Disappointed Again

It seems to be the same old story. An England team oozing with talent, passion and potential falling at yet another hurdle on the road to qualification for Euro 2012. Capello had limited options up front but that's not where the biggest problems were today for England, because it was in fact the whole team that looked laboured, tired and as many will say; already on the beach.

At Wembley you want England to come out the blocks and hit the ground running, but today they began with too many sideways passes and too many tired legs, meaning Switzerland started to get more comfortable. However, things were still very end to end with both teams having chances in the early stages of the match; giving it more a cup-game-feeling rather than a qualifier.

Contrary to what we would have expected prior to the game, the young Switzerland team were the ones who scored first in the encounter. Tranquillo Barnetta saw his looping free-kick go past the whole of the England defence, and with Rio Ferdinand not able to get his head to the ball to clear it, Joe Hart could do nothing but dive to his left in vain as he saw the ball go past him and into the back of the net, to give the much more organised Swiss the lead at Wembley.


England were looking for a response but it wasn't them who got the next goal. Just three minutes after the first goal Switzerland won another set piece and after some downright stupid 'defending' from James Milner, Barnetta was able to slot his free kick through the wall and past an extremely shocked Joe Hart to get his and his teams second goal of the game.

Shell-shocked, England went in search of a goal and this time were fruitful. Defender Johan Djourou brought down Arsenal team mate Jack Whilshere in the penalty area after a promising run from the young England midfielder, and England were subsequently rewarded a penalty. Ever the professional, Frank Lampard hit a hard and low shot which went just under the arm of goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, who had dived the right way, and into the net to lift some pressure off the England team and relieve the fans somewhat just before half time.


The tempo was upped as the second half got under way and there was a penalty claim after a run from Theo Walcott was brought down by another Djourou challenge but nothing was given.

The introduction of Ashley Young at half time by Capello proved to be inspired, as a lovely move resulted in a goal for the winger and an equaliser for England. Milner cleverly clipped the ball into the penalty area which was chested down neatly by Leighton Baines for a well-taken goal by Young, once more raising the heads of Spurs, Liverpool et al.


As the fans breathed a huge sigh of relief, the players of England grew in confidence. Passing was now more neat - like that of their opposition's in the first half - and England began to press with a much sharper and persistent attitude. But still, Switzerland stood firm in their organised formation and England found them hard to break down. Milner began to cover more ground and did some nice interchanges with first Glen Johnson and then Leighton Baines; however neither provided any clear cut chances for his side.

One of the best opportunities of the game came a little later on, when Young ran at the Swiss defence and produced a powerful shot. Benaglio saved, and the ball fell to Darren Bent. With the keeper struggling to get back onto his feet, Bent found himself with a chance which even Cameron Jerome could not miss, but to sum up England's day he fired it over the goal and into the stands.

With time running out, Milner found himself with a good chance to get the ball into the box after pressuring Djourou and subsequently getting the ball off him. The Manchester City man passed the ball to the incoming Young who, under pressure, could only muster a shot which sailed high and wide.

Only minutes to go and Switzerland began to press for a winner, first getting corner and then receiving a free-kick thanks to Rio Ferdinand for bringing down Admir Mehmedi right by the by-line. Fortunately for England, neither came to any avail and the home side were free to breathe again.

The pendulum swung again and late substitute Stewart Downing had the chance to win the game for England in the last seconds of the match. The Swiss struggled to clear a last-minute Leighton Baines corner, and Downing found the ball at his feet which he fired into the side netting to end a somewhat disappointing match in the late afternoon London sunshine.

Putting things into context of the match, England did well to come from two goals behind, but many of us will be questioning as to why we were two goals down in the first place. Yet, putting things into a much bigger context: today was a game we should have won. The performance was not good enough from a side that we know can produce better, and by the end of the day England may find themselves second in Group G if Montengro win their game later on tonight. Not too worrying if it happens, but England must up their game for the next qualifier and fortunately, none of the team will 'be on holiday' by the time that comes around.

Full Time: England 2-2 Switzerland

Top of the group

It was an easy an much welcomed victory for the three lions of England this afternoon as they sealed the victory in the first half against a Wales side who never got going nor threatened that they would either.

Both sets of fans were up for the game and this wasapparent in the players too as the game started off at a high tempo, with Bellamy and Cole having a few words after a challegen by the fiery Welshman on the England left back, that was calmed down by Wayne Rooney.


From the off England were creative, in control and showed leadership - the latter being something that Wales seemed to lack in their starting line-up. The break-through came just six minutes into the match after a clever run and a nice ball into the box from reinstated captain John Terry. The ball wrong-footed James Collins whose untimely slip made sure the ball went straight through to Villa team mate Ashley Young, whom Collins subsequently bought down.

The referee made no hesitation and pointed confidently to the penalty spot after a clear foul by Collins on Young, and Frank Lampard stepped up to slot in a well taken penalty which quelled any nerves in the England camp and gave Wales a set back.


The only good thing about conceding early, although it dents your confidence and ruins your game plan, is that it means you have 80+ minutes to get back into the game. Unfortunately for Wales, they showed no signs of a come back. England continued to press and the stats re possession speak for themselves. Joe Hart barely had anything to do and would have been forgiven for lapsing in concentration with the few clearances he had to deal with after back passes from the defence - who had little to do themselves. The midfield and the front three had the majority of the ball; Jack Wilshere and Ashley Young particularly impressing and Scott Parker also playing well.

With England playing an attacking formation the second goal was looming, and just eight minutes after the first goal, game was virtually over when the away side got their second goal of the game. Glen Johnson played a brilliant and precise ball down the wing which found Ashley Young, who crossed the ball into the box for Villa team mate Darren Bent to tap in with force.


