Sadly, events last night confirmed again that Green is nearly, but not quite, an international keeper. My dear friend Lee Vitout noted in passing that a Green error led to Croatia scoring last night, and the replies have been so predictable. "You what, you 'aving a laugh? Green made a great save just before so how can you say he was to blame for the goal?" Simples.
Yes Green did well when he pushed the ball wide and did well to recover his position so quickly, but the sad and brutal truth is that he could and should have held the follow up shot. His failure to do so presented Croatia with a goal scoring opportunity which Green should not have allowed. Yes others may have been at fault too, and I do not dispute that Johnson's defensive frailties were again exposed, but the goal came about finally because Green parried a shot he should have held on to.
Remember the goal against Bolton last season? Not the dropped catch but the parried shot which was tucked away on the rebound? This was a carbon copy - to Green's right, low down, close to his body, shot from close in. At full stretch, he is a wonderful shot stopper, as the first save showed, but maybe this repeat error highlights another frailty, to add to his failure to dominate his defenders and his weakness on crosses.
Sadly, he still looks to me like a weaker link in the team.
18 comments:
I think that Green has actually got a lot better at commanding his area. I see him every home game and he's always shouting at his defenders and has become a lot better at coming for crosses. He made a great stop for the first shot, and pushed it wide (as you acknowledge) and I think that after having stopped it twice in a crowded area, he should have been able to rely on his defence to clear the ball. I agree that he still has some things to work on, but David James was about 37 before people thought he was in his prime. That gives Green a fair while to improve and I back him to be our World Cup no.1
I put it to you Sir, that you just seek attention by posting something that you know is controversial and will wind people up.
How about saying that after he'd made two good saves, where were the defense to help him out a bit, rather than standing watching him leaping around the six yard box, desperately trying to stop the goal!
Very good Dux, but the hole in that argument is that, as Lee Vitout pointed out, I have been arguing the positives of the England team for a long time now, unlike Grumpy and the other dwarfs over at the org. The Three Monkeys are not all caged over at the org by the way, some swing through other trees!
Which orgster are you?
I haven't even replied to this post yet fanno and I am merely on observer on the org as well as other sites.
Will argue till hell freezes over that Green cannot be blamed for that goal he did more than could be reasonably expected and if he is to be villified for not hanging on to an awkward ball in a crowded penalty area then every outfield player can also be judged as not good enough
ps despite all the hype I will comfortably predict that England will not win the world cup in 2010 the egos will come to the fore and the team will suffer and fail because England are weak in national pride
shut up he is a quality keeper its so obvious
Sorry Dux, my reply went on to the wrong post. To others, the keeper is the last line of the defence and is allowed to catch the ball, that's why he is expected to deal with a ball in a crowded area. Should he have held that shot? Yes. Therefore, it was an error that led to a goal. Simples.
Okay... here's an idea.
It was a combined defensive error.
Johnson didn't close his man down and the cross came in, Upson was in no man's land and Terry was ball watching, the shot came in, Green made a great save.
The defense then again failed to close down the Croats and they got a second shot in.
Maybe Green should have saved it... maybe I shouldn't have gotten married, maybe you should support West Ham in a more constructive way, the fact is that the defense sat back as a collective and Green stopped the shot. Twice.
I know it's fashionable to get on the back of the goalkeeper but for fucks sake man we won 5-1 and this is what you have to keep digging over?
I'm sure Capello will do his thing - whether Green is No1 or back up to James thankful will not depend on the judgment of people like you.
What I fail to understand is your continued persecution of Green. He is a top quality keeper, becoming world class - and you don't get there unless you get the chance to experience International football. In the army, as in life, you look after your own. I wouldn't want to have to rely on you as my backup.
I'm sorry but you are simply wrong on this Hammersfan.
I'm not one of your so called 'wise monkeys' or an 'orgster' but he did really well to keep the ball out for as long as he did.
Your comments are criticism for the sake of it. I'd be the first to criticise him if necessary and so would the press but not one of the nationals have picked up on what you called an 'error' in their assessment of his performance. All the match reviews I've read felt that he had a good game with no mention of him being at fault for their goal.
Neither have any of the responders to your blogs on the topic. You're quite clearly entitled to your opinion but it seems you're on your own with this one.
Are you saying then if he had done what most keepers would have and not got near the second shot it would not have been his error? Perhaps he should have basked in the glory of the first save and just allowed the static defence to take the blame from then and all in the Green world would be rosy "hey guv not my fault I made a brilliant save and everyone around me stood and watched what more could I do"
I was not alone in the bar I was in who felt that Green should have held rather than parried the final "saved" shot.
Clearly you have never played the game.
I do believe you are a yid and doing this to wind up all of us
I'm a Goalkeeping coach, Green's second save was a Reaction save going from his let to his right. Sometimes they stick, sometimes they don't.
You are a TWAT!
Thanyou and goodnight
WHTID, I play every Friday. To the last poster, I am part Jewish; I do not support Spurs. Which are you implying, overt or covert racism?
Seems like this is a wind up, but as 'The Times' newspaper also ridiculously said they he should have saved the goal ??? Think I will have my say. First the ball should never have came into the box, thats down to Johnsons well noted poor defensive qualities. When it did come in, the first header came from the man that John Terry was marking, or not marking as it turned out. The first save by Green was brilliant and he pushed it a away from goal. This took him out of position and in his efforts to regain the ground and get down for the second shot on goal he probably over stretched. The shot was closer to him than he would have expected and did well to get a hand to it. The third shot he had no chance with. Now if you think that you can blame any keeper when the opposition get four touches ( three of them efforts at goal) within your own six yard box, you are clearly stark raving. Its clear to me that any goalkeeper, particularly a national one, needs an extended run in the team. I recall that Dave Seaman was anything but world class when he first broke through, but he had an extended run grew into the keeper we all remember. It strikes me that David James is thought of as the number 1, but still provokes uncertainty in some of decisions after all these years. Green is at present in the shirt and he should stay there while we are still a winning team.
Last two posters in trying to defend Green have confirmed what I said. To the "goalkeeping coach", sometimes they stick and sometimes they don't at what ever level you coach at. Strangely, international keepers are expected to be better when it comes to the percentages. Most of the time they stick, very rarely they don't; and when they don't, an international keeper is culpable.
Post a Comment