• Blackburn manager says Capello has made ‘biggest mistake’
• Says ‘13 clean sheets speak for themselves’
The Blackburn Rovers manager, Sam Allardyce, believes the England coach, Fabio Capello, has made “completely the wrong decision” in leaving the goalkeeper Paul Robinson out of his preliminary World Cup squad.
Capello picked the Portsmouth veteran David James, Joe Hart – who has excelled while on loan from Manchester City to Birmingham – and West Ham’s Robert Green in the 30-man party from which he will choose his 23 for this summer’s tournament in South Africa.
Allardyce said Robinson’s form and experience warranted a place in the squad.
“I am staggered, totally. It is completely the wrong decision,” Allardyce told the Lancashire Telegraph. “If you look at [Robinson's] form for Rovers, there has not been a better goalkeeper who has been so consistent.
“Fabio has always said the people in form would get selected. There is nobody better than Paul Robinson at the moment, so there must be something before that has happened to put him off him, as a person and not as a goalkeeper.
“He has made the biggest mistake of his selection process, has Fabio. As much as I respect him for what he has done that is one big, big mistake.
“Thirteen clean sheets speak for themselves. There have to be other reasons why he hasn’t selected him because there is nobody in better form than Paul Robinson.
“Perhaps ‘Harty’ can run him close but he hasn’t got 40-odd England caps of experience and hasn’t played in any major championships so it would be much more valuable having Paul Robinson there than it would be to have Joe Hart – never mind the David James scenario, who is spasmodically in and out because it seems he has a bit of an injury problem.”
World Cup 2010World Cup 2010 Group CEnglandSam AllardyceBlackburn Roversguardian.co.uk
