackburn in the summer - has endured a nightmare start to the season, his latest error coming in a 2-1 defeat to Fulham earlier this month.

But the 27-year-old says he is growing in stature and can find the form that earned him the £8m summer switch from PSV Eindhoven.

“It’s not an excuse but the team didn’t start well this season and that is not good for the keeper or anyone,” Gomes told The Sun.

“For goalkeepers it is a more difficult situation. But every time I’ve talked to the manager (Harry Redknapp), he’s said ‘I believe in you, I know you well and watched many games in Holland and in the Champions League,”

“This was very important for me. I’m very happy here and know I had a bad time but now I have confidence.”

Gomes kept a rare clean sheet in Spurs UEFA Cup win over Nijmegen on Thursday, and he has revealed how improved communication with his defenders will get him back on track.

He added: “I have been shouting louder at the defenders. The communication is much better and I understand what they want.

“I am very happy about the last two games, the results are really good for the team’s confidence and to keep two clean sheets is very good for me.”

A new keeper could still be on there way to White Hart Lane in January, though, despite Gomes new-found belief; Jussi Jaaskelainen and Shay Given have been linked with a move to the London club as a replacement for the blundering keeper.

Bolton and Newcastle have both denied that that keepers are leaving their respective clubs, yet that may prove difficult to ensure in light of a lucrative move to Redknapp’s side.