Reports: Joe Hart Has Been Informed He Won’t Be Included In England 2018 World Cup Squad

Chris Wright

15th, May 2018

5 Comments

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Gareth Southgate isn’t due to announce his final 23-man England squad for the 2018 World Cup until Wednesday afternoon, but it’s been leaked today that Joe Hart will almost certainly not be part of it.

According to Sky Sports News (among others), Hart has already been informed that he won’t be going to Russia as one of Southgate’s three goalkeeper choices…

England’s former undisputed No.1 has seen his stock (and handling ability) tank dramatically over the past couple of seasons, unfairly becoming something of a punchline while Jordan Pickford, Jack Butland and now Nick Pope gradually usurped him at international level.

Pies are slightly surprised that Hart won’t be going to Russia as an experienced back-up (why did he play in all the warm-up matches?), but the truth of that matter is that we also won’t be losing any sleep over it.

The times, at least as far as England goalkeepers are concerned, are a-changing.

Posted in England, World Cup

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5 Comments

  1. Nuno says:

    Well Pies, just a month ago you suggested he should take Carroll and Crouch, while leaving Hart as far away as possible. Guess he heard half of what you said!

  2. Archer says:

    Thank f*ck for that.

    I do think it was a tad unfair on him though, by picking him for the friendlies, making him think he had a chance.

  3. maria says:

    The BBC did a good piece on why he should go. In summary, only four 3rd choice ‘keepers have ever been used in a WC finals game and one of those was by a team already eliminated. Thus taking an experienced guy to support the others is a sound move,particularly when the others have so little international and tournament experience.

  4. sloth says:

    I don’t think Hart’s “experience” is the type that’s particularly valuable to bring, even as a 3rd choice keeper. He’s a big personality and one of the strongest symbols of the “old-boys” club mentality where players are picked for their reputation not their ability, and over-hyped to exponential degrees until inevitably dropping a clanger. He doesn’t inspire confidence. He’s a rickett factory and his teammates all know it. They don’t want him on the pitch and they probably don’t care much what he has to say in the locker room. He was pretty much an unmitigated disaster at the 2014 World Cup and EURO 2016, and didn’t look particularly great in Torino or this season either really, so he’s got no credibility and he’s not even your 3rd best keeper, and he probably never will be again… I really don’t see any value passing over better young keepers and bringing a guy to be a pure off-pitch distraction.

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