Case for the defence of Seaman – by the fourth in line to his England throne

His crime has been to be caught on his line. Not snorting one. Yet the furore surrounding David Seaman has been more pronounced than that reserved for certain television presenters dismissed from their jobs over their extra-curricular sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll activities.

Goalkeepers have never borne close scrutiny. Even the very best, including Banks, Yashin and Kahn, could have been better positioned, or more alert and athletic, when they conceded a goal. But allowances are made. It is defenders who tend to be censured. Not, though, where the Arsenal and England No 1 is concerned.

Wednesday night in Dortmund, where Arsenal suffered a fourth consecutive defeat, offered further oppor-tunity for his critics. At first sight, at least. He should have reached Tomas Rosicky's free- kick, it was suggested. Then was Seaman slow off his line as Jan Koller bore down on him, when he conceded what transpired to be the winning penalty? Never mind that few of his peers would have reacted successfully to Rosicky's kick, given the deflection provided by Gilberto's head. Or that Koller made a real bratwürst out of their confrontation when no contact appeared to have been made.

Still, a wounded reputation sticks, unlike the ball, to Seaman's hands – according to those who chastise him.

One might assume that the congregation chorusing for his retirement would include those jockeying for his England throne. Yet that is not the case. At least, not publicly. It appears to be a condition of membership of the Society of Goalkeepers, Allied Custodians and Associated Net Minders that one should "never condemn thy brother for thine own profit".

Certainly Russell Hoult doesn't. Few could possibly be as diffident about their international prospects as the West Bromwich Albion man. As an English goalkeeper currently at the zenith of his career – he was recently voted best English goalkeeper in a tabloid newspaper poll – you feel he ought to be at the stake-claiming stage at least. Last season he contributed to the Baggies' promotion push with 27 clean sheets. In the Premiership, despite the quality of the strikers he confronts, Hoult has continued to dominate his area and demonstrate excellent reflexes.

Instead, he takes self- effacement to a new level. "There are five English Premiership goalkeepers at the moment, and I'm fifth in the pecking order," he declares. "Yes, I believe I'm playing as well as I ever have. If I get in the England squad, then fine, I'll take it. But at the moment it's not my major ambition. If it never happens I'm not going to rant and rave. Being upfront is not my way. It never has been and I won't change. I'm the quiet type."

Hoult names his preferred England trio as: David Seaman, David James and Nigel Martyn. "David should still be England keeper and I expect he'll still be in there when we play our next international. Nobody's got more experience than him." The Baggies goalkeeper adds: "David's had a lot of bad luck in five months. There's not an awful lot gone for him and everyone seems to keep picking him up on it. The balls keep flying in the net. Look at Blackburn's first goal on Saturday. It flew off someone's [Edu's] shin into his own goal, over his head. Who'd have had that?"

So, you can sympathise with Seaman's predicament? "Of course," agrees the 6ft 4in goalkeeper. "The goal goes in, you get a close-up [of Seaman] on the TV, and you've never even seen the geezer who's put it in the net."

You remind him that his third choice, Martyn, won't be considered by Sven Goran Eriksson until he is back in the first team, just as Chris Kirkland will have to bide his time before entering the senior international arena until he usurps Jerzy Dudek at Liverpool. However, the Albion man insists: "I don't see why Nigel's not in the squad. He would do the job as well as anybody. Paul Robinson has been in the Under-21s, of course, but maybe he's a bit young and inexperienced."

One suspects that if there was a goalkeeper around possessing the potential that, say, Banks, Shilton or Clemence once did, then Seaman's international career would already be concluded. The truth is that none of Seaman's challengers have made that kind of seismic impact, at least not consistently. From being a nation where you could seemingly whistle up a decent goalkeeper from any local park, there now seems to be a dearth of them at the élite level. As George Best says: "We have such a pathetic shortage of English goalkeepers in the Premiership."

Why it should be the case that no fewer than three-quarters of the Premiership clubs boast foreign goalkeepers is difficult to assess. Hoult says: "Maybe they're more fashionable – or cheaper. It's difficult to put your finger on. Some clubs seem to go out and buy them after World Cups. Even here, apart from me, there's Brian Jensen [Danish] and Joe Murphy (an Irish Under-21 international)."

The problem seems to be that the best English keepers are signed up by the top clubs, and then languish as understudies (like Kirkland, Robinson until this season, and Richard Wright before his move from Arsenal to Everton) to the first-choice players. Aware of this, many excellent performers prefer to start with Nationwide clubs. At least they gain experience.

Hoult, now 30, began his career at Leicester but was loaned out more than a well-thumbed library book in his early years. Eventually he found his way to Derby and then Portsmouth, before finding his niche at West Brom. Yet, it has to be asked, is there not something of a stigma about playing for a just-promoted or lower Premiership side, which appears to preclude chances of England selection? Does not fashion dictate the content of squads?

After all, the late Jeff Astle is probably West Brom's best- remembered England player of recent times, and he won only five England caps. "We're fighting to stay in this League and, yes, I suppose it's true that the further up the League you go the better chance you've got," says Hoult. "In a newly-promoted team you're always going to struggle to shine. If we can stay here for two or three years, it will build people's confidence and it will get people sitting up and looking. You're a big-name player if you're at a big club."

You're also under closer examination, as David Seaman has discovered. Perhaps at the Hawthorns your faults receive less adverse comment. Still, Eriksson could do worse than take a closer look at one of goalkeeping's more modest men. It could just be to his, and England's, advantage.