England legend Shilton: Keepers could drop Capello in it

The legendary former England No 1, who won 125 caps across 20 years, delivered his damning verdict as the national team manager prepared to offer Manchester City's Joe Hart another opportunity tonight to press his case to challenge David James.

Shilton said: "All goalkeepers make mistakes. That's a fact. But what we've got now are goalkeepers who maybe make a mistake every two or three games for England, where you want one who will make one every season and a half."

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David James (right) with Joe Hart (centre) and Joe Lewis (left)

Shilton fears 38-year-old Portsmouth goalkeeper James - likely to start at Wembley tonight before Hart gets a go in the second half - is only still around because the new breed of contenders all have too many technical faults.

"It's at least a good thing that we have some young English goalkeepers in the Premier League to look at now but the fact David has got back after losing his place through silly errors means you have to look at the others," he said.

"Paul Robinson had a crisis of confidence when Spurs were struggling badly at the beginning of the season.

Then Scott Carson came in with a big chance in a big game (the final Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia), and the first thing he had to do he made a horrendous error.

"I know that Ben Foster was doing exceptionally well until he had his injury, and the others like Robert Green and Chris Kirkland have their supporters, but there is nobody that I could say, 'Yes, I could definitely be 100 per cent confident in his consistency.'

"David James has made fewer mistakes but in the last England game (against France) I felt part of the reason he gave a penalty away was the technique of his dive."

The England goalkeeping situation is such that Capello called Peterborough's highly-promising Joe Lewis - a 20-year-old whose only experience has been in League Two - into his squad to gain big-match experience when Kirkland returned to Wigan due to a back injury.

Shilton, speaking yesterday at the HQ of England sponsors Nationwide, added: "I watch all the goalkeepers and there are flaws in their game. There's one, and I won't name him, who dives late because he doesn't get his eyes following the ball as soon as a shot is struck.

"I don't see any one of them who is the full package, whether it is on crosses, or shot stopping, or whatever. Sometimes you think they will continue to make mistakes unless they do the work to put things right.

"When I watch most of the goalkeepers I feel they are very good at certain things, maybe 75 or 80 per cent of top quality, but I see little things in all their games in technique that will let them down over a period of time."