Retiring but younger than me makes me feel like an old bastard, surprised at his willingness to announce it already.
Whatever anyone thinks of him he's a top 5 or 6 keeper in our history, he was world class for us at his very best.
Remember him battling Kasper Schmeichel for the first team jersey in Sven's early days both good prospects but Joe comfortably won in the end, he went on loan to Birmingham and was easily the best keeper in the Premier League conceding very few finishing in the top half. He came back here and quickly dislodged Shay Given another top class keeper the following season, while Birmingham without Hart between the sticks went down very easily and looked shoddy mess without his protection.
He was absolutely amazing for the next half decade and rightly earned very high praise throughout those years, some inevitable mistakes started to creep in still few a far between but the press hounded him on every single one it was crazy, while at the same time the same press completely ignored people like Hugo Lloris or De Gea dropping clangers very often early in their Prem careers.
Hart's career fell of a cliff after Pep arrived here when really he should've still went on to probably break Peter Shilton's caps record for England, not because he's England's best ever or owt but because ability wise he's better than anything that has come through since for England, this despite never peaking too it's crazy that his confidence shattered and somehow never recovered, from what would've undoubtedly been a difficult time personally it should still have resulted in an inevitable return to his best form.
I do think the English press just like with Paul Paul Robinson nearly a decade earlier and David James the decade before that have a lot to answer for, personally I feel that the constant barrage of criticisms for absolutely anything he did took its toll and ruined him, it's a miracle that David James recovered towards the end of his own career but the press unquestionably for me ruined both Robinson and Hart.
I wish Joe well hopefully it's been a well thought out process this decision and he's at peace with retiring, still a shame for me that he never fulfilled his potential as he hadn't even entered his peak years when Pep arrived.
Nobody is telling me that based on his displays in the Dortmund Spurs or Barcelona games and more that he wasn't world class, he was commanding and communicative also had safe hands with brilliant shot stopping and reflexes, once the press got into his head and put a magnifying glass on everything he just lost all confidence the most important thing a keeper needs.
Gianluigi Buffon wanted Joe as his replacement long-term at Juventus this should tell you everything, they loaned Szczesny instead of Hart after he decided he wanted first team football at Torino for a year, if he'd just have gone to Juve he almost certainly would've capitalised because Buffon was out for most of that season.
I'm not totally sure why he never fulfilled his potential away from us after Pep discarded him but he was a better keeper than Szczesny, even better at 22 than he ever was yet the Pole will most certainly have played over 250 games for Juve by the end of this campaign. Joe was better than plenty who have had long careers at big clubs in the time since too, the loss of confidence killed bis career I'm just glad he's managed to regain his confidence and redeem a bit of respect while at Celtic.
Whatever he does next I wish him all the best in the future I know I'll always have fond memories of his time here.