After just fifteen minutes Wales now had a mountain to climb, and if they didn't look like they'd score before they certainly didn't now. The second half saw England go into cruise control, allowing Wales to get more of the ball, however mostly when they got it they struggled to keep on to it and there were plenty of timed when England regained possession quite easily.

Joe Hart eventually had something to do in the second half, with a few shots from King, Morison, and a shot just wide from Bellamy, but none came too close. A succession of Wales corners also made sure England';s current number one was kept on his toes but all in all it was a quiet game for the Manchester City keeper.

Substitute Downing came really close to giving the away side an even better win near to the en of the game with a well hit shot, that was always swerving to the left, which took an even bigger swoop at the last second and went just wide of the post.

The game finished 0-2 although it could have been more. It was a very comfortable win for England against a Wales team who are still working on new tactics. The three points made sure England went to the top of their group again, and all England fans can be happy after not only a win but an enjoyable game too. Well Done England.

Full Time: Wales 0-2 England

Turning Heads

It was said by many that it would take someone big to replace the gaping hole left by Joe Hart after his phenomenal loan spell last season, but Alex McLeish can have no qualms about the man he chose to fill the gap that was vacated by the current England number one. After picking up his third consecutive Carling Cup medal last Sunday, Ben Foster can reflect upon his Summer transfer to Birmingham as, arguably, a career-defining move which has seen him go from bench warmer to first teamer in the blink of an eye.

As Ben walked up to collect his winners medal after the 2-1 win over Arsenal, he also received another accolade which he was more than happy to collect: his second Alan Hardaker Man of the Match trophy in three years. A remarkable achievement for any player, but for someone who was sitting on a bench this time last season, it should be deemed an even greater achievement. And as Foster waited to lift the trophy for his new club, England manager Fabio Capello congratulated him with a beaming smile, knowing that what he'd just witnessed was a performance by a player who deserves not only to be number one for his club; but maybe for his country as well.


That's not just to say the final was his only stand-out performance this term – not by a long shot. In the first home game of the season he pulled off a world class penalty save which sparked life into the rest of his team and they ran out 2-1 winners against Blackburn. Against West Ham he again argued his case for the number one spot with his national team, producing a number of saves to keep his team in the game – most notably his save from Carlton Cole where he palmed the shot onto the post, which then remarkably rolled across the line before being cleared by a defender. The game against Chelsea at St. Andrews notched up another notable performance for Foster, in which he produced save after save to deny some of the worlds best; with some equally brilliant saves himself. And the list goes on. Not even his unfortunate mistake in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final was enough to bring Ben Foster down this season, and it did nothing to detract away from the rest of the games he has played in this season; as his outstanding performances certainly outnumber his mistakes by a large margin.

After his move from Manchester United in his quest to seek regular first team football, Ben really hasn't put a foot wrong, and while the country looks to Joe Hart as the future of England goalkeeping; maybe it would be a better idea to look at the more experienced figure in Ben Foster.

Under the guidance of Dave Watson, Foster has undoubtedly improved in all areas this season. Like he did expertly with Joe Hart, Watson has carved Foster into the model goalkeeper but more easily than he crafted Hart who, being younger, had a few more rough edges to even out. Foster had those edges shaped a while ago whilst he was at Old Trafford, being coached by the best and playing for the best, in not only the Premier League but in the Champions League too.

His man of the match performance in the penalty shoot out of the 2009 Carling Cup Final – with a little help from his iPod – helped Foster reap the rewards from team mates, the media and many others in the world of football. However, he still couldn't cement a place in the starting line up for the Red Devils and a year on found himself at Wembley once more, again walking up the steps after victory – this time against Aston Villa – but with the difference this time being that he was an unused substitute in the 2-1 win.

After being left out of the World Cup squad after lack of first team football, the Leamington-Spa-born shot-stopper then realised that he needed to search for a move elsewhere in order to resurrect his career somewhat. Being just 27 – a baby in terms of goalkeepers – he was quickly snapped up for 5 million pounds by Alex McLeish from former manager Alex Ferguson, and neither Foster nor McLeish have looked back since.

Arguably, however, his career never needed resurrecting; simply because his undeniable talent never went away. This is justified by his performances throughout the season so far and after Sunday's magnificent Cup Final performance, it seems that five million for the England International was a bargain, and a great coop by Birmingham who have called on Foster to save them many-a-time so far this term.The only doubt in any one's minds about the England International was whether he could replicate the form that dipped a little in his last season at United, and it is safe to say he has proved all his critics wrong so far.

The keeper himself may try to brush some of these compliments aside, claiming that a lot has been down to the defenders in front of him, who “just love defending.” But the recognition for his solo performances he has received so far playing for Birmingham suggest otherwise, and try as he might, Ben Foster simply cannot deny himself the praise he has so rightly received.

His cool head, his willingness to go in for the ball in any situation, and his magnificent shot-stopping have turned more than a few heads this season, and after being named in all the England squads since the seemingly disastrous World Cup campaign in the Summer, he seems to have turned on of the most important heads: that of Fabio Capello's.

Performances such as Sunday's can only help his chances of claiming the coveted England number one spot, and with Joe Hart not fully living up to the standard he himself set last season, I have a feeling the number one spot is left open to the man who performs the hardest. But, even with tough competition from Hart, I can see Ben Foster turning out at Wembley as the number one for not just his club, but for his country too.

Goal scoring issues: resolved

Our problem is scoring goals and that's been our problem for a while now. However in the two games prior to this match we'd actually scored six goals in total, playing the fan-favoured 4-4-2 formation, as a posed to scoring one or maybe even two if we were lucky playing Alex's preferred 4-5-1 layout. Sometimes, the more defensive option is needed, but sometimes; the fans are right. Most of us would rather lose 2 or 3 nil trying to win a game and going all out, than being really defensive all game and just losing 1-0.

