Given to Go?

[Scram]

I think Given will end up at Man City in the new year and who could blame him.

Can't see Newcastle ever turning it around.

[Lionel Ritchie]

quite happy to see him getting plenty to do at Newcastle.

[tricky_colour]

I think Given will end up at Man City in the new year and who could blame him.

Can't see Newcastle ever turning it around.


Oh I don't know, They have Roy Kinnear as manager now, who kept Forest up
a while back, which is no mean feat. plus he can swear for England :D
They did turn around a 2 goal lead against Everton so anything is possible..
He also got a goal out of Duff so he might keep them up using tactics as base as his language!!

I think there next game is against Man City, my prediction - Ireland scores a cracker and City lose 2:1
(Duff scores two headed goals ;) - should get good odds on that one!!)

[Paddy Garcia]

Is that title knowingly so misleading..... I read it with an s!!!!

[NeilMcD]

Oh I don't know, They have Roy Kinnear as manager now, who kept Forest up
a while back, which is no mean feat. plus he can swear for England :D
They did turn around a 2 goal lead against Everton so anything is possible..
He also got a goal out of Duff so he might keep them up using tactics as base as his language!!

I think there next game is against Man City, my prediction - Ireland scores a cracker and City lose 2:1
(Duff scores two headed goals ;) - should get good odds on that one!!)

http://www.roykinnearhouse.co.uk/communities/8/004/005/562/898/images/4512129747.jpg

New manager of Newcastle according to Tricky Colour

[tricky_colour]

He's no ordinary Joe!!

[bawn79]

quite happy to see him getting plenty to do at Newcastle.

Ive never been an expert on goalies and cant say I know much about the position having never played there.
However I was reading elsewhere that in fact it is better for a goalie to play behind a good defence because he really has to work on his concentration to have a good game.
Behind a defence that he has lots to do, he is consently in the action and if he makes 1 mistake and 9 great saves out of ten chances he probably gets man of the match.
However with a top side he might only have one chance on him that he has to save or else he is at fault. If you get what I mean?

[Stuttgart88]

It's easier for a keeper to impress at a weaker team. However, very few keepers have what it takes to be a match winner for the bigger clubs. You need a real presence to command the respect of top defenders and the ability to perform well when you're not involved for a lot of the games.

I think Cech is over rated (certainly not the best in the world) but both he and Van Der Saar have the facets needed for a top club. I don't think Almunia or Reyna have though I've been pleasantly surprised by Almunia.

My personal opinion is that Given actually does have the attributes to be a keeper at a really top club. His handling is superb and he commands his box well. Defenders really appreciate this. His performance in Monenegro was a classic example. He exudes confidence and pulls out quality saves even when quiet.

[stojkovic]

I have always considered Given to be best in the PL, better than Cech even before Hunty shattered his confidence.

Buffon best in World.

[Scram]

Is that title knowingly so misleading..... I read it with an s!!!!

I tinhk i'ts yuor dxesyleai tahts mislaednig not teh tilte ?

[as_i_say]

Is that title knowingly so misleading..... I read it with an s!!!!

If only ;)

[Scram]

I think Given will end up at Man City in the new year and who could blame him.

Can't see Newcastle ever turning it around.

I think I should have backed this prediction! Wayne Bridge is going to Man City, and I think Given will follow.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/mhsncwgbsnql/

But Given’s lawyer, Michael Kennedy, claims the player “feels compelled to consider his position” due to “turmoil on and off the pitch” at St James’ Park.

In a statement released late last night, Kennedy gave the strongest indication yet that Given is about to bring an end to his 11-year association with the Barclays Premier League outfit

“Shay is very despondent following the very poor performance of the team against Liverpool last weekend,” read Kennedy’s statement.

“It was the lowest point of his football career and a performance that he would not wish to be repeated.“Having served the club loyally for over 11 years, Shay feels compelled to consider his position in the light of the interest being expressed in him by Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham.”



