Craig Forrest knows exactly what Joe Hart is going through.
Hart’s status as one the top goalkeepers in the Barclays Premier League has recently come into question after the Manchester City shot-stopper made a number of high-profile gaffes, including in last week’s 3-1 home loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Forrest can certainly empathise. A standout goalkeeper for Canada’s national team, Forrest enjoyed tenures with Chelsea and West Ham United in the Premier League before retiring in 2002. He, too, went through terrible stretches, particularly early on his career when he was a young goalkeeper cutting his teeth in England at Ipswich Town.
SPORTSNET.CA chatted with Forrest, now a soccer commentator with Sportsnet, to get his take on Hart’s poor run of form, and what England’s number one can do to get out of it.
Friday programming alert: World Cup qualifiers
What have you made of Joe Hart’s recent performances?
He’s definitely going through a tough patch. You can see it in his reactions after conceding. When he was playing well, even if he let a soft (goal) by him, his reaction was much different – he didn’t let it bother him. Now everything he seems to touch is going off the post and in, so it plays on his mind.
I think one of his problems is that he doesn’t have a lot of competition behind him for club or country. There’s not too many teams where if you have a poor stretch like he’s had recently that you’d still be playing. When I was at Ipswich, there was always somebody capable behind (me) and if you made that many mistakes, you were out. No question about it. I don’t think Manuel Pellegrini fancies his backup options because otherwise he’d be playing (them). And Roy Hodgson doesn’t want to make a change and go with a guy like Fraser Forster who’s never played for England before.
This will play on Hart’s mind for a while. He needs a stretch of three or four games without making a mistake, and he’ll be fine. The tabloids are all over him, and it doesn’t help that he’s playing in a city where half the folks hate him (laughs). So it’s an intense environment for anybody to deal with, even if you’re a strong character. I think he is—he’s just battling to get out of this funk he’s in where he’s making mistakes and the team isn’t backing him up.
He obviously didn’t become a bad goalkeeper overnight. How much of this is a mental battle that he’s going through?
Oh, it’s totally mental. It’s not a matter of his skills suddenly evaporating. He just gets stuck deeper inside his own head with each mistake.
So how does he dig himself out of this?
Really, you just keep going. It’s all you can do, is keep going. He has to try to take it one thing at a time, one minute at a time. It’s clichéd to say that, I know, but it’s really all he can do.
How much will this weigh on his mind ahead of England’s crucial World Cup qualifier against Montenegro on Friday?
The pressure on him is immense because now he goes into this England game and if he screws up and it costs England a World Cup berth, that is tough to recover from. Very tough. I’m sure he’s having a hard time sleeping at night and every waking hour he’s thinking about this game.
Did you ever go through a poor stretch like this in your career?
Oh, God yeah! I used to get terrible mental blocks (where) all I could do was think about every single mistake I made all day. I dissected them and played them over and over in my mind. You can’t help that. I’m sure Hart is going through that right now. And it’s not like he’s playing for a team that’s under the radar a bit and he can get away with it.
I’ve gone through patches where I’ve made mistakes – not quite like Hart right now – but still pretty bad. But the thing is I would be dropped by the manager for my own good. It was to the point where the manager would say to me give me a week or two off so I could get away from it all and try to regroup. But then we had other options and I don’t think City has that luxury. That’s why they keep going with Hart even though he’s playing bad.
How important is the "mental game" for a goalkeeper?
It’s huge; I’d say it’s more important than being a good athlete. You can’t overestimate it.
I remember Richard Wright coming up through the youth system when I was at Ipswich. He was probably the best 12- or 13-year-old goalkeeper I’ve ever seen. He was good and so strong that he could have played in the first team at Ipswich at 13 and he wouldn’t have looked out of place. He worked so hard and he got to Ipswich and then moved to Arsenal and began playing for England. But he made a mistake while on national team duty and he was never really the same after that, and he became very comfortable being a backup or third-string. So his mental game was what let him down, because he had all the talent in the world.
Look at a guy like Gianluigi Buffon. What separates a top goalkeeper like him and the good ones is his mental strength. The pressure for playing for Italy and Juventus, the scrutiny he’s under is immense but he shows up every game and does his thing. It’s amazing.
What did you think of Hart before this poor run of form? Did you consider him one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier League?
Honestly, no. What happens with English players, regardless of their position, is that they get hyped up a bit more, and I think that’s been the case with Hart. I wouldn’t put him in the top six or seven goalkeepers in the Premier League—not even close to the top. Some other goalkeepers in the league are so steady and consistent. Petr Cech is a monster. He’s so steady and rarely makes mistakes. Asmir Begovic isn’t spectacular but for the most part he’s not going to let you down, and guys like him are the first names on the team sheet. He’s not going to cost you many games.
What advice would you give Hart right now?
Well, I think if you’re his goalkeeping coach, you have to make the sessions light-hearted. I had some fantastic goalkeeping coaches and trainers who really helped you out on the mental side of things. At that stage of your career, those guys are just maintaining you—they’re not coaching you, because by that time you’re already pretty good. So those guys have to keep you focused but at the same time ease some of the pressure off of you.
I would also tell Hart to keep things simple in games. Don’t try to overcompensate by trying too hard to make a big play. Just let things happen in front of you; let it come to you. Don’t go searching to help your team and run out of the box to deal with balls, like he did when he made that mistake against Aston Villa.
Be little more conservative for a while. If a simple ball comes into the box that you would normally come out for, let your defenders deal with it if they can and pick up the pieces. Don’t make things too complicated for yourself. Don’t be too cute with the ball at your feet. Just punt it into the stands.
