JOE LONELY
Fab backs Hart to beat his dark days and says: He has real character
LUKASZ FABIANSKI knows the ‘dark and lonely’ moments that can engulf any goalkeeper – but he believes that Joe Hart made a brave decision to try to revive his career at Burnley.
Former England No.1 Hart has performed well but still seen 41 goals go flying past him this season, with the struggling Clarets now stuck in the bottom three.
Fabianski took a similar decision last summer when he left relegated Swansea to join Manuel Pellegrini’s new regime at West Ham. The Pole has been in fine form as Pellegrini’s quiet revolution has gathered pace.
A brilliant late, one-handed stop at Southampton on Thursday helped the Hammers register their third away win on the trot and a fifth win in their last six fixtures.
And the former Arsenal keeper insists the £3.5million switch Hart made to Burnley from Manchester City – following loan spells at Torino and West Ham – could still come good.
“It shows the great character Joe has, that he is not afraid of the challenge,” he said. “It’s very lonely being a goalkeeper, sometimes there are some very lonely, sad moments but that is the life of being a goalkeeper.
“With experience you are used to some dark moments. That is part of the game. Every setback is another challenge and another opportunity to put things right.”
“But Joe has shown this season he is a great goalkeeper. The duo will come face to face at Turf Moor tomorrow, with Burnley desperate for a win after a run of just one victory in their last 12 league matches.
By contrast, West Ham seem to be improving by the week under former Manchester City coach Pellegrini, with the most recent success at St Mary’s coming with an injury-hit side, and after an unexpected home loss to Watford before Christmas.
Fabianski said: “We were not happy dropping points against Watford.
“We wanted to get back to winning ways at Southampton. Now the challenge is to continue to deliver good performances and get good results.”
Burnley, meanwhile are licking their wounds after a 3-1 loss at Arsenal and a 5-1 home thrashing by Everton.
“The challenge for Burnley is to prove what happened against Everton was not their best game,” added Fabianski.
“Even though we have a load of injuries, when you look at our squad, and the players that have stepped in, they are quality players. As a group we have a strong mentality, strong character and we don’t dwell on the players we are missing. We just focus on performances.”
Fabianski added: “I don’t look too far ahead. Throughout the season you have a lot of ups and downs but for me it is always about one game at a time. “I just try to focus on that and see where it takes us.
“We can be quite happy with that we have achieved in the first half of the season, especially after a bad start.
“We will just look to continue to grow as a team and get the maximum out of the season.”