player of the season: joe hart

picking up the most coveted award at last nights birmingham city end of season awards and then today being named as one of fabio capello's provisional squad of thirty for the world cup, it has genuinely been a brilliant twenty-four hours for the young england international.

thoroughly deserving his layer of the season award, joe has been brilliant this year. you can see how much he has improved since the start of the season, and his performances throughout suggest that the only reason stopping capello picking him to be england's number one at the world cup in the sumer, is his lack of experience.

he started the season shaky; crosses weren't his best area, and his kicking sometimes wayward, but he has ended the season as one of the people you know you can always put your trust in. whatever team he's playing for.

he's become one of us. in my opinion, thats because of his big personality. he's a really loveable man; he's a genuinly nice guy, who always has a smile on his face. he's one of those people you could never hate, whatever team you support. and judging by his comments made upon receiving the award last night, he reciprocates the feelings that we have for him: "i have loved every minute if it. that sums it up really. i am really sad. it's been out of my hands. if i could stay, i would, but it's not been down to me." he also added that everyone made him feeling like part of the "family" at blues, mentioning that "it has been awesome to be part of a club like this - i was embraced by everyone and received lots of support and that means the world to me... it's hard because i have never really left anything like this before."

taken from his interview with the official website, joe finished by saying: "Iid like to say thank you so much to everyone who has given me so much support since i arrived at blues - it will never be forgotten."

joe, to you i would also like to say thank you: thank you for all the saves you have made this season, ones that kept us in games, kept us a clean sheet, and just those ones that made us all step back and think "wow." thank you for playing like you were on a five-year contract, not a one-year loan deal; thank you for playing with as much passion as any one of us fans would play the game, for blues, with. and most importantly, just thank you for playing for us, and for contributing to one of the best season we've ever had, and certainly the best season i have ever witnessed.

from my point of view, i'd admired the man for a few years and i never thought i'd get to see him play for blues. so i'll hold this season close to my heart for that reason alone. i think if you're a blues fan, you should feel privilaged right now, or if not now, in a couple of years time when he's playing in the champions league, which he will be, and when he's england's number one, which he will be.

thank you joe hart, and good luck for the future. a true legend if ever there was one, and there will always be a place for you here at birmingham city.