Mancini plans talks with Joe

[kp789]

If it were a straight choice between

a) another season or two of Given and losing Hart

or

b) keeping Hart for the next ten years of his career and losing Given

I'd take b) every single time.

Hopefully that isn't the choice but neither would be happy with playing second fiddle to the other next year, and rightly so.

All this, "he should come back and compete" stuff is nonsense. It doesn't work like that for keepers and anyone thinking that a keeper as good as Hart should be happy to play a few cup games and then take a 50/50 chance of maybe becoming first choice, is expecting him to do something that no other top keeper would do.

Personally, I rate him as at least as good as Given.

Mind you, I thought that before Given was signed, after he was signed and ever since.

If it has to come down to making a choice between the two and the club choose Given, dumping Hart, I will be devastated.

Hopefully, Mancini would make the correct decision. Under the Welsh numpty Hart would have been shipped out without second thought, in that scenario, purely because he wasn't a 'Hughes man'.

Another season on loan for Hart might solve the problem but you have to guard against giving him the impression that he is going on loan because he isn't yet good enough to replace Given. And given the way Hart and Given have performed over the last two years (or over their whole careers imo), that just isn't the case (and that isn't disrespect to Given, Hart just has so much more to his game)

Maybe dont loan him out for the whole season

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe the club and Mancini shouldn't be waiting until the summer to start their charm offensive...

To be quite honest, I can see it from Hart's point of view. He believes in himself, and believes he's good enough to play week in and week out. McCleish seems to have that belief in him too. I find it hard, if not impossible, to imagine him being happy coming back and being Shay's understudy...

well, perhaps you could see this as the first move in the charm offensive. mcleish has had joe's ear day in, day out for 6 months now. if I was in the same situation I would do what Mcleish has, playing on his hurt feelings, and I wouldn't want him to consider that maybe he should feel hurt by the manager who let him go, as opposed to the club as a whole. certainly the fans adored joe. he recieved less criticism than almost any other player I can think of.

Perhaps you've accepted McLiesh's version of reality just a little to readily. I certainly would not expect Mancini to offer Joe a role as an understudy. He should be told that he would come back as an equal. There really hasn't much to choose between the two this year. Mancini will tell Joe that he believes in him. If Joe believes in himself, why would he not relish the challenge of fighting for the jersey at a top club? The competition will be fair and open, and the prize on offer is much greater.

It's rare that you see two keepers competing at top clubs. In the vast majority of situations, there is a first choice keeper and a second choice. I don't think that Joe's going to take the risk of "competing" in the summer, only to find he's still behind Given. Just my opinion.

With respect to the club's "charm offensive" - if I were a player of Joe's ability sent out on loan, I'd expect to be talking to my parent club's manager at least once every couple of weeks about my performances etc. You do get the impression that this hasn't been the case at City since the day Joe left...

 

[JohnMaddocksAxe]

if Joe leaves at any time, we have to break the bank to get Lloris!

I do like him

 

[blueblood007]

Me thinks he ganna be at city next year

 

[kp789]

Me thinks he ganna be at city next year

But as number 1, understudy, rotation or....

 

[blueblood007]

Me thinks he ganna be at city next year

But as number 1, understudy, rotation or....

understudy to given i think and playing in cup games and maybe a few prem games after midweek cup games :/

 

[Pride_of_Manchester.]

Keepers don't exactly get tired so i don't think there's any point in rotating them.. It would just be to keep them happy and it would effect the defence as someone earlier said..

Its a tough one..

Maybe the best option is to loan him back out but contracted that he can be recalled at any time we feel necessary.. just in case Given gets a injury.. Brum will have to like it or lump it..

 

[Braggster]

This is a situation that requires some very sensitive handling. And you have to say, one doesn't get the impression that it has been so handled to date.

Firstly, it's very clear that City (whether that is Mancio or, more likely, Kidd/Marwood) rate Hart highly and have no intention of selling him. This is good.

Secondly, it's also clear that Mcleish has been in Joe's ear something rotten, playing on his hurt feelings and fuelling the idea that he shouldn't go back to City to play second fiddle - or even to fight it out with Shay. While understandable, this behaviour is very annoying, especially considering they are benefitting from us loaning them Joe (and indeed, the latest noises from Mcleish suggest that he knows he won't be getting Joe again next year). Doubly annoying in that if Hart were a rag/gooner, Mcleish would never try this stuff on...but I guess we have to live with that.

The first question to ask is whether we want Hart to be our #1 next year. If we do (and that is the manager's decision), then the problem is solved.

If we are unsure, then there are two options: first, to recall him and let them fight it out, or second, to send him out on loan again. Both contain risks - the first option could go wrong if Given remains #1 as Hart will feel deeply slighted. The second risks suggesting that he isn't valued or good enough.

If we know that Given will be our #1, then of course we send Joe out on loan again, though obviously with the risk that he will never want to come back.

In any of the problematic scenarios above, the key thing is to absolutely 100% make sure that Joe knows how much he is valued by the club and by the manager. I.e. he should be having regular meetings, phone calls, etc., and we should be showing a continued interest in him. NOT just ignoring him. Another factor in this should be a contract extension - after all, nothing suggests that you're valued by someone as well as the good old pound sign...