The England international and his Blues team-mate Nedum Onuoha swapped the pitch for the dugout at Bury College for the launch of the FA Umbro Fives tournament.
Both will mentor teams who hope to reach the grand final of the event at Wembley on June 20.
Hart, whose demeanour since Shay Given arrived in the transfer window and took his place in the City side has been nothing short of exemplary, took time out from coaching and encouraging his Blackley team to stress that Given has his admiration and support - and a rival!
"Shay has come in and taken my place and done exceptionally well," said Hart. "I have nothing against him. It is not his fault.
"If I had been in his situation I would have done exactly the same.
"Shay has done well and he has been very good to me and I will be the same to him.
"I have never taken a first-team place for granted ever since I arrived and I am happy to be at the club.
"I would love to be playing - any player will tell you that - but right now I am not and I have to work hard in training to try and get myself back in the side.
Encouraging
"Since I came from Shrewsbury there have been some very good goalkeepers here whom I have learned a lot from and had to battle with for a place. The only thing I can do is look at things in a positive way and try to get my place back.
"There is no point in sulking. I have not lost my job just my place in the team. At the moment I am not the first choice keeper and I want to change that as fast as I can."
Should England's World Cup campaign continue on its positive course, 21-year-old Hart, who won his first senior cap last summer, will have one eye on the finals in 2010 and admits that if he is to fulfil his ambition to be a Three Lions regular, he will need to be in top-class action before the squad for South Africa is announced.
"It has been hugely beneficial and a great honour to be involved in the England squad," he said. "My desire to become first choice for my country is as strong as anyone's desire to play for England.
"I need to play first-team football to play for England and my aim is to force my way back into the City side."
Hart and Onuoha, who is cheerleading for Teamo Supremo from Bury, could both be representing England this summer at the European Under-21 Championships in Sweden which would clash with the FA Umbro Fives final, but it will not stop them encouraging on their teams and meeting up again next month.
"I will be following the lads closely, it is a great opportunity to get involved and we are all having a lot of fun," said Onuoha.
"It would be great for either my side or Joe's to go all the way to Wembley and what a thrill that would be for them."
Massive
Hart added: "Nedum and I had a great time coaching the teams. The boys worked really hard and used all our tips in the match which was great. It was so much fun and has resulted in lots of banter between us over whose team is better. Hopefully, I will get to win my first trophy as a manager at Wembley."
And the feeling was reciprocated by Blackley captain Brian Sweeney.
"We couldn't believe our luck when Joe and Nedum turned up at our training session," he said. "To have stars like them coaching us has given the lads a massive boost ahead of the qualifying and now we are looking forward to putting their tips into action."
The 2009 FA Umbro Fives tournament, which is now open for registration, is the nation's most prestigious small-sided football tournament aimed at finding the best amateur five-a-side team in the country.
It kicks off on March 1 and is open to men's and women's teams over the age of 18.
Local qualifying heats take place around the country until the end of April when there are seven regional finals. Teams can enter by visiting www.TheFA.com/UMBROFives. Tweet
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Joe - you're a class act. I look forward to seeing you play for us again soon.
well done lads giving something back to the local community is great all pro footy players should do it.
Top bloke Joe keep fighting for your place, your time will come again. You are still young and will be a top keeper in a couple of years
He's a very mature lad - if he keeps up the hard work he'll get his chance.
When you're with a SWP you're in glad Kompany, Bolton
I compleltely agree, Joe is a great keeper. I hope he stays at MCFC.
Keep working and learning. In three or four years you'll be a very good 'keeper.
Keep up the good work and learn from shay,or go out on loan your a long way off being good enough yet.
exactly what he needed because his performances this year have not been nowhere near as good as last year, shay iven already won us three points aganst middlesbrough and joe hasnt done that once this year!!!
CTID
Anyone see the porto keeper last night?! Seeing how rubbish he was (and has been in the past) tells me we have to try and loan joe hart to a team in the champions league next season. Maybe a team like Celtic (if they get rid of Boruc) or a Porto as this will give Joe experience in the champions league as well as experience playing behind a team who are used to winning to prepare him for the number one jersey at city in two or three years time.
My ideal choice for next season though would be Milan as abbiati and dida aren't getting any younger, and especially if Beckham goes there as he could help him fit in and convince Capello to keep him in his thoughts for the World Cup squad.
I'd massively prefer him going to a team like this (even if he wasn't initially first choice there) than him doing a Carson and loaning him out all over England, that'd only result in him being used to playing in the premier league without benefiting from any european experience.
And to keep him sweet i'd double his wages and offer him a 5 year contract now. There'd be no harm in that now would there?
And I'd even strike up a deal with a club so that we pay them for each appearance or something seeing as we're wadded!!!
A very difficult situation for young Joe,because if he has serious ambitions to represent his country,then he will inevitably have to go elsewhere to get the regular first team football that Capello demands all England players have.I will be sad to see him go.I'm sure we all have fond memories of last season when Joe and Kasper ,somehow helped get us to the top of the table,before it all went to pot under Sven.The purchase of Given was a no-brainer,we've needed an experienced keeper since Jammo jumped ship,just a shame that it looks like being at the expense of Hart.
