Okay, so it was a bitter disappointment that England could not win its first match in the Worldcup, especially against the USA, which should’ve been a piece of cake. And okay, so the goal that cost England victory was one of the classic bad goals that will be a staple of late night BBC 3 clip shows for decades to come, but it’s still wrong to blame Green for it:
- The goal wasn’t a mistake, it was an accident, something that has happened to better goalies than Green, one of those things you can’t really control. You stop the ball, it bounces awkwardly, you’re left staring as it bounces over the goal line: it happens.
- The goal wouldn’t have been a problem if the English strikers at the other end hadn’t consistently failed to score after Gerrard’s beautiful six minute opener. There were chances enough, but both Hesky and Shaun Wright-Phillips shot straight at the keeper, which doesn’t help. Had there been evne one more English goal Green’s fumble wouldn’t have mattered.
- Finally, all the guff about Green looking nervous and vulnerable was only visible in hindsight: had the fumble not happened, would it have been noticed?
English football fans and especially the press have a tendency to grasp at any flaw to predict England’s dooomed. This becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of which Green is now the latest victim. Stop pressuring him and he might just make good his mistake..