Shay Given

[jbyrne]

Really nitpicking here, but I thought he left the second utd goal, thought it was going wide. Utd probably would have won 10-3 if it wasnt for him though.

shay wouldnt just assume it was going wide. that header was only from a few yards out and shay had no chance imo

[Stuttgart88]

I hear the header took a deflection (off Barry?).

It did look like he gestured "wide" and then reacted a bit late.

[geysir]

It got a deflection.
Still it looked as if Shay was just shepherding, expecting the ball to go wide.

[Dun Laoire]

The moment it left Fletchers head it was going wide but got a nick off Barry. He did react but just too late. When i say too late i'm talking 100th of a second too late. Thats how quick it was. Thats just the way it is sometimes. Very unlucky i would say and definately not an error on Givens part. He was very good yesterday albeit conceding 4 goals. Would love to see him playing CL football before his career finishes. He deserves it

[j-burt]

The least he deserves!!! he's the reason the national team hasn't got rightly thumped by sides during stauntons reign in my opinion. it could have been a whole lot worse for the confidence of irish football had he not been there. you never know, the way things are shaping up he may get another world cup finals appearance!!! if thierry henry turns around a few years ago and says, it takes something special to beat shay given its saying an awful lot. its a pity he was so loyal to newcastle, he may end up with no medal but he'll still have gained more respect than a lot of goalkeepers who have world cups and champions league or even premiership medals.
fabien barthez springs to mind.

[Stuttgart88]

Given Almunia's shaky start to the season I wonder is Wenger regretting not forking out the £ 6 million it'd have taken. It's nice to hear UK pundits saying that despite the star signings, maybe Shay Given is proving to be the smartest.

[MeathDrog]

Good peno save there from Given.

[EastTerracer]

Still our most important player - just saved a penalty at Birmingham. He's kept City in the game more than once today.

[elroy]

Good save, probably MH's best signing for City. He may yet prove the difference for us in the playoffs!!

Fahey on as well now, good to see him back.

[Junior]

3 great saves in the first half not incl. the pen. Listened to 2nd half on radio and it sounded as if he'd get MOTM

[amaccann]

Good save, probably MH's best signing for City. He may yet prove the difference for us in the playoffs!!

Fahey on as well now, good to see him back.
That would be the full-back Fahey? (thanks Mr. Dunphy ;))

[SuperDave]

3 great saves in the first half not incl. the pen. Listened to 2nd half on radio and it sounded as if he'd get MOTM

Yet he didn't get any of the bonus points on fantasy premierleague. Madness.

[Closed Account]

Yet he didn't get any of the bonus points on fantasy premierleague. Madness.
Of course not. Barry Ferguson(3), Bellamy(2) and Johnson were obviously the stand out players:D. I wonder how they select those things sometimes.

Given deservedly got the Man Of The Match at the end of the game. As mentioned before, Hughes's best signing.

[seanfhear]

Of course not. Barry Ferguson(3), Bellamy(2) and Johnson were obviously the stand out players:D. I wonder how they select those things sometimes.

Given deservedly got the Man Of The Match at the end of the game. As mentioned before, Hughes's best signing.
How Wenger at Arsenal did not sign Given is a mystery to me. Arsenal have been crying out for a consistently good goal keeper for years.

[Junior]

Yet he didn't get any of the bonus points on fantasy premierleague. Madness.

Is that the same as the The Telegraph one? I thought they dont have all the points sorted until Mon/Tues? How do you know he wasnt awarded the bonus ones?

[Acornvilla]

Is that the same as the The Telegraph one? I thought they dont have all the points sorted until Mon/Tues? How do you know he wasnt awarded the bonus ones?
hes the keeper in my team anyway he got 12 points:
90 mins = 2
clean sheet = 4
peno save = 5
3 saves = 1
no bonus??:confused:

[Junior]

hes the keeper in my team anyway he got 12 points:
90 mins = 2
clean sheet = 4
peno save = 5
3 saves = 1
no bonus??:confused:

Right cheers for that. He got 14pts in the Telegraph Ive just checked - no idea what the breakdown of that is - first year doing it for ages and Ive lost touch with what you get points awarded/deducted for - though Id imagine its similar to what you say.

Back on topic - please god he keeps this form up!!!!! Citys first clean sheet for a while largely down to Shay.

