safe pair of hands

noun3

1. •
   The ability to catch and keep hold of (the ball, etc.)
2. •
   A player who has this ability.

   • the veteran shot-stopper has proved to be a safe, capable pair of hands over the years — 2010
3. •
   (figurative) An experienced person (especially a leader) who can be trusted to do a decent job and not to make serious mistakes; often in relation to a task which is difficult and important; often suggesting blandness or a contrast to someone brilliant but erratic.

   • The solid, reliable Monsieur Pompidou was there, as safe a pair of hands as the most timorous bourgeois could wish for — 1998