Shouldn’t City have had to play their third choice keeper?

Manchester City are the richest team in the Premier League and they have a total of nine goalkeepers on their books. Regular keeper Shay Given picked up a nasty injury at the weekend and first choice replacement Stuart Taylor is also injured.

Blocked

City tried hard to get Joe Hart returned from his loan spell at Birmingham but the Premier League rightly blocked that avenue.

However, they did agree to City making an emergency loan signing of their own. City have taken twenty-six year old Hungarian international Marton Fulop from Sunderland to help them out until the end of the season.

Problem

When Given left the field at the Emirates he was replaced by twenty-three year old Faroe Islands international Gunnar Nielson. Presumably, Manchester City do not think that their third choice keeper is up to the mark, but isn’t that their problem?

Last month, when Chelsea faced a similar goalkeeping crisis, when third choice Ross Turnbull was their only fit goalkeeper for the league game against West Ham, they promoted academy keeper Rhys Taylor to the bench. I can’t help but feel Manchester City should have to make do with what they have got.

A statement on the Manchester City website read,

“The club, with the backing of the Premier League, have been in contact throughout the day with both Birmingham City and Sunderland with regards to bringing either Joe Hart or Marton Fulop to the team on an emergency basis. Agreement has not been reached with Birmingham, but we anticipate that Marton Fulop will join us in training and we sincerely thank him and Sunderland AFC for their help in this situation.”

Premier League rules prevent players moving outside of a transfer window unless in “exceptional circumstances”, but in a statement the Premier League said Fulop’s temporary move was granted “in line with our rules regarding injuries to goalkeepers.”

Stretcher

Gunnar Nielsen had never played in the Premier League until the last seventeen minutes of Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Arsenal, where Given had to leave the field on a stretcher. The keeper signed for City on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers in 2009 after a loan spell with Blue Square Premier side Wrexham.

One has to ask what on earth he is doing at the club if City are not prepared to play him?

Of course City would have loved to get Joe Hart back from Birmingham. The young keeper has been voted the best in the league by his fellow professionals and will almost certainly be going to the World Cup with England. However, I don’t remember anyone forcing City to send him out on a season long loan. It was their decision and it is right that they have been made to abide by it.

Petty

It might seem that I am being a bit petty here but injuries are a part of the game and squads are selected to cover for them. Aston Villa, Tottenham and Liverpool could all have benefited from Given’s injury and that would have been harsh on City but fair in terms of what everyone knows could happen.

I think the Premier League have made a mistake by allowing this loan move.