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Green deserves another chance - Bonetti

Peter Bonetti believes Robert Green has the temperament to recover from his costly error © Getty Images

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Former England goalkeeper Peter Bonetti has said he hopes Fabio Capello will give the under-fire Robert Green another chance despite his howler in England's 1-1 draw with USA.

Bonetti can speak with authority and knowledge. His error in the 1970 World Cup quarter-final was crucial as Germany fought back from 2-0 down to beat England 3-2 in extra-time.

"I still haven't been allowed to forget it," Bonetti told the Sunday Telegraph. "Sadly, when it comes to goalkeepers, people only ever remember your mistakes, particularly if they come in big matches.

"Green made a superb save in the second half, but it won't be that dominating the headlines this morning - instead, the danger now is that he will be remembered for that one mistake. Alone. Forwards can miss a few chances but, provided they finally grab a goal somehow, all will be forgiven by the punters. With goalkeepers, mistakes are terminal - there is no safety net."

Bonetti said that a strong support structure was vital in the next few days, as he was fortunate to have in Mexico in 1970. "The dressing room was like a morgue. Nobody felt worse than me and the first thing I did was to walk up to our manager, Sir Alf Ramsey, and say: 'Gaffer, I'm sorry about that first goal. I should have done better'. Sir Alf, to his credit, simply told me: 'Son, don't worry. Everyone makes mistakes. Just don't let it affect the rest of your career'."

He praised Capello for not replacing Green at half-time, as some pundits suggested he should. "Substituting him would have crushed his self-confidence, and I hope he will give him another chance. That is certainly what Sir Alf would have done."

Green's team-mates were quick to spring to his defence last night, and Bonetti told the Observer that was key to his own recovery. "Not one of them pointed the finger at me afterwards: they knew how easily mistakes can be made.

"Of course, there were tough moments to overcome after that. I did get some fearful stick at away grounds. It's not easy having to hear about how you cost your country the World Cup every other week. Green will have to brace himself for that and deal with it, but I'm sure he will."

For Bonetti, who was also in the England squad in 1966, the Germany game turned out to be the last of his seven international appearances. But he said Green had a promising future.

"His form has been good, he has all the skills you would want in a top-level goalkeeper and his temperament seems spot on."

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