In Defence of Robbo
On Sunday, The Observer run a story that would not have gone amiss on the back pages of The Sun or Daily Mirror. Not a single quote or any type of evidence other than the assumptions and opinions of the journalists (it took two people to write it). They told us that Paul Robinson's was told by Spurs in a meeting with the chairman that he could leave the club. Then we are told that Defoe will sign a contract but leave in the summer.
The article then bounces back to Robinson and how Levy wants him gone due to Robbo publicly backing Martin Jol back in October prior to the arrival of Ramos. What we are meant to believe is that Levy was furious with Robbo to the point of wanting him kicked out of the club. But this isn’t the most ridiculous part of the article. That’s saved for the part that explains Damien Comolli (also anti-Robinson) went to the ‘extraordinary’ length of advising the then England manager (Mr McClaren) to drop Robinson some months BEFORE the Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia.
Just try to picture that. Comolli telling McClaren to drop Robinson when at the time. Are the Writers Guild of America moonlighting fro the British media? There’s also nothing surprising about Robinson reacting badly to being dropped. Badly can be interrupted into ‘angrily’. Unless the journalists were present and witnessed Robinson being dropped how the fuck do they know anything about how he reacted? Oh yeah, ‘our sources’ tell us. I keep forgetting the press have insiders all over the shop.
I can handle the press printing bullshit. It’s a commodity they rely on. Robinson, bless him, hasn’t gone beyond losing form. He has lost the part of him that made him the best English keeper. He’s gone from very good to very average. But that doesn’t mean he won’t make a recovery. That recovery will happen if he admits to himself he has a problem, something he doesn’t appear to have done at any stage this season and since the air-kick in Croatia.
The recovery is also dependent on how the Spurs fans take to him when he returns to starting line-up. You can’t deny him the fact that at the end of his first year at Spurs he was probably the most popular player at the Lane. 7 year contract, superb all round form. England’s number 1.
Since then, things have progressively got worse for him. From Mr Dependable to Mr Calamity. Signs first appeared in the 07 season. This season has been an unmitigated disaster, with over 10 goals or so being down to his bad decision making and judgement. But any suggestions of him being hounded out of the club, by the board or the players is disgraceful.
Let’s kick him out. Yeah. Great idea. Much like when we thought Pat Jennings wasn’t good enough anymore and sold him to Arsenal. What a brilliant piece of business that turned out to be. Robinson’s form should have been dealt with a long time ago. It wasn’t. We still have no keeping coach since Segers left. He’s confidence will never improve if he is playing with the back four he’s had in front of him most of the season. Maybe with King back, things will begin to take shape.
Sometimes the lack of loyalty and the way we turn on our own is shocking. So, I will hope the media are making up stories and the fickle Spurs fans are just a minority. Otherwise, its shameful.
