Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Tottenham Hotspur's Paul Robinson. Discuss.


Today's poll in the Guardian currently shows that 88% want Robinson dropped from the Tottenham squad.

It isn't accurate to write Robinson off as rubbish, but fair to say his current dip in form is too dangerous to both club and country to be allowed to continue unchecked.

And I don't see what the problem is. Obviously his head is wrecked and his nerves torn to pieces after Monday. Who's wouldn't be? But we have an able keeper on standby.

Cerny doesn't have all the first team experience you might demand, but that's chicken n' egg territory.
Crucially. Jol needs to drop him. Does HE have have the strength of character to do so?

Robinson needs some time to get his head and his act together and return fighting fit and back on his game. With him and Rocha both off the scene for a while our recovery could get the kick start it badly needs!



COYS!

47 comments:

Anonymous said...

Totally agree with that. We also need to sack Hughton & Segars & get some fresh faces in.

Anonymous said...

cerny deserves a run - he can't possibly be worse. at the moment i want to cheers like we've scored a goal everytime robbo actually catches a cross.

Anonymous said...

Spot on Harold. England would be better off with Calamity between the sticks and we'd be in safer hands with Radek.

Petr Cech's aprentice!

Anonymous said...

Robbo is like Dracula...


He fears crosses....



Boom boom.

Anonymous said...

Fat, Unconvincing, Clumsy Keeper. I can only think that's what FUCK! stands for. Fans at the Paxton end all seemed to shout it at once as Robbo dropped the ball at the feet of Martin Laursen, seemingly for no reason.

If robinson was a ball, he'd probably drop himself...

Anonymous said...

Sat there Monday bemused - Robinson has not been the GK of old for 2 years. I still say he can shot stop but command his box - definitely not. This has caused the defence to be totally confused as to what he is about to. At 4-1 down I said Robinson has to be dropped, if Jol doesnt do it then for first time I thought maybe (MAYBE) he shoudl go. Stillstand by that after 4-4. Give Cerny a go, sack hughton and Segers bring in Mabbut and who ever Robinson worked with at Leeds.

Anonymous said...

Problem is he's signed a nice cosy long term contract then sat back on his arse eating pies ever since then. Maybe dropping him would give him the shock required to start working a bit harder!

FootballIntel said...

I love Robinson.

Two years ago when he was the best keeper next to Cech, he committed to the club and signed a seven year contract - he'll always have my respect for that loyalty.

However he is simply not right at the moment and hasn't been for some time. I'm all for supporting players but I am more for picking players who merit their place. Robbo's form has been poor and as such, someone else should get a chance. It's not being dropped, it just the logical consequence of a drop in form.
Apparently, he and Spurs have tried everything to get him back on form so I say it's time he fought for his place - learn that if he doesn't perform well, he doesn't play (this should also apply to Jenas and the England midfield).

Anonymous said...

I don't think anybody except Robbo's wife could argue with you Harry! Cerny is good enough to do the job and Robbo has had a very, very long run of under performing games. He needs some time to sought out the mess he's in, which can only happen on the bench.

GRAZZA said...

I'm afraid Robbos performances since last years world cup have been shaky at best, now when you consider the form he was carrying into that tournament, all bias aside, i thought he was the best goalie in the league.

His performances dipped instantly and for no apparent reason, thats not to say he hasnt had the odd game where hes looked good or at least on the road to recovery. But he aint been great thats an understatement.

Maybe the time to take him out of the firing line has long since passed which is my major worry but you can see from the now obligatory anguished, prostrate robbo tangled in the WHL net that all is not well.

The shoot on sight policy adopted by every team we play isnt helping anybodys nerves, least not his and the Paul Robinson barrel roll is now an all too familiar site, particularly from long range and the defence is hardly helping him pull through with their coincidentally mal-timed dip in form.

Its going to take a mixture of Phsycological rest and physical graft and well as a "pull yourself together man youre the nuts remember?" slap round the face to get our Robbo back, back him vocally like we back others - Defoe, Jol in particular and hopefully he'll pull through.