Tonight wasn't much different. We set out in a 4-4-2 formation up against Manchester City's tremendous attacking line-up of 4-3-3, with Silva, Tevez and Dzeko all starting up front. Scary, but nothing should phase Blues nowadays. Unfortunately though, we let Man City get a very slopping goal in the first few minutes coutosy of Carlos Tevez and some sloppy defending. The one thing you don't do is let Silva and Tevez have their own way, and we did just that, and left only ourselves to blame.

Never to be shot down though, we kept going at it, and eventually got the equaliser through Nikola Zigic, who had looked lively all game. After coming close with an excellent but casual volley minutes before, Zigic took advantage of some questionable Man City defending from a Bentley free-kick and slide the ball through Joe Hart's legs to put the Blues on level terms.


In between Zigic's chance and Zigic's goal was a heart stopping moment: Barry Ferguson turned and fell to the ground in agony. From where I was sitting I could see the pain on his face, and it did not look good. The whole ground as one watched with their heart in their mouths and their head thinking about the Carling Cup final and relegation battle, and watched on as Sir Barry eventually rose to his feet, limping slightly, to carry on with the game. Relief all round.

There was another, more serious, injury later on in that half which saw seven minutes added time. Micah Richards and Nigel De Jong collided, leaving Richards out on the floor with a scary head injury, and was stretchered off with Kolo Toure coming on to replace him.

After playing well Blues were again the masters of their own downfall, conceding a free-kick right on the edge of the area. I said before Kolarov took it that he would score. I was right, and he did score. The wall wasn't strong enough for his bullet of a shot and we should have been aware of that. So we had to do it all over again in the second half, yet again!


If we started the first half in the same way we started the second half we would be laughing. Not for the first time we came straight out the blocks and went for it. Bentley and Carr were a joy to watch down the right hand side and an equalising goal came agonisingly close a number of times. Kevin Phillips came on to save the day again, and gave a little helping hand towards the goal by winning a penalty.

When I first saw it, I thought we were lucky but after seeing replays you can see why the referee gave it. Add that to the fact we've had some complete stonewallers turned down this season, not I nor any other Bluenose cared about the nature in which we were awarded this penalty. Joe Hart did his usual distracting techniques but Craig Gardner gave him the eyes and blasted it down the middle to equalise. After that, we honestly could have gone on to win it, but City came so close at the death with yet another free-kick from Kolarov who shot just inches wide.


Also, it was great to see England's number two back at St. Andrews last night. He came, he conceded, he danced. And he also left with a black eye! There's only one Joe Hart!

In the end it was a great result and a good game, which either team could have won in the end. From our point of view it was a great point, and we'll take that performance and the two that came before it into Sundays 'six pointer.' And hey, we score goals now! What's there to worry about...

Full Time: Birmingham City 2-2 Manchester City

Footnote:
Thumbs up top the guy who jokingly shook the hand of every steward in front of block 6.
Thumbs down to the snatch squad who fronted up to him and frog marched him out.

A well deserved point

Us and Man City. We're quite similar, really, if you think about it - obviously not including the money or the fame - but we are similar. Both Blues and Man City fans have had to endure years upon years of disappointment, albeit with the moments of success, like Blues' brilliant season in 2009/10. Both teams are seemingly 'inferior' to their nearest but certainly not dearest neighbours in Manchester United and Aston Villa respectively. We are both seen as the noisy neighbours. We are both seen as smaller clubs in terms of our rivals. We've both not won or even done much in the last few years. But now Man City have the money and the big stars, you'd think the gap between us and them would be a big one. Not on this afternoons game. No way.

In all fairness, I wasn't expecting much. Last time I went there was last season and we lost 5-1, and their team is better now, with even bigger stars like Yaya Toure to boast about. Fortunately for us, not only did we play brilliantly, Man City just simply didn't. I would have bitten your arm off at the start of the game for a point, now I'm thinking we could maybe have even cheekily snached all three.

The first half was your average really, especially upon viewing Blues' previous few performances. Man City got the ball, tried to pass it into the net, and the defence dealt with it. Repeat a few times, then add in a couple of snail-paced Blues attacks and you have your first half. Oh, and add in a cheating little Argentinian, and you definitely have today's first half.


If an impressive new ground means that it turns into a complete library, then I am quite content with little St. Andrews, thank you very much. It was pretty dire for 40 odd thousand, and when a travelling support of around 1,000 that you're mocking for coming 'in a taxi' are out singing you, well, you look pretty stupid singing about their support being crap, really.

The second half was backs to the wall type stuff from Blues. A real brilliant performance from the back five, especially Roger Johnson who is still to be called up to the England squad, and God only knows why as well. Carlos Tevez who? Roger had a field day defending against him. The midfield kept calm and did try to attack, but we ended up just passing it around a bit before losing the ball. Jerome and Zigic ran a fair bit, won a few headers; but you couldn't really see us scoring.

And that was pretty much it really. Hleb came on to inject a little bit of class for the away side, and he really is a joy to watch when he plays against the more passing teams of the division, like Man City today, because he gets the ball. He's so intelligent and perfect, it's just the fact the rest of our team aren't. They're good, good players. But not as technically able as Mr. Hleb.


Of course, this match report can't go without a mention for one Joe Hart. He played his part brilliantly today and he loved every minute of it! Being sung to by the away fans more than he was by the home fans; laughing and smiling as he tried to concentrate on the game; making a mistake and being serenaded with 'England's number two!' and then coming over to applaud us at the end. He is a class, class goalkeeper and I wish him all the best. He really is a Blues legend, and we both still have love for each other. I had tears in my eyes at the end of the game when him and Dave Watson, the man who has helped to further his career, shared a hug. It was a brilliant moment.