I WATCHED UTD LAST NIGHT AND REALISED HOW FAR WE ARE BEHIND THEM.ITS GOING TO TAKE US YEARS TO CATCH THEM.
this a fantastic opportunity for joe hart. he's potentially got another 20 years of top flight football ahead of him and if he stays at city and bides his time for another 3-4 years he'll be able to learn from the most consistent goalkeeper the league has ever seen and then become first choice for a team that's up there competing for trophies. send him out on loan by all means but don't sell him. he's going to be england number one
The arrival of Given in no way means that Joe Hart will leave, a top club needs three quality keepers, which is what we have now got.
Shay is obviously number one choice because of his experience, but I would hope that MH plays Joe in a number of matches this season as well, so he doesn`t lose his hunger.
He is a level headed and likeable lad,, good luck to him. CTID
GREAT COMMENT'S BY HIM. BUT LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT SEASON.
BECAUSE IVE A FEELING' HE ISN'T GOING TO BE AROUND WHEN A TOP 6 SIDE OR EUROPEAN SIDE. OFFER HIM' FIRST TEAM FOOTBALL. AND HE KNOWS THAT FOR HIM TO STAY IN THE ENGLAND SQUAD. HE NEEDS FIRST TEAM FOOTBALL. ITS NOT HIS FAULT. AND YOU COULDN'T BLAME HIM. IF HE DECIDES TO GO. ID LOVE TO SEE HIM STAY. BUT I DONT THINK HE WILL..
True professional!
There will be vultures circling in the summer trying to exploit this situation with the offer of first-team football, sides like Spurs or Villa who have aging keepers, the only difference being that he will know he is wanted and more likely to get some games. The reality is unless Given is injured, Hart will not see any action for the rest of the season. Period.
This is where I think Hughes should be playing Hart in the UEFA Cup, unlike other managers like O'Neill does in Europe or Baconface/Wneger do with the Carling Cup, players who have contributed to the progress in that competition keep their places. We would be out on penalties to Midjyland if it wasn't for Hart, lets not forget that. He may lack experience and command in the box, but he certainly isn't the reason we have been losing games we should have drawn or drawing games we should have won.
Let's face it, the reality is we aren't going to win the UEFA Cup and we aren't expected to (if you do then you need a reality check). If everyone is so calm that the owners are going to be so patient with Hughes, given he himself is a manager work in progress (and he has made plenty of mistakes this season), then isn't it hypocritcal to not afford the similar chances and tolerate "growing pains" from the younger players like Hart, Ned etc?
Playing Hart vs Given in UEFA Cup isn't going to be the difference between getting knocked out this Thursday or an unlikely appearance in Istanbul. And Joe's game sure isn't going to improve from training sessions or speaking to Given off the pitch: you need real games.
Weaver was the best keeping prospect in the country only a decade ago as an u21 on the verge of great things, and you only have to look at that example to see how injuries, bad luck and loss of confidence can ruin a bright career. Joe needs to be playing regularly to play for England, Capello has made that blatantly clear, especially next season leading up to the world cup.
People talk about loan deals, but that clearly isn't going to happen. And in many cases those keepers are the ones who suffered and never made it back to their parent clubs. If a manager shows he wants Joe and offers first team football (and a payrise), the reality is he's gone in the summer, and you can't criticize the boy for a footballing decision when he may not be the no.1 at City for the next 5yrs.
The only redeeming fact is if he goes onto be truly great, then we can just buy him back at a stupid price.
Another constructive comment from Malcolm the Rag.
Look at that picture. Poor lad. He's got proper turtles head.
MALCOLM G TAMESIDE
I WATCHED MASTER CHEF LAST NIGHT AND REALISED HOW FAR MY CULINARY SKILLS ARE BEHIND THEM. ITS GOING TO TAKE ME YEARS TO CATCH THEM.... Not bothered about United !!
He will desperate to play in the World Cup (obviously) and Capello has said he won't pick anyone who's not playing for their clubs so we've got to loan him out next season otherwise he will hand in a transfer request.
Just hope that we do loan him and don't sell him and that we have the option to recall him at any point throughout the season.
Went to the COMs last night with my daughter for a award ceremony.None other than Robinho himself gave the kids a FANTASTIC night with the presentations.A side most people don't see.Well done City in the Comunity,well done Robinho.
MALCOLM G, TAMESIDE
25/02/2009 at 11:17
What were you watching? Inter's worse performance of the season and you still couldn't score? I went to the chippy at half time......It was further than Berbatov moved all night.
Joe Harts comments are exactly what I wanted to hear. A very mature young man who will have a great career, hopefully at City. His comment re not losing his job only his place puts a lot of things in perspective.
I WATCHED UTD LAST NIGHT AND REALISED HOW FAR WE ARE BEHIND THEM.ITS GOING TO TAKE US YEARS TO CATCH THEM.
MALCOLM G, TAMESIDE
25/02/2009 at 11:17
Yes. Only a fool would say that we will catch them next season. It will be a different story 3 years from now though.
Gerry Creaney is a Legend - we wouldn't be in the UEFA cup without him!
behave yourself joey boy!! ben foster, england`s number 1!!!!!!!!