Heres to you Mr Robinson, i for one want you to return to be a top notch, top drawer goalie.

Either that or Hans Segers influence has finally rubbed off on him and he's chucking them in for hard cash (Hope your legal team is good Harry)

Anonymous said...

Robbo needs to go back to the drawing board and have a look at the fundamental errors he is making, like jumping behind the wall when a freekick is about to be taken!!

He's been amazing and will be again, but he needs to get back to basics!

Anonymous said...

Short Memories ALL OF YOU!

Robbo had a howler on Mon and has not been at his best this season - but he will come good.

Also don't forget he is completly and utterly exposed by the child-like defending in front of him.

Also no point in dropping him as we have no-one better to come in.

Bit of loyalty wouldn't go amiss here - the lad has been outstanding for us for the past 3 seasons.

The WHOLE team needs to learn how to defend from Set Pieces as at the moment its awful - making a scapegoat out of Robbo is simply not addressing the bigger issue.

Anonymous said...

We need Ledley back and fast. When he is managing the defence, Robbo can go back to what he does best - gathering the ball and releasing our quick attaking force with his almighty kicks. Dawson is a great defender but lacks any sort of leadership skills. The defence is in total disarray. With a back 4 of the Chimp, Dawson, King and Bale we should have one of the tightest defences in the league. Only one thing missing - get fit Ledley, the whole team needs you!

Anonymous said...

Keep playing him. Fucking fantastic.

Anonymous said...

Alot of the goals we have conceded would have been saved some of the other keepers in the Premiership, Carson, James, Cech, Foster, Douglas.....even Kasey Keller is a better shot stopper. Arsenal's second goal against us should have been saved!

I was watching Robbo warming up against Villa and he wasn't able to hold a straight forward shot from Segers that was straight at him, it flew of his arm!

He is not a good shot stopper, not quick enough on his feet. Doesn't move then dive, just dives! Opposition know that if they have a pop from outside the box, hit it hard enough 2 yards either side of Robbo n its in.

Robinson and athletic are not two words to be used in the same sentance!

Anonymous said...

Robbo was one of the main reasons we got as high as 5th 2 years ago, but as low as 5th last year. Some point after Lasagnagate Robbo lost the ability to deal with crosses. Winning managers know when to give players a rest if their form dips. So Jol's got no excuses really - Robbo must be given some time off. If he wasn't England No.1 this would have happened some time ago. If Cerny doesn't get a premiership start after Monday night's catalogue of errors then he'd be better off looking for another club. Hughton & Segars for some gardening leave too...

Anonymous said...

'Tis a quandry indeed. If you drop him his confidence takes a dive, from which he may not recover.... If you don't he takes a dive, only much slower, with less footwork and no anticipation.

Cerny really needs to come in sooner rather than later, though this won't solve the problem of an inexperienced defence as well as a patent lack of cover in the central midfield area.

We are certainly in need of a defensive coach, whereas Segers is there to give advice on coaching a short goalkeeper (he was successful despite only being 5'11").

Rocha's no superstar, but don't forget he is the only defender present in our last 3 clean sheets. I'd love it if Lee came back and Bale was in midfield, is he injured?

Anonymous said...

look at the Arsenal...arsene has a ball to drop crazy jens after his blunders at the start of the campaign by saying hes injure in training...then comes in Almunia n they do better since...
come on MJ...show ur balls too..

Anonymous said...

The goalie should set the tone for the defence and boss them around. Robbo just seems to lack confidence which is disastrous for a keeper. I would drop him and give him intensive coaching and possibly a sports psychiatrist to get his head right. Surely he can practice clearing his box and stopping long shots. What the hell do they do all day for a million pounds a year. We used to practise for hours in the yard for nothing.

Anonymous said...

We have to shore up the defence or we won't win a game. I'd get Rocha back as CB with Dawson and put Kaboul in front.
Something like this:

Cerny
Chimbonda Dawson Rocha Lee
Kaboul
Jenas Zokora Bale
Keane Berba

Both Kaboul and Zokora can burst forward and cover for each other. I might play Hud in the Euro games but we need more hustle in the league.

