Gary Breen Info Needed Asap!!!

[The Nude Monk]

Hello, as some of you may know, Sunderland today announced Gary Breen will be signing as long as a medical is completed successfully. I am from the Sunderland fanzine A Love Supreme, and was wondering if any Irish fans would like to let me know their thoughts on him for our next issue. Any amusing stories about him would be greatly appreciated also. You can mail me at andrewfury@boltblue.com but the quickest way for me to gather your thoughts would be on replies to this thread. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks.

Andy

[Sheridan]

I always considered Breen the very embodiment of the Irish team under McCarthy. Competent, occasionally excellent, for 90% of any given game, Breen (like the team as a whole) was always prone to at least one inexplicable, asinine and often disastrous schoolboy error in each match, usually resulting from a momentary lapse in concentration. Even as, in the absence of Kenny Cunnigham, he nursed Richard Dunne through the 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign while generally performing well himself, Breen always looked like a disaster waiting to happen.

The defining moment of this period in Breen's career came during the home leg of Ireland's play-off with Iran, and very nearly cost the Irish a place in the World Cup finals. Having defended fairly well for most of the game, Breen allowed Ali Karimi simply to glide past him, and only Shay Given's alertness and bravery prevented Karimi from scoring a potentially decisive away goal. Breen then attempted to kiss Given on the head, á la Blanc and Barthez; tellingly, he missed.

And then...transformation, beautiful, inexplicable transformation. At the 2002 World Cup, Breen, by now a free agent and free spirit, formed a partnership with Steve Staunton which was one of the most solid (if not quite the fastest) on show at the tournament, and he even scored the crucial second goal against Saudi Arabia (a very subtle finish for a centre-half.) After the World Cup, having unwisely turned down moves to Parma and Inter (apparently on the advice of Mick McCarthy, who suggested that playing in the most high-profile league in the world would jeopardise Breen's chances of being awarded the Irish captaincy - which he didn't receive anyway) Breen signed for West Ham. We all know the rest.

But here's the funny part; although he couldn't get a game for the worst team in the Premiership (okay, second-worst, just trying to stay in the good books here...) Breen continued to display his fine World Cup form for Ireland, which even survived Mick McCarthy's resignation and the appointment of Brian Kerr, who has reason to be thankful to Gary Breen for steering his side's defence through some dangerous waters in recent matches. If McCarthy can coax the same kind of performances out of Breen as he did at the World Cup, Sunderland will have signed a classy, confident, solid centre-half. If his form and morale dip, however, then...but let us not dwell on unpleasantness.

The signing of Breen is, in my opinion, a minor coup for Sunderland. But if you lot get your hands on the god that is Colin Healy, it will pale into the proverbial insignificance....

[NigeSausagepump]

Originally posted by Sheridan
I always considered Breen the very embodiment of the Irish team under McCarthy. Competent, occasionally excellent, for 90% of any given game

Interesting summary - well argued, but I don't necessarily agree with the 90% statistic! Look at the first two games of the current qualifying series against Russia and Switzerland - if Breen was competent or excellent for more than 9% of those games, I'm a tap-dancing Venezuelan poodle called Fifi!

I, like several other fans I know, suffer from severe heart in the mouth syndrome any time Breen gets near the ball. True, he hasn't let us down on too many occasions, but for me he never inspires the confidence a really solid centre half should do. You always fear that a top class forward line will tear him apart, a la Utd in the cup last season.

I agree that he will be a big boost to the Sunderland squad for the forthcoming season, but if they do go back up I think he will be found out again very quickly.

[Dricky]

Ah there were loads of funny Breen stories, Remember last summer when apperently every top team in the world were chasing his signature that he was going here there and everywhere and what happened he went to West Ham the 'holy grail of teams'

That was funny.

A good 1st divison player, put him in a team and he can be a good team player.

[The Nude Monk]

thanks for that lads, especially Sheridan. I have used most of what you said, unfortunately it's unlikely you will reply to my PM before the article goes to print (later this afternoon). The summary seems to be that he's much like Kilbane- class for Ireland, ****e for his club team. Having said that, Killa is slowly starting to win over some fans at the Stadium of Light, and I look forward to him playing perhaps at a level better suited to him this season. Anyway, thanks again lads, I may just pop back in the near future!!!!

Andy