In the build-up to Tuesday's do-or-die fixture at home to Poland, I will be running an England mini-series, looking at the talking points that have haunted the England side's preparations, and looking at their chances going forward. A few weeks ago, I gave my opinion on Greg Dyke's comments that England should be looking to reach the semi-finals of the Euro 2020 competition, and win the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar. This assumes that the groundwork is already in place for England to become a viable winner of trophies, as Spain's 'Golden Age' really began a decade or so previously, with the change of several rules regarding training of youngsters. Using the State of the Game report, as well as evidence from the current England squad and the lower leagues, I will examine just how much creedence can be given to Dyke's claims. I dismissed them a few weeks ago-was I wrong to?
However, I will start with the talking points that have hit the headlines in the run-up to last night's match with Montenegro. The British media use rather wild expectations, with often contradictory arguments, when portraying our footballers and England as a footballing nation. I have long since despaired of the fact that, whenever a major tournament or big game is on the horizon, the British (mainly tabloid) media tend to overhype the abilities of our players. This leads to many people (ridiculous optimists, as I prefer to call them) claiming every World Cup year that 'we're going to win it'. Arguably the most ludicrous of these was Chris Kamara's claims on 8 Out Of 10 Cats last year. Ok, he was releasing his own England single (God knows why), and therefore had to be a little more optimistic about England's chances than I ever am, but he attempted to convince 5 comedians that England realistically had a chance of winning Euro 2012. A tall order at the best of times, but, with the team that England had assembled last year, it was almost laughable to hear his claims. Although not quite as laughable as some of the comebacks that Jimmy Carr and the like had for him! However, for those of you that have read the title of this blog and thought I am going wildly off topic, just bear with me. It will become clear. The most annoying aspect to the British media regarding English football is that, as a result of holding these ridiculously optimistic expectations, assuming that England will steamroller any nation in their path, they then lambast any player that does not meet their (overhyped) demands. This usually refers to how much they get paid (I know it's a lot, but it's private money, the full argument of which I will not get into here), how irrelevant what they are doing is (despite the coverage the media gives it and the money it brings to the economy every year) etc etc. This has the inevitable effect of sapping the confidence of any player that finds themselves on the recieving end of this pressure, as they know that every move they make is being scrutinised under ridiculous standards. As we will see, just one mistake is often sufficient to see a player's international career ended by bad press.
Goalkeepers, historically, have a extremely bad press whenever they make a mistake. That is because, inevitably, whenever they make a mistake, a goal usually is the end result. This is the situation that they signed up for when they accepted the position, and therefore should expect more media scrutiny than that of a central midfielder. However, I feel that the disparity in blame apportioned to goalkeepers to that given to strikers that miss guilt-edged chances is unfair. Both cost their sides a goal, so there is no problem in terms of comparison. Equally, I think the person that gives away possession that costs a goal should be treated similarly. Nevertheless, I think that the extent of public scrutiny given to any footballer will have a self-fulfilling prophecy effect on most individuals. They will take more risks to put themselves back in the media's good books, and as a result, will often fail, leading to further dirision. This is not really repeated by any other national media around the world, and I refuse to believe that this does not have an effect. The amount of pressure placed upon any footballer for individual mistakes is unfair, and should be stopped. However, there are too many examples, especially to goalkeepers, in recent years that suggests that the practice will continue for the foreseeable future.
The expansion of the mass media has led to this scrutiny, which is why all examples are within the last 20 years or so. The first that I can remember: David Beckham's media assassination after the 1998 World Cup. His sending off in the crucial game against Argentina led the papers to crucify the young winger, subjecting him to abuse that no person should ever have to go through. The Sun headline of 'Sorry Lads, No Tits, Only Beckham' is particularly memorable, and is indicative of the abuse that the England man went through. A weaker person would have crumbled-fortunately Beckham responded to become the player we all know today. It did not end his England career. Three former England goalkeepers were not so fortunate. In 2002, after another World Cup exit, this time at the hands of eventual winners Brazil, the media formed a lynch-mob to end the England career of David Seaman. After being at fault for the now-infamous Ronaldinho free-kick, Seaman was hounded out of his position in the England squad. Similar fates have since befallen Scott Carson (England vs Croatia, 2008), Steve McLaren ('The Wally With The Brolly', England vs Croatia, 2008) and Rob Green (England vs USA, 2010). None of these individuals have been involved in the England squad since, and this can only be attributed to the media. I am a firm believer that a mistake can be forgiven, as long as the person learns from it. The media's reaction to the mistakes means that the individual is not given the time to learn anything, as they are usually ousted.
