Joe Hart Had Better Be Wearing That Kit Next Weekend
The story is rather simple: Manchester City have a goalkeeper crisis thanks to injuries, and they’ve requested that the EPL allow them to go out and secure an “emergency loan” to finish out the season.
Shay Given’s shoulder dislocation at the weekend puts them in a difficult spot with just three games to go in a “Race” for fourth place, but as to their proposed solution?
I think it’s utterly inappropriate and that if the league powers had their collective druthers, they’d tell Roberto Mancini and co. where they can stick their loan request.
First things first, the Joe Hart situation. Typically, loans have some kind of recall clause for such emergencies, but Citeh neglected to include such wording in their deal with Birmingham City for the PFA’s Best Goalkeeper of 2009/10. Ergo, when Given went down, Citeh weren’t allowed to bring back their protege, leaving them with the following options: Stuart Taylor (who’s just beginning to rehab following knee surgery), David Gonzalez (rubbish, but also injured), and Faroe international Gunnar Nielsen, who they don’t appear to rate particularly highly, at least according to the initial reports this morning.
I can understand them feeling wary in trusting three vital games to Gunnar Nielsen and his relative inexperience, but that’s no-one’s fault but their own. Injuries happen. Just ask any other team in existence. All the clubs we support at UF have suffered through injury crises this season — LFC played without Torres and/or Gerrard for a time, Arsenal have toiled with just about everyone running through the physio’s room at one point or another, while United have been juggling to accommodate the absence of Wayne Rooney — and yet, Manchester City would like things to be different.
Yes, this is the first time in a while that they’ve been this legitimately close to a Champions League spot in many years, but they shouldn’t be subject to special rules for their own lack of foresight, or for their misfortune. Stoke City just lost Thomas Sorensen to an equally nasty injury, and yet, they will soldier on with Asmir Begovic and say nothing.
The first article this morning, via the Guardian, made City seem almost sympathetic — they have offered all sorts of medical evaluations and paperwork to justify their request — until you get to the end: “Gunnar Nielsen, the club’s third-choice, became the first Faroe Islands international to play in the Premier League when he replaced Given on Saturday, but City are reluctant to place their trust in the 23-year-old for the final three games, with a possible place in the Champions League qualifying round at stake.”
Ah, the truth comes out. They don’t trust Nielsen and so, have made it known that they want former Sunderland #1 (and Hungarian international) Marton Fulop to throw between the posts for their remaining games. Heck of an upgrade, too.
Tonight, we learn that they are actively trying to recall Joe Hart despite the absence of an emergency clause, and Birmingham’s vice-chairman, Peter Pannu, has stated that he would “consider it favorably” despite manager Alex McLeish’s notable displeasure.
Spurs and Villa have yet to speak out, but you can bet they’re watching closely. Furthermore, Joe Hart represents a notable upgrade over their third-string choice in Nielsen. Heck, the 23-year-old just bagged an incredible honor in being selected as the PFA’s Goalkeeper of the Year and would start just about anywhere. If Gabriel Agbonlahor or Ashley Young were crocked, should they too be allowed to find urgent replacements? Manchester United didn’t beg for special dispensation when they were reduced to just four healthy defenders right after Christmas.
What’s the point of a transfer window system if these kinds of deals are approved by the league? No other club to my knowledge has enjoyed the luxury of such maneuvers when locked in a title race, and the rules are set this way so teams can’t just spend big or outrageously at season’s end when the games tend to become more meaningful.
American sports have free agent and trading deadlines for that explicit reason; if you’re gonna make a push for a championship, there should be some structure to it so that teams can’t add a guy right when it matters most. Oh, the Yankees are struggling in the AL East race. Nevermind, they just signed three great players to pad out the roster a little bit. Job done!
I sympathize with their plight. The injury is untimely and inconvenient — aren’t they all? — and it’ll take some extra effort from their wobbly defense to get the job done. However, that’s how it should be. To suggest that it’s incumbent upon the league to allow them a sizable exception because of their misfortune renders the entire system useless. Might as well just declare open season on players so rich teams can spend year-round and continue to send the minnows into administration as they fight to stay up.
Ethics, and common sense, might dictate that the league should laugh City’s request out of their HQ and tell them to stop moaning and get on with the game. Based on that, we can expect to see Joe Hart back at City within 48 hours. (sigh)
With the EPL sure to be ruling shortly… let’s have our own vote!
Keepers are different. If there is precedent (and the Times, I believe, states that there is) then that’s that. And that’s from someone who wants anyone but City to take fourth.
While I agree about the precedent point, keepers are no different than outfield players. You still need to have enough at the club to cover injury situations. Hence, when Krancjar and Lennon are out, ‘Arry plays Danny Rose. Sure would have been nice to “bring someone in on loan” when Modric was out for half the year.
amen, james t. amen!
