It's been a while, for me anyway, since I mentioned that big tournament just 4 months away. You know the one in South Africa that England are going to win. Stop the giggling. Rio Ferdinand is going to get to lift the World Cup come July of that I'm sure.
And yes it will now be Rio's face we remember lifting the trophy in years to come and not the now ex captain John Terry. Of course on reading the title of this post you'd probably be thinking the comma is a typo and I'm about to embark on my opinion on Terrygate/Bridgegate. As it happens I would have kept JT on but I understand why Don Fabio didn't and fully back both his decision and how he delivered it in their short 12 minute meeting.
Meanwhile on the England front Wayne Rooney continues to show why most people increasingly believe that if he were to get injured between now and June England's hopes would evaporate. Also those player's who have at different times been definite starters on the right wing, Mr Lennon and Walcott, continue to fade from thoughts due to injury and form whilst their potential replacement, Mr Milner, continues to improve his rising reputation.
Along with Rooney there is one other aspect of the side that many believe must be right for Rio's side to bring back the trophy and end 44 trophyless years for the country. It is of course the question of who, as the song says, is "England's number 1, England's England's number 1"?
It is a question that has long been asked and long been unanswered, certainly since Paul Robinson's mistake in Croatia was followed up by very quickly by Scott Carson's at Wembley in the rain.
So those two players seem like a good place to start. After Robinson missed Gary Neville's back pass it looked like the then Spurs keeper would never recover to such a time where he might be considered as England's man between the posts again. Errors started coming into his game at club level and he looked a calamitous as a James. Shipped off to Blackburn though Robinson has set about rebuilding his career in the last 19 months and this season has put in a number of dazzling displays hardly helped by his defence. Carson on the other hand is no where near in the picture. Now a Championship quality goalkeeper playing in the Championship. It is proof that of all of Steve McLaren's mistakes as England manager the one to replace Robinson with Carson on that rainy night in London was perhaps the biggest.
Fast forward to the end of 2009 and the man most recently in possession of the cover ted gloves has been Ben Foster. It's an almost laughable thought that the man who started against Brazil in November will be starting against U.S.A in June. Foster has fallen so far off the radar with club side, Manchester United, that during Edwin van der Sar's recent absence it was not Foster but Tomasz Kuszczak who took the Dutchman's place. Foster is a talented goalkeeper, to that there has never been much doubt, but he is no longer a youngster and major questions remain over the mental side of his game. And without games for United there is unlikely to be any for England.
Before Foster it was Robert Green who had the gloves, not long ago he worse a pair with the words "England's number 6" stitched into them. But as recently as the qualifier against Ukraine Green has been England's number one. I personally am not a big fan, and he still looks highly error prone for West Ham but he must currently be in the top 3. It wasn't though till Chris Kirkland was injured for friendly against France in 2008 that Green came into Capello's thinking. For me the man he replaced is the most talented English keeper around- but his constant injuries all but count him out.
There is two more candidates at different ends of the scale. One an up and coming Englishman in the form of his life. The other an ageing keeper who is only just playing Premier League football because the inform keeper at the club has been sold to clear the team's debt. Joe Hart, on loan at Birmingham, has been nothing short of sensational at times this season. Birmingham have been the surprise package of this season and it is in no small part down to Hart's reactions, athleticism and all round game that shows maturity way beyond his years. Down in the south coast David James has been in and out of injuries for big parts of the season and is only now playing for Portsmouth, a side as calamitous as James' own nickname and reputation. I had the misfortune to watch the recent Manchester City vs Portsmouth match. It was a drab match in which most of the excitement came from James, on several occasions, being unable to hold on to the most simple of balls- one of which went for the corner which led to City's second goal.
At this time I would personally take Robinson, Hart and Green to the World Cup with the former two fighting for the number 1 spot.
One final thought though goes towards Brazil, serial winners of football's biggest tournament and specifically their recent wins in 1994 and 2002. The goalkeepers in those tournaments were Taffarel and Marcos respectively. Two goalkeepers who have never done too much in their careers and never been thought of as much more than average. Perhaps England don't quite have the sides these two had playing in front of them. Or perhaps all you need is a competent goalkeeper who won't cost your team the match and the tournament. Sorry David!
No comments:
Post a Comment