Green’s howler an “elementary error” says Shilton - England's most capped player

It was a howler in any goalkeeping manual and has made Robert Green the most talked about player since England conceded that goal last Saturday (June 12) against the USA in the 2010 Fifa South Africa World Cup.

England’s most capped player and former goalkeeper Peter Shilton gives us his reaction to that infamous error in England’s opening game and his prognosis for Capello’s squad in the tournament.
“Shocked” was how Shilton says he felt after seeing the ball roll into the England net during its opening game against the USA. However, he is quick to jump to Green’s defence and says errors will happen.

“I’m part of the goalkeepers union so you obviously are always on the goalkeeper’s side and like everyone else I was shocked when I saw it go in. It was really a very bad basic error. It was an elementary error really. I don’t think you can blame the ball in any way. It didn’t seem to take a bobble. He just seemed to want to make a perfect save by getting his knee down and trying to get his hands to it.”

Shilton says he felt for Green after getting the nod from Fabio Capello ahead of David James.

“It was a great boost to him to play in the World Cup and be the number one choice. But for that to happen so early on would have been a big blow to him. To be fair I think he recovered very well and if we’d won the game, and we should have done with the chances we had, there wouldn’t have been quite as much criticism. After the game I think he did really well. He didn’t hide and he faced up to it and indicated he still wanted to be number one.”

Capello should stick with Rob Green and should not punish players if they’ve had a bad game, Shilton believes. “If you did put someone else in and they made a mistake where would you be then? Where does it end? Do you leave them out and put someone else in?”

Alternatively, Shilton says it could be an ideal time for Joe Hart to have his chance. “He’s young, he’s done really well this year in the games he’s played. It might be the time to say ‘go on show us what you can do’.
Shilton says Capello’s selection is a strong one but criticised some omissions. “I would have liked to have seen Theo Walcott in the squad. I think he would have given us something a little bit different. He’s quite direct and can go through the middle. I think he should have been in maybe ahead of Wright-Philips. I just think he’s a different type of player to Wright -Philips.”

Looking at the strong contenders Shilton says there are a few that have impressed in their opening games. Brazil are always going impose a threat and managed to get a good win against North Korea.  Germany are also “well organised”. Also South Korea are looking good and had a “fantastic start,” he points out.

However, when it comes to the teams he’d put his money on he has a clear idea who they are. England aside, Shilton says Spain or Brazil are the two sides to watch. With its tradition of World Cups, Brazil could particularly have the edge. However, Spain won the European Championship and could be “very dangerous”.

Peter Shilton will be one of the Guest Speakers for thg Sports, a Marcus Evans company, during the world cup in South Africa 2010.