I like Newcastle generally but they are going nowhere fast and Shay would be foolish to let loyalty to any EPL team stop him from a chance to win honours.

ps. Does Michael Kennedy represent all the Irish footballers?!

[Scram]

I think I should have backed this prediction! Wayne Bridge is going to Man City, and I think Given will follow.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/mhsncwgbsnql/

But Given’s lawyer, Michael Kennedy, claims the player “feels compelled to consider his position” due to “turmoil on and off the pitch” at St James’ Park.

In a statement released late last night, Kennedy gave the strongest indication yet that Given is about to bring an end to his 11-year association with the Barclays Premier League outfit

“Shay is very despondent following the very poor performance of the team against Liverpool last weekend,” read Kennedy’s statement.

“It was the lowest point of his football career and a performance that he would not wish to be repeated.“Having served the club loyally for over 11 years, Shay feels compelled to consider his position in the light of the interest being expressed in him by Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham.”



I like Newcastle generally but they are going nowhere fast and Shay would be foolish to let loyalty to any EPL team stop him from a chance to win honours.

ps. Does Michael Kennedy represent all the Irish footballers?!

Arsenal have said they are NOT interested and Joe Kinnear has said that "Shay Given is not going anywhere" and also that Michael Kennedy had NOT consulted with Shay Given before making a statement.

Looks like Shay may stay a Toon, but this is not a good non-move!

[tricky_colour]

I would not be too surprised if he ended up at Man City, they are the club with money to spend.

[osarusan]

I would not be too surprised if he ended up at Man City, they are the club with money to spend.

Would his motivation be money though? I'm sure Man City will pay well, and everybody likes money, but wouldn't he fancy a club that has a real chance of winning things in the next 3-4 years?

[Colbert Report]

Would his motivation be money though? I'm sure Man City will pay well, and everybody likes money, but wouldn't he fancy a club that has a real chance of winning things in the next 3-4 years?

I'm not sure you grasp just how much money the new owners of Manchester City have to spend. Keep in mind Chelsea were a mid-table club until they were bought by a Russian billionaire with money to spend. They were top of the table a year later. Man City have enough money to buy and pay an entire league of top players, never mind just one team of twenty odd guys. Robinho is just the start.

[Poor Student]

I'm not sure you grasp just how much money the new owners of Manchester City have to spend. Keep in mind Chelsea were a mid-table club until they were bought by a Russian billionaire with money to spend. They were top of the table a year later. Man City have enough money to buy and pay an entire league of top players, never mind just one team of twenty odd guys. Robinho is just the start.

A bit of revisionism there. Chelsea finished fourth in the EPL the season before Abramovich bought them. They won numerous cups in the latter half of the 1990's. They also reached the quarter finals of the CL in 2000 and were generally higher than midtable before Abramovich came.

[Scram]

I would not be too surprised if he ended up at Man City, they are the club with money to spend.

Man City beaten 3-0 by Forest! Don't know if Hart was in goal but Hughes may be TOLD to get a keeper!

[Irish_Praha]

Man City beaten 3-0 by Forest! Don't know if Hart was in goal but Hughes may be TOLD to get a keeper!

After that performance Hughes might be told to go get a new job!

[tommy_c12000]

Juventus latest club rumoured to be interested in Given
http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/juventus-join-race-to-sign-frustrated-given-1591659.html

[DmanDmythDledge]

Juventus latest club rumoured to be interested in Given
http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/juventus-join-race-to-sign-frustrated-given-1591659.html
Would be a great move for him if Buffon goes. Can't see him going to Man City though. The whole article seems a bit far fetched, I'd say there's little chance of Messi going to Juve. Would love to know who the other Italian clubs are- would be great to move to Serie A.

[Stuttgart88]

If Wenger thinks he's OK for keepers after watching Fabianski yesterday he's deluded.