A resilient, great away performance from Blues today at one of the hardest places to pick up points from in the Premier League. And how do we get rewarded? A lace in the bottom three! But, the league finishes in May not November, and the target now is to make sure we're not here come the end of the season. And I've got faith that we will be a few places above the drop zone by then - or 17th, I'm not fussed!

Full Time: Manchester City 0-0 Birmingham City

Below Par

I like to compare international teams to clubs. Tonight, England were much like Birmingham City: lacking lustre against teams of a lower calibre than themselves (the olny difference being England have more shots on target, and don't have Roger Johnson or Scott Dann in defence. Or an angry Scotsman in midfield...)

I'm not quite sure who was more bored in the first half; Joe Hart or the rest of us. The best chance of the half came really early on, with Crouch a whisker away from getting his outstretched leg onto the end of a clever ball from Gerrard, but even his long legs couldn't get a touch. It was more of a game of possession for England in the first forty-five, rather than chances. We kept the ball very well, but just failed to do anything with it (yet again, reminding me of Blues..) and with the Montenegro goalkeeper flapping at a few shots he had to save, we really should've taken the bull by the horns and taken advantage.

There was a large amount of freekicks and corners for England, in a half they dominated, but they couldn't make anything out of the set pieces they were awarded, which was disappointing to say the least. Young and Johnson both made some promising runs on both flanks, but, like the story of the night; it just didn't come to anything, and the first half slowed down to quite a pedestrian pace at the close of the half.

The second half started at most of a fast tempo, with former-captain Gerrard making a great run and just as good a cross, but that came to no avail. Re-instated captain Rio Ferdinand then made a run of his own but lost the ball, however Cole – the now most-capped left back – won the ball back and ended up winning a freekick in a good position... which we wasted. Again.

As yellow cards started to flow more freely than the game, England fans started to get more and more frustrated. Kevin Davies was introduced, who made an imidiate impact, nearly setting up a goal for Rooney, however the Montenegro keeper stood his ground and made two comfortable saves. Shaun Wright-Phillips was also introduced, but the little man just couldn't do it for England on the night.

It could have turned nasty for England, as with ten minutes to go Montenegro rattled Joe Hart's cross bar, and Hart could do nothing but watch it sail over his head and hit the woodwork – much to his, and the rest of the England team's, relief.

England threw, not the kitchen sink, but maybe a few utensils at the determined Montengro defence, but the away team kept their shut out and for the first time at the new Wembley, England failed to score.

As for the title of this match blog, it speaks for itself: we were totally below par tonight. But, we're second in the group with a game in hand of the leaders – and as for the qualifying games, there's still a long way to go yet!

See you in March.

Full Time: England 0-0 Montenegro

If I hear the Word Cup mentioned one more time...

It pretty much overshadows everything we do now. If a player, like Adam Johnson, scores, we get "I wonder what would have happened if he went to the World Cup" no. We've all put that behind us now, every single one of us. Except the pundits. And I think It really is time to move on.

What started off as a game that was pretty much all England, the game petered out a little. If Richard Keys and Jamie Redknapp close to a scrap wasn't entertaining enough for you, this game certainly gave you your moneys worth. (On a side note, I would give anything to punch Redknapp right now: "I didn't realise how good Joe Hart was, he was playing at Birmingham last season" - I don't think any more words are needed.)

England started brightly, and were much the better team. It was only a matter of time before we scored, and that goal came from Wayne Rooney who calmly slotted the ball in the net from a couple of yards out, after good work from Defoe amongst other players. This dispelled any worries of if he would be able to cope, after allegations in the media earlier on in the week.


However, in all the celebrations, the Sky camera panned to an injured Theo Walcott, lying on the floor, after twisting his ankle quite badly. It was a tough blow for England as the pacey winger had been great so far in the game, but Adam Johnson ran on to replace him, and the game started again.

England showed a confidence they hadn't shown of late; players like Rooney and both Johnsons were doing little flicks and tricks. It was refreshing to see. As well as that; we were showing such determination - to win the ball back when we lost it; the attack and counter attack. This also, was great to see. The great spirit from the travelling England fans no doubt spurred the team on; with pretty much none stop singing from the off. And that's what we need: we need to get behind the team.

Near the end of the first half the Swiss started to put on a little pressure, but it was nothing England couldn't handle, which meant we went into the break one goal up, with the only bad thing happening in the half being the injury of Theo Walcott. Switzerland were very poor in the first 45, but take nothing away from England; they did everything they were asked.


England hit the ground running in the second half, with the first attack of the half coming on just 46 minutes; a brilliant, sharp ball by Rooney was played into the box, and Johnson connected with it first time, but his shot just went wide and over. And then in the 58th minute Glen Johnson tried one of his long-range shots that we've seen in the past, but again unfortunatly, he failed to hit the target.

Frustration was starting to show in the Switzerland camp, as Stephan Lichtsteiner got booked for dissent. However that seemed to spark something, as just minutes later Switzerland started to pressure more. The game was ow more intense; gone were the pretty little flicks in the first half: now the tackles were flying in on the slippy surface, and James Milner received a yellow card; meaning he is suspended for the game against Montenegro in October.

Joe Hart had a few hairy moments just a few seconds later, but listening to the commentry, you'd think he'd have made some big mistake. The fact was, that he dropped a wet ball and did a wayward kick, yet the comentators jumped the gun way too soon, suggesting that Hart may not be who we thought he was. Really, this is why our goalkeepers lose their confidence. Because we get on their backs. How about, and I know this is totally out there; how about we support our players; how about we cheer them and get behind them if they make a mistake, however little or big. Not criticise at the first wrong thing they do.