[Acornvilla]

Right cheers for that. He got 14pts in the Telegraph Ive just checked - no idea what the breakdown of that is - first year doing it for ages and Ive lost touch with what you get points awarded/deducted for - though Id imagine its similar to what you say.

Back on topic - please god he keeps this form up!!!!! Citys first clean sheet for a while largely down to Shay.
yea shay could be the diffrence between us making it or not. i have one gripe with him that he doesnt come for crosses enough or am i the only one who notices this? he doesnt get picked up on it becaus he always gets the easy ones he goes for bt he leaves the team under pressure sometimes by not coming out and claiming the ball with authority? brilliant shot stopper thou

[paul_oshea]

Yes hazelnutbrummie he is a bit small but given his gaelic background i would have thought he would have been a lot more comfortable coming for crosses. In fact looking back at the nerve wracking 1-0 leads we have had down through the years when we have been under pressure, he comes out less and less towards teh end of the game. Its the one facet of his game I would like to see him improve however at this stage in his career I dont think he will.

He is almost too honest i think, if he went for the ball and fell over if he wasn't giong to make it by colliding with a player he would get a free out, but thats not shay.

I think shay is a confidence player too, hence why he doesn't come out for the ball. Hughes gave him a big boost before kick off in front of his team-mates and look at the performance he turned in, he obviouslly needs morale-boosting speeches every now and again, hopefully trap has noted this and will do the same.

[Stuttgart88]

He came for a high ball late on against Cyprus at home and collected it cleanly despite Richard Dunne's best efforts to bash into him! You can only come and claim balls into the box if they're actually played into the box. I haven't really noticed Shay staying put when he possibly could have come to collect. But you're right in the sense that he's more of a 6 yard box keeper for high balls than a guy who'll typically come further out.

[theworm2345]

Peno save today (I believe his second of the year, not sure) :D

[Stuttgart88]

yeah, at least his second. He saved one against Birmingham I think.

I think penalties were a genuine weakness in his game (was it Owls Fan ran a thread on it a few years ago) but he seems to be increasing his percentages recently. Frustrating given how close we were to a crucial shoot-out.

[irishultra]

yep until a few years ago(maby his last with newcastle) he hadn't saved a penalty since mendieta scored against him in 02.

[Stuttgart88]

yep until a few years ago(maby his last with newcastle) he hadn't saved a penalty since mendieta scored against him in 02.For his club maybe but don't forget Cyprus.

[Closed Account 2]

He had a great game, him or De Jong for man of the match I'd say. At the moment I'd say he is the best in the world, ahead of Buffon, Casillas and Van der Saar. He seems physically fit and he can hopefully last through to 2014, 2012 should be no problem anyway.

[irishultra]

well in fairness he's the best in the world in the football we're most familar with. like van der saar wouldnt even be near the top 15, let alone world best.

[Closed Account 2]

I dont rate Van Der Saar (currently) as a great keeper either, but he is branded around a lot by the popular press. There is a paucity of world class keepers at the moment. Buffon has a dodgy back and cannot manage a full season for Juve these days. Casillas has potential but is still a bit error prone (same for Valdez and Reina), Julio Cesar is a decent shot stopper but not much else. I follow Russian football a lot, and I have to say Akinfeev is very inconsistant too. Given is the only keeper I would select at the drop of a hat for a world XI.

[SkStu]

Lloris has looked very impressive for France (against Ireland) and Lyon in the Champs Lge.

[Closed Account 2]

Hummm maybe but I've seen him caught out of position a few times for Lyon in the Champions League and he was horribly exposed in Belgrade this autumn.

[SkStu]

im not necessarily touting him as the best in the world or better than given but he deserves a mention with the players youve profiled.

[Stuttgart88]

im not necessarily touting him as the best in the world or better than given but he deserves a mention with the players youve profiled.Absolutelyu. Henry handball & two deflections aside, Lloris was the difference between the two teams. 22 years old: big future ahraed of him.

[Crosby87]

Guys why is SI not in the lineup?

[The Bunk]

Whatever about his standing in the game worldwide, for me he's certainly the best goalkeeper in the Premiership!

Another superb performance today - as we've come to expect.

[theworm2345]

Guys why is SI not in the lineup?
Two possible answers (NO CAN OF WORMS PLEASE!) ;)

1.) Who cares?
2.) Try World Football :p

By the way I noticed that your namesake conveniently picked up an injury for the second straight time the day of a game against the Blackhawks. Can't blame him for being scared.

