Jango wrote:Dowbocop wrote:James - no CL football, error prone at times
Foster - not first choice at United, so not playing regularly
Green - no CL football, error prone
Robinson - no CL football, can be error prone
Almunia - playing regularly at top club level, history and reputation of being error prone but has been solid for past two years, kept out of Spain squad by Casillas, Reina, Valdes and Palop
you say they are all are error prone but that Almunia has improved. Have the others? I mean, that is quite biased, really. You could say all have improved really, apart from James who's regressed imo and Foster cus he hasn't got games. Robinson has really turned it back on and I could easily see him get into the squad, maybe even at the expense of James. Robbo, Green and Foster would be a pretty decent squad of keepers who could be there for a good few years to go.
I did say I was biased in the first sentence of that post. Basically my point is that Almunia can only strengthen the England squad by increasing competition for a position, so should be considered. Green and Foster can (and probably will) be better than Almunia in the future, but if the World Cup was tomorrow and I was in charge, I'd honestly take Almunia over them.
PES Fan wrote:Dowbocop wrote:DML wrote:I think the uproar for the inclusion of a foriegn keeper (who may not even WANT to play for England lets not forget) of questionable class when we have a fair few keepers playing Premier League football themselves would make it not worthwhile.
Apparently if Spain don't want him he'll play for England
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Alm ... nal_career
So are we taking wikipedia as gospel? Also why does having not played champions league football have a bearing on not picking a goalkeeper? Maybe on a outfield player it does. But if the goalies play regularly then he should be considered. Remember Almunia plays for a side who tend to dominate the game, and in most the games won't have much to do. Where as these goalkeepers play for mid-table teams and are going to be tested in games. Green has most likely made less errors then Almunia has in the last 2 seasons. If it worked like the way you suggesting that we should start picking keepers who play in champions league first, then why can't Valdes and Almunia get ahead of Palop in the Spain team? Because they are both error prone.
No, I'm not taking Wikipedia as gospel. The specific bit I'm talking about was actually cited from the Sky Sports website, so it's hardly unarguable fact, but it's not totally inaccurate.
As for Almunia not getting tested, have you seen our defence this year
? You would never have levelled that argument against David Seaman or Peter Schmeichel, and they both had far superior defences in front of them than Almunia does. I may have appeared to have put too much emphasis on the CL in my earlier post, but my point was that it's all about experience. Almunia has played against Premiership opposition on a week in week out basis, just like Green, but he's also played against top class sides from all over Europe on a regular basis, which Foster and Green haven't.
I think that the keepers Capello will take to South Africa will be James, Robinson and Green. Do I think they're good keepers? Yes. Do I think that at in 2010 Almunia will be a better choice than at least one of those keepers? At the moment, yes, I do. Do I think that considering Almunia for caps will make England's goalkeepers better overall? Yes. That is my argument in a nutshell.
It's ten to three and I'm talking about goalkeepers, I'm going to bed