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Club Focus - Birmingham City - Hart the hero to leave St. Andrews?
Frustration may be a feeling surrounding St.Andrews at the minute with the revelation loanee Joe Hart may have to return to Manchester City next season. The 22-year-old has impressed massively this campaign and will still have harboured hopes of going to South Africa with England’s World Cup squad - a real possibility with Fabio Capello recently intimating such an event’s occurrence: “We've got Green, James who is older and experienced, and Hart, who is young. I don't think we have a problem when it comes to goalkeepers." Capello’s acknowledgement that Hart is still young is the most important facet of the ‘keeper.
If the majority of Premier League goalkeepers ages are looked at, the average age is just over 32 years - there are five years between Hart and the next youngest goalkeeper. For Birmingham’s progression, holding onto a goalkeeper like Hart will be absolutely vital. Hart has been the catalyst for the excellence at City this season and is often pinpointed as their player of the season, vying for such a title with defender Roger Johnson. In his 31 appearances this campaign, Hart has conceded 37 goals, a tally that has kept Birmingham in the top-half of the table.
Robert Mancini’s comment: "He (Hart) is only young and probably he will stay with us” will be worrying for Birmingham’s hierarchy and fans but completely understandable. The original loan agreement was made with the intention of it only lasting a season. However, reports that came to light suggesting Manchester City may have been prepared to let Hart stay will have given Birmingham hope –hope that now looks increasingly forlorn. As Mancini said, nothing is set in stone and no decision has been made but from a footballing point of view, it would not be a bad move by Manchester City to take Hart back to Eastlands - whilst Shay Given has impressed for City this season, their back-up, Stuart Taylor, has recently been plagued by injuries and is not as competent as Hart. If City truly have title ambitions two quality keepers are needed and with Given and Hart, they would have that.
On the opposite side of the argument, another season of constant first time appearances would be good for Hart. Not only would it give him added experience, it would give clubs like Cities Birmingham and Manchester and any other prospective buyer an extra season to make a decision. In general, a season is not enough for any arbiter to make a concise and thought out decision from. Whilst Birmingham would undoubtedly have no qualms over making an offer for Hart should they be given the go ahead, other clubs may have reservations of spending what would - presumably - be a large sum of money for a ‘keeper that is young, inexperienced and prone to the occasional lapse of concentration.
Said lapses seem to gradually being eradicated from his game - his last high-profile gaffe was a mistake against Portsmouth in the FA Cup tie in March. Previously, his position was under scrutiny after errors that cost Birmingham points in an inconsistent start to the season. Since then, he has redeemed himself and more than vindicated Alex McLeish’s decision to stick with him rather than revert back to the experience that second choice Maik Taylor offers. Quite what Birmingham would have done without Hart is unknown but it would not be beyond the realms of possibility that they would be struggling lower down the table. For that reason, Birmingham should be indebted to Hart for his efforts this season and should feel privileged that they were the club that gave a future England number one his real career boost.
Of course, this comment from Roberto Mancini that Hart will return to Eastlands (interestingly, his comment remained ambiguous as he mentioned no time frame), may be nothing and merely an off-hand statement from Mancini that Hart is a Man City player but it is something that will resonate with Birmingham’s worry and efforts next season - if they can hold on to Hart, it will feel like a new signing and will mean that for another season, defensive problems will most likely remain minimal. If McLeish can convince City and Hart to keep the youngster in the Midlands then the emphasis on Birmingham’s transfer market efforts can go on their most vulnerable position – attack.
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