Hart: I owe Birmingham
Manchester City and England number one Joe Hart says he owes Birmingham City for giving him the chance to play last season.
Hart went on loan to Birmingham after Manchester City signed Shay Given to come and play in goal. However, Hart has now removed Given from his role and seems to have secured the number one spot at the Manchester club for the foreseeable future.
Hart has been in such good form for Manchester City that he made his competitive England debut during the 4-0 win over Bulgaria. He says it was a great feeling to play for England after sitting on the bench for the whole World Cup.
Playing at Birmingham allowed Hart to fine tune and improve many areas of his game so he would go back to Manchester City a better player. He now faces pressure and expectation as his quality and talent seems to have finally been realised.
Some fine tuning
Playing second fiddle to Given last season at Manchester City could have meant that Hart found himself in the same position at the start of this season. He joined a club that would allow him to play regularly and this allowed him to prove what a great goalkeeper he is.
It also allowed him to develop his skills and agility as a goalkeeper. The pace of the football in the Premier League is quicker and deadlier than any other league in England. It would have been impossible for Hart to move forward had he taken a step down to the Championship.
His experience grew and it's clear that he now knows how to command a penalty area. This means Hart can take control of a defence and be a very intimidating goalkeeper to play against.
He said: "I can't stress enough how important that year was at Birmingham. If I'd been sitting on my backside last year and not playing, that would have done nothing for anyone. City wouldn't have got anything from that and I personally would not have got anything."
Pressure and expectation
For the first time in his career at a Premier League club, Hart has turned into the main man in the position that he plays. This brings with it a great deal of pressure and expectation that he'll have to get used to very quickly.
Previously he had been playing with a general attitude that he had nothing to lose and everything to gain. There is now expectation when he plays and it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure that so often forces many goalkeepers to make mistakes.
He added: "I was very grateful to Alex McLeish (Birmingham manager) for giving me that opportunity. Just playing has really helped me grow as a keeper, not necessarily being better at doing certain things, but just being a keeper, someone's keeper and being part of a team. I can't speak any more highly of Dave Watson. I worked closely with him."
Betting advice
Hart is in the best form and the best place of his career at the moment. A top quality goalkeeper has the ability to keep his team in the game and Hart will save Manchester City many goals in some big games they will shortly play. This will ultimately mean they concede fewer goals and win more matches.
The real test will come when Manchester City plays in the Manchester derby against Chelsea and pit their wits against Arsenal and other top clubs. If Hart plays well, doesn't make errors and doesn't look out of place then there's no reason he can't form a solid foundation at the club for years to come.
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