England's disappointing opener in the World Cup football finals in South Africa will be analysed and debated at length throughout the land. Many pundits and armchair critics will be feeling very sorry for Robert Green, who committed a really horrendous goalkeeping error, in the match against the USA which ended in a one all draw yesterday. England fans have suffered in the past with howlers from goalkeepers: David James, Paul Robinson and Scott Carson. David James was known as Calamity James. (Just think of that match years ago against Denmark. When he played for Liverpool he was also known as Cinderella: late for the ball.) One comment last night seem to say a lot: Green looked green. Yes, Robert Green committed a basic error that made him look like a Sunday afternoon player in the local park, really green at goalkeeping. Sadly he's now in the hall of shame.
Paul Robinson is a fine goalkeeper who lost his confidence and England place. He also lost his confidence playing for Tottenham Hotspur and was transferred to Blackburn Rovers, where he now excels. (Robbo, in the England jersey, missed what seemed to be a easy clearance when the ball bobbled in Zagreb a few years ago. It was an embarassing goalkeeping mistake. Then Scott Carson committed another howler against Croatia, which played a significant part in England's elimination from the European championships.) Last season Paul Robinson definitely had more clean sheets and far better performances between the posts than Robert Green, who looked far from confident at times for West Ham during their abysmal season close to the Premier League drop zone. The Hammers' defensive frailties around him did not help. I hope that Robert Green is able to keep his confidence and improve on his performances, just like Robbo has done. And perhaps we will win another...
No comments:
Post a Comment