England rolled to a relatively comfortable 3-0 victory over Bulgaria to take a big step towards qualification for Euro 2012.
Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill opened the scoring for England, before the in-form Wayne Rooney scored twice to cap an impressive display. With Montenegro suffering a surprising 2-0 defeat in Wales, the Three Lions have now opened up a three point gap at the top of the table.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart went largely unnoticed before, during and after the game, and that in itself is a sign of his greatness.
Since the retirement of David Seaman, it seems the England number 1 position has been fitted with a revolving door. David James, Chris Kirkland, Scott Carson, Paul Robinson and the infamous Rob Green have tried and failed to make the position their own.
In the buildup to the 2010 World Cup, it was a blind guess by pundits and fans alike who would be in goal for the England team. Hart was then seen as too young and inexperienced, David James had a career littered with disastrous errors, and Rob Green had committed a number of errors to concede Premier League goals while playing for West Ham United.
Capello picked Green and his infamous error against the USA not only cost him his place in the team, it will likely define his career in the eyes of many fans. The coach responded by throwing in David James, but the 41 year old is now playing in English Football’s second tier.
It is undeniable that the poor quality in the goalkeeping position was one of many issues during England’s disastrous World Cup.
A year after the World Cup the biggest compliment to the performance of Hart is that who plays in goal for England in important games is no longer a source of debate. England have a Euro 2012 qualification battle with Wales on Tuesday, but there will be no pre-game questions about who plays in goal.
The beauty of that is it allows defenders to become familiar with the same goalkeeper, the same voice behind them, and get used to the habits of Hart. A defender is more likely to know when a keeper will come for a cross or not when he has played many games with him.
England will also boosted by a confidence that spreads through the team the more Hart shows his quality. A good goalkeeper can give a sense of confidence and assurance to all players on the team in times of pressure.
Hart will also be gaining elite level experience at club level, ask yourself how long it has been that an English goalkeeper has started on a consistent basis in the UEFA Champions League?
The Manchester City shot stopper will likely gain no headlines in the game against Wales, but he will stack up good performances unnoticed and years in the future will enter the discussion as one of England’s best ever goalkeepers.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart went largely unnoticed before, during and after the game, and that in itself is a sign of his greatness.
Since the retirement of David Seaman, it seems the England number 1 position has been fitted with a revolving door. David James, Chris Kirkland, Scott Carson, Paul Robinson and the infamous Rob Green have tried and failed to make the position their own.
In the buildup to the 2010 World Cup, it was a blind guess by pundits and fans alike who would be in goal for the England team. Hart was then seen as too young and inexperienced, David James had a career littered with disastrous errors, and Rob Green had committed a number of errors to concede Premier League goals while playing for West Ham United.
Capello picked Green and his infamous error against the USA not only cost him his place in the team, it will likely define his career in the eyes of many fans. The coach responded by throwing in David James, but the 41 year old is now playing in English Football’s second tier.
It is undeniable that the poor quality in the goalkeeping position was one of many issues during England’s disastrous World Cup.
A year after the World Cup the biggest compliment to the performance of Hart is that who plays in goal for England in important games is no longer a source of debate. England have a Euro 2012 qualification battle with Wales on Tuesday, but there will be no pre-game questions about who plays in goal.
The beauty of that is it allows defenders to become familiar with the same goalkeeper, the same voice behind them, and get used to the habits of Hart. A defender is more likely to know when a keeper will come for a cross or not when he has played many games with him.
England will also boosted by a confidence that spreads through the team the more Hart shows his quality. A good goalkeeper can give a sense of confidence and assurance to all players on the team in times of pressure.
Hart will also be gaining elite level experience at club level, ask yourself how long it has been that an English goalkeeper has started on a consistent basis in the UEFA Champions League?
The Manchester City shot stopper will likely gain no headlines in the game against Wales, but he will stack up good performances unnoticed and years in the future will enter the discussion as one of England’s best ever goalkeepers.
