The former Swansea City goalkeeper kept an incredible 22 clean sheets in 46 games in the promotion campaign of 1999-2000 – a season remembered for 1-0 wins in the main.<\/p>\n
And whilst many thought that record would never be beaten – De Vries 8th clean sheet in 14 has already got people reaching for the record books with the Dutchman ahead of Freestone at a comparable stage.<\/p>\n
And that record is one that De Vries would love to take as he told the Western Mail \u201cI was reminded about Roger\u2019s record last week and you\u2019ve always got personal and team targets<\/p>\n
\u201cRoger was a legend at this club, a great goalkeeper for many years at Swansea.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe supporters still talk about him, but those were different times and over the last couple of years at Swansea we\u2019ve liked to play attractive football.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo at times you\u2019re a little bit exposed. But it will be a great team effort if we can beat that record.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might be the goalkeeper\u2019s name (on the record) but it\u2019s not really like that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s down to the whole team and you can see that when Craig Beattie pulled off a great clearance on the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a major difference because otherwise you\u2019re 1-0 down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many predicted at the start of the season that zonal marking would prove to be the Swans downfall but eight games and no goals conceded from set pieces tends to suggest that the system is working \u201cIn Holland when I was playing in the Eredivisie, three or four teams were doing it and they were pretty good at it,\u201d said de Vries.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about being aggressive in those zonal positions \u2013 taking responsibility for your two or three metres of zone \u2013 and you can see our players growing in those positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the aggression has come the confidence to defend your zone and it has worked for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarking zonally has been the main thing \u2013 the gaffer has stood tall to bring it in \u2013 but there are lots of differences to the way we defended under Roberto.<\/p>\n
\u201cPaulo has got a real eye for small details and he is building on from what Roberto left here.\u201d<\/p>\n