Robinson hopeful on England recall

04 December 2009 20:13
Goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes he is in a 'better place' and ready to stake his claim for England's number one jersey ahead of the World Cup.

The 30-year-old Blackburn Rovers keeper has successfully rebuilt his career at Ewood Park following he high-profile mistakes for the Three Lions during his time at former club Tottenham.

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Robinson has not played for England since a 2-1 Euro 2008 qualifying defeat to Russia in Moscow two years ago, but has returned to the recent international squads named by Fabio Capello.

But after impressing in Rovers' Carling Cup quarter-final success against Chelsea in midweek, the former Leeds United keeper believes he is now better placed to continue his international career.

Capello has yet to settle on his number one for next summer's tournament after flirting with David James, Robert Green and Ben Foster during recent games.

"I'm definitely a more rounded person these days. I'm able to deal with situations a lot better and I'm a lot more mature," said Robinson.

"I can bounce back from whatever. My form this season has been steady - quite good at times.

"I was very disappointed with Chelsea's third goal but to be able to bounce back in such a short space of time, like I did on Wednesday, is unusual for a goalkeeper.

"Possibly I couldn't have done it earlier in my career. The lessons in life are there to be learned from. And if you don't learn from them, there's no point in having them.

"I'm definitely in a better place than I was a few years ago."

Source: DSG