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England keeper Green vows to forget howler, be ready to play

SoccerNews in English Premier League, MLS, World Cup 13 Jun 2010

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England goalkeeper Robert Green offered no excuses for the blunder which handed the United States a 1-1 draw on Saturday and declared himself ready to play again in the World Cup.

Green fumbled a harmless-looking Clint Dempsey shot and the ball deflected off his gloved hands and across the goalline in the 40th minute, giving the United States a point against England in a crucial Group C opener.

“I’m 30. I’m a man. I’m strong enough to take it and move on and be ready for another game if selected,” Green said.

“I have no excuses. It’s time to get on with it. That’s life.”

England manager Fabio Capello said he would not automatically rule out Green for England’s second match on Friday against Algeria in Cape Town.

“The approach is not to let it affect you for however many more you play,” Green said. “That’s why you prepare mentally. It’s something where you’ve got to hold your head high, hang in there and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

The West Ham keeper surrendered the equaliser after England captain Steven Gerrard had scored in the fourth minute.

Green made it clear he was confident to return in later matches even after ripping two vital points out of England’s pocket and gifting the Americans a point that could loom huge in advancing to the knockout rounds.

“The approach is not to let it affect you for however many more you play,” Green said. “That’s why you prepare mentally. It’s something where you’ve got to hold your head high, hang in there and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Green insisted his desire to pull on an England jersey had not been diminished by the biting “God Save The Green” sort of headlines certain to come in British newspapers.

“I want to play in every game I can,” he said. “I’ve made mistakes in the past. I want to represent as much as I can. If I get flack for it, so be it. I take responsibility for my problems and move on.”

Green did say that age has brought the confidence to overcome his humiliation, saying: “At a younger point in my life, it could have affected me more.”

David James, the veteran Portsmouth goalkeeper who served as a reserve, said it was time to rally around Green rather than start pushing for James to replace him because of one lapse moment.

“We need to get behind him,” said James, who himself earned the nickname “Calamity James” for mistakes in his career.

“There are 23 players and hopefully seven games. There will always be something you don’t expect. We got a draw out there. We haven’t lost.

“I expect we will see him again.”

Asked how he felt when he saw what happened with Green, James said: “Like every goalkeeper in the World Cup – terrible.”

Even US goalkeeper Tim Howard, who plays for Everton in the English Premier League, had sympathy for Green despite having had to make a number of saves of his own to allow the Americans to escape with a draw.

“It’s not clear. You have mixed emotions,” Howard said. “If you play at this level, you have to have broad shoulders and Robert has them.”

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