[Ned Flanders]

If Wenger thinks he's OK for keepers after watching Fabianski yesterday he's deluded.

Agree both Almunia and Fabianski are very ordinary but with the budget at best able to buy two players Arsenal have areas where their even worse off so regrettably cant see Shay going to Arsenal. A move to Spurs would be laughable as their even worse off than Newcastle. Juventus would be great but i wonder would he move his family that far.

[SilkCut]

[quote=Stuttgart88;1034851]

I think Cech is over rated (certainly not the best in the world) but both he and Van Der Saar have the facets needed for a top club. I don't think Almunia or Reyna have though I've been pleasantly surprised by Almunia.

quote]

You are joking mate, Reina doesn't have the qualities to be at a top club??? He has won the Golden Gloves award for the last 3 years, I reckon thats enough to suggest you may be incorrect not only in your spelling but also in your judgement..

[DmanDmythDledge]

You are joking mate, Reina doesn't have the qualities to be at a top club??? He has won the Golden Gloves award for the last 3 years, I reckon thats enough to suggest you may be incorrect not only in your spelling but also in your judgement..
There's about a dozen keepers in the Premiership better than Reina. Incredibly overrated keeper.

[SilkCut]

There's about a dozen keepers in the Premiership better than Reina. Incredibly overrated keeper.

Name them.

[theworm2345]

ps. Does Michael Kennedy represent all the Irish footballers?!
I know he represents David Connolly, Roy Keane, David O'Leary, and Niall Quinn as well

[Stuttgart88]

There's about a dozen keepers in the Premiership better than Reina. Incredibly overrated keeper.I used to think so but I think he's improving. He's made critical saves in games where he's been quiet. I still think he's unconvincing under high balls but that's a trend these days - it doesn't seem to be as valued as it used to be. The real test for whether Reina is a top-team 'keeper will be at the business end of the season assuming Liverpool are still challenging. I thought he got off the hook in the CL QF last season (beaten at near post) and was poor in the SF against Chelsea.

[shakermaker1982]

Name them.

I can name 8.

Van der Sar
Cech
Given
Friedal
James
Tim Howard
Jaaskelainen
Schwarzer

Reina couldn't catch a cold never mind a ball. Decent shotstopper but so is Gomes.

[livehead1]

You are joking mate, Reina doesn't have the qualities to be at a top club??? He has won the Golden Gloves award for the last 3 years, I reckon thats enough to suggest you may be incorrect not only in your spelling but also in your judgement..

I don't rate him as one of the best; the Liverpool centre backs have been very good. I certainly don't call to mind him making more important saves than Given or another 5-6 keepers in the premiership.

I also seem to remember him getting beaten at his near post recently and floundering at a few crosses. He is certainly not a worthy winner of the 'golden glove' award for the last three years.

[SilkCut]

He is certainly not a worthy winner of the 'golden glove' award for the last three years.

Worthy or not the fact remains he has won the award three years running, in a side that has not won or even been close to winning the title. Yes the Liverpool defence has been quite good, it is the keepers job to marshall them correctly which Reina does. As for dodgy at crosses, that is probably a fair point but when you see him come for a cross you can't doubt his commitment, he will clean up anyone in front of him to get to the ball. The guy is also an incredibly accurate distributor of the ball, very similar to the way Schmeichal was.
As for the 8 keepers better than him above... Tim f##king Howard!!! are you on drugs??? Complete failure at Utd. and only getting attention now that he is at a side where nothing is expected of him so he has none of the pressures Reina has. I will agree with Cech being better and Given and Jaaskelinen being on a par with him. David James? You have a very short memory, he is a good shot stopper but is about as unreliable as they come, as soon as Foster starts to get regular first team football James can kiss his England career goodbye. Schwarzer can go in the same bracket as Howard, he has never had any real pressure on him but he is a decent keeper. Friedal goes into that group too, he was awful at Liverpool but seems to have matured at Blackburn, again though nothing expected of him. Van Der Sar? Did you not see the Utd. Liverpool game? He was a great keeper but he is shaky now, again once Foster is ready he will take his place.

