Could Robinson return from the cold?

Last updated : 16 February 2008 By Gareth Davies
Thursday's match against Slavia Prague showcased the current Tottenham side perfectly. Surely few teams in football have the ability to beguile and frustrate in equal measure, as we yo-yoed between slick attacking football to lapses of concentration and floundering at the back.

Quite how we managed to allow a stroll in the park to transform into a tight affair in the last twenty minutes is beyond comprehension, especially against such low quality opposition. What seems clear is that the complacency that existed during Jol's tenure at the club has not yet been completely dispelled by his Spanish successor.

We had been inviting pressure from Slavia, who looked every bit the team Arsenal thrashed 7-0 last season, even before Cerny inexplicably misjudged a high cross from the left, fumbling the ball into an attackers path and giving the Czechs an undeserved foothold in the match. Granted we deserved to be several more goals up at that point but, as we constantly prove, football is rarely that simple or predictable.

Cerny's gaff earned him instant comparison with Paul Robinson, who did something similar against Reading and against Germany whilst representing England. The sides former first choice goalkeeper has hardly painted himself in glory since being dropped, with stories emerging from the dressing room that he does not enjoy a warm relationship with Ramos being particularly disturbing. His refusal to celebrate with the rest of the squad after the thumping of Arsenal at White Hart Lane last month was petty and hardly enamoured himself to the home crowd.

That said, despite his lack of form and seemingly distressing attitude, few fans would disagree that Robinson is a more talented goalkeeper than Radek Cerny. It may well be that with a week to analayse the squad before the return leg, Ramos may well give Robinson a chance to prove his worth by selecting him in a match that should be pretty straight forward.

In regards to Robinson, I stumbled across a clip of the build up to the Slavia game on youtube. It features some of our fantastic support singing songs about half an hour before kick off when Robinson decides to join in. Have a watch and realise why I still think there's hope for him at the club yet. Thanks to the makers of the clip, some good work showcasing just why we have some of the best support in the country)