FROM LEMON... TO LEHMANN

HE has been ridiculed, belittled and made fun of.   He was called 'Lehmann the Lemon' for his comical blunders and madcap antics, particular in his first season with the Gunners.

But look who's having the last laugh now?

Jens Lehmann's career has come full circle.   

And after keeping a record of 10 consecutive clean sheets in the Champions League - smashing Edwin van der Sar's record of 658 unbeaten minutes back in his Ajax days - few would begrudge Lehmann the accolades that have come pouring in.

Arsenal captain Thierry Henry called him 'magnificent' while Sol Campbell congratulated Lehmann, saying: ''Jens is in fantastic form now.'

Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann thinks so, too.

Earlier this month, he picked Lehmann over Oliver Kahn to be Germany's No.1 for the World Cup, ending an almost two-year running battle between the two German shot-stoppers.

And just last week, Lehmann signed a one-year contract extension to his current Gunners deal which expires at the end of the season.

But how it could have been oh so different. He has never been the most popular footballer in England.

After his high-profile arrival from Borussia Dortmund in 2003, journalists loved making fun of his humourless and grumpy demeanour.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Lehmann had huge boots to fill - that of Arsenal legend David Seaman, who had been the undisputed No.1 at Highbury for well over a decade.

But Lehmann certainly did himself no favours.

Flashback to May 2004, when Arsenal won the Premiership title, beating Spurs at White Hart Lane.

As the ball ricocheted off the Arsenal bar, Lehmann grabbed Robbie Keane by the shoulders and pulled him into the back of the net.

Keane responded by pushing Lehmann, who comically fell to the ground. Keane scored the resulting penalty and Lehmann's mistake cost his side two points.

Although he won the Premiership title in his first season as Arsenal went unbeaten throughout, critics unanimously viewed Lehmann as the team's weakest link.

High-profile blunders continued in the the 2004 Champions League quarter-final loss to Chelsea.

Lehmann rushed off his goal-line only to miss the ball completely and let in Eidur Gudjohnsen through on goal.

In the return leg, Lehmann could only parry a speculative Claude Makelele shot straight to a delighted and somewhat baffled Frank Lampard.

Arsenal bowed out courtesy of a Wayne Bridge winner.

By the middle of the 2004-05 season, it was no surprise Lehmann was no longer automatic first-choice.

Spaniard Manuel Almunia had been recruited from Celta Vigo to relieve Lehmann.

As luck would have it, Almunia was none too reliable himself and that gave Lehmann a glimmer of hope again.

Slowly and surely, things started to come round for the German giant.

At the end of that season, Lehmann produced a Man-of-the-Match performance against Manchester United in the 2005 FA Cup final, making numerous saves to keep the score 0-0 after extra time, and then crucially saving Paul Scholes' shot in the penalty shootout, which Arsenal won 5-4.

Despite that, the Gunners' search for a new goalkeeper continued. Battling pre-season rumours that the arrival of Uruguayan hotshot Sebastien Viera would threaten his No. 1 spot, Lehmann kept his head down and worked hard.

By the Premiership kick-off in August, the Viera deal had fallen through. Then Lehmann truly came into his own.

This season, the 1.90m giant has been a rock in goal, behind a young and make-shift defence.

Confident, error-free and the voice of reason guiding the likes of the young Matthieu Flamini and Philippe Senderos in front of him.

So what sparked this sudden transformation?

Lehmann says the turning point came 18 months ago when he was dropped and left on the bench by Arsene Wenger in favour of Almunia.

His son broke down in tears as he feared they would have to leave London.

'It was 'do we go or stay here?',' Lehmann said.

'Our eldest child started to cry because he thought he'd have to leave London. So I made up my mind and decided, 'I'm going to stay and get to grips with things here'. I knew I had to up my game even further.'

With the Gunners now within touching distance of the Champions League trophy, and with the World Cup in Germany beckoning, things have never looked brighter for Lehmann.

What a remarkable turnaround it's been.

07:06 - 2006-Apr-28 - post comment