Brad Jones (Liverpool -> Bradford City)

Have nothing but the greatest respect and admiration for the way this guy has conducted himself throughout, hat's off to you Brad.

What great week for him and his family.

Amazing the way things worked out for him.

Big respect.

So much respect and admiration for this man, if only he could play in the final, would love for him to be involved somehow, but he seems happy enough to be left out.

Rip Luca.

Karma. He deserves alot of happiness after what he's endured, happy for Brad!

Well done Brad, you did Liverpool and your two sons very proud today.

Posted this in the other thread after seeing that picture that is floating around but I'm gonna post I here as well:

The whole brad jones thing for me, is more satisfying than the result. The guy deserves it more than anything in the world after what he's been through. So sad, but I'm so happy that he could play in such a big game in tribute to Luca. It's a memory he will treasure for the rest of his life, and will perhaps give him something positive to look back on when he thinks of his son.

Probably done enough to be our sub keeper at Wembley but even he'll know Pepe is gonna be first choice. Few dodgy moments both today and against Blackburn but all in all been a good stand in keeper.

I have a feeling Doni will leave in summer. I hope Jones becomes number 2 then. Was shaky at first but then came strong and confident at the end. Not to mention what he is been through and finally getting a chance to play. Proud of him!

He has the same hairdresser as Henderson.

Did well today for a 3rd choice keeper. He deserves it.

Rest easy tonight.
Nobody deserved that moment more.
YNWA

Anyone who wants somoene to idol or look up to, the need look no further than Brad.

Well played today, no one deserved it more than you.

YNWA!

Well done Aussie Brad. 

You were given your chance and you made the most of it. You nearly pulled off that save with your legs from Jelevic. Bad Luck but it's gonna be great seeing you with a Winners Medal around your neck in a months time. Proud of you.

After all the trauma and heartache Brad has been through  this last year he deserves all the success going,considering he has not played much competitive football I thought he did a fantastic job.Well done Brad.

Well done Brad.

That catch he managed towards the end of the game....

Like a boss!!

Delighted for him.

If it wasn't for the defensive error he could have had a clean sheet, good finish from Jelavic but Brad nearly had it.

I have the highest respect for him and am proud to have him at the club.

He's got massive respect from me has Brad, his whole world has been turned upside down and then in a game where he admits Luca was on his mind all the way through the game, he kept his focus and helped us progress to the final, I honestly wouldn't mind Brad playing in the FA cup final, he deserves his day probably more than most.

I'd love to see him come on as a sub if/when the game is sewn up.

Daily Fail but still ...

Meanwhile, third-choice goalkeeper Brad Jones accepts his involvement in Liverpool's season has probably now ended after just two appearances but feels he has played his part.

The Australia international became the first player in the club's history to play his first four competitive matches in four different competitions having made his first start since December 2010 in the FA Cup semi-final win over Everton.

Having not even made a first-team squad during Kenny Dalglish's second spell in charge he was thrust into the action when he came off the substitutes' bench to save a penalty in Tuesday's Barclays Premier League victory at Blackburn.

With Pepe Reina and Alexander Doni both suspended the 30-year-old was the only choice for Wembley but did what was asked of him with little cause for concern as Liverpool reached the FA Cup final for the first time since 2006.

Reina comes back from his three-match ban this week and, barring injury or further suspension, is certain to be the man between the posts when the team returns to Wembley on May 5.

'I think it will take more than two games to put pressure on Pepe,' admitted Jones.

'He's done it over, what, six or seven years? At the end of the day, Pepe's one of the best in the world, so I'm not going to be losing any sleep over not playing, no.
United: Jones (right) with Pepe Reina

United: Jones (right) with Pepe Reina

'That performance might be the last one I get but it's all about the club and making sure we get another trophy.

'For me, I've come in and done a job when needed and I'm proud of that, proud to be a Liverpool player.

'Whatever else is a bonus.'

