IF Shay Given was English would Hart be Englands Number 1?

[Neville Kneville]

Is there anyone out there who isn't Irish who'd like to come and tell us that Shay should be in the team ahead of Hart? That might help the discussion move away from nationality.

We're regularly guilty of bigging up home grown players over bought players, and I think most England/Ireland/Argentinian city fans like seeing players in the national sides....but I don't think this has anything to do with nationality at all.

Right now, Hart is in exceptional form, and there aren't many keepers in the world who could compete with him. I think the decision to bring him back, and then make him number one, has the potential to eclipse any of the other signings we've made this summer.

What, anyone out there who thinks he shouldn't be on the team, you mean who are English. Because the majority are and while ye call us biased, ye are just as bad.

And ye do exagerate things, like his form, I mean he's played one decent match, he's had very little to do in the other 3 or 4 and all ready he's fuckin better than Buffon and has some special air about him. For the love of God like. It's like listening to the RAGS with Foster all over again, or any other English player ye come across with potential. Hart is good, yes, but he's not the worlds greatest like some would suggest on here.

Hart should have had to fight for the jersey off Given who did nothing wrong to be dropped, not have it handed to him the minute he came back so he wouldn't throw a strop and storm off, as he suggested he would, many times.

I'm English but I think I speak for most english City fans when I say that I don't give a flying toss what nationality Hart is with regards to City, I want the best. He looks better than Given. If he was Irish & Given was English I'd still want Hart; bigger, sharper & more confident. If that changes I'll want Given back in, end of story.

I get sick of people forcing players on us because their nationality or their mates know them etc etc. It's about City, nowt else.

 

[IrishMacca]

What, anyone out there who thinks he shouldn't be on the team, you mean who are English. Because the majority are and while ye call us biased, ye are just as bad.

And ye do exagerate things, like his form, I mean he's played one decent match, he's had very little to do in the other 3 or 4 and all ready he's fuckin better than Buffon and has some special air about him. For the love of God like. It's like listening to the RAGS with Foster all over again, or any other English player ye come across with potential. Hart is good, yes, but he's not the worlds greatest like some would suggest on here.

Hart should have had to fight for the jersey off Given who did nothing wrong to be dropped, not have it handed to him the minute he came back so he wouldn't throw a strop and storm off, as he suggested he would, many times.

I'm English but I think I speak for most english City fans when I say that I don't give a flying toss what nationality Hart is with regards to City, I want the best. He looks better than Given. If he was Irish & Given was English I'd still want Hart; bigger, sharper & more confident. If that changes I'll want Given back in, end of story.

I get sick of people forcing players on us because their nationality or their mates know them etc etc. It's about City, nowt else.

Ya..right. Not the sense that is coming across here at all.

 

[PragueBlue]

Both Hart and Given played pretty much full premiership campaigns last season. Which of them was chosen in the premier league team of the season?

Quite simply Hart at this time the better all-round keeper and that has nothing to do with nationality. Most blues would have Boateng and Kolarov in at full back ahead of English players like Richards and Lescott/Bridge.

A true City fan wants the best for the club regardless of nationality.

By all means argue that you think Given is a better keeper than Hart based on ability but to keep trying to bring nationality into it only shows your own prejudices.

 

[bluenova]

Ya..right. Not the sense that is coming across here at all.

Macca, I think you only need to look at other discussions to see how the Englishness of Hart counts in his favour ONLY if people think he's a better keeper. Look at the stick Richards gets - much more than Zab even though he's arguably a better player. I couldn't care less if Shay or Joe were English, Irish, Norwegian, or Antarctican - I just think right now Joe is the better player - (and that's coming from a Maguire!)

Hart had a blinder of a season last year which is why he was in contention this time round - not just 4/5 games this season. When a new season starts all bets are off on who gets into the first team.

 

[SWP's back]

Well for someone who is so poor at the crucial aspects of the game he has done very well to play at the high standard of football he has been playing for years. Dont forget during his time at Newcastle in the early years they got to 2 FA Cup finals and even played in the Champions league with Shay in goal. So to me that says his game isnt as flawed as some make out.

As I said the club is in a great position with the 2 keepers but I cant see them being at the club together this time next year. Shay will move on if he cant break into the team and I respect him for that he needs games will end up at Celtic as the club wont sell to our rivals.

