My post asking if Rob Green's error cost us a place in the semi-final of the World Cup has brought the usual highly predictable response. There are those who do not seem to understand that you can post pretty much what you want on the web - 'How can you even be allowed to post this rubbish?' type responses. Then there's the, "What about all the others' errors?" brigade, and it is that response I would like to address here.
Of course Green was not alone in making a serious error in the tournament. Rooney was clean through and his weak shot was deflected on to the post. Gerrard failed to hold his position and chose to shoot repeatedly against Germany when a pass was required. Terry and Upson were out of position time and again against Germany. Barry missed a tackle and lost possession for Germany's two second half goals. James should have done better with Germany's third goal. Lampard underperformed in the group stages. And so it goes on.
So, can you compare errors? Can you say, "We failed to win the group because of that error" as I attempted to do yesterday? Well, let's think about this.
As bad as we played, did anybody in the team really make a mistake as appalling as Green's? Spilling that shot compares with Cole's pass to Defoe in our home game against Spurs. Spilling that shot is, in striker's terms, the equivalent of having an open goal in front of you, five yards out, and spooning the ball over the bar. Spilling that shot was more inexcusable than Mido's penalty miss, more inexcusable than Spector's very worst errors last season, more inexcusable than Tomkins' rick against Wolves, it was more inexcusable even than Green's dreadful error at Bolton.
The point is, Green's error wasn't just an error, it was an absolute dereliction of duty. Doctors make mistakes, but Green's error would be the equivalent of a surgeon decapitating a patient instead of taking out his appendix. Golfers make mistakes but the equivalent would be facing in the opposite direction of the hole when taking a shot. Married men make mistakes, but the equivalent would be having sex with the next door neighbour's daughter in the church during her Christening!
Yes others made mistakes, but none of them will make it onto "The Worst Mistakes Ever In The History Of The World Cup Finals" Christmas Special, except, of course, the failure to award Lampard's "goal" against the Germans. Green, however, will figure in the top 5 countdown!
I might have missed the Rooney chance. I certainly wouldn't be able to live with Klose. The Algerians would be able to play triangles around me. But I would have saved that Dempsey shot. In fact my wife would have saved it. Dear God, my Mum might have parried it around the post. For pity's sake, David Blunkett couldn't have done a worse job than Green if he was between the sticks! THAT is how bad that error was! THAT is what sets it apart from every other mistake! And THAT is why Green's error is directly responsible for us not qualifying as group winners! Because, all other things being equal, we would still have topped the group had Green made the most basic of saves, a save that ANY keeper would be expected to make 999 times out of 1000, a shot that even you and me would expect to save 998 times out of 1000 in a kick around in the park! The other errors do not compare!
15 comments:
There's no denyng that it was a complete howler of the highest order but how the hell can anyone possibly know what 'might' have happened for the rest of that game or other games if he had saved it???
It's complete speculation that that very moment cost us our place in the WC over an other of our poor moments/mistakes.
It makes as much sense as Sheffield United using the same formula to predict that they would have survived if we hadn't had Tevez in our team.
Complete nonsense and a waste of time.
PS - In my opinion, Green was never good enough to be in the first England eleven anyway.
HF, you're right, it IS a save that any keeper would be expected to make 999 times out of 1000. The point is that 1 time that you don't. If you're lucky it happens on the training ground, if you're unlucky it happens in a competitive game. For it to happen representing your country in the world cup finals is unfortunate in the extreme.
Green is certainly not Shilton, or even Clemence. But his shortcomings are more about not imposing himself, not commanding the defence. His shot stopping is generally very good. Looks like his mind was on distributing the ball before he'd made sure of gathering it. A lapse of concentration which is very, very poor. But the reaction to it says more about this nation and why we don't have the mentality to win anything than it does about Green.
He's a human being - and those make mistakes! Sure it was a catastrophal error but you can't change the situation. You have to deal with it.
To make one single person responsible for the weak team performance in the whole cup shows how desperate and blinkered some persons seem to be.
I disagree Munky. Your analysis of Green is a season out of date. Tell me, how many quality saves did he make last season? I doubt it would be more than 10 all season. The mistake at Bolton was a mistake from a shot too. I think his positioning was poor for at least one of the Wolves goals too. There were others over the season which I thought he should have saved too, or not parried to opposition players. The Green of two seasons ago would have saved one of the Tottenham goals at White Hart Lane. The Green of two seasons ago would have saved Franco's goal for Mexico. Some felt his positioning was at fault for Young's goal at Upton Park. He should have stopped Saha's goal at Upton Park. As well as the McKnightmare error against Bolton, there was another he should have saved. A top of his form Green would have stopped the Pompey goal at Fratton Park. Had he been awake, he would have prevented Burnley's first at Turf Moor. He was at fualt for a Fulham goal at Craven Cottage too. Those are just from memory!
The point is, that error happened in the biggest game of green's life because, psychologically, he is suspect. He does not have the temperament for the job, which is why none of the big clubs have ever signed him. If he was good enough, don't you think Wenger would have signed him by now?
Pablo, we were coasting against the Yanks until that error. Yes Green made a save later, but that's what he is there for, and he turned that one onto the post instead of round it - the rebound could have gone anywhere. Also, it hit his wrong hand, he was not in control of the save at all.
H4MM3R - watch the error again - it was down to poor technique. his hands were the wrong way round and his body was not behind the ball. Two VERY basic errors. Nobody who kills somebody in a road accident means to do so, but if found guilty of driving recklessly or without due care and attention, you can still go to prison for it. It may be tough, but if you fcuk in a major way, you have to take the rap. Green fcuked up in a mega way on the biggest stage of them all.
To be fair, he does open with something about being allowed to post what you like on here - its the internet after all. Its just as well really because if there was a 'nonsense' filter on the internet this would be a very empty website...
You wouldn't get through would you 18.44. How about a valid argument filter? Then you would have to have one in the first place, which you don't have. Address the argument, if you can!
I think the Rob Green hate campaign has run it's course HF?! You've certainly kicked the arse right out of it anyway!
The fact is...his 'mistake' IS excusable...because it's sport, so get over it!
The 'golfer' analogy is appropriate, because it's sport associated.
The 'surgeon' analogy is extreme and frankly ludicrous, because he hasn't injured or killed anybody!
Yeah, I know 'humour' is the intention, but then there's this...
"having sex with the next door neighbour's daughter in the church during her Christening!"
That is frankly alarming, offensive and so wrong and inappropriate on what is meant to be a football blog! I'm as broadminded as anyone, but it's cringeworthy and needs removal HF!?
I think that depends on how you read it. My daughter was christened aged 19.
I must say though that both of Barry's mistakes against Germany led to goals HF. Both mistakes in a knock-out game so more important as a result. The one where he tried to control the ball after the free-kick was particularly awful. A very close second behind Green I'd say.
The point is, we wouldn't have been playing Germany but for that Green error Stani!
Yes we would, in the Final!
Good point. I think Spain will beat them though.
A lot of people are saying that but I feel Spain have a South American-ness about their defence which the German machine will take advantage of. Plus Villa's due an off day...but I suppose Torres is due an on one....Germans to edge it.
I commented on the previous post HF and i have to say, i still disagree.
There is no argument that Green made the biggest howler and it it probably will go down as one of the worst ever but that is irrelevent. The fact is, aside from the Germany game, all the other mistakes had the same impact on our group position. If Rooney or Defoe had burried one of their sitters we would have topped the group and wouldnt have played Germany either so regardless of the scale of fcukup, they are all as much to blame as each other.
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