Regular readers will know I've been fascinated by the un-dropability of Paul Robinson, whose errors this season certainly didn't help Martin Jol keep his job, and may still cost Steve McClaren his. Two managers who showed inexplicable loyalty to an out-of-form keeper; one of whom has been fired, and the other, well, let's face it, it's just a matter of time.
But since the arrival of Juande Ramos at Spurs, Robbo appears to be regaining his best form. He's kept three clean sheets, and Spurs have crept out of the relegation zone. Today Ramos had encouraging - if not outright glowing - words of support for his embattled number one: "Paul is one of the best goalkeepers in England - he is the number one for England. If he keeps playing the way he is playing at the moment, of course I'm going to count on him and I'm going to keep him in mind."
The cynic in me will point out that Robbo is England's number one for now. If England fail to qualify for Euro 2008, surely McClaren's will not be the only head to roll. I've previously pimped for Scott Carson on this site, but it's time Robert Green was also given a chance. He's been outstanding for an ordinary West Ham side, and has a direct hand in earning quite a few of their points total.
Nevertheless, it's good to see Robbo stringing together some convincing performances. I never like to see a hardworking pro struggle. But I really do wish he'd stop wearing that all-yellow kit.
4 comments:
HAHA. The wearing all yellow comment at the end was really hilarious. But apparently the bright yellow colour draws the attention of the striker and he has a good chance of shooting the ball straight at the keeper. Wonder how true is that.
Good question, because there's also a school of thought that says keepers who wear dark colors blend into the crowd/background better, and therefore it's harder for strikers to know where they are. Personally I don't think it makes much difference, so I'd go for the better-looking kit. Which definitely wouldn't be all yellow.
I'm all for Robert Green getting his chance. In all honesty, I think that Paul Robinson's form has never been equal to some of his predecessors, so its natural to question his capabilities as England's number 1, and for that reason others should be given a chance to prove they are better for the side than robinson. As far as Ramos calling Robinson one of the best in the league, I feel that is a bit of an overstatement. Do you have to be in the top 15, 10 or 5 to be considered among "the best goalkeepers in England"? If it's 5, Robbo definitely isn't there.
As for the kit... Color only matters for fashion purposes. Campos wore bright colors and it only made it easier to see him through the netting as he was picking balls out of the goal. David James used to go in dark for England, and we all know how that turned out.
Myself, I like the steel grey kit.
I think even the top 10 is a stretch for Robbo. I think he falls somewhere between 10-15. I would rank Cech, VDS, Friedel, Given, Jaaskelainen, Green, Carson, Reina, and James ahead of him. In no particular order - I just rate that group higher.
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