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12/09/05
Sven’s Goalkeeping Headache
by Lauren Hurley
Is Robinson not ready? James too jumpy? These are just two of the questions fans, pundits and managers have been asking of the spot between England’s posts. So who is the man for the job?
David James
‘Calamity’ has certainly been living up to his nickname recently, following a disastrous Euro 2004 and another blooper against Denmark last month. With a series of younger, more successful goalkeepers eager to pull on the gloves, it seems James isn’t the man to fill Seaman’s boots.
Paul Robinson
It seems Spurs are leaving behind mid table obscurity to reach the dizzy heights of the UEFA Cup, with Robinson playing a big role in this. Since leaving a lacklustre Leeds with the deserved reputation as one of England’s most promising young goalkeepers, Sven is now giving him his chance to shine. There’s no guarantee England will qualify for the World Cup after ‘that’ defeat, but Robinson is sure to be England’s number 1 should we make it to Germany.
Robert Green
Norwich may have crashed out of the Premiership, but Green has plenty of opportunities to show Sven what he can do in the Championship with Steve Kabba, Andy Johnson and even Ade Akinbiyi scoring for fun. Definitely ‘one for the future’, it surely won’t be too long before Sven (or indeed a new England manager – here’s hoping) will be crying ‘’let’s be ‘avin you!’’ and asking him to play ‘’fooosball’’.
Significant Others
We all know you need to be female and brunette to receive attention from the super cool Swede – perhaps this is where Nigel Martyn is going wrong. Whilst he’s getting on a bit, he’s been superb for Everton, yet isn’t getting a look in. Russel Hoult shone for West Brom during their incredible season of survival, yet is perhaps lacking in consistency. Leeds appear to be the masters of producing bright young talent in goal, with Scott Carson making his debut at 19 at Old Trafford. No pressure there then.
England may be in disarray, but hey, it’s not all bad. We have a fine crop of goalkeepers rising through the ranks. Let’s just hope they become new faces picked by a new manager, and that they don’t begin sporting dodgy ponytails and facial hair a la Seaman.
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