Basso for England?

When an unknown Brazilian keeper called Adriano Basso arrived at Ashton Gate from Conference side Woking in late 2005, many City fans questioned the signing. With Steve Phillips still between the posts, having seen off competition from endless loan signings, I thought the same ending was likely to happen in this case. How wrong I was.

Two and half seasons later and Basso has established himself as a first team regular and Phillips, who couldn’t handle the rejection, headed down the road to Rovers. After two fantastic seasons being our number one keeper, Basso now has aspirations of playing for England or his native Brazil. He now holds a British passport after being in the country for five years and at 32 years of age, he still has a realistic chance of fulfilling his dream. I certainly believe he has the ability to do this. In my opinion he is a far better goalkeeper than the likes of Paul Robinson, whose mistakes have cost England dear in the past. With David James still performing well but his age a concern for many, I think Basso is definitely a capable replacement.

Last week, Basso received the PFA Championship Player of the Month award for March, and it was a well deserved accolade as he saved two penalties over the course of the month, and made countless saves. It is a far cry from the player who arrived nearly three years ago who I thought was nowhere near as good as Phillips. For starters, his goal kicking was abysmal as he struggled to get the ball over the half way line, but I am glad to say this has since improved and it is only on rare occasions that one of his kicks will put hearts in mouths. I was also a bit wary of his shot stopping ability, which was one Phillips’s best assets. However the Brazilian has proven me wrong and I am glad he has.

After looking at Basso and Phillips, the ability and attitudes towards football could not be more different. It is clear Adriano understands football is a team game and on the odd occasion when he has lost his place to Chris Weale, he has accepted it. Phillips on the other hand will throw his toys out of the pram and blame every other player around him before he even contemplates whether he made a mistake. This was demonstrated in one of his last appearances in a City shirt when Phillips failed to save a free kick aimed straight at him, against Notts County in the FA Cup. County, who were a league below us, beat us 2-0 at home and Steve blamed the goal on the new ball which had been introduced specifically for the competition.

Since that day, the two goalkeepers have seen their careers go in opposite directions and it is no surprise to me to see why. Basso’s attitude, along with that of the rest of the City squad, is fantastic and that is one of the main reasons we find ourselves in the position we are. The players will work for one another and are pleased to see another team mate do well, even if it means they have to sit on the bench and watch the game. It is a team spirit I hope will not be ruined if we managed to win promotion and see half of the squad replaced with new players. But I don’t think Gary Johnson would let that happen.

If City can reach the Premier League, surely Basso would stand a great chance of gaining his first international cap whether it is with England or Brazil? To me, there is no better goalkeeper in the Football League and we were very lucky to find him. So what do the rest of you City fans think, could Basso play for England?

ANDY DAVIES