West Ham Boss Believes Green Is Ready For England Call

Robert Green of West Ham United

West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green should be given another chance at international level according to his manager Gianfranco Zola. The Hammers boss says that Fabio Capello should do ‘the right thing’ and call up Green for the next England squad.

The 28-year-old only has one England cap to his name and this came back in May 2005 when he was still a Norwich City player. Capello hasn’t named him in any of his squads since March with David James, Paul Robinson, Scott Carson and Chris Kirkland all seemingly above him in the pecking order.

According to Zola though, this needs to change soon and Green should get the ‘rewards he deserves’ for the fine form he has been showing for West Ham in recent weeks. Zola went on to say that Green is looking ‘very comfortable’ in his game right now and that as long as this form continues in the coming weeks, England will come calling.

In fairness to the West Ham keeper, he has helped his side go three Premier League games without conceding a goal. The latest came at Anfield on Monday night where Green made a number of fine saves to prevent Liverpool taking the lead.

Personally, I have always been a very big fan of Robert Green. He has all the credentials to be a top-class keeper and deserves more of a chance at international level. The fact that Carson – who has made mistakes in his last two England appearances – is ahead of him beggars belief.

Then there is the injury prone Kirkland and the inconsistent Robinson to contend with, but to be completely honest – Green is far more reliable than these two. I’d much rather place a football bet on England keeping a clean sheet if Green was between the posts. Just give him that chance Fabio!

The problem for Green at the moment though is that there isn’t an international game for a while yet. England’s next fixture is a friendly against Slovakia at Wembley in March. I suppose all Green can do it continue to impress for West Ham and make it impossible for Capello to leave him out of the picture again.

There is no doubt that Green has the confidence of his club manager; it just seems that his international manager needs a little bit more convincing. He has the ability though and I for one hope he is England’s top keeper by the time 2010 comes around. Time will tell.

By Thomas Rooney – A sports writer who blogs about football betting

2 Responses to “West Ham Boss Believes Green Is Ready For England Call”
The problem with English keepers is none of them plays for the Big Four and that makes them really hard to grow. We may have decent keepers like David James, Paul Robinson, Scott Carson and Chris Kirkland but none of them have or little European experience which is benefical for international football. That is the lack of experience.

Secondly, English players are getting far too less exposure from the other leagues in Europe. Likewise for the goalkeepers, none or few of them have ventured outside England. If England wants to progress as a whole, they have to come out from their comfort zone.

By Gun em All on Dec 19, 2008
green is better than kirkland and carson

By dan chips97 on Dec 28, 2008