Former Celtic stopper Rab Douglas has issued a stout defence of the club’s current No1 Joe Hart, who he has backed to stay at Parkhead beyond the end of his current contract.
At the moment, Hart is scheduled to leave Celtic in the summer but of course, that could change if Brendan Rodgers believes he is worthy of an extension.
Hart is now 37 and the consensus among most Celtic fans is that it would be reasonable to naturally part ways with the former Manchester City goalkeeper in June and seek a new No1.
Rodgers hinted at doing just that at the beginning of January, suggesting that Hart may not be his go-to man between the sticks even if he stays on at Paradise.
However, Hart’s family remains based in England and it would be yet another huge commitment if he were to remain in Glasgow beyond the summer and come to terms with being the No2.
Despite all of this, Douglas thinks Hart is more than capable of continuing at Celtic, whether he is chief goalkeeper or not, for the next couple of years and admits he can’t quite get his head around the criticism aimed at Hart, who has been prone to a few high profile mistakes this season.
Douglas, who has been promoting Celtic’s Scottish Cup clash with Buckie Thistle this weekend, also mooted the idea of Hart helping Rodgers choose his successor when the veteran finally decides to move on from the Hoopr or retire.
Rab Douglas on Joe Hart
“I think he’s been a fantastic servant for Celtic. Absolutely he can carry on. Easily. It’s not as if he carries weight, you see he is still sharp in the goal and makes big saves at big times. He has a year or two left at Celtic – if he wants to, of course. His desire is still there and he makes big saves in big games.
“Don’t get me wrong, the team has probably struggled a wee bit in the European games and been found out a wee bit. But I’m a great fan of Joe. Celtic’s last win at Ibrox when they won 1-0, he made a save and the team kicked on to win the game.
“It’s the easiest position to get blame, but I really like him. His demeanour is good, so is his attitude and he’s had unfair criticism.
“I think Brendan Rodgers has a squad and a team in progress at the moment and you lose goals, a goalkeeper gets put under the spotlight. But Joe has seen it and done it all. International, European and club level. So it won’t bother him.
“I’ve spoken to a few people at Celtic and, from what I hear, he is one of the top pros and one of the nicest and that is what you want. He could probably help Brendan Rodgers bring the next goalkeeper in that is going to be a mainstay. Scott Bain is there, Ben Siegrist as well, so it will be interesting to see what Brendan does on that front.
“I think Joe respects the game. I think he’s been very humble and holds his hands up when he makes mistakes. I just feel he’s a great professional. There are times when others make mistakes and they don’t hold their hands up.
“As I’ve said, goalkeeper is one of the hardest positions, but he’s a credit to himself the way he has held himself in the past couple of years. I really don’t see the amount of criticism that Joe gets. Celtic are a work-in-progress team and Joe has experience there.
“Boys such as Greg Taylor have played a vast amount of games. But when you are talking about an experienced leader, Joe is a model professional.
“I think folk are looking to put him down for things. He can go long periods of time without any mistakes. Everyone knows Joe has delivered at the highest level – but he still wants to play and that is the key for me.
“He doesn’t get many injuries. You work hard, you train hard, you play hard. He’s getting the rewards of playing every week. Realistically, he’ll have enough money in the bank. We are not daft enough not to know that. But he wants to win trophies and win games and good luck to him.
“I don’t know him personally, but he’s donated stuff to the charities that I am involved in – so he’s even higher in my regard. Who would Celtic bring in? I’d like to think if Joe has another year or two, he’ll maybe help Brendan Rodgers and Stevie Woods look at the next goalie.”
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