The reason why so many read into Shay's flaws, is so they can give more of a reason to start Hart and exagerate his strengths. Hart has weaknesses (despite what many of them seem to think.) and they will be exposed, just like any other player.

You two are like a broken record. When are you going to support City rather than Ireland?

As I say (and I shall no doubt be corrected) the only people I know who think Given should be No.1 are Irish. We all accept he is a decent keeper but not as good as Hart. Plus Hart has another 10-15 ahead of him. There can only be one winner and that is Hart. Hart was head and shoulders above him last season and was voted the best keeper in the league for a reason.

Are you two really that blind that you cannot see that you are basing this argument solely on nationality?

 

[JoeMercer'sWay]

answer me this...

if given was the supposed number 1 and Hart needs to fight him off and not Given be dropped for Hart to get the keeper spot, then how can he do that without playing?

Also Hart must have impressed more than Shay or he wouldn't be number 1. And also Given was injured the end of last year and so wasn't keeper and not number 1, Fulop was, and Fulop went so basically any keeper on the books had the opportunity to be the new number 1, just because you had a position before doesn't mean you deserve several months later without still being better than everyone else.

Finally to answer the thread title, if Shay was English he would have been England's number 1 at some point but not now, Hart would still have overtaken him after Shay's injury because Shay's reputation would have stopped him breaking through earlier.

 

[scorer]

Does it matter? Given aint English and he aint Citys #1.....

 

[SWP's back]

Is there anyone out there who isn't Irish who'd like to come and tell us that Shay should be in the team ahead of Hart? That might help the discussion move away from nationality.

We're regularly guilty of bigging up home grown players over bought players, and I think most England/Ireland/Argentinian city fans like seeing players in the national sides....but I don't think this has anything to do with nationality at all.

Right now, Hart is in exceptional form, and there aren't many keepers in the world who could compete with him. I think the decision to bring him back, and then make him number one, has the potential to eclipse any of the other signings we've made this summer.

What, anyone out there who thinks he shouldn't be on the team, you mean who are English. Because the majority are and while ye call us biased, ye are just as bad.

And ye do exagerate things, like his form, I mean he's played one decent match, he's had very little to do in the other 3 or 4 and all ready he's fuckin better than Buffon and has some special air about him. For the love of God like. It's like listening to the RAGS with Foster all over again, or any other English player ye have come across with potential. It's like listening to United fans rave about the likes of Macheda because of one moment of brilliance. I mean give him 5 minutes and lets see. But typical English fans, overhype a player to a ridiculous level and then crush him, sooner or later, when he crashes and burns, because of one mistake and an allmighty amount of pressure.

Hart is good, yes, but he's not the worlds greatest like some would suggest on here. He's done nothing to suggest that. Not yet.

Hart should have had to fight for the jersey off Given who did nothing wrong to be dropped, not have it handed to him the minute he came back so he wouldn't throw a strop and storm off, as he suggested he would, many times.

You really believe this?

You are not a City fan and you are so blinded by nationality that you think you can come on here and lecture us!! FFS! As for giving Hart 5 mins? Ha! He has been in this form since last season hence he won the PFA Keeper of the year. They didn't hand that out for one performance. He hasn't conceded from open play in 7 matches this season, so to say he only played well in one just shows you up as the arrogant fool you are.

You only care about Dunne, Ireland (the player - once he left),Given and you cream over Roy Keane. Why bother coming on here polluting our board with your agenda ridden bias?

As for Given being dropped? He was injured and as such gave up the No1 shirt to Hart. Hart has done nothing at all to suggest that he shouldn't keep for th enext 15 years.

But the real clincher for me (as others have said) is that all City fans I know want Boateng and Kolarov as fullbacks instead of the very English Bridge & Richards. Explain that if we are basing anything on nationality. You can't though so you will no doubt ignore it.

 

[samharris]

So why do the only people I know that think Given should be no1 all happen to be Irish?

National keeper subs bench..case closed.

 

[The Fat el Hombre]

The reason why so many read into Shay's flaws, is so they can give more of a reason to start Hart and exagerate his strengths.

No. The reason so many City fans are concerned about Shay's flaws is because they cost us so dearly last season and we don't want the same in the future

There really isn't any need to magnify Shay's flaws and Harts strengths because it's quite clear that Hart is the better keeper