For Robinson, the 2005-2006 season much seem like an eternity ago. Struggling from crosses and long range shots last year, he has started this season disastrously for both club and country. Beaten from long range against Arsenal and Manchester United, Monday night saw a performance so catastrophic that it had to be seen to be believed, with the once staunchly reliable Robinson at fault for three of Aston Villa's four goals. Scintillating late rally aside, his blunders should have cost us the game but what is more alarming is that it was not an isolated event. Horrified fans have watched aghast as Robinson's confidence has collapsed but, much like the plight of Martin Jol, they have refused to put the boot into one of the most likeable players at the club. Robinson was so touched after being given a birthday card signed by thousands of the White Hart Lane faithful that one night he stayed up to the early hours inflating footballs to kick into the crowd as a thank you. It's this goodwill that has garnered so much patience and support from the fans but this support appears to be waning.
Robinson has always taken criticism on the chin and now he must do the same. His blunder against Croatia last season catapulted him into infamy and ridicule and for the most part the reaction by sections of the media was deplorable but predictable. The bobble that caused him so much embarrassment, however, masked longer term causes for concern. Robinson, like many of his team mates, had not had an impressive World Cup, looking particularly forlorn of confidence when facing corners and crosses into the box. Tottenham goalkeeping coach Hans Segers is said to have worked very hard with Paul in an attempt to improve his positioning and decision making from crosses into the box but little has improved as poor performance continues to breed poor performance, with commentators criticising his shot stopping from long range and pointing to his weight as the reason he cannot get down to low shots.
These criticisms miss the point. Even during the 2005-2006 season Robinson was hardly the most lithe of athletes yet he pulled off fantastic save after fantastic save. What is most apparent is that Robinson is a man bereft of confidence. Because of his standing with the fans his performance against Aston Villa, which unfortunately fell in the glare of the clubs most glittering names from the past as the club celebrated its 125th anniversary, was a comic tragedy and one couldn't help feeling deeply sorry for Robinson as he writhed and flailed about in the night. With the team in such a poor league position, however, Martin Jol must put thought of sentiment and sympathy aside to deal with the situation before the season is irreparably lost.
Though it would be grossly unfair to shoulder Robinson with all the blame for the clubs calamitous start to the season (his confidence has hardly been helped by the loss of Ledley King in the heart of defence) it is now time for Jol to act by dropping his goalkeeper. It's a move than should have been taken long before the blunders of Monday night and perversely the only measure that might refocus Robinson. Jol's aim should be to shock Robinson rather than shatter him and though there are worries among some that dropping your goalkeeper after such obvious errors could well prove devastating to his confidence Robinson has demonstrated an admirable level of professionalism during his time at the club and there is little reason to believe he would not take this blow as a lesson and motivation to sort out his game. In fact Robinson is the type of player who may well believe he deserves to be dropped and given time to reflect on a poor start to the season and that he hasn't already is surprising. It's arguable that if Robinson were at any other club he would have been dropped by now but Jol is well known for his commitment to players during bad spells of form (Jermaine Jenas anyone?) perhaps to the detriment of the team itself. Now is not the time for favourites, especially with crucial games round the corner.
Dropping Robinson doesn't mean the end for him at Tottenham, far from it. I fully expect that if dropped Robinson will come back a stronger player. With his deputy Radek Cerny likely to start against Famagusta on Thursday it remains to be seen whether Jol will continue to stay faithful to his number one against Liverpool at the weekend. Jol will want a cool, confident head to command the defence against a one of the most potent attacking teams in the league. Whether Robinson can offer that at the moment remains to be seen.