Just as the Swiss were getting back into the game, Lichtsteiner received his second yellow card and was sent off, for a tackle on Milner. And then England went two-up: after nice build up and a lovely through ball from Gerrard; Adam Johnson slotted home his second in two games. Seemingly meaning England were home and dry. Defoe, who really did deserve a goal, went off injured shortly after, piling up England's injury woes, and was replaced by Darren Bent, who plently had been calling to be in the side much earlier.


The phrase "it will take someting special to beat Joe Hart" has been used, used and used again lately (and last season too, but if you're anything like Jamie Redknapp, you do not know of Birmingham City's existence, therefore last season, Joe Hart didn't exist either.) And it was something special; a fierce long range shot from Xherdan Shaqiri nearly broke the back of the net, and the home side were back in the game.

The game evened out a little, and England tried to get the midfield even more in their control by bringing Shaun Wright-Phillips on in place of Wayne Rooney. And just minutes later the away side got the goal that sealed the three points, in the form of Darren Bent, who slotted the ball calmy into the net for him first England goal.


England then cruised on to picking up the three points. At the full time whistle, Hart and Shaqiri smiled, laughed and shared a hug - which calmed the commentators down if they thought anything that happened in the game would effect our number one.

The players walked off the pitch with 'England 'til I die' being sung in the background by the traveling Englishmen, who were impressed, like all of us back at home, at the way England had conducted themselves and played out an important and fulfilling victory, against the toughest opponents in the group.

Full Time - Switzerland 1-3 England

Who deserves the most credit for the making of Joe Hart?

Two days ago, 23-year-old Joe Hart walked out at Wembley for his first competitive game in an England shirt. His performance was just the normal Joe Hart performance - if you’ve ever seen him play - solid, confident, and slightly cocky, but in a good way.

Hart has received many plaudits over the last few weeks, especially after his displays against Spurs and Liverpool and now his rock solid performance against Bulgaria. But who deserves the most credit for how far Joe Hart has come, in a very short space of time?

In a sense, Joe Hart would have been spotted by a professional team wherever he lived. It just so happened to be Shrewsbury, for whom he made his competitive debut in 2004 at just 17 years of age, after being a non-playing substitute just a year earlier. Shrewsbury deserve credit for helping make Joe Hart because they were, quite simply, the team that found him. They were the team that started to mould him into the player he is today, and their credit has come in the form of £500,000 which they received upon Hart making his first competitive start for England on Friday night; a nice little ‘thank you’ gift, if you will.

Manchester City also deserve a lot of praise for the rise of Joe Hart. In 2006 they ‘found’ him at Shrewsbury and signed him for an initial fee of £600,000. After making his Man City debut in 2006, Hart then went on a couple of emergency loans to Tranmere Rovers and Blackpool respectively, which helped him to gain a little more experience before playing regularly in the Premier League.

He then cemented the number one spot at City, and that was that. Or so it seemed. He was playing brilliantly; he was a big prospect for not only Manchester City, but for England as well. He made his England debut in the second half against Trinidad and Tobago in June of 2008, which sparked the start of his England senior career.

Hart didn’t put a foot wrong at City, so it was a surprise to many that in January 2009 City signed Republic of Ireland international Shay Given from Newcastle, who came straight in and took the number one jersey from Hart; who one moment found himself on top of the world, and the next he found himself sitting on the bench.


This brings me onto the next team who deserve to be credited: Birmingham City. It was a deal which worked for all parties; Blues needed a keeper, Hart needed a team, and City needed to send Joe out for some much needed experience. So in Summer 2009 Hart made a loan switch to Birmingham; starting off a year to remember for the young goalkeeper.

But just before he made the loan move to Blues, he played in the Euro Under 21 tournament, which brings me to someone else we should give credit to for the making of Joe Hart: Stuart Pearce. The Under 21 Coach first called Joe up to the squad in 2007, and the trust he has put in Joe Hart over the years is phenomenal. This summer tournament also helped him; especially after saving a couple of penalties and then taking one himself in a shootout to get to the final! Pearce has stood by Hart for years now, and he deserves credit for helping Hart take the next step in the football ladder.

Now back to Blues… in his first few games he looked a little shaky. With crosses and with his kicks, mainly. But that was improved quite quickly, all thanks to one man who doesn’t get the praise and credit he deserves. That man is Birmingham goalkeeper coach Dave Watson.

Being young himself after having to retire through injury, Watson immediately bonded with Hart, and so it was easy for them to work together and build on the skills that Hart already had. The rest, as they say, is history: Hart had a phenomenal season for Blues, the turning point probably being Liverpool Away in November 2009; McLeish had a selection dilemma after Maik Taylor had played superbly in a game against Man City, which Hart was ineligible for. McLeish stuck to his guns though and picked Hart who played an absolutely brilliant game, making save after save, keeping his team in the game.

Throughout the season, Hart got better and better. His confidence went through the roof, as did his popularity. The loveable Shrewsbury-born lad was earning plaudits here there and everywhere, and there were calls for him to be England’s number one. He won player of the season at Birmingham, was nominated for PFA young player of the year, and made it into the PFA team of the year.

This season at Blues had completed him. Joe hart was now the finished article; after the moulding from Shrewsbury, the step up at City, the coaching he received from every club he was at especially from Dave Watson and Stuart Pearce, the call ups to the England team - both Under 21 and Senior - and finally the fine tuning and polishing off at Birmingham. This was it. Joe Hart was now ready. He had come through the stages, the phases, and he is the perfect example of how English talent can break through and get to the top.

Just 17 months after being overtaken and put on the bench by Shay Given, Joe Hart has worked his hardest to do what Given did to him: and he is now the number one at Manchester City, with Shay looking on from the bench. After everyone calling for him to be England’s number one also, he now seems to have cemented his place as just that, much to the delight of Shrewsbury, Manchester City and Birmingham City: the teams that made him.

