I'd tend to agree but by all accounts he was very impressive at Midlesborough last year and his arrival coincided with a good defensive record and run of results. I think.
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I'd tend to agree but by all accounts he was very impressive at Midlesborough last year and his arrival coincided with a good defensive record and run of results. I think.
Have to agree. Playing Shay was ultimately Trap's call. What player is ever going to rule himself out of his last major finals? And if Shay was able to pass the fitness test, then maybe the test wasn't testing or stringent enough. Once again, not Shay's fault that he'd try his absolute best to pass it. It's up to the team doctor/medical staff to pass players fit.Quote:
Originally Posted by SwanVsDalton
Even so, I still would have favoured Shay at 90 or 80 per cent fitness than a fully-fit Forde or Westwood.
Doesn't he often attend games? He was on my flight over from Liverpool last time I was over. Why wouldn't he still support Ireland?Quote:
Originally Posted by paul_oshea
Westwood is injured isn't he, not much use having an injured player in the squad And if Westwood was back to his previous best he probably would be the nr 1 and all that does not negate the value of having Given back in the squad. There is space for 3 goalies. It would appear that MON appreciates having Given around and he has something to offer even if he's past his best. Atm it's a choice between Given and Forde to play against Georgia.Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
I have a feeling Forde will start tomorrow. I think it'd be too radical a move by the management for Given to suddenly come back in to the starting line-up and usurp Forde for a competitive fixture. Martin and Roy would surely realise how much a psychological blow this would be for the other keepers in the squad. Plus, Roy's notes in the match programme mid-week would seem to jar with Given potentially starting after having been out of first-team action for so long. Given's presence in and around the squad may well be more as a charismatic figurehead and experienced morale booster.
so you're saying he doesn't attend away games? not a real fan.Quote:
Originally Posted by DannyInvincible
He'd never get on YBIG.Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
probably only mates with people who post hereQuote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
Starts for Villa in the Cup today against Leicester, where they've just gone 1-0 up.
fantastic save in the first half
And the second
Won man of the match.
Just caught the end of the match and saw the saves, the first one in particular was top draw.
Was Guzan injured? I'm trying to find out here through the match previews. I hope he wasn't. I hope Tim Sherwood picked Shay over him. Although that could worryingly suggest that Lambert and Given didn't enjoy the best relationship.
Either way, it's an interesting month before the Poland game. With Westwood on form and Given, potentially, getting a run of games it could be troublesome for David Forde. Forde should be safe though. He was bordering heroic against Germany and has been quite solid in general.
not sure, Guzan was on the bench. Given has played all the cup games for Villa this seasonQuote:
Originally Posted by Olé Olé
Sherwood didn't pick the team and Shay has played all the cup games so far, so this is the expected selection. Still, Sherwood strikes me as the type who'll just pick whoever he thinks is better regardless of age/chairman's instructions, so that may well be Shay.
Oh, I see.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
As a complete aside, Sherwood was at Blackburn for the whole duration of Shay's time there. Probably the only player in the dressing room he's had a prior working relationship with- even though Given wasn't first choice and was young.
Wouldn't be surprised if he kept his place. Big Ron said before that he sometime replaced keepers for a period with under performing teams, just to shake things up if there was no feasible outfield changes available. Even if the dropped keeper wasn't necessarily culpable.
Yeah and I think there's an even stronger possibility that Given will keep his place because he's simply better. Guzan has his moments but in the main I think he's fairly average for that level, I don't think he'd earn his team as many points as Given would.
Having a month of good EPL form behind him would surely catapult him into the team for Poland.
Not a bad run of games for Villa between now and then...
February 2015
Competition Fixture Date Kick-off Premier League Aston Villa V Stoke Sat 21 Feb 15:00 Premier League Newcastle V Aston Villa Sat 28 Feb 15:00
March 2015
Competition Fixture Date Kick-off Premier League Aston Villa V West Brom Tue 3 Mar 19:45 FA Cup - Sixth Round Aston Villa V West Brom Sat 7 Mar 15:00 Premier League Sunderland V Aston Villa Sat 14 Mar 15:00 Premier League Aston Villa V Swansea Sat 21 Mar 15:00
Starts again today in FA Cup against West Brom. Live on BBC 1
Had a good game today,quick off his line when needed.
Given effed Clark out of it about ten minutes from the end for putting the ball out for a corner, presumably instead of heading it back to him. I thought Given was out of line as Clark definitely took the safer option, something he's been guilty of not doing in the past. Some Grealish lad got sent off for two yellows after coming on a sub. Villa won 2-0 and are off to Wembley. Sherwood the savior.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/spor...-could-8783009
Sherwood thinks this Grealish fellow might play for England.
