The England Goalkeeper Issue

England has a rich heritage in the goalkeeping department. Who can forget the incredible performances of Gordon Banks, especially that breathtaking save against Pele. What about the remarkable longevity of Peter Shilton who kept goal successfully for so long, indeed sharing the number one jersey with Ray Clemence for much of his early England career. David Seaman was also a fantastic keeper on his day, even if he will sadly be remembered for letting in that 35 yard free-kick against Brazil rather than for some of his finer moments in the all white.

Filling the goalkeeper spot has never really been an issue for the English national team - until now. More than just possessing a single world class keeper, there was traditionally a dearth of English talent at the position. Seaman had to battle with Tim Flowers, Ian Walker and Nigel Martyn at various points for the England jersey, who were no slouches themselves, not to mention many other good English born keepers that couldn't even sniff the England set-up.

Finding a 'number one' worthy of some of the illustrious predecessors in the England jersey will surely be near the top of Fabio Capello's agenda. They say great teams are built from the back, and a good goalkeeper is essential to the success of any team. A keeper can single-handedly keep his team in a match and in just one instant, easily throw his team's chances away. It is a massive responsibility fraught with incredible pressure. As they say, nobody on the pitch is more alone than the goalkeeper.

To put this in perspective, the Spanish have to decide between Santiago Canizares, Iker Cassilas and Pepe Reina in goal - all very good keepers. The Italians have Gianluigi Buffon, generally considered the best keeper in the world over the last 5 years, and even then he had to compete until recently with Francesco Toldo from Inter Milan and Angelo Peruzzi from Juventus. Even Brazil has a world class keeper in Dida, and that from a country that glorifies its strikers and where the nerdy kid that nobody else wants on their team usually ends up between the posts.

So where does England stand in terms of a replacement for Banks, Shilton and Seaman? Here are the main contenders for the England Number One jersey:

Paul Robinson (Tottenham) - He has been the primary successor to David Seaman as England's Number One, but has often lacked the authority and confidence of a world class goalkeeper. Things have not been helped by a series of horrendous errors made for both club and country. His drop in form led to the loss of a starting place at Spurs for a big part of this season. Even if he recovers his best form, still lacks the pedigree of a world-class international goalkeeper.

David James (Man City) - His own struggles for club and country need not bear any repeating. Was given the nickname 'calamitous' while playing for Liverpool due to his notorious losses in concentration and schoolboy mistakes. However, he is proof that goalkeepers, like fine wine can age well. Has played very well for City, and is arguably showing the best form of his career at the age of 35. It is important that he plays behind a strong back four as he can be susceptible in the air, but England have dominant central defenders aplenty. A strong case can be made for James to be given the extended run in the England side which he has never had to date.

Scott Carson (Aston Villa) - Carson will have to recover his confidence after his calamitous first ever England start in the final Euro qualifier against Croatia (his mistakes helped England to lose the game). He is generally a solid goalkeeper but lacks the real class of a superb shot stopper that is necessary at the international level. Will probably be a good reserve to have but doubtful that he will ever be a long term No. 1 for England.

Chris Kirkland (Wigan) - The future seemed so bright for Kirkland when he made his England debut and was signed by Liverpool for a huge sum, but injuries have blighted his career to date. It remains to be seen if he can fulfill his initial promise and the expectation that he would be a future England regular. He has shown decent form this season, but for a struggling side. He has been a big part of Steve Bruce's strategy at Wigan of keeping it tight and ekeing out draws. Will need to establish himself as the number one at a bigger club to really have a chance of reviving his England career.

Rob Green (West Ham) - Has been drafted into the England squad as the third string keeper in recent times. A decent all round goalkeeper, but in my opinion lacks the international pedigree that is vital against really world class strikers.

Ben Foster (Man Utd) - He is seen as a future England Number One by Alex Ferguson, among others. Career has been derailed by two cruciate ligament injuries and it remains to be seen if he will be able to recover completely from his most recent one. Has shown great promise, but suffers from the fact that he is third in the pecking order at Old Trafford. Will hope to become United number one when Van Der Sar retires, if not must quickly establish himself as a dominant first choice goalkeeper elsewhere. Definitely one to watch.

Manuel Almunia (Arsenal) - Such is the desperation surrounding the goalkeeping problem that it has even been suggested that England utilise naturalised Spaniard Almunia as its starting keeper, as Almunia is now eligible for an English passport. Such a move will prove very controversial in what is still a rather nationalistic country, and is thus unlikely to happen. It is also hard to see a reason for taking such a step to play what is in essence not even the fifth best Spanish keeper.

Joe Hart (Man City) - Has shown maturity beyond his years and a real cool head since taking over the number one jersey from Kaspar Schmeichel a half dozen or so games into the season. It is perhaps no exaggeration to say that he has been a revelation. However, it would be imprudent to rush him into the England set-up, but along with Foster, he represents the future of English goalkeeping.

My pick for England goalkeeper: goodness knows I have been a critic in the past (mostly gleeful when his mistakes for Liverpool so benefited Manchester United) but credit must be given where it is due. David James has been playing very well indeed and he deserves to be given an extended run in the England team to prove he can replicate his domestic form at the international level. Paul Robinson is still a good goalkeeper, despite his recent struggles and is a reliable back-up. If circumstances improve, he should be given a chance to re-establish himself as England's top dog. It is imperative that England looks to the future - which is Ben Foster and Joe Hart. It would be tempting to choose Hart given his recent run of first team football, but Foster has shown is worth on loan and should be given a chance to train with England if he can prove his recovery from knee surgery.