Anyway, in terms of keepers, I'd say Rustu of Turkey is still up there. He made some bad gaffes against Galatasaray earlier this year after a spell out injured (September or October) but since then has let in only 1 goal (a penalty) for Besiktas and that includes games in the CL at Old Trafford and against Wolfsburg. Given was one of the best keepers in the EPL even when he had Newcastle's defenders in front of him.

[Crosby87]

Two possible answers (NO CAN OF WORMS PLEASE!) ;)

1.) Who cares?
2.) Try World Football :p

By the way I noticed that your namesake conveniently picked up an injury for the second straight time the day of a game against the Blackhawks. Can't blame him for being scared.

i figured since it was a MaD City day for the MaN City keeper i could sneak in a question without jumping through hoops. World football does not apply as he is still Irish and this is an Irish football forum, like it or not.

As for Sid, well, Marrianne Hossa may break a nail tonight but he hasnt broken at least one thing that comes annualy to him lately: Costing his team the Stanley Cup.

[theworm2345]

i figured since it was a MaD City day for the MaN City keeper i could sneak in a question without jumping through hoops. World football does not apply as he is still Irish and this is an Irish football forum, like it or not.

As for Sid, well, Marrianne Hossa may break a nail tonight but he hasnt broken at least one thing that comes annualy to him lately: Costing his team the Stanley Cup.
I won't comment on the first paragraph as I really don't want to open the can of worms. As for the second paragraph, well, I can just assume you're not very happy right now (to be honest I'm not a huge Hossa fan but he's a Hawk so I'll support him). :D

[bholg]

i figured since it was a MaD City day for the MaN City keeper i could sneak in a question without jumping through hoops. World football does not apply as he is still Irish and this is an Irish football forum, like it or not.

lads on rte said knee injury (?)

[weldoninhio]

When is Given gonna come out and demand that Chelsea get a replay?? Richards handled the ball before Adebayor scored.

[Stuttgart88]

Another useful contribution from our WUM friend.

[tetsujin1979]

Given wins player of the month for November at City: http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Team-news/2009/December/Shay-lands-Player-of-the-Month-Award

[an_ceannaire]

Anyone read Miguel Delaney in the Tribune yesterday? Given is a great keeper, but not a top keeper......:confused:

[geysir]

Anyone read Miguel Delaney in the Tribune yesterday? Given is a great keeper, but not a top keeper......:confused:

You should read it again a bit more carefully. He writes that Given arguably veers between World class and the World's elite.
Heroes of the last line (http://www.tribune.ie/sport/soccer/article/2009/dec/13/heroes-of-the-last-line/)
.

'The title of best keeper in the Premier League is up for grabs although Shay Given and Pepe Reina still look short of the planet's best'

'It's arguably the one aspect that keeps Given moving from world-class to the world's elite. He doesn't completely and emphatically clear out his box for crosses in the manner Schmeichel mastered and Casillas and Gigi Buffon continue to. While Given remains a more spectacular shot-stopper to Reina, the Spaniard arguably averages out in more areas as the slightly more complete keeper.'

[Acornvilla]

You should read it again a bit more carefully. He writes that Given arguably veers between World class and the World's elite.
Heroes of the last line (http://www.tribune.ie/sport/soccer/article/2009/dec/13/heroes-of-the-last-line/)
.

'The title of best keeper in the Premier League is up for grabs although Shay Given and Pepe Reina still look short of the planet's best'

'It's arguably the one aspect that keeps Given moving from world-class to the world's elite. He doesn't completely and emphatically clear out his box for crosses in the manner Schmeichel mastered and Casillas and Gigi Buffon continue to. While Given remains a more spectacular shot-stopper to Reina, the Spaniard arguably averages out in more areas as the slightly more complete keeper.'
and its about right.... lots of us here have agreed on different threads that its his only real flaw its a bit of a non story really. the difrence between pepe and shay is at the start the spainard didnt come for or he missed for crosses and he has worked very hard on it whyle shay has not really shown any real improvment ever. i'm sure hes capable but its a confidence thing.

(im a goalie) :)

[geysir]

Shay has improved in other areas, his first touch, his kick outs under pressure and is less afflicted by rushes of blood to the head.