[Razors left peg]

Worthy or not the fact remains he has won the award three years running, in a side that has not won or even been close to winning the title. Yes the Liverpool defence has been quite good, it is the keepers job to marshall them correctly which Reina does. As for dodgy at crosses, that is probably a fair point but when you see him come for a cross you can't doubt his commitment, he will clean up anyone in front of him to get to the ball. The guy is also an incredibly accurate distributor of the ball, very similar to the way Schmeichal was.
As for the 8 keepers better than him above... Tim f##king Howard!!! are you on drugs??? Complete failure at Utd. and only getting attention now that he is at a side where nothing is expected of him so he has none of the pressures Reina has. I will agree with Cech being better and Given and Jaaskelinen being on a par with him. David James? You have a very short memory, he is a good shot stopper but is about as unreliable as they come, as soon as Foster starts to get regular first team football James can kiss his England career goodbye. Schwarzer can go in the same bracket as Howard, he has never had any real pressure on him but he is a decent keeper. Friedal goes into that group too, he was awful at Liverpool but seems to have matured at Blackburn, again though nothing expected of him. Van Der Sar? Did you not see the Utd. Liverpool game? He was a great keeper but he is shaky now, again once Foster is ready he will take his place.

Tim Howard was in the Premiership team of the season in his first season at United as far as I can remember

[SilkCut]

Tim Howard was in the Premiership team of the season in his first season at United as far as I can remember

4 years ago mate. Liam Miller was a great player with Celtic, Paschal Chimbonda made the PFA team of the year once too, one season wonders. Reina has won the Golden gloves 3 years on the trot. I think you will agree that to be recognised as a top player you must be consistently good. Reina is consistently good. So by the way is Shay Given just to get back on topic. Has made the team of the year twice while at Newcastle and should have moved years ago, I think he is probably too settled family-wise now to be thinking of a move.

[Maroon 7]

Reina is an excellent keeper and is apparently very highly rated in European circles and at 26 is also younger than most of his fellow keepers in the Premier League. Certainly I don't know a single Liverpool fan who is unhappy with him and given that they had a succession of dodgy goalkeepers prior to Reina arriving I think that tells you something. They are the ones who watch him week in and week out.

As good a keeper as he is I'm amazed how Cech constantly avoids any criticism. He made some horrendous blunders last year. Certainly far worse than anything I've ever seen Reina do but he seems to get off scot free. Van der Sar in his day was very good but is certainly past his best now. Almunia is just average.

And to get back to Shay his best chance of getting a top four team would probably be at Arsenal. Liverpool and Chelsea are not in the market for any keepers while United seem to be grooming Foster to take over from Van der Sar in the next year or two. So Arsenal is his best chance but Wenger is unpredictable and he may not see a goalkeeper as near the top of their priorities especially after the injury to Fabregas.

[eirebhoy]

I would definitely put Reina down as a lot more error prone than Cech. Given is surely the least error prone keeper in that league. We've all seen him play about 150 times and could count his handling errors on one hand. Kick outs are a different story though. :)

[shakermaker1982]

Worthy or not the fact remains he has won the award three years running, in a side that has not won or even been close to winning the title. Yes the Liverpool defence has been quite good, it is the keepers job to marshall them correctly which Reina does. As for dodgy at crosses, that is probably a fair point but when you see him come for a cross you can't doubt his commitment, he will clean up anyone in front of him to get to the ball. The guy is also an incredibly accurate distributor of the ball, very similar to the way Schmeichal was.
As for the 8 keepers better than him above... Tim f##king Howard!!! are you on drugs??? Complete failure at Utd. and only getting attention now that he is at a side where nothing is expected of him so he has none of the pressures Reina has. I will agree with Cech being better and Given and Jaaskelinen being on a par with him. David James? You have a very short memory, he is a good shot stopper but is about as unreliable as they come, as soon as Foster starts to get regular first team football James can kiss his England career goodbye. Schwarzer can go in the same bracket as Howard, he has never had any real pressure on him but he is a decent keeper. Friedal goes into that group too, he was awful at Liverpool but seems to have matured at Blackburn, again though nothing expected of him. Van Der Sar? Did you not see the Utd. Liverpool game? He was a great keeper but he is shaky now, again once Foster is ready he will take his place.

