Almunia for England....

[Garett]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/a...

Sure this story has been knocking around for a while, but I just don't think its right for him to be eligible to play for the national team.

Are there any other England players (past or present) that have pulled out this card before?

[im]

John Barnes was born in Kingston, Jamaica and I'm sure there will have been more.

In cricket a few 'Colonials' have represented us - not least KP

So with those precedents why not Almunia?

[Ferg]

Just because.

[Garett]

Does he have any english parents/grandparents?

[sjc]

What bugs me about all this is, Ben Foster saves a penalty in a shoot-out, and hey presto makes the England squad. Almunia has a couple of O.K ganes ( after looking bloody awful for so long) including (generally) some straight forward stuff against Man.U and hey presto lets have him for England. In the meanwhile Robert Green quietly goes along being the most consistent/no fuss/best english goalkeeper for the last 3 seasons,and hardly gets a look in.Totally beyond me, that boys face really doesn't fit................................

[Alfa_75_Steve]

Ben Foster has been part of the England squad for years now.

He kept something like 29 clean sheets in one season when he was on loan at Watford.

[sjc]

Alfa_75_Steve said:

Ben Foster has been part of the England squad for years now.

He kept something like 29 clean sheets in one season when he was on loan at Watford.

Clean sheets are more about the team than any one goalkeeper.

[Alfa_75_Steve]

sjc said:

Alfa_75_Steve said:

Ben Foster has been part of the England squad for years now.

He kept something like 29 clean sheets in one season when he was on loan at Watford.

Clean sheets are more about the team than any one goalkeeper.

It's one of the best measures we have of a goal-keeper's performance - and it does prove that he's done more than 'save a few penalties' in order to get his England (squad) place.

[sjc]

Look I'd probably rate Foster in the top three with Green (and Kirkland if fit).Don't you think it just a touch ironic that after a headline game he suddenly made the England squad though?.If that wasn't a game at Wembley playing for Man.U I doubt very much it would have happened. And the best judge of a keeper is seeing them day in day out. Green is present Hammer of the year at West Ham, did more to keep them up than even Tevez, Canary of the year at Norwich. Even West Hams own fans chant "Englands, Englands No.6, Englands No.6"! This is the bloke that under Mclaren got in the squad at the end of the 2006/7season(when everyone was available)didn't play in the 2 friendlies that the squad was named for, and then got dropped from the next squad at the start of the next season when no fker had played in between! As I said,his face doesn't fit. I'm mates with season ticket holders at several different clubs,(West Ham,Arsenal,Spurs,Fulham,Man U.etc) and to a man they can't understand it.