This is the fate that could also await Joe Hart. The current England number 1 was the prime beneficiary of Rob Green's demise in 2010 (after the short reliance on the aging David James), and has secured the goalkeeper's jersey from that point. He began his career at lower league Shrewsbury Town, before a rapidly improving Manchester City spotted the talented youngster in 2006. His £100,000 fee seems like an absolute steal now, especially considering the £15 Million that neighbours United shelled out on David De Gea in 2011. His early years for City were spent mostly on loan, first at Tranmere and then Blackpool, before he finally got his hands on the Man City jersey in 2008. After a good first season for City, where he made his first England appearance in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago in that June. He also started the following season in good form, but, with the arrival of Shay Given from Newcastle, he found himself out in the cold at City. He therefore decided to go out on loan to Birmingham City for the 2009/2010 season. It would prove to be the best decision of his career. In his breakthrough season, he helped the recently promoted Birmingham set a club record 12 Premier League matches unbeaten, and earned himself a place in the PFA Team of the Year. Though he narrowly missed out on an individual award, to be nominated at all was a great achievement. Since he returned to City, he has solidified the goalkeeper's jersey, winning the Golden Glove award (most clean sheets) for the last three years.
However, his more recent form has given the media, and the fans, plenty of reasons to criticise him. Whilst his reflexes are excellent, he is often prone to a mistake. Earlier mistakes for City against Blackburn in 2010 and Leicester in 2011, and Poland in 2012 for England, led to many stating that his 'cocky' demeanour was adversely affecting his game. He retaliated with an excellent 2011/2012 season, leading City to their first top flight title in 44 years, but those mistakes have resurfaced more recently. Beginning with a howler in the England/Scotland game, allowing James Morrison's effort to slip over the line, before a ragged start to the Premier League season with City, with mistakes against Cardiff and Aston Villa, before a nightmare in the Champions League against Bayern Munich. This has led for many pundits (Roy Keane) and the media to call for Hart to be replaced, with Celtic's Fraser Forster the most likely replacement. This pressure leaves Hart at a crossroads, with an important decision to make. With the additional pressure, does he try harder to produce exceptional performances, that we all know he is capable of, and risk making further mistakes, or does he attempt to slide under the radar with unspectacular, but simple performances? Unfortunately, the latter has become far more difficult to do, with every goal conceded now blown up and scrutinised to the n'th degree. Romelu Lukaku's goal for Everton at the weekend is a good example of this. Whilst this was essentially a one-on-one situation from 10 yards, a penalty, Hart's inability to save was criticised (unfairly in my view) by some. It is something he will have to put up with for the foreseeable future.
But, in Hart's case, is it even fair? For every mistake he has made, he has made countless match-saving stops. As a City fan, I can think of several matches where Hart's athleticism and brilliance has saved a point, or three, at one time or another. I will give two examples of this that are clearest in the memory. The opening of the 2010/2011 season saw City travel to Spurs, where a quite incredible display of goalkeeping, to deny Huddlestone, Kranjcar, and, most memorably, an incredible snapshot from Jermain Defoe, to preserve a point for the Blues. The second example occurred just last season, which illustrates just how short-termist and fickle football pundits, fans and the media are. The home game against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League saw Hart make flying save after save, denying Reus and Lewandowski on numerous occasions. He was the only reason City managed to pick a point up from that game, and showed just how good a goalkeeper he is. For England, he has also shown his quality. At Euro 2012 he was consistently strong, making good saves in each of the group games, and ensuring that Italy could not score in the quarter final. The game where I feel he showed his club form was in the friendly game against Brazil. Saving shot after shot in a Brazil-dominated first half, Hart even managed to deny Ronaldinho from the penalty spot, before making another excellent save from Fred later in the half. This allowed England to get a foothold in the game, eventually taking the lead. Though they could not hang on, they were indebtted to Hart for the draw.
One thing that could be levelled at Hart is a sense of complacency. This is partially his fault, and partially due to the circumstances that he finds himself in. As both his club, and his country, rely on him heavily in goal, with little in the way of alternatives. For City, Costel Pantilimon is an adequate cup keeper, meaning that City need Hart to remain fit and in form to be successful. For England, only Fraser Forster has looked like putting any sort of pressure on Hart for the jersey, as his competition has been few and far between. This will instil a sense of invincibility in the player involved, as when they believe their place is safe, there is no need to go the extra mile to impress. This has the end result of getting complacent, which almost inevitably leads to poor performances and mistakes. This is the situation that Joe Hart finds himself in, and he desperately needs to get out of it. City signing an adequate back-up keeper (Given would be a good choice) would help his club form, and Forster's recent rise could be the best thing for England, as Hart will feel that pressure for his place that he needs to be at his best.
Nevertheless, the voracity of the criticism that Hart has been receiving in recent weeks is just wrong, as he has not done enough wrong to be deserving of such abuse. He has the backing of both his club, and national managers (which is not entirely surprising when considering the paragraph above), and he will continue to be top dog for both for the time being. In order to rectify the situation, Hart needs the pressure from another goalkeeper, but he does not need the additional pressure from the media's unrealistic ambitions. To strive perfection is acceptable, but to expect it is unfair. The British media seems particularly culpable of being optimistic, and pessimistic, when it most suits them, and this has a knock-on effect on our players. We need to be a little more realistic in our expectations before we start applying them to people.
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