But who deserves the most credit for Hart? Of corse, the teams did so well in helping him along the way, but I believe it’s mostly down to someone I haven’t given credit to yet, and that’s the man himself.

Being the modest man he is, he wouldn’t admit that to you, but without his aura of complete confidence or his desire to make it to the top, Joe Hart would not be the player he is today. If he wasn’t so determined to make it, or so completely in love and infatuated with the beautiful game that he will do anything to play it, then he wouldn’t be as good as he is now. That man is an absolutely brilliant idol for any young child to look up to. He is the perfect example of how hard work and determination can most definitely pay off.

In hindsight, he owes a lot to the teams, coaches and managers who helped to form what a great goalkeeper he is now, but in all honesty, Joe Hart deserves the most credit for what he has become; and that is a number one goalkeeper for both club and country. He has become what he always wanted to become, and most importantly, he’s done it all with a smile on his face. There is nothing more pleasing that seeing a man who loves football so much, do so well in football.

Here’s to a great future for Joe Hart. And it’s all down to him.

Here's to new beginnings

This ‘England revolution’ being talked about lately isn’t really that much of a revolution. Sure, there’s new players coming through, which is exciting, and talk of a brighter future is also promising. But labeling it as a revolution is probably a bit too far fetched. I prefer to think of it as a new start.

The World -Cup-slate has been wiped clean; players such as Emile Heskey have left England behind for good, and a new crop of fresh, exciting talent is coming through. It’s a new beginning for England and hopefully this means a new start for everyone: no moaning about Capello’s World Cup decisions (although the whole country including me stands firm on the ‘Joe Hart should’ve played’ point - I don‘t think that will be let go anytime soon) and no ‘Wayne Rooney is rubbish’ comments (rubbish being a lighter term that most fans have used recently). Just a fresh start. Starting with the Euro 2012 Qualifiers.

And that’s just what we got.

A new-look England team took centre stage on the new Wembley pitch last night and played out an impressive 4-0 victory. That ‘oh-so-awful’ Wayne Rooney set up three goals; Jermain Defoe got a well-deserved hat-trick; young Adam Johnson came on and got his first England goal; Joe Hart showed everyone why he should’ve been picked for the World Cup, no, he showed Fabio Capello that all managers get it wrong sometimes.. And all in all it was a great team performance. This new England, complete with new kit, that everyone had been asking for, was displayed last night.

Sure, the first half was less-than exciting, even after going 1-0 up courtesy of Defoe’s first on his way to a hat-trick. But the team looked calm, collated and in control. The second half was much better, and we won with not so much if an ease, but with a total team performance.


The defence looked solid (barring a Dawson slip and a Johnson near-own-goal) and Joe Hart was playing his game as he always does; like he’s playing in the park with his mates - he is without doubt one of the calmest players I’ve ever seen (again begging the question of the ‘how is he too inexperienced’ topic, but, moving on…).

Playing Steven Gerrard in the centre is what we had all been crying out for: and last night Fabio Capello played him in the centre and probably wondered why he didn’t during the World Cup. Him and Barry together were great. So great, that most of the time you don’t even notice that they are there, because they just do their job. And they’re so good at it. Simple but effective.

Admitting Milner was a great player when he played for Aston Villa, for me, was hard. I thought he was decent, but not World class. Since he’s gone to Manchester City, I don’t know if it’s because I’m actually now watching him play without a pillow or my hands in front of my eyes; but the man is a machine. Bombing down the wing is his specialty, and didn’t he do just that last night. The guy was brilliant. If I were wearing a hat I’d be taking it off to him. He’s fast, powerful and skillful, and he’s just what we need. Down the other wing were Theo Walcott and then Adam Johnson, who are both similar players; expect Walcott has speed as his asset and Johnson has shots as his. Walcott made way for Johnson and almost immediately he showed just why shooting is his specialty, chipping in with England’s third goal of the night for his first goal for England. The midfield was great last night, and it begs the question; Will Frank Lampard come straight in when he comes back from injury?

Playing Rooney just behind Defoe was a tactic that worked brilliantly; Rooney, although still to scoring as prolifically as we would like, set up three goals - two of them being Defoe’s - and he put in a much better shift than all four games at the World Cup combined. He is definitely regaining whatever he lost in the Summer, and hopefully very soon we will have the Wayne Rooney that we all know and love back.

That brings me onto Defoe. He was brilliant. He played his game; got into the right positions and the way he finished off his hat-trick was sublime. People describe ‘The Perfect Hat-trick’ as one with your left peg, one with your right, and one off your head - Defoe’s wasn’t 'the' perfect one, but it can be described as ‘A Perfect Hat-trick’ because it was.

There’s one last player I haven’t talked about in depth, and that’s Joe Hart. Being a fan of Joe doesn’t take much effort: he’s a grounded lad, a brilliant footballer and one of the nicest people I have ever met. What is not to like about him? Nothing, is the answer, if you didn’t sense that it was a rhetorical question.

What that man doesn’t know about keeping calm under pressure isn’t worth knowing. Last night he played his first competitive game for England and he looked like he’d been between those sticks for ages. The first save he had to make was from his own defender Glen Johnson, who tried and failed to clear the ball, sending it straight at Hart who, always ready, pounced on the ball just on the line. Now, most ‘keepers would get up and shout a bit, maybe tell Johnson off. Not Hart. Joe got up, turned around and was laughing. His own player had nearly scored an own goal, and he was laughing.

