Robinson's start to the season has been nightmarish for club and country. Had he been anything other than a goalkeeper his poor form would have resulted in a stint on the bench and nothing of the ridicule and criticism he has faced from the media, and now, his England colleagues, who appear to have finally lost confidence in him. Robinson has been honest about his latest mistake, acknowledging that he could have done better. "The ball came in and I just managed to get a hand on it, but not a strong enough hand and it dropped in the middle," he said. His honesty comes in the face of thinly veiled criticism from the likes of Steven Gerrard, who admitted that Robinson should be "disappointed" with his role in England's capitulation.
Hopefully a spell on the sidelines is exactly what Robinson needs in order to regain the confidence that cemented his position as England's number one in the first place. Steve McClaren stuck by his goalkeeper because on paper his record was impressive (he has kept nine clean sheets during this qualification campaign) but his record in the biggest matches, for club and country, no longer holds up to close scrutiny. The time is right for both club and country for his understudies to be given their chance to prove themselves.