Robert Green accepted his England World Cup chances were over long ago - despite the intervention of the manager in the opposite dug out tonight.
Uwe Rosler reckoned Roy Hodgson should have taken the QPR shot-stopper into account when picking the squad that saw Joe Hart, Fraser Forster and Ben Foster get the nod instead.
Rosler was mightily impressed by Green as Rs edged Wigan 1-0 in March, but the gloveman was under no illusions when asked a little while back if he nurtured secret hopes.
“In a word, no,” he said. “I know that if I were in the Premier League, I would like to think I had a better chance of playing than someone in the Championship like me - that’s just the way it is.
“You’ve got top keepers there: Joe Hart etc, and Fraser has been playing Champions League football this season.”
Green insists he’s long since put to bed the nightmare of a trip to South Africa 2010 where he fumbled a goal to the USA for a 1-1 draw in England’s opening match.
To emphasise the then-and-now, Green pointed to significant changes in his life.
He said: “Have I forgotten it? It’s been four years. Since then, I’ve got married and had two kids.”