Foster: I Needed To Hear Harsh Words

Ben Foster might not be Edwin van der Sar's true heir as he looks very shaky whenever put under pressure but at least he looks like a real professional. He faced up to his mistakes against Man City like a man - after a while.

'After last Sunday I pretty much buried my head in the sand to be honest,' he told The Manchester Evening News.

'I didn't really want to watch the television and the next day… the papers, there was no way I was reading any of them.

'But when we got into training, you have to face up to it. You have to look at the replays and analyse it and learn from it.

'Our goalie coach Eric Steele has been on at me all week and has been hard on me really - but I needed that and I like to think I have learnt from it.

'I am absolutely delighted with the boss for sticking by me. Last Sunday was a disaster for me personally. It was a great day for the team but for me I was absolutely gutted after it.

'I was the only one in the changing room with an upside down smile on his face.'

I'm rooting for Foster to finally prove himself and his attitude seems to be perfect - the problem is that we cannot be certain that he ever learns to cope with the demands of keeping goal for Manchester United. Tim Howard could not handle that pressure, even though he's proved countless times at Everton that he's a top class goalkeeper. Foster must pray to be given a little more luck.

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