UFers are pretty united on this one
I voted for letting us bring back Joe Hart, just cause it looked lonely there with no votes. :-)
If the shoe was the on the other foot, and it was Spurs or Villa, I’d be righteously pissed, and can’t really justify us getting anyone. We’ll soldier on with Gunnar and his homeless man beard.
Honestly, of the 3, bringing in Fulop would be my last choice.
Which is the option that lets Citeh use its money?
Our manager injured his brain. Or so it seems based on his tactics. Can we get an emergency replacement?
@ hadley: Precedent for that, too. Russia did loan Hiddink to Spartak last year.
The french have it on this one, seriously. I know I’ve said it before, but it still holds true, to a keeper injury or any other that so many teams have faced this season…”c’est la goddamn vie”. Live with it City. Luckily, life sucks, then your champions league hopes die. Such is the natural progression in life. Sorry Ryan.
Nope, like I said, I can’t rationally argue for us being treated differently. No need to apologize. We’ll move on with our Faroe hero.
Although if McLeish thinks he’s getting Joe back next season, he’s insane.
I’m sure that UF is cheating.
Oops. Sorry. Wrong website with a polldaddy poll.
So Ryan – i’m guessing that when the announcers on Saturday mentioned that Hart was on his way to Arsenal you scoffed. I was more than happy to suspend reality until I saw Given’s shoulder dig into the turf and stay there.
I’ve always been in the tank for Joe Hart, so I’d obviously be gutted if we sold him. I can’t believe we’d sell him to Arsenal, especially since I doubt Wenger breaks the bank for him (I saw 8m pounds as a figure- he has to go for at least 2 times that with his age and potential), and as reigning goalkeeper of the year, I’m sure City would want to extract their pound of flesh for him. Plus I doubt we’d sell to a club who the board likely sees as a fellow challenger for the title next year (not sure who that’s more unbelievable for, us or you.)
Ryan: Keepers are cheap. Or undervalued. Either way, they just don’t command the fees that strikers do. If somehow he’s the starting keeper and plays well in S.A. then he’ll price himself out of Wenger’s range. Maybe in ther quest to spend, Citeh will even bid against their own ownership of the player and pay out the teeth for someone they already have.
Right PR. But there is 0 need for us to sell him. And there are guaranteed to be a few bottom tier Prem sides who would gladly take him on loan. If Arsenal want him, they’ll be made to pay through the nose for him. What about a move for Given? I think that has a better chance of pleasing both sides.
Also, http://www.facebook.com/people/Gunnar-Nielsen/1043140334#!/profile.php?id=1043140334
Random thoughts: you can’t rotate 4 GK’s if you have any interest in staying in the EPL, OR League One, for that matter.
Citeh is down to one functioning GK (crap or otherwise).
By the EPL’s own rules, they CAN get a short-term GK on loan.
Is Fulop HELLA-good for what they should be forced to target? No question…
Is Citeh dumber than s**t for not having an immediate return clause on Hart? F**k and yes…
It’s pretty clear to me that GK’s are the “Moneyball” of footy – the underrated asset. If Given wasn’t worth what Sunderland paid for Gordon, then the system is f**ked up. Hart is worth $20M easy, if not more. Actually, probably more, as you have 1 GK, and a great one is worth as much as your 4-man back line…AND he’s 23? Which means a potential “sell-on?”. IF Citeh don’t have to sell, they should laugh, no LAUGH, at any deal at less than that…
If nothing else this season, Arsenal (or Rovers, I’m not hating) has proven that while you may not need a GREAT GK, you need a truly good one…and Hart is the real deal. At 20-fricking-3…
It’s within the rules, so I don’t see what the big deal is.
Loan deals should be like trips to the minors–when the owning team want the player back, that should be that. Unfortunately, Citeh didn’t do this correctly. That said, I think they should be able to recall Hart, though Birmingham have the right to draw blood for them doing so.
What about Kasper Schmeichel? Isn’t he on loan at Notts COunty…
@MattyDub — Schmeichel completed a full transfer to Notts County prior to the 2009/10 season. No luck there, unfortunately.
I mean, the timing for it sucks, but Villa took on an emergency keeper early in O’Neill’s first season with the club(I think it was in November). Granted, that was Gabor Kiraly and not f**king Fulop, but the precedent exists.
its the height of stupidity that citeh didnt put an emergency recall stipulation in their loan agreement. thats just a lack of common sense
@Machine gooner funk: or it was a negotiated term on the part of Citeh and Birmingham. Perhaps it was the only way to get Brum to pay the whole salary or there was something else involved.
They should have to sign Fabian Barthez.
We got Fulop. Meh.
http://mcfc.co.uk/News/Team-news/2010/April/Fulop-joins-Blues-on-emergency-loan