Fabio Capello may have turned England into a half-decent side again, but if there's one part of the team that remains a liability, it's the chap in between the sticks.
David James is currently England's best goalkeeper, without question. But he simply isn't good enough. The lapse in concentration that allowed Nicklas Bendtner's tame header to creep over the line on Saturday is utterly typical of a man who is simply incapable of concentrating fully for 90 minutes.
The mistakes have grown less frequent, and less serious, with age. Nevertheless, they remain - and at the World Cup, a solitary mistake will be enough to eject England from the tournament.
But where's the alternative? Rob Green's a fantastic shot-stopper, but is almost incapable of collecting crosses; Scott Carson's looked little better than ordinary in a relegated West Brom side; Chris Kirland's prolonged run in the Wigan side has made us realise that he's not the superstar-in-waiting he was billed as; and Paul Robinson will never again enjoy the confidence that made him the first-choice number one a couple of years ago.
That leaves Ben Foster: a goalkeeper who can't even break into his club side, albeit the best club side in the world. England can't have a first choice keeper that's not a first choice.
Which leaves us with James. The best of a pretty average bunch. And the man who's going to cost us the World Cup, mark my words.
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