With the news that Joe Hart was retiring from football hitting the headlines this afternoon, what John Hartson said about the Celtic ‘keeper sums up his time at the club.
Hart joined Celtic in the summer of 2021. We were just getting over the COVID season and the shock of watching Vasilis Barkas all season when the veteran ‘keeper stepped up and gave the Celtic supporters a solid base to build a defence around.
And after his display against Kilmarnock, Hart proved just how important he has been to Celtic despite all his flaws.
John Hartson spoke about the treble-winning keeper during commentary in the 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock on Saturday and what he said pretty much summed up Hart’s time at Celtic.
Hartson said [Celtic TV], “As a Celtic goalkeeper, Celtic predominantly dominate possession so Joe won’t have a lot to do and that’s why his concentration has got to be high every time.
“But as you say, the last couple of games he’s been tested and he’s done very well with some great saves.
“Joe Hart is a quality keeper. People tend to say sometimes his distribution is not great all the time when the ball is at his feet.
“But some of the important saves he makes he deserves an awful lot of credit for that. He hasn’t done a lot wrong in the time he’s been here.”
Joe Hart has been excellent for Celtic
Now I’m not saying Hart has been perfect in his three seasons at Celtic but Hartson is correct. He’s done more things right than he has done wrong.
His leadership and organisational skills have been instrumental from the minute he walked in the door and hopefully, they will be until the day he leaves.
Hart has been prone to some mistakes over his time at the club but as Hartson points out, what he has contributed far outweighs some of the negativity surrounding him.
When we all look back at Hart’s career it will be with a sense of fondness. For a guy who has only been at the club for a few years, he gets what it is to play for Celtic. Plus, he is the only second-ever Celtic player to win every domestic honour on both sides of the border.
Let’s hope the rest of his struggling teammates can deliver a league and cup double send of for the 36-year-old veteran.
In other news, ‘Legend’… Raheem Sterling and Kasper Schmeichel send classy message to Celtic’s Joe Hart
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