It's a strange role, that of a backup goalkeeper.
While you know that your job is nothing more than a replacement for the first-choice shot-stopper if he goes mental and gets sent off or falls victim to an injury, on the other hand, you're being handsomely paid to train in the sport you love and don't have to deal with the pressure of making mistakes. So maybe they weren't unfortunate souls, but lucky chancers? We are arguing that all professionals want to play, and in that case they are unfortunate.
You know where you stand when the man who's job it is for you to back up leaves the club and the fans cry out for the need for a goalkeeper to be signed, but these lads just couldn't hold down that coveted number one shirt.
Stuart Taylor
Just look at these appearance stats, clearly the king of the backup goalkeeper position:
Richard Wright
He was number one in two spells at Ipswich, but after wasting the best part of his career at Arsenal before in more recent years he's been a Manchester City "player". We put player in quotation marks because he's been there since 2012 and never made an appearance.
Somehow he is still there.
Hilario
Non-Chelsea fans absolute loved Hilario. The sight of him in goal meant something had happened to Petr Cech and that soft goals were soon to be conceded by the Blues.
Raimond Van Der Gouw
Probably the best keeper on this list, Van Der Gouw could have been a first choice goalkeeper for most Premier League sides but instead made just 32 appearances in six years as Peter Schmeichel's backup at Manchester United.
Alex Manninger
Not content with playing second fiddle to David Seaman for five years, Manninger then played for eight different clubs in the six years after he left Arsenal, before he decided to join Juventus... Who Gianluigi Buffon still plays for.
Tony Sylva
He did always start for his nation, Senegal, including at the 2002 World Cup, but at club level Sylva played just 24 times in a staggering 11 year stint as backup goalkeeper for AS Monaco.
Anders Lindegaard
A very solid keeper who was even suggested as starting keeper over David De Gea during the young Spaniard's early struggles at Old Trafford, but soon he was taking a spot on the bench where he stayed until... Hang on, he's still there. Lindegaard is one of five keepers on United's books at time of writing, and has been told he can leave the club.
Steve Harper
Steve Harper never really got a shot during his 20 year spell at Newcastle, and was second fiddle to many keepers during that time, including Shay Given. After moving to Hull City, he soon lost his place to Alan McGregor before being rotated back in because the Scot was just awful.
Pinto
Ah Pinto, probably the most iconic player on this list for his hilarious hair, Pinto has won everything there is to win in the European club game, and he's barely made a save while doing it. Only playing when Victor Valdes got injured, the terrible problems Valdes experienced in recent years just highlighted that Pinto wasn't good enough to play for Barca. He has since retired and makes music now. Google him for a laugh.
Tony Warner
Nothing needs to be said, just look at this:
Carlo Nash
"That Nash guy at the bottom of the substitutes" played exactly 0 league games from 2008 until 2014, the last six years of his professional career. When he did play, he typically made mistakes.
Steve Simonsen
Despite four seasons as Stoke's #1 keeper in the Championship, Simonsen was a benchwarmer everywhere else he went, including Rangers in 2013, despite them being relegated to Scotland's League One.
