A problem in keeping with policy at Reds

HERE'S a pub quiz question: how many goalkeepers played for United in the six years between Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar? The answer is ten.

- SAMUEL LUCKHURST

In case you were wondering about the names: Bosnich, Van der Gouw, Culkin, Taibi, Barthez, Rachubka, Goram, Carroll, Ricardo, Howard.

It was telling Sir Alex Ferguson was not present for the unveiling of the first, Mark Bosnich. On his first day of pre-season training at The Cliff (where Bosnich had trained during his first spell with United), the Australian was late. By the end of the campaign, Bosnich had played for United for the last time.

The longest to last as No.1 was Fabien Barthez and his shelf life did not even extend to three seasons. Barthez's denouement to the 200203 campaign was spent on the bench after two porous performances in the Champions League quarter-finals against Real Madrid.

A month before Van der Sar signed his paperwork at Carrington in 2005, Ferguson was so uncertain of Roy Carroll he ordered Tim Howard to warm-up with a penalty shootout looming in the FA Cup final. Howard had stopped two Arsenal spot-kicks in the previous season's Community Shield but he kept his tracksuit top on. All five Arsenal penalties flew past Carroll as they regained the cup.

Ferguson faced more trial and error after Van der Sar retired. David de Gea was dropped for Anders Lindegaard after his 22nd start the infamous New Year's Eve home defeat to Blackburn in 2011.

The chopping and changing continued into the next season. United shipped 32 goals and conceded first in 14 of their first 22 madcap fixtures. De Gea had started in 12 and Lindegaard 10.