Joe Hart came in for some criticism following Feyenoord’s opening goal in their win over Celtic on Tuesday.
The Hoops had taken part in an even first half when Calvin Stengs’ free-kick outfoxed the goalkeeper to fire the Eredivisie champions into a stoppage-time lead.
It was a blow Celtic failed to recover from as Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm saw red after the break and Alireza Jahanbakhsh struck a second for the hosts.
Some blamed Hart for the free-kick, some the wall, many thought both were to blame. Hart, himself, took responsibility post-match while acknowledging “a perfect storm” of factors.
But while the criticism has been heavy in some quarters, despite a penalty save in Rotterdam, the goalkeeper’s team-mates clearly think the world of him.
Alistair Johnston and Hyunjun Yang were in the media late on Wednesday night, with their quotes from the post-match mixed zone finally making it out. It is notable that both referenced Hart’s qualities after the game.
“We did have a lot of players who were making their Champions League debuts, myself included,” said Johnston. “The only guy who’s got a ton of them is probably Joe Hart.
“He played a really good game. He made a couple of big saves for us which is what we needed, it helped us stay in it.” (The Herald)
Winger Yang went a step further and praised Hart’s character.
“I definitely think that Joe has one of the best mentalities as a player,” he said. “When I see him I learn that even though I make mistakes I have to get over them very quickly and learn from them.” (The Herald)
The aftermath of the game would likely make people question why anyone would want to be a goalkeeper.
Hart actually had a solid game against Feyenoord. He saved a penalty and prevented the margin of victory from being a larger one with some stops late on in the match. Yet all anyone wants to talk about is his error for the opening goal.
It’s a tough old job. But the former England goalkeeper will know that. As he said in the lead-up to the game, he knows what opinions are important to him. He’ll be back between the sticks against Livingston.
In other news, Brendan Rodgers was asked about Celtic transfer spending in wake of Feyenoord defeat
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