[Manblue]

Geysir unfortunately i have to disagree about his kick outs which have been very poor this season, I know city have a new defence and they need time to gel but shay doesnt seem to command the defence that and would like to see a bit of added aggression to the way he treats players who F8ck up.....That said he is guarunteed to stop an almost certain goal at least once a game..... defo our best signing

[EalingGreen]

Fwiw, in my observation, there is a good case for claiming that Given is the best keeper in the EPL at present (certainly the most consistent).
That said, I would not claim he is "world class", in the sense that if you were to include him in a World XI alongside the likes of Messi and Cannavaro etc, it would cause little or no comment.
For I firmly believe that whilst playing standards in the EPL have risen during the last few years, goalkeeping standards have, if anything gone down (at least relatively).
For up until 15 or 20 years ago, top British keepers such as Shilton, Clemence, Jennings and Southall etc were at least as good as those found elsewhere (imo).
And when these declined, they were replaced by genuinely world class foreigners like Schmeichel and (pre-injury) Cech.
Yet for some reason, these have not been replaced at the top clubs by the very top keepers, For example, Van der Saar is undoubtedly a fine keeper, arguably "world class" at his peak. But No.1 at the age of 39 for England's top club?
Ditto Jens Lehmann at Arsenal - a good keeper, no doubt, but always No.2 to Kahn amongst Germans and even then allowed to go on far too long at the Arse.
And I would argue that this decline is most evident in the England team, where imo in years gone by, David James, Rob Green and Ben Foster would be lucky to have gained a dozen caps between them throughout their entire career, never mind vied for the No.1 spot, as they are presently doing.

[seanfhear]

Fwiw, in my observation, there is a good case for claiming that Given is the best keeper in the EPL at present (certainly the most consistent).
That said, I would not claim he is "world class", in the sense that if you were to include him in a World XI alongside the likes of Messi and Cannavaro etc, it would cause little or no comment.
For I firmly believe that whilst playing standards in the EPL have risen during the last few years, goalkeeping standards have, if anything gone down (at least relatively).
For up until 15 or 20 years ago, top British keepers such as Shilton, Clemence, Jennings and Southall etc were at least as good as those found elsewhere (imo).
And when these declined, they were replaced by genuinely world class foreigners like Schmeichel and (pre-injury) Cech.
Yet for some reason, these have not been replaced at the top clubs by the very top keepers, For example, Van der Saar is undoubtedly a fine keeper, arguably "world class" at his peak. But No.1 at the age of 39 for England's top club?
Ditto Jens Lehmann at Arsenal - a good keeper, no doubt, but always No.2 to Kahn amongst Germans and even then allowed to go on far too long at the Arse.
And I would argue that this decline is most evident in the England team, where imo in years gone by, David James, Rob Green and Ben Foster would be lucky to have gained a dozen caps between them throughout their entire career, never mind vied for the No.1 spot, as they are presently doing.
I think that in those days those goal keepers were a long way ahead of the rest.
It seems to me that the standard of goal keepers at pretty much all premier league clubs is very good and it is more difficult for the cream to look a cut above.

The lighter ball probably swerves more these days but otherwise some of the conditions probably have improved for keepers. Better referee protection, better pitches around the goal mouth area (mind you this benefits all out field players as well)

Shay Given is a very good goal keeper but he has some weaknesses(could be better at coming and claiming crosses)

[Stuttgart88]

I think there's been a shift in what's deemed important in a keeper now. The old-school keepers mentioned above were strong characters, technically good, consistent goalkeepers who managed their box well and took high balls.

Maybe the new balls have caused less emphasis on catching the ball, but the new rules have also led to goalkeepers being the first line of attack in that distribution is becoming more valued than it was. Reina is a great example of this.

Personality is a big attribute. VDS may not be the most gifted keeper but he has the gravitas (for want of a better word) to fill the MU no. 1 jersey, whereas more talented keepers didn't.

I like a keeper to be commanding and to settle his back 4. Given certainly performs the latter. Seaman in the mid 90s was top class and Given is similar in style. I also think Given has the confidence and personality to play at the very biggest clubs.

[noddy102]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/12/ever_had_a_hospital_pass.html

[irishultra]

Given is basically identical to Casilias imo, with Cas probably edging it because he has played for a big team in big matches which Given hasn't. Both have weaknesses which people seem to ignore a lot of the time.

Buffon hands down is the best, he just has everything. He controls his box so well.