Why Joe Hart must be trusted for England
Jun 18 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail
THAT Joe Hart lacks international experience and would represent a risk England cannot afford to take misses the point.
Robert Green has to be replaced in goal by Fabio Capello and Hart is the man for the job.
Hart has been the form goalkeeper in the Premier League. He has proven himself week in, week out.
He joined up with England’s World Cup squad confident. He has no hang-ups. For him, life is good right now.
We’re told that Capello has been impressed by Hart not only this term for Blues, where he took player-of-the-season honours, but in training for England.
David James’ stock has fallen with Capello. He has a dicky knee and there are suggestions that all is not well between coach, his staff and James.
Many observers in the written media out in South Africa, commentators and pundits, do not champion Hart’s cause that much.
In my view, it is because they haven’t actually seen enough of him. St Andrew’s is not a regular stop-off point for them.
Blues are unfashionable, and he doesn’t play for a club that attracts a disproportionate amount of attention considering their actual status like, say, a West Ham United.
One national columnist suggested that ‘Hart would quite understandably be a nervous wreck’ against Algeria. No he would not. Again, that’s the view of someone who hasn’t seen Hart play regularly and doesn’t know the man.
Hart is a Cool Hand Luke. He wants to play in the World Cup, he wants to be England’s top dog. It wouldn’t faze him.
In fact, bearing in mind the way Alex McLeish has preached to all his players this season – particularly to the rookies – he would see it as just another challenge against which to test himself. He would embrace it, not run away from it.
McLeish, however, has gone on record saying that he feels the World Cup has come round too soon for the 23-year-old.
Eck reckons he needs more international games under his belt and, such is the scrutiny at this level, it might harm Hart’s career if he made a mistake.
I say give him the chance to make that mistake – he is unlikely to do so.
The example of Scott Carson has been thrown into the mix. Paul Robinson too.
With all due respect to Carson, Hart is a different animal. And Robinson, in my opinion, should have gone to South Africa after a very capable season.
Catching my first glimpse of Hart in pre-season, at Blues’ Austrian camp, it was clear he had something about him.