How much Premiership football do you actually get to watch out in Oz? Seriously. James, Tim Howard and Friedal have been outstanding for their respective clubs over the past 3 years. VDS is on his last legs and this will probably be his last season but I'd still take him over Reina every day of the week. Jaaskelainen? If he played for one of the big 4 clubs everybody would be raving about him.

[irishfan86]

How much Premiership football do you actually get to watch out in Oz?

Not saying that I agree with his opinion at all, but the Premiership is the most watched league in the world, and almost all games are available worldwide if you want to see them.

I live in Canada, and subscribe to Setanta. I get almost all Premiership matches, either live or on delay, in addition to plenty of other stuff- a couple of SPL games a week, Ligue 1, the Dutch Eredivisie...

I assume the same opportunities to watch the Premiership exist in Australia.

[endabob1]

Only problem with Oz is that they are on in the middle of the night, but living overseas you get a lot more games than you do in the UK or Ireland, I get a minimum of 5 live PL games per weekend and it can be as many as 7 with the others generally shown delayed at some point. I think I have missed about 2 spurs games in 4 months.

[Drumcondra 69er]

Agree both Almunia and Fabianski are very ordinary but with the budget at best able to buy two players Arsenal have areas where their even worse off so regrettably cant see Shay going to Arsenal. A move to Spurs would be laughable as their even worse off than Newcastle. Juventus would be great but i wonder would he move his family that far.


Hmmm. Are about to reach the final of a tournament they won last season. Have one of the best managers in the league who also won a trophy last season and who has dramatically improved things since taking over. Have just spent £19m on a player and will probably strengthen again in the remainder of the window.

Spurs are a bit of a comedy club but you'd want to be on drugs to think they're worse off then Newcaastle. I'd still sooner see him at Arsenal miond you but that doesn't look likely. Maybe City might suit him better but will Hughes still be there in a month?

[Den Perry]

As good a keeper as he is I'm amazed how Cech constantly avoids any criticism. He made some horrendous blunders last year. Certainly far worse than anything I've ever seen Reina do but he seems to get off scot free.

Couldn't agree more with you.Cech is the most overated keeper around, and that bloody skull cap?? ok, he was badly injured but I think he's a bit of an attention seeker with it. I'm no great fan of Stephen Hunt, but I honestly think the injury he caused cech was accidental and Cech was none too forgiving.....when asked about the tackle some time after the incident Cech said "I don't want to talk about him..." get over it man

It may sound biased but I do not think there is any better keeper that I have seen in World Football than Given. Personally I'd rate him number 1 with Cassillas a close second

[Stuttgart88]

Telegraph still seems to think Given to Arsenal is on the cards.

[tetsujin1979]

Couldn't agree more with you.Cech is the most overated keeper around, and that bloody skull cap?? ok, he was badly injured but I think he's a bit of an attention seeker with it.
Attention seeking has nothing to do with it, he was ordered by the clubs doctors to wear the skull cap while playing.

[Hibs4Ever]

Attention seeking has nothing to do with it, he was ordered by the clubs doctors to wear the skull cap while playing.

I think he has to wear it for the rest of his career too

[irishfan86]

There is a player in the MLS who wears the same thing...some people just have fragile heads after those kind of injuries, and simply can't risk playing without protection.

