10 years, 348 appearances, four trophies, four Golden Gloves; Hart’s contribution to the club is unquestionable. But, unfortunately, it had to come to an end this summer. New manager Pep Guardiola never envisaged Hart in his long-term plans and it was better for the Englishman’s career that he move on earlier rather than spending a year on the bench.
However, City fans still have the right to have a grievance for their man. Simply for the reason that he is their man and they will never forget that. Hart’s emotional farewell against Steaua Bucharest last Wednesday was the end of an era and truly showed that Guardiola had arrived. Whilst it will remain an unpopular decision for years to come, fans must invest in Guardiola and his practices. He is, after all, the most successful manager of the century.
Hart is not the only player that has fallen victim to Guardiola’s arrival, Eliaquim Mangala, Samir Nasri and Wilfred Bony are all expected to move on before Wednesday’s 11pm transfer deadline. Guardiola needs a sweeper-keeper. Regardless of emotion, Hart is not and never was that man. Although, Guardiola is not an innocent party in this. Having apparently made his decision on Hart’s future when he first arrived at the club, he left it until the final few days of the transfer window to allow England’s number one to leave the club, leaving Hart with few options. Clubs that needed goalkeepers had already recruited them ahead of the new season, so Hart had little choice in where he ended up.
Anyway, to get back on topic, Hart is and always will be a club legend. The loyalty that he showed to the club is something that is much harder to find in the modern game and that was one of his many starring attributes.
To watch Hart in one-on-one situations was always a phenomenal sight. Most goalkeepers are easily beaten by strikers bearing down on goal, but Hart almost appeared to be favourite.
During Manuel Pellegrini’s reign, Hart did not get the credit that he was duly deserved. Positioned behind a less-than-stable defence, with the centre-back pairing constantly changing, Hart did magnificently well to keep City in some of the matches, most notably Champions League clashes with Barcelona, Borussia Monchengladbach, and Borussia Dortmund.
Yes, Hart has made mistakes. All goalkeepers do. But, supporters of other clubs and the media seem to latch onto Hart’s as if he makes an error every week. That is not the case. Because of the ever-changing, unstable defence, Hart was constantly dealing with different players in front him. The positioning of those players determines which position he needs to assume. If it is not the same defence each match, the goalkeeper is forced to continually adapt (who said adaptation wasn’t Hart’s strong point?), and that is difficult to do on a weekly basis.
The only thing that City fans can do for Hart now is to continue to support his career, regardless of where he may end up. Now that he has joined Torino, we would like to wish Joe the best for the remainder of his career, and we hope that he can return at some point in the future.
Here’s to Joe Hart, City’s Joey Hart.
