I’m a big head to chop off… but now I’ve been set free
In his first interview since leaving City, an outspoken Joe Hart opens up
IT is turning midnight in Istanbul and Joe Hart bounds towards the dugouts at the Basaksehir stadium. Either there is extra air pumped into his trainers or Hart is on a high.
‘I loved that!’ he says with an involuntary grin, as though he’s just finished his first night as a professional. Hart has just kept a clean sheet on debut for Burnley in difficult circumstances against a tidy team. A couple of good saves, a couple of decisive claims and a big result in Thursday’s Europa League qualifier.
Not a spectacular performance by any stretch — one of those was not really required in a goalless draw— but Hart’s demeanour is different nonetheless. His mood is different even from the last time he spoke publicly, three weeks ago in Chicago during preseason with Manchester City.
There he was focused, had possibly rehearsed his lines and was not quite so liberal. Here, Hart, 31, looks unburdened for the first time in quite a while. The shoulders have loosened.
So here he goes, a selection of his lines are damning. First up, the trying loan periods at West Ham and Torino — and, by extension, his dismissal by City boss Pep Guardiola.
Neither Guardiola nor former West Ham manager David Moyes are referenced but they have not strayed far from Hart’s eyeline. Perhaps England boss Gareth Southgate, too.
Hart’s treatment by Moyes is a particular sore spot and the goalkeeper blames him to some extent for being left out of the England World Cup squad in Russia.
‘ Politically, it’s been quite difficult to believe in me recently,’ Hart says in his first interview since leaving City.
‘I’m a big head to chop off if you want to shake things up. I’ve got vast experience and won things but I was a loanee, which is what you expect from someone aged around 18 to 21.
‘It was difficult for people to warm to what I was doing. Except from inside the dressing room, nobody knew what I was about. Wherever I’ve been then that’s where my heart and soul is.
‘I’ve got a few years here and want to go deep with it. I needed to cut ties with City and I feel like I’ve been set free. Officially, I’ve been at one club for 12 years. I’m excited to be at a new one. My whole life is this club.’
Burnley wanted a loan deal when the idea of Hart joining was first mooted soon after Nick Pope dislocated his shoulder at Aberdeen late last month. Hart said no, it was a permanent switch or nothing.
He was, sources claim, willing to sit tight at City for the final year of his contract if the right move did not arise. Burnley ended up paying £3.5million and the former England No 1 will be at Turf Moor for at least three seasons, all being well. A bit of much-needed stability.
The loans hurt Hart — and what critics said about him also had and effect. Football can be a fragile world and Hart’s overt confidence unquestionably took a few knocks. ‘Outside of football people lost a little bit of respect for me,’ he says, ‘but I know inside I’ve still got it in me through hard work, dedication and quality.’
Why has respect been lost? ‘I don’t know. You’re struggling and fighting a losing battle. I’m going to continue being me through the good times and bad. I’m going to keep loving football. That’s one thing I’m most proud of: my hunger and desire for the game hasn’t stopped. That’s not easy, you know?’
Hart mentions his first club, Shrewsbury Town. The game was simpler then as a promising teenager. Maybe that is what he hopes for at Burnley, even allowing for the competition with Tom Heaton and the eventual return of Pope.
Heaton is fit for tomorrow’s trip to Southampton and Burnley manager Sean Dyche insists there is a battle for the jersey.
‘The club sold itself really, given the atmosphere and how they go about things,’ Hart adds. ‘It’s me down to a tee.
‘It’s the first club I’ve been at since Shrewsbury where the majority (of players) are English. It’s a very British team. Even the foreign lads are British-foreign.
‘ Regardless of nationality, everyone is on the same page here. Everyone is pulling in the same direction. It sounds like an easy thing to have but it’s not.
‘I spoke to the other two goalkeepers. Whoever plays, we’re going to support each other like we have done when we’ve been together in the national team.’
At odds with public opinion, Dyche believes veteran Hart has not yet reached his prime. Burnley’s manager has labelled this transfer a ‘wise move’ for all parties and there is a degree of realism to Hart, too.
City are discussing how best to pay tribute to Hart — the idea of naming a training pitch in his honour has been mentioned — but he is only looking forward.
‘Nothing has changed for me yet. I could easily find myself down the pecking order. I’m fully aware of that,’ he says.
‘But I’m going to work damned hard, play with a smile on my face and enjoy it.’