But that’s what he brings to a team, if nothing else - which we all know he brings plenty else, but for the sake of argument - he brings some kind of aura of happiness. To put it another way: he just loves to play football, and because of that he always has a smile on his face whilst doing so. In my opinion, that makes the rest of the team a little calmer. If you know your goalkeeper is that alright about everything that may be coming his way, you know he’s got confidence in abundance. And that’s what we’ve been searching for in a ‘keeper for a while now; and it seems like we’ve found the perfect one - or near as dammit.

He was also involved in the fourteen or so seconds that made the match. 1-0 up, and Bulgaria go on the attack; the ball is fired, straight at Joe Hart so it was a relatively easy save to make, but he made it all the same. Next thing you know, the ball is at the other end and Defoe is slotting it calmly into the net...

If Bulgaria would’ve scored, England might have had a torrid time of it. 1-1 and the fans get on your backs slightly; 2-0 and the game is over. And with help from Joe Hart; the game was over.


England showed promise last night, but we shouldn’t get too carried away. I think we’ve all learned our lesson now not to go too over the top after winning just one game - see 2010 World Cup qualifiers, and then 2010 World Cup... In fact, on second thoughts, I advise you not to relive that again…

It’s time to look to the future; and with exciting players such as Joe Hart, Adam Johnson and James Milner (the ‘Man City’ revolution) and more experienced players such as Steven Gerrard, Jermain Defoe and Wayne Rooney; England seem to have the solution to success. Or at least, it looks that way.

I think we've found him

Ever since David Seaman retired, England have not really had a concrete number one goalkeeper. Paul Robinson tried and failed, David James couldn’t cement his spot in the side and after that mistake at the World Cup, I think it’s safe to say Robert Green will never play for England again. But last night, the person every England fan had been calling for, was called upon by Mr. Capello, and it looks a promising England future for one Mr. Joe Hart.

With the untimely injury of Ben Foster just days before the England game and the start of the new Premier League Season, it paved the way for Joe Hart to get his first start for England for the senior side, with his previous caps being a result of him being substituted on at half-time.

Hart played the full ninety minutes in England’s 2-1 win over Hungary, in the friendly game at Wembley last night, and although his services weren’t called upon too much, Hart played out a faultless performance. He was alert, commanding and quick: everything you would hope for in a goalkeeper. He also displayed a brilliant attitude in his post-match interview, showing that he is as cool and calm off the pitch as he is on it.

His performance showed that just the tender age of twenty-three years, he can perform just as well as an experienced goalkeeper in his prime. He plays his games for his club with an aura of confidence about him, and a daunting Wembley crowd of 72,000 certainly proved that he can continue playing with this same confidence on the bigger stage as well.

He conceded just the one goal last night, however it was of no fault of his own and there was not much he could do about it - although replays show the ball hadn’t even crossed the line. He was quick at distributing the ball to his defence, authoritative with his defence and with his wall when Hungary had free kicks, and was in control whenever he had a corner to defend. From being the most inexperienced player to go to the World Cup in the Summer, Hart fitted superbly into the England team last night, looking almost as if he had been there for a number of years already.

Joe also showed that he is always alert and ready, whenever he is called upon. After having had very little to do in the second half, a quick Hungary break near the end of the game left Hart in a one-on-one situation, to which he reacted quickly to prevent an equalising goal so close to the end of the game.

Whether Mancini will reward him as Capello did with the number one jersey is another story, but from here on, Hart’s career can only go one way and that is up. In Joe Hart we have an experienced ‘keeper - not so much internationally, but he has a lot of Premier League experience under his belt at the tender age of just twenty-three. He’s calm, decisive and plays not just with an air of confidence, but with an air of authority as well, especially when organising his defence. In football you need to make split second decisions and you need to have a good tactical brain; Joe Hart has had these qualities for years now, and now is his chance to put them into practice on the larger scale of international football.

Although we can’t judge everything on one game where he had little to do, and his real test will be in the Euro 2012 qualifying games, it seems as if at long last we’ve found our number one.

What If?

What if we turned time back to 24th April 2010: Manchester City versus Arsenal. We’re in the second half on the game, and Diaby gets the ball. He lets rip a really low and hard shot, Shay Given has little time to react… what happens next? In a perfect (Manchester City) world Given would’ve dived and saved the shot; picked himself up dusted himself down and received a pat on the back from his team mates. In another perfect, but this time Arsenal, world; he would’ve dived but failed to save the shot; 1-0 Arsenal.

But what really happened was a bit of both: Given dived to his left, and tipped the ball just round the post… but at the same time dislocating his shoulder from the impact of the fierce Diaby shot. Given out for the rest of the season, Birmingham City also feeling the repercussions of the injury as City tried to prise Joe Hart back to their club, but ultimately failing.

Joe Hart had expressed his desire to return to Birmingham City the following season numerous times, and Blues had pretty much regained Hart’s services for another season… that was until Given’s untimely injury. City wanted Hart back for the 2010/11 season, and that was pretty much that. He was their player, after all.

Now, clubs don’t get attached to players too often. I mean really attached, and I mean every single fan. I’m talking about every single fan, including all the male supporters, actually loving a player to pieces. Like I said, this doesn’t happen all too often, especially if they’re only on a season long loan; but last season the fans of Birmingham City fell in love with Joe Hart.

To cut a season-long story short; he was brilliant. He was everything you could ask for in a player; his commitment, his performances, and his relationship with us fans was amazing. None of us wanted to say goodbye and none of us wanted to let him go - people were even joking about kidnapping him and tying him to goalposts… and I think some were even serious.

But we had to move on and find a different goalkeeper, and that's when we got Ben Foster. Now, Foster was actually more highly rated at the start of last season than Hart, but he fell down the pecking order at Manchester United, which meant he also fell out of the England team. So Blues successfully captured another great goalkeeper in Ben, and that's exactly what he is: great. I don’t doubt anything of him; he’s looked really good so far, and under the guidance of Dave Watson I know he will be a great player for us. But just weeks after signing him, Shay Given made a miraculous recovery, and is now battling it out with Hart for the number one spot at City. I for one couldn't believe it: one moment Joe Hart was looking to be Manchester City's number one, the next moment he faced competition from the man who'd knocked him out of the team the first time round.