Anonymous said...

oi 4.47pm

never mind other peoples balls. if you use the definate article to set up the moniker of our hated rivals again on this site i'll be searching for yours with a blunt bread-knife.

learn the lingo son

Anonymous said...

Robinson should be dropped - I feel sorry for him - he was a great keeper for us but has been out of form for 18 months now - too easily beaten by long range shots and hopeless with crosses.
His indecision is unsettling the whole defence and costing us loads of points.
If he was Latvias number 1 instead of Englands he would have been left out long ago - players should be picked on performances not reputation or sentiment

Anonymous said...

What makes me laugh is that u Spurs fans are happy with a 4-4 draw at home! Granted, 4-4 looks good after being 4-1 down but Martin Jol should hang his head in shame at conceding 4 at home. U have no defense and Robinson is dibolical at the moment. When the euphoria of the result dies down ur realise wot trouble Spurs are in and realise ur slipping back to mid table obscuritie. Wrighty7.

Harry Hotspur said...

Wrighty7

And you're right. The celebrating was borne largely out of relief admittedly, but in the cold light of day the problem at WHL goes beyond Villa.

How the hell did we come to be 3 goals adrift in the first place?

It's to the credit of our top heavy, muddled squad that they managed to squash a team that were at one point looking for their 5th.

Something fundamental needs to happen. A change of mindset from our current management or a change of the entire managemnet staff.

And if I here one more 'staunch brigade' w*ankhead tell me to buckle up 'cos Ledley King is coming I will personally kick their C drive in with a virtual size 12.

Ledley ain't coming.

The cavalry is cancelled.

Time to get real and get out of the habit of sharing the drop zone with Derby County.........

Harry Hotspur said...

Ooops missed with asterisk. HH, Benty of the keyboard.

Anonymous said...

anon 6:02

Thanks for gracing us with your presence. I think it's "dibolical" that I didn't know "obscuritie" could be spelled like that. Also, do you know what euphoria means? I'm not quite sure the mood could be described as such right now. I must admit that my mood was somewhat elevated after reading your post, though. Congrats on receiving your first elementary dictionary, Wrighty7. You might want to look at it a little more closely.


seriously though,

I think if you drop Robinson now, it's for good. He clearly has trouble with his confidence and what little of it is left would go if dropped. I'm not saying that we shouldn't drop him, I think that Cerny is a quality keeper and Alnwick has shown promise as well, but I'm pretty sure that it would mean the end of Robinson at Spurs, no?

Anonymous said...

Wrighty7 you talk some sense but a lot of rubbish too. A team that has made the biggest comeback in Premiership history on their 125th birthday deserves to celebrate and hopefully it will give them the confidence to kick on from here.

It would help if Dawson didn't have the first touch of Wilmot Brown.

As for Ledley King, it's doubtful he will walk properly again, let alone play professional football, the bloke's finished.

The main problem with Spurs though is their fans. Just be happy with what you have. You'll never be top 4 and the sooner you realise that and be satisfied with a manager that has brought you more success than any other in the last 15 years, the better.

Chanelle

Anonymous said...

JOLSGONEMENTAL

where's my receptive comments matey?

as for the topic, drop Robbo and play Cerny - it's a no-brainer!!!

Harry Hotspur said...

Dannyboy- sssh!

You're confirming HH is a lowbrow site!

Anonymous said...

Sorry if i spelt a few words wrong Shanemac, but that dont hide the fact u lot celebrated like u had won the league the other night after scraping a 4-4 draw! What u have to realise is that your days of competing for a UEFA cup place are over while Jol is in charge. No tactics, a fat keeper and a defence that leaks more than my bathroom tap! I'd feel sorry for u, but ur all too arrogant. Wrighty7

Harry Hotspur said...

F*ck me am I HH, the Gooners friend?