The relationship between Liverpool's goalkeepers is good and Reina was one of the first to celebrate with Jones at the final whistle.

'I probably can't repeat a lot of what was said but I just said to him "Go out and get us a trophy",' added the former Middlesbrough goalkeeper, who sat on the bench for two finals during his time with the Teessiders.

'It's obviously difficult for him and Doni to have missed the game.

'They were both disappointed - I know Doni was devastated to miss the opportunity.

'But the fact that we've got another opportunity to come back now, it's up to the boys to get the win.

'We're all good mates. I think the group of goalkeepers that we've got have been fantastic.

'Whoever goes out there has just got to do the same job and make sure that we get the trophy.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2130039/Kenny-Dalglish-backs-Andy-Carroll-Jordan-Henderson.html#ixzz1s9dBWmWH

Well played Brad.

He got better as the game progressed and showed alot of heart.

Nice article I thought I'd share.

Brad Jones: Heart as Big as Liverpool

Posted on 17. Apr, 2012 by Liam Tomkins

Rarely has a player who has featured so scarcely for Liverpool become so popular with the Anfield faithful. But Brad Jones, who has kept goal for just 274 minutes since joining in 2010, has found a special place in the hearts of the Kop usually reserved for decorated legends and local lads.

To understand Jones’ popularity on Merseyside we must first learn his story, a tale of much more than football; one which begins with unimaginable grief and suffering.

Brad was a Liverpool player when his son Luca was first diagnosed with leukaemia. You never forget where you were when you received such news; it is permantly etched into your subconscience, ready to be recalled by a picture, a sound, even a smell which was once associated with that place. For Jones, that place was over 10,000 miles from home.

For a year Luca battled bravely to overcome his illness, and the supporters of this football club did what they always do; they rallied around the family, of which they knew very little due to Brad’s relatively low profile and quiet persona.

Messages of support flooded in from the world over, even while the stopper was out on loan at Derby County, but on the 18th November 2011 six-year-old Luca sadly lost his fight, leaving Brad and his girlfriend Dani Lawrence behind, alone in a strange environment.

But they were not alone. Not at all, actually. The extended family that they became a part of when they moved to Merseyside did everything within their power to carry the couple through the most trying of times.

Brad and Dani took to Twitter to keep in touch with those wishing them well, and have continued to do so ever since. At every low point, and there have doubtless been many, the supporters have been there to offer a hand back up.

A bond formed with someone at their most vulnerable is the strongest kind; it is a bond for life, and one which explains the special relationship between Brad Jones and the supporters of Liverpool Football Club.

Fast forward to 10th April 2012, Blackburn vs Liverpool in the Premier League. Doni, Pepe Reina’s deputy, sees red for bringing down Junior Hoilett in the box and Jones rushes on to replace him. This is the first time that the Australian has featured in the Premier League with a Liverbird upon his chest, and his first act is to save a penalty kick.

If only for a moment the clouds that had hung over him for the past 18 months parted, making way for the promised golden sky. He turns around to acknowledge the travelling Kop behind him before looking upwards to send a message to Luca: “that was for you”.

Jones walked away from Ewood Park as a winner in more sense than one, and barely had he time to process it before being thrust into his next match, the biggest of his career to date against Everton in the The FA Cup Semi-Final at Wembley.

He didn’t have an awful lot to do if truth be told, but everything he did, he did with the confidence and assurance of a goalkeeper inspired by the supporters, who cheered his every touch. Sporting the Anthony Nolan charity logo on his gloves, he inspired us too with a show of strength and courage that far exceeded anything most of us will ever be able to comprehend, let alone emulate.

Another victory brought a happy end to a week in which Jones’ girlfriend gave birth to a baby boy, Nico Luca, whose alleigances have already been determined.

Nico Luca Jones in his first Liverpool kit.

Clearly Liverpool, the city, the football club and its supporters have made a lasting impression on Brad Jones, and he on us.

