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OK. Hart is a good keeper but recently, he has been average. Compared to Given, I rarely see Hart pull off a "special" save. Hart's saves are just all routine saves. I'm convinced that many goals we have conceded this season would have been saved by Given. Now I don't want Mancini to change the first choice keeper just yet. But it would be a good idea to rest Hart from time to time and play more of Given in the league.

There's only one postion in football where you don't make changes unless forced by suspensions and injuries, and that's the keeper. Mancini chose Hart as number one, he should stick with the choice.

I agree with the above,unless forced or a severe lack of form,the goalkeeper chosen should retain the jersey,swapping and changing would only cause unnecessary upheaval on the rest of the team.

As for our two keepers,both very good,however,there is better out there.

Watching Blue Moon Rising yesterday it did strike me at how many world class saves Given made last season.

Don't get me wrong he's not great at dealing with crosses, but Hart hasn't excelled at that this season anyway. I like Joe, I really do, but for my money Given is still slightly better. Yes we need Hart for the long term, but I'd prefer Given in nets this season.

Hart is number one now and i think sooner or later, Shay will leave us. I will always remember his debut with Boro, i haven't seen a keeper playing like that in years.
I want Given in the first eleven, but i think Hart have won this battle (congrats to him).

Btw: Remember Looserpool game in august. what save had Joe when we were 1-0 up.

I've had issues with it before but if Mancini was gonna start chopping and changing the keepers he'd have done it by now I reckon. Unless something really drastic happens be that on pitch or off it.

Who do you think would win in a fight though? Seriously?

Despite not being entirely convinced by Joe's performance, I don't think chopping and changing would be the right strategy either. Continuity is the key. Shay is a brilliant keeper, but Joe is our number one and therefore deserves our complete support.

Earthquakes in Cumbria are being reported, apologies for OT but anyone in that neck of the woods feel the earth move?

Given is a great shot-stopper. That's why he always looked great on Match of the Day and why the majority of football fans think he's an amazing goalkeeper.

However, his inability to command his area and his appalling kicking and distribution really let him down. Every time a cross came into the area last season, we were under threat. Hart does command his area better than Given, although his distribution has room for improvement.

I really like Given, he's got many great attributes and we are very fortunate to have 2 top keepers, however, in my opinion, Hart is the better of the 2 and think he should keep his place.

peg-6 wrote:OK. Hart is a good keeper but recently, he has been average. Compared to Given, I rarely see Hart pull off a "special" save. Hart's saves are just all routine saves. I'm convinced that many goals we have conceded this season would have been saved by Given. Now I don't want Mancini to change the first choice keeper just yet. But it would be a good idea to rest Hart from time to time and play more of Given in the league.

Spurs away??? We would of been embarrasingly smashed that day if it was not for Joe

Enter king kev with the "a keeper shouldn't HAVE to make spectacular saves" argument.

Hart has had some fantastic games recently and has earnt us many a point with a full array of goalkeeping.

This pops up every second week.

As a massive given fan, its quite simple, Hart is better and is a better long term keeper.

I'm pretty certain the 3 or 4 extra inches in height that Joe has on Shay make some of his saves seem less spectacular. Shay was constantly leaping everywhere and always reaching things with his finger tips, which looks a hell of a lot more impressive when compared to a more comfortable parry that Joe would more likely have to make.

Also - to say Hart doesn't make great saves is bollocks. Spurs match anybody?

The thing is, he doesn't have to make as many as Shay had to because Kolo and Vinnie have been for the best part of the season top notch. He has less to deal with as teams don't create a plethora of chances against us these days. He mostly has to collect crosses, which he does infinitely better than Shay does. When we have a defence that rarely lets defenders in behind them, then opposing teams tend to get desperate and resort to aerial bombardment (see Bolton's regression to Big Sam era football when Coyle's methods didn't work as a reference) and in this scenario Joe wins every time. Shay would struggle.

He's much better aerially, and he's at least Shay's equal in my opinion in every category. More of an all rounder. And he's young. He's the future of our team and could potentially be our Cassilas, which would be nice. He's good now, and he's probably ten years off of his peak in all reality! So ya know, Joe pips it for me.........

Love Shay though, but ah well.

Hart has made some bloody clangers that Shay wouldn't though. The fuck up with Kolo and the cross he near dropped in his own net come to mind.

Fortunately only one of those clangers has cost us though (Blackburn). So ya know, while he's a young man i'm personally not that arsed if he rides his luck a bit. His form will go up and down, naturally, but it'll never be terrible.

I just think the defence would be a lot more vulnerable with Shay in between the posts. And I think we're investing in our future with Hart.

all good posts - i guess we're very lucky to have 2 shit-hot keepers and i'd be very pleased if at least one of them was here on feb 1st. keepers usually occasionally cost you a point or 2 every now and again but how many have these 2 cost us (genuine question?)

Shay is the better keeper, Joe seems to command more respect. When it comes down to it, do we need to call on a save or stop the shot coming in in the 1st place. It's all about reputation.

I really do feel like we're arguing that one is 9.0 out of ten and one is 9.1...That 0.1 is so trivial. We've got two keepers who are both of a very similar level, and both good enough for where we want to be. We're pretty lucky......

shay is a great motd keeper. What worries me is how many saves like that he has to make.

No one ever highlights van der sar's saves, yet he (in his prime) was better than given. Why? Cos he doesn't make saves for the cameras, often by being part of a defence that doesn't allow shots in the first place.

Our defensive record is superb, yet few can remember Hart making great saves. Last season, brum were very solid, with 2 great centre halves. Don't look quite so good this season. Don't underestimate a keeper's role in that