Rob Green.. Now that's one spill the Yanks won't be upset about!

The name on everyone's lips this weekend - Rob Green. Poor guy. I think I speak for all Goalkeepers, regardless of sport and say that I kinda felt for him.. and could think of a few of my own howlers from over the years. For those of you are thinking 'eh?' it all happened during the first match of the 2010 World Cup for England and the USA. What should have been an easy save turned into Green's worst nightmare, making him the most hated player since Beckham got sent off in the Argentina game in the 1998 World Cup.



I'm a Hockey Goalkeeper. Real hockey - Field hockey, not this Ice Business. Now, whilst goalkeeping, during a match at least, is not the most physically demanding position on the pitch, it sure as hell is the most mentally demanding. Try standing, in a restricted area for 70 - 90 minutes. You may never even touch the ball, and yet should you lose concentration for even a second, your whole game can be thrown out of whack. Your striker makes a mistake, they can recover. They lose the ball..they run back to get it, or someone else behind them does. YOU drop the ball, YOU mis-kick it and oh, look, a goal! Sure, it had to go past 10 other players to make it to the keeper, but try telling the keeper that. Then try and deal with the mental pressure of knowing that you've got to do something special the next time the ball comes your way.

Unfortunately, as players get older and the intelligence they play with develops, they won't try something different next time they sprint it down to your end again. They'll smack the ball in the exact same way, in the exact same place. And what have you done for the last 15minutes? Only replay your last cock up over.. and over.. and overrr again in your mind. You're expected to save it, but unfortunately, your subconscious gets the better of you and the ball goes in, again.

I think the worst thing is the fact that his team mates will also have lost confidence in him, this was evident after the goal went in.

My biggest gripe however, is the fact that England did not play their best game. Sure, Green cocked up. Sure, he could have saved it. But it's not much good when your 10 team mates can't get the ball up to the other end and have a decent crack at another goal. It's different if such a goal goes in and there's minutes left - then you've really messed up. But when you've still got more than a half to play, and you're against (no offence) the US, a 1-1 draw is pretty shit by England's standards.

So Rob, I've been there dude. I feel your pain. Let's hope you can do what we goalies know you can do - get back on that pitch and show em what we're made of.