Wherever life may take him in future the man with a heart as big as Liverpool, and his family, will always have a home to come back to on Merseyside, and the words of this famous anthem will evoke in them emotions which only those who truly connect with the club can ever understand.

http://www.kopsource.com/brad-jones-heart-as-big-as-liverpool/

Couldn't embed this in the article, so......

The Mighty WAH! - Heart As Big As Liverpool (full version)

Nice article I thought I'd share.

Brad Jones: Heart as Big as Liverpool

Posted on 17. Apr, 2012 by Liam Tomkins

Rarely has a player who has featured so scarcely for Liverpool become so popular with the Anfield faithful. But Brad Jones, who has kept goal for just 274 minutes since joining in 2010, has found a special place in the hearts of the Kop usually reserved for decorated legends and local lads.

To understand Jones’ popularity on Merseyside we must first learn his story, a tale of much more than football; one which begins with unimaginable grief and suffering.

Brad was a Liverpool player when his son Luca was first diagnosed with leukaemia. You never forget where you were when you received such news; it is permantly etched into your subconscience, ready to be recalled by a picture, a sound, even a smell which was once associated with that place. For Jones, that place was over 10,000 miles from home.

For a year Luca battled bravely to overcome his illness, and the supporters of this football club did what they always do; they rallied around the family, of which they knew very little due to Brad’s relatively low profile and quiet persona.

Messages of support flooded in from the world over, even while the stopper was out on loan at Derby County, but on the 18th November 2011 six-year-old Luca sadly lost his fight, leaving Brad and his girlfriend Dani Lawrence behind, alone in a strange environment.

But they were not alone. Not at all, actually. The extended family that they became a part of when they moved to Merseyside did everything within their power to carry the couple through the most trying of times.

Brad and Dani took to Twitter to keep in touch with those wishing them well, and have continued to do so ever since. At every low point, and there have doubtless been many, the supporters have been there to offer a hand back up.

A bond formed with someone at their most vulnerable is the strongest kind; it is a bond for life, and one which explains the special relationship between Brad Jones and the supporters of Liverpool Football Club.

Fast forward to 10th April 2012, Blackburn vs Liverpool in the Premier League. Doni, Pepe Reina’s deputy, sees red for bringing down Junior Hoilett in the box and Jones rushes on to replace him. This is the first time that the Australian has featured in the Premier League with a Liverbird upon his chest, and his first act is to save a penalty kick.

If only for a moment the clouds that had hung over him for the past 18 months parted, making way for the promised golden sky. He turns around to acknowledge the travelling Kop behind him before looking upwards to send a message to Luca: “that was for you”.

Jones walked away from Ewood Park as a winner in more sense than one, and barely had he time to process it before being thrust into his next match, the biggest of his career to date against Everton in the The FA Cup Semi-Final at Wembley.

He didn’t have an awful lot to do if truth be told, but everything he did, he did with the confidence and assurance of a goalkeeper inspired by the supporters, who cheered his every touch. Sporting the Anthony Nolan charity logo on his gloves, he inspired us too with a show of strength and courage that far exceeded anything most of us will ever be able to comprehend, let alone emulate.

Another victory brought a happy end to a week in which Jones’ girlfriend gave birth to a baby boy, Nico Luca, whose alleigances have already been determined.

Nico Luca Jones in his first Liverpool kit.

Clearly Liverpool, the city, the football club and its supporters have made a lasting impression on Brad Jones, and he on us.

Wherever life may take him in future the man with a heart as big as Liverpool, and his family, will always have a home to come back to on Merseyside, and the words of this famous anthem will evoke in them emotions which only those who truly connect with the club can ever understand.

http://www.kopsource.com/brad-jones-heart-as-big-as-liverpool/

Great article. Thanks for posting.

After the events of the past week or so, Brad Jones' place in LFC folklore is guaranteed.