Hart has world in his arms

Mike Whalley
20/ 2/2008

JOE Hart's childhood dream was to play for England and win the World Cup.

And if the 20-year-old continues his remarkable progress, he might just be lifting the trophy in two years' time!

When new England coach Fabio Capello told an Italian radio station on Monday night that he had spotted a goalkeeper in the under-21 side who was "very interesting," he was confirming what all City fans already knew.

In Hart, the Blues have a goalkeeper who not only has bags of ability, but a remarkable mental strength that separates the great stoppers from the merely good.

And if he goes on to become an England great, Capello maybe owes former City boss Stuart Pearce a big thank you.

Pearce, a key member of Capello's coaching set-up, is ideally placed to tell the Italian all about Hart's ability.

Pearce, who brought Hart to the Premier League, gave him his top-flight debut and called him up to the England Under-21 squad.

With David James aged 37, Paul Robinson unable to get a game at Tottenham and Scott Carson still trying to live down the nightmare of that Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia, Capello is urgently searching for a long-term first-choice keeper.

Claims

Capello is not a man to take orders from others, but Pearce was able to talk up Hart's claims.

Hart was placed third in the City pecking order when Pearce paid Shrewsbury £100,000 for him in 2006. Even then, Shrewsbury boss Gary Peters was tipping him for international stardom.

"Joe will play for England one day," Peters said as he watched his much-prized keeper exit Gay Meadow for the bright lights of the Premier League.

In Shrewsbury, they knew just how good Hart was long before Pearce stepped in to sign him.

Kevin Ratcliffe, the Shrews boss at the time, had put him on the bench for a Third Division game at Exeter in 2003 when Hart was just 15.

He had to wait more than a year for his first-team debut for the Shrews, but he soon had the Premier League scouts flocking.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton were among the clubs who tracked the bright young keeper, but it was City, with their reputation for giving youth a chance, who won the race to sign him.

And as soon as he arrived at the City of Manchester Stadium, Hart began to talk of forcing his way into the first team, despite the fact that James - soon to be replaced by Andreas Isaksson - and Nick Weaver were ahead of him. That attitude impressed Pearce.

Stature

"He certainly has the stature required to be a top keeper," Pearce said

"The more games he can play in front of big crowds, the more comfortable he will feel in that environment."

For that reason, Pearce had no hesitation in calling up Hart for his England Under-21 debut against Spain at Derby last February. Pearce took a lot of criticism during the final months of his City reign, as he combined club and international commitments, but his decision to give Hart his international break was one which is likely to have long-term benefits for both club and country.

At that stage, Hart had played just one Premier League game, had just completed a loan spell at Tranmere and was seeing out the season at Blackpool.

He needed bigger games to test him, and playing international football played a key role in his development.

That experience, added to his strong mental attitude, ensured that he would be ready when given his first-team break at City.

So even when new Blues boss Sven-Goran Eriksson plumped for Kasper Schmeichel to replace the injured Isaksson at the start of the season, Hart just bided his time.

His ability not to be weighed down by setbacks impressed Eriksson, just as it impressed Pearce, just as it has impressed Capello.

Folded

Many keepers would have folded after the 6-0 hammering City received at Chelsea in October. Not Hart. He responded with a stunning performance - and a clean sheet - in City's next away game at Portsmouth.

And many goalkeepers would have deflated by playing as well as that and then being dropped, as Hart was for the Blues' next game against Reading.

But he dusted himself down and set about winning his place back from Isaksson - and he did. Even at 20, he is one of the most level-headed goalkeepers in the Premier League.

He doesn't get over-excited when he plays well; he doesn't get downhearted if he has an off-day.

But beneath that calm exterior is a fiercely ambitious young man.

As he said recently: "When I was a kid, I wanted to play for England and win the World Cup, like any other kid.

"Right now, I want to do what I can, and achieve as much as I can.

"I don't set goals or deadlines. I just let things happen. But I'd still like to play for England and win the World Cup!"

An don't bet against it happening in South Africa in 2010.