David James was handed the number one jersey for the friendly against France and the Portsmouth keeper but did his cause no favours despite having little to do.

His major contribution was a 32nd-minute dash from his line, committing himself to a ball he had no chance of winning before clattering head-first into Nicolas Anelka to concede the match-deciding penalty.

Because of injuries and withdrawls, Capello was forced to select five keepers for the friendly at the Stade de France but more concerned with quality rather than quantity, the England boss must be deeply concerned about the lack of a first class English keeper who he can call upon.

The sad fact is that most nations nowadays lack a genuinely top-notch keeper, with only Italy's Gigi Buffon and Iker Casillas of Spain in the world-class category. But other countries are not Capello's concern.

Over the past three years, Paul Robinson seemed to have made the England position his own but a number of high-profile errors have cost him his place in the side and the squad. He was in the party that travelled to Paris but just like Rob Green, he boarded the flight only because of the withdrawals of Chris Kirkland and Scott Carson.

Perhaps due to Robinson's problems more than his own form, James has been a popular choice for the England boss but is the 37-year-old really the best man for the job? Here are Capello's candidates:

DAVID JAMES

Pompey's veteran stopper seems to be the people's choice to be Capello's main man. A commanding presence and a fine shot-stopper, according to the Actim Index, James is the Premier League's best keeper. But with goalkeeping, statistics tell only half the story.

James may have made some fantastic saves this campaign but, my view on the veteran is much the same as it always has been.

He is either simply fantastic, or simply shocking. There is rarely a happy medium with James, and with consistency being the key to keeping, it does not bode well when selecting a shotstopper for the World Cup campaign.

PAUL ROBINSON

Up until the beginning of the current season, Robinson was unquestionably England's number one. But his fall from grace has been as worrying as it has spectacular.

This season could not have gone much worse for the ex-Leeds United custodian. He began the campaign as England and Spurs number one and within six months, he was fourth choice for his country and dropped by his club.

His judgement on crosses and high balls has never been faultless, but most worrying has been his shot-stopping and handling. He has carried the air of a keeper devoid of all confidence.

Spurs may have little to play for this season but now Robinson has won his place back at White Hart Lane, he has seven games left behind a much more secure defence to prove himself worthy of the Spurs and England jersey next season.

SCOTT CARSON

Carson has had to show a lot of character to bounce back from his error against Croatia in only his second cap.

But bounce back he has; the 22-year-old has enjoyed a sound season at Aston Villa and seems likely to seal a permanent move to the Midlands from his parent club Liverpool.

However, is Carson the best keeper in the country? No. Is he in the top three keepers in the country? No.

Carson has time on his side though and by the 2014 World Cup, at 28 years old, he may well possess the presence a top stopper needs and have developed as a goalkeeper away from the comfort of his goal line.

CHRIS KIRKLAND

Ever since Kirkland rose to prominence at Coventry six years ago, he has been touted as a future England number one. But the 6ft 6in stopper seems to have stalled and at 27, his potential should have been realised by now.

In all fairness, Kirkland has been hampered by a frightening lack of luck with injuries. But whilst the Wigan keeper has been on the treatment table, others have passed him by and there are stoppers better equipped to make the step up to the international stage.

ROB GREEN

'England's number six' was the slogan adorning Green's gloves following his omission from Capello's first squad and it is difficult not to have sympathy for the West Ham keeper.

The 28-year-old is a fine shot-stopper, comfortable playing off his line and has displayed a fine level of consistency. Green is an efficient goalkeeper, does the job with a minimum of fuss and does it well so why he has been almost completely ignored since rupturing his groin in the B international against Belarus two years ago is as much of a mystery to me as it apparently is to him.

BEN FOSTER

This season was supposed to be a big one for the former chef. Had he stayed fit and been given the chance to show what he can do at Manchester United, many speculate that he would already be England number one.

But he hasn't, and Foster is playing catch up. Next season is make or break for the 24-year-old, and Old Trafford has broken more keepers than it has made since the departure of Peter Schmeichel.

The key to Foster's chances of being number one when the 2010 World Cup finals come around is will he have had a full season as number one at United under his belt? At this stage, it is difficult to see that happening with Edwin van der Sar continuing to perform admirably for the champions.

The goalkeeping decision is a complex one for Capello. Does he play whoever is in form at the time, or does he select one keeper to carry the country through to 2010 and stick with him?

Whoever the England boss chooses, he needs to know his keeper is, as a minimum, safe and reliable.

So with that in mind, my top three through to the World Cup would be Robinson, James and Green.

Keepers don't become bad overnight but they also don't become great in the same short period of time, which is why I believe Capello should ignore those clamouring for James and look again at Robinson as his number one.

Some may argue that Robinson's sticky patch has lasted too long to simply be described as a blip, but at 30 when the World Cup kicks off in South Africa the Spurs keeper will be approaching his peak. He has recently displayed signs that he might be getting some confidence back, which is the first step to finding his form.

But if he wants Capello to hand him back his England number one jersey back, he has got to find it now.

I honestly feel James being given the job as number one is just too much of a risk in the long term and his performance in Paris backs up this view. I still feel he is almost guaranteed one mistake a game.

Let's not forget also that James, capped 36 times, has had his chance as number one for his country and he blew it spectacularly. Add to that the fact that when the World Cup kicks off in South Africa, James will be a month short of 40.

Yes, Peter Shilton was 40 and David Seaman 39 when they earned their last international caps. But the Pompey keeper is not in the same class as either of England's two most capped keepers.

In my opinion, Robinson represents a much better bet for Capello in the

long term.