[Den Perry]

Attention seeking has nothing to do with it, he was ordered by the clubs doctors to wear the skull cap while playing.

thats me corrected!! sorry...I still don't like him though:D

[A face]

I read this thread title and was delighted thinking it was about Don Givens and his trail of destruction were finally coming to an end but no ..... out plight still continues :o:(:mad:

[Oink]

As good a keeper as he is I'm amazed how Cech constantly avoids any criticism. He made some horrendous blunders last year. Certainly far worse than anything I've ever seen Reina do but he seems to get off scot free.

Couldn't agree more with you.Cech is the most overated keeper around, and that bloody skull cap?? ok, he was badly injured but I think he's a bit of an attention seeker with it. I'm no great fan of Stephen Hunt, but I honestly think the injury he caused cech was accidental and Cech was none too forgiving.....when asked about the tackle some time after the incident Cech said "I don't want to talk about him..." get over it man

It may sound biased but I do not think there is any better keeper that I have seen in World Football than Given. Personally I'd rate him number 1 with Cassillas a close second

Cech is an outstanding keeper, fair enough had a rough patch last year.... im sure you would be unaffected coming back onto the pitch after nearly loosing your life through injury on it, but the rest of us are just human. He's by far the most complete goalkeeper for me, his performance against Everton in December there clearly shows the mans talent.... oh and 1,025 mins of football without conceeding a goal and that penalty save against blackburn to cap it.

Given needs to get himself into a Champions league team in order to prove how good he is.... I rate him highly but he's not the best in the world, top 5 maybe.

[SilkCut]

How much Premiership football do you actually get to watch out in Oz? Seriously. James, Tim Howard and Friedal have been outstanding for their respective clubs over the past 3 years. VDS is on his last legs and this will probably be his last season but I'd still take him over Reina every day of the week. Jaaskelainen? If he played for one of the big 4 clubs everybody would be raving about him.

I get to see at least 2 games each weekend, Oz may be on the other side of the world but we do have sattelite TV and even the equivilant of SKY Plus!!!! I agree with what you say about James, Howard and Friedal being outstanding for their respective clubs, my point is very little is expected of them. Reina is expected to keep a clean sheet each and every week and is under much more pressure than them. If any of those guys put in a good performance they are lauded as heros whereas Reina is expected to deliver all the time, one mistake and he is hammered. His consistency under those conditions is incredible. As someone already said he is the first keeper in a long time that Liverpool fans are happy with after a string of rubbish keepers including Friedal and James, they obviously could not perform under pressure because they are quite good now. As for Howard, well I will just agree to disagree. I think you will find when you re-read my post that I 100% agree that Jaaskelainen is a great keeper. He is wasted at Bolton just as Given is wasted at Newcastle. I can't belive a manager of Wengers talent paid good money for both Lehmann and Almunia when he could have chased one of those two to replace Seaman.

[Mr Maroon]

As a Juve fan, I'm fairly certain that Gigi Buffon won't be leaving Juve any time soon (if ever). Therefore I find it extremely unlikely that Shay will be joining to sit on the bench.
He should get out of Newcastle as quick as possible IMO though.

[Stuttgart88]

Cech is an outstanding keeperI actually don't think he has come back to anywhere near the form of his first full season at Chelsea. He clearly has everything you'd want in a 'keeper but for me the "best in the world" mantle just became a habit on behalf of UK media, it didn't really hold true. Too many high profile blunders last season for me. Den is right when he says he seems to be above criticism. Any error is always said to be uncharacteristic but in truth his errors last year were nothing but characteristic at the time.

I haven't seen much of him this season but he seems to be getting back towards his best.

Just to revert to some of the other 'keepers mentioned above, Howard & Schwarzer are far too hit and miss for me to be anything other than mid-ranking.

I think Buffon and Casillas are probably the best, beyond that there aren't many better than Given and I think he stacks up well against anyone. It'd be interesting to see how he'd do at a top club - I personally think he'd have no trouble.