World NewsRobinson Move Could Boost England Hopes |
PAUL Robinson will hope to resurrect his faltering England career after completing his move from Tottenham to Blackburn.
The 28-year-old goalkeeper was his country's undisputed number one for almost two years until a series of high-profile blunders saw his confidence plummet and saw him dropped at both club and international level.Robinson's fall from grace is certainly reflected in the relatively modest £3.5million transfer fee that made him Paul Ince's first signing since becoming Rovers boss.
It appears to be shrewd move for both the player, who has secured a five-year deal, and his new club, who are set to lose long-serving keeper Brad Friedel to Aston Villa after the midlands club were given permission to speak to the American.
Robinson is nine years Friedel's junior and able to give what should be his best years to his new employers.
Yet, 37-year-old Friedel enjoyed a significantly more impressive season than his would-be replacement last year, building on his reputation as one of the top-flight's most consistent performers while Robinson's reputation floundered.
A January horror show against Reading was the final straw in a series of below-par performances and led to new Spurs chief Ramos dropping Robinson in favour of his unheralded deputy, Radek Cerny, for 10 matches.
But the former Leeds man, who joined Tottenham for £1.5million in 2005, responded positively to his demotion and battled back to regain his place in time to play in the Carling Cup final.
He produced some important saves in the surprise 2-1 defeat of Chelsea, helping to end the north London club's silverware drought in the process.
Joyous scenes of celebration at the end of the match even suggested his reconciliation with Ramos could be complete.
But while the Spanish coach wasted little time in bringing in Brazil stopper Heurelho Gomes for from PSV, Robinson's performance in the League Cup showpiece goes to show that Ince has brought in a man still capable of turning in top-drawer performances at the highest level.
Friedel, meanwhile, could become a Villa player in the next couple of days, providing they see off late interest from Manchester City - currently managed by Friedel's former Rovers boss Mark Hughes.
Villa manager O'Neill told the club's official website, www.avfc.co.uk: "We've been given permission to talk to the player and that's something that we want to do. But there are still lots of things to happen.
"We're in the process of strengthening the squad and this is all part of our efforts to add strength in depth."
Former England captain Ince would like to add further new signings to his squad before the start of the new campaign but will be equally focused on ensuring the likes of David Bentley and Roque Santa Cruz do not follow Friedel out of the club.
Meanwhile, Blackburn came from a goal down to beat Benfica 3-2 in a pre-season friendly thriller in Portugal last night.
Rovers fell behind after seven minutes when Urreta squeezed home a shot on the rebound.
But Rovers turned the game on its head in the space of two minutes when Morten Gamst Pedersen's superb free-kick and Jason Roberts both netted shortly after the half-hour mark.
It was 3-1 five minutes after half-time when Brett Emerton threw himself at Pedersen's cross.
Benfica pulled a goal back through Ariza Makukula and saw a shot cleared off the line in the closing stages as Blackburn clung on.
Copyright (c) 2008 Press Association
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