Hart has now said he wouldn’t say no to a loan move for the season, and today Sunderland have announced that they have approached Man City for Hart’s services, whilst their normal number one Craig Gordon is out injured for at least 6 weeks into the season with a broken arm.

The word ‘gutted’ has been used a lot today, and if I had a pound for every time I’ve heard or read today; “Ben Foster is great, but Joe Hart…” then I’d be quite rich. Don’t get me wrong. I think Ben Foster will be brilliant for us and I was so glad we got him… but having Joe Hart back again would’ve been brilliant.

In my opinion, Hart won’t go on loan just yet. Not until after the start of the season anyway. Mancini has expressed in no uncertain terms that he doesn’t yet know his number one, and has been closely looking at both Given and Hart to try and determine this factor. He has also said that he doesn’t like changing things, so whoever starts the season in goal will probably go on to play for the rest of the season there.

In another ‘what if’ scenario, if his number one turns out to be Given, then Hart will probably go out on loan, or try to anyway. I believe it won’t be before the start of the season though, if this in fact the case, simply because Mancini doesn’t want to.

Man City also wouldn’t want to risk anything; say Shay Given dived onto his shoulder and injured it again in training - if they had already let Joe Hart go on loan, they’d have a job trying to get him back, as it’s something he couldn’t do last season. It’s practicality that we’ve got the think about, and Mancini isn’t the type of man not to think ahead; upon getting the request for Hart from Sunderland, I can guarantee he would’ve been thinking all these things.

So like I said at the start: what if? What if Shay Given hadn’t got injured? Well, we’d have Joe Hart for another season. That’s pretty much it. It would’ve been a lot simpler and we would have a bit more money to spend because we wouldn’t have had to spend money on another keeper, because we already had one secured. But, we’ve got Ben Foster now, an equally brilliant keeper, and that’s fine, because he is a great goalkeeper, he wouldn’t of been at Man United if he wasn’t. But the niggling feeling I felt today when I read that Sunderland want Hart on loan really did get to me! I think the fact that Joe had such a brilliant relationship with the Blues fans, we wouldn’t be as gutted if he went out on loan as we will be if he does. Fact is, he’s a player we loved, and still will love, for quite a few years to come.

Whatever happens with Hart now is nothing to do with Birmingham City, but in hindsight, I know we’ll all be keeping an eye on him and his career from now on.

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.

the end of another season..

yesterday marked the last game of the premier league season. safe by christmas, blues finished the season in ninth place on 50 points; their best finish in fifty one years. ninth place. fifty points. fifty one years. and everyone said we'd get relegated...

the 4,200 blues fans that made the trip down to bolton created a brilliant part atmosphere. blues played a 4-5-1 formation, which somewhat confused the traveling fans. however blues started the slightly brighter team, creating a couple of chances in the first few minutes.



in all fairness, i'm not going to write much about the game because it was very much an end of season affair, that lived up to the little expectations that were set before the game - i.e it wasn't exactly the most exciting of games. bolton's first goal came courtesy of some questionable birmingham defending, their second a work of art from loanee weiss, finished off by another loanee klasnic.


blues' goal came from a strange decision from the referee, in fact most of mr. friend's decisions in the game were.. silly, actually. i can't think of another word for it - i'm sure roger johnson could think of a few though.. but the penalty, well i'm glad he gave it, but chucho was never going to get the ball, sure he was 'impeded' or whatever, but still.. also, he was abit yellow card happy all afternoon; handing out seven yellow cards in a game that meant nothing to either side, and blowing up everytime a little thing happened. whatever happened to letting play run.



anyway, james mcfadden, being the sentimental little so and so that he is handed the ball to chucho to let him take the penalty. we all knew he'd miss it. we were begging him to score, but we all knew in our hearts that he'd miss it.. good job our actual penalty taker was there to slot in the (second) rebound.


and of corse, the last game of the season isn't complete without a funny story to tell afterwards: 'pamela anderson' broke away from the blues fans and made a beeline for chucho, shook his hand, and ran all the way up to joe hart; gave him a little dance and hugged him. it was the funniest thing i have seen in a long time, i just feel sorry for chucho the poor man must've been scared for his life! 'pamela' received a standing ovation from the whole ground as s/he was escorted away by the police - and escaped only with a caution! take a bow.

i wouldn't call it a disappointing end to the season. some of the stuff we played yesterday, some of the little flicks, and the build up to our disallowed goal was brilliant. it was a joy to watch, it really was. it was a shame we didn't win, or even draw, but it was still a brilliant day.


it was emotional too; the players came over to applaud the fans at full time. i can safely say alot of people had a tear in their eye, more so when hart came over. some people say he cried, i don't know i was quite far back, but walking away from 4,200 blues fans chanting your name.. i'd find it quite hard to hold back tears if i was him.


beforehand, i'd only ever cried over one player when he left us (robbie savage, you absolute arsehole) but with a lump in my throat, i watched joe hart walk away from us, and when he went to hug dave watson, i had to wipe my eyes a little bit. he's become an honorary blues fan; someone we'll never forget, etc. but really, it was an honour to have him play for us, and i wish him the best of luck at manchester city, and for the future: for england.


thank you for such a brilliant season blues, ninth place; i never would've thought it. you all deserve a nice long holiday, and then come august you'll have it all to do again. i think this season has proved that you should never right teams off; us and wolves have proved all doubters wrong, both in some style might i add.

keep right on and thank you blues.