Though Joe Hart strongly suspected Manchester City were going to sign another goalkeeper in the 2009 January transfer window, it was still a surprise when Shay Given appeared.
The previous season, Hart had started to establish himself as first choice goalkeeper under Sven Goran Eriksson but in the summer of 2008, the club had been purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group, and installed Mark Hughes as manager.
The club was linked with Brad Friedel and Gianluigi Buffon, but were unable to sign anyone before the transfer window closed.
"It got to January, and it was getting ridiculous," Hart told the In The Stiffs podcast.
"It was just so obvious they were going to sign someone regardless of how I did. I'm the kind of person who will ask that question. I'm like, 'Look, I'm not stupid. If you're going to sign someone, you need to let me know. If you're planning on completely removing me from the situation, you owe it to me to tell me. I'm not going to do anything about it but I need to start thinking about moving on'. We shake hands, no problem.
"They're like, 'No, no, Joe. We're not doing that'. The window ended on January 31, and a snow day kicked in, so it went on an extra day. Shay Given walked in the building. He walked in. I didn't know that it was official. I was like, 'This is a bit awkward'. I was like, 'It is what it is. Welcome to the club. We'll make it work'. He was like, 'Right, cool'."
14 October 2009; Republic of Ireland captain Shay Given waves to the crowd on his 100th cap for the Republic of Ireland. 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier, Republic of Ireland v Montenegro, Croke Park, Dublin. Picture credit: David Maher / SPORTSFILE
Hart, who was 21 at the time, became the club's number two behind Given.
"He was someone I looked up to, awesome for Newcastle, superb goalkeeper, superb guy," said Hart.
"It was a great decision by the club. If I was to remove myself from the situation, he was proven, a decent age. He had a great attitude. He was the guy they were going to pay a lot of money, but was still going to work.
"Shay's playing and I'm two, and I'm like, 'I'm done at City. At the first opportunity, they flipped on me, so I'm going to have to look elsewhere'. I was constantly at my agent to find me somewhere to go in the summer. I'd just signed a three or four-year deal as well. That's how they were working, just giving deals out."
'Roberto Mancini and Shay Given just did not hit it off'
Hart spent the 2009/10 season on loan at Birmingham, earning himself a spot on the PFA Premier League Team of the Season. Midway though that season, Man City sacked Mark Hughes, and appointed Roberto Mancini.
THESSALONIKI, GREECE - FEBRUARY 15:Roberto Mancini manager of F.C. Man City's draw 0-0 with Aris Salonika on February 15,2011 in Kl. Vikelidis stadium, Thessaloniki, Greece. Editorial credit: thelefty / Shutterstock.com
"Mancini's come in with a couple of months to go," said Hart.
"Him and Shay just did not hit it off from the moment that they started working together. He was made aware that I was at Birmingham, and that I was doing well. I was doing all the things he liked. I was quite old school. He liked a big, strong goalkeeper, coming from things.
"Shay was very much a shotstopper. I think they fell out, I think they had cross words because Shay would always stand up for himself when he was getting unfairly blamed.
"Shay got a bad injury, Stuey Taylor for a bad injury. With two games to go, they were chasing Champions League and were allowed an emergency loan.
"They called me and said would I come back. I was like, 'Yeah, if you want me to, but you need to speak to Birmingham'. Birmingham said, 'Yeah, but you need to pay us'.
"I think we were ninth and if we didn't get results in the last two games, there was potential of us dropping three or four places. There was a good three or four million involved in that. They said, 'Take him for two games, but it's going to cost you four million. City were like, 'We're not going to do that'. They took Márton Fülöp [on loan].
"They didn't get Champions League. I was told to go back and have a conversation with Roberto Mancini. He made it very clear that he liked me as a goalkeeper. He asked me to come back pre-season, and said he'd genuinely give me a fair crack at the whip.
"I came back. Me and Shay jostled. The more I looked at it now, Shay knew that I was getting favoured. I got named in the team for the first game of the season an hour-and-a-half before [we played] away at Tottenham. Neither of us knew. He flipped the board. Both of us were looking, was it Hart or Given at the top?
"Away at Tottenham at White Hart Lane, it was laughable the first half that I had. Shay was literally pictured and videoed on the bench laughing. It was like I had six arms. We were awful and I was on absolute flames, saving everything that moved. I was cringing a bit inside because I was like, 'This is just mental. How could this go any better?'"
Hart established himself as City's first choice keeper, winning Premier League titles in 2012 and 2014, before he was jettisoned when Pep Guardiola became manager in 2016. Given left Man City for Aston Villa in the summer of 2011.
Picture credits: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile / Cosmin Iftode/Shutterstock.com / Dibbson/Shutterstock.com
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