• World Cup

Allardyce fumes at Capello over Robinson omission

ESPN Soccernet staff
May 12, 2010
Sam Allardyce has praised Paul Robinson all season © Getty Images
Enlarge

Sam Allardyce has accused Fabio Capello of having "something against" Paul Robinson after the Blackburn goalkeeper was omitted from England's World Cup squad.

Robinson missed just three Premier League games for Blackburn this season, recording 12 clean sheets, and has been consistently praised by his manager Allardyce.

But England coach Capello decided to ignore Robinson, taking Manchester City's Joe Hart, David James, from Portsmouth, and West Ham's Robert Green as his three 'keepers.

Allardyce responded with stinging criticism, saying Capello must have something personal against Robinson. He said: "I'm staggered, totally, I think it's the wrong decision completely.

"I think that if you look at his form for Blackburn Rovers, there's not a better English goalkeeper who has consistently performed as well as he has. So it clearly can't be anything else other than something that Fabio has against him.

"It has to be because he's always said that people who are in good form would get selected and there's nobody in better form than Paul Robinson at the moment - 13 clean sheets in the Premier League - I don't know what more he wants but, like I said, there must be something happened before that's put him off him as a person, not as a goalkeeper."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close