Hang'em high but not just for syntax errors, surely lads?

Wrighty7 may well
Be enjoying his moment, but let's indulge the dirty gooner for at least coming on here with good grace.

No?

Anonymous said...

KPB is in the squad for Arsehole Fannywank tomorrow. Hurray!

Anonymous said...

I've got a message for gooner scum such as wrighty7 and chanelle - FUCK OFF

Anonymous said...

i have it very good sources that the spurs management had a lot of trouble getting Robbo off the golf courses and into training pre season. was told then that his heart aint it football for whatever reason. took it with a pinch of salt then but this season he has been very very poor on occasions and you have to question why he has not improved on crosses, jesus stood more of a chance on a cross than robbo does. i also remember speaking to the legend that is Pat Jennings who i would have back at a heartbeat as goalkeeping coach, and at the time when we had Keller and Robbo.. he rated Keller above Robbo...

Anonymous said...

I apologize for my harsh criticism of Wrighty7's spelling errors. I concede that gooners are humans as well.

Anonymous said...

ShaneMac. Unless you're a Yanker, 'apologize' should be spelt with an s. ;)

Anonymous said...

ANONYMOUS 10.58

are you sure you spelt yanker correctly ?!

Anonymous said...

why is robbo so glued to the seven yard line when opponents are attacking. its easy for the likes of fabregas and co of quality players to get the ball up and around him when he is so far off his line with decent shots..

honestly can anybody explain the logic of his positioning.. its easier to score from range when he is out there..

Anonymous said...

there is no place for loyalty in the modern win at all costs football world. The sooner we all realise this and understand this the sooner we can accept that RObbo needs to sit it out for a while and fight for his place against cerny. What we need to do is do the best for tottenham hotspurs not what is best for some feel good loyalty factor for Robbo.
I support Robbo but i adore my spurs and they are more important than any one player

Harry Hotspur said...

shanemac - Human? That's strong.

Anonymous said...

Drop him. Look what wenger did to Lehmann as soon as he started farting around and they haven't looked back. He needs to shed a few pounds also (pot and kettle discuss blackness)

Anonymous said...

if i'd known better, i'd say robbo's accepting an offer he cant refuse.. kapish? people who accept bribes are usually fat cos the money is tainted n the food dont digest properly

Anonymous said...

Dear HH, I enjoy reading your blog even if I am a Gooner. Yes I am and im proud of it too. I've alot of Spurs fans as friends and believe it or not I try to give an honest opinion on every topic, even Spurs topics. Im enjoying every moment of Arsenal at the moment and why should'nt I? The only reason that Im enjoying Spur's downfall at the moment is due to a number of Spurs fans arrogance in the summer. Stating that Arsenal are finished and its the year of the Cockeral, look whats happened. Egg on faces! I think Spurs will get out of this mess though, and finish around the 8th maybe 9th place mark. I will continue to express my opions on your blog in the future. Wrighty7

Anonymous said...

db,

I am actually a Spurs fan but people like you make me wish I wasn't.

Spurs have been the butt of Arsenal fans jokes for as long as I can remember and rightly so, they have had the upper hand on the pitch for years now.

When Tottenham do start closing the gap, the fans and the board get ahead of themselves and put uneccessary pressure on the manager and his players. They were never going to start the season flying with the number of new signings and injuries and to want to sack the man that has finished 5th in the league the last two seasons after just three games is beyond a joke.

Why can't the fans just get behind the team and stop acting like a bunch of spoilt brats.

As for Robbo, I'd give him a rest for a few weeks, let him sort his head out and do some intense fitness training then bring him back into the side. All keepers have a drop in confidence at some point in their careers. Playing Robinson every game doesn't seem to be helping him get over his.

Chanelle

Anonymous said...

anon 10:58

6 years in the states has worn off on me.

I apologise.

Anonymous said...

chanelle

you're really a spurs fan? you don't have to be! you was on big bro' methinks.

Anonymous said...

i think its better for robbo to take some of his weight off so he can react faster n be more agile...