Hart’s future must be No.1 priority or Hoops face a mess
CLEAN was the perfect description Brendan Rodgers used for Joe Hart’s performance against St Mirren.
The big man has been keeping it clean more often than not lately, with six shut-outs in the last nine outings.
Yet Celtic are in danger of getting in an awful mess if they don’t sort out their No.1’s future soon.
To be blunt, there are worrying echoes of the chaos of 2020 when Craig Gordon was allowed to leave Parkhead with nobody in the building capable of filling his gloves.
That left the completely untried Vasilis Barkas to shoulder the burden of the No.1 jersey. And we all know how that ended.
Making a mistake once is bad. Repeating it would be inexcusable.
Hart might not be the best in the Premiership this season. But he’s a close second and Hoops fans should never take the 75-times capped England keeper for granted.
Yet a narrative has grown around the former Manchester City man, especially in the first half of the season, that he’s finished or has become a liability.
It’s nonsense. At 36, you could argue he has become the second most important player in Rodgers’ team behind Callum McGregor.
The last four games have seen the him produce a crucial injurytime save in the 1-0 win over Ross County, two good one-on-one stops in the 1-1 draw with Aberdeen, a big save from Eliezer Mayenda when the 2-1 win at Hibs was in the balance – and again a superb save from Alex Gogic with Sunday’s cup tie poised at 1-0.
If there was a flaw with crosses earlier in the season then he looks to have battered those away with a series of big punches when the
Buddies launched cross after cross into his area.
It has been a huge contribution from the Hoops No.1 over the past fortnight. But there’s so much more beside those performances on the park.
Rodgers rightly pointed out Hart’s value as a “catalyst” in the dressing room. Experience, knowing the right things to say at the right time in the heat of a title battle, can be as important as any save.
Add to that his calm demeanour when the pressure hits boiling point, especially with Celtic’s backline beset by injuries to the point Liam Scales is seen as Mr Dependable.
But with just months left on the three-year deal Hart signed in 2021 there’s still no suggestion of an extension.
He needs to want to
There are worrying echoes of 2020 chaos when Craig was allowed to leave
stay in Glasgow for any new contract to be agreed.
But letting Hart go without a watertight replacement in the building would be a huge gamble. More so than in any other area of the park.
Benji Siegrist is clearly not seen as No.1 material by Rodgers and Scott Bain is another back-up at best.
The recruitment team might dig out an absolute gem, rendering Hart yesterday’s man after all. But that would be a shot in the dark.
They might find a tried a tested No.1, hungry to reboot his career in Scotland – just like Ange Postecoglou did when he lured Hart north.
But it’s all ifs and buts right now. And it’s a position where Celtic can ill afford to drop the ball.