I'd like to remind everyone there's a rule about posting anything about Grealish other than "played/scored/booked/sent off for Villa"
That dive was atrocious, though.
Actually think Clark was giving off to Given for not coming to collect, and Given was telling him to chill out, he did the right thing. Clark was the unhappy one, Shay got defensive but seemed to be telling him just to be cool.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
I can't decide in whether he dived or not. I think it depends on who he declares his international allegiance to.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
I'd start both against Poland.Quote:
Originally Posted by SwanVsDalton
So would I. Given with a defence of Coleman, O'Shea, Clark & Wilson is the best we have at the moment and all are reliable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Looked to me like Clark thought Given was about to give him a high five for clearing his lines, but instead Given went off on one and Clark responded by saying he had to clear it because Given never came. Worked out okay anyway. Whatever about Given, Clark has to play v Poland and the rest I think.Quote:
Originally Posted by SwanVsDalton
I only saw a few minutes and Clark won a phenomenal header under pressure late on. I like a lot about Clark but feel he gets drawn into sucker positions every now and again. That said, I think Vila were all at sea under Lambert and a CB is always going to bear the brunt of a collective failure of organisation. We need a bit more time to assess Clark.
Given is clearly fit enough to play a big game and Forde is shipping goals left right and centre - even if it's not his fault. Just for coolness and experience Given has to start this massive game. I can't comment on KW's form but I'd be surprised if he could walk into the Poland game without some mental baggage we could do without.
What mental baggage would Westwood have?
Baggage may not be the best word, but keepers are very introspective players. In my opinion, other things being equal, Given would walk out onto that pitch feeling the
pitch, the stands and the occasion are his, whereas Westwood would be thinking all this could be his if only things go his way. Don't get me wrong: I think Westwood is like Kiely sometimes. Kiely stepped into the jersey with never a fuss whenever he was called upon. Once, I think against Turkey?, he came in as sub and took a high ball under pressure with his first touch as if he was plucking an apple from a tree, and sometimes I see the same in Westwood. But not always, once or twice he has looked compromised by the occasion.
If Westwood started a campaign in the jersey I'd have no issues, but as a guy with a point to prove in a massive game I'd prefer Given. I think his M'boro form last year and the composure and class he has shown for Villa, not to mention a good showing against USA, show that his 2012 form was a low point rather than a sign of permanent decline. Schwarzer and Friedel show that age isn't critical in a keeper and right now I'd take Given's gravitas, solidity and confidence over agile and razor sharp for this game.
Thought provoking stuff.
I wonder if Ward remains on the bench - and out of match practice - for Burnley will O'Neill be tempted to play Wilson at left back and start Keogh alongside O'Shea again.
Keogh on current form up against Lewandowski is a very sobering thought. Pity that Delaney is out of the picture. Hopefully Clark would get the nod over Keogh but I think O'Neill has a worrying preference for Keogh.
I do worry also about where the goals are going to come from.
The tendency to shoehorn Walters somewhere into the starting lineup for every single competitive game is also very worrying.
If Keane is the focal point of the attack and Long isn't played as a lone striker then it should be Long starting instead of Walters on the wing. He will be much more of a distraction to the Poles and he will do a much better job of making incisive runs, creating space, winning free kicks and slowing down play than Walters. They were just getting in their way against Scotland so that partnership won't work again.
It's Walters and not Long who would make more sense as a substitution if we are holding on to something - and that should be the goal. Starting Walters will just send the wrong message to the opposition team about what our gameplan is all about - again.
I do think if you could find a way to incorporate Hoolahan, Long and Keane into the same team, it could work. O'Neill needs to find a way to do it.
I'll have to bow to your greater goalkeeping knowledge, but I can't say I've spotted any sort of shakiness in Westwood's psyche. In fact, I have found he's the sort of goalkeeper who seems to step up to any challenge with relative ease.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
I'm going to frame this.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
I think Walters deserves more credit for what he has done this season than he is getting. Long still has plenty to prove. We know he's an athlete and tough to handle but so is Walters, and he scores more and plays more. I don't think anyone is advocating Keogh over Clark and I'd say nobody wants a non-match-fit Ward over Wilson. Let's see what O'Neill does before sticking the knife in.
That said, I read a newspaper match report of a Derby game last week and Keogh very nearly scored twice. Two goal line clearances from his headers I think.
He looked a bit shell shocked early last season at Sunderland, no? Who'd you prefer to start on 29th?Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
Last season? Not as far as I can recall. He was Poyet's first choice and he was livid when Paul McShane knocked him out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Personally, though I haven't seen him play for Millwall recently, I'd stick with Forde if he's still performing in training. We can all remember Shay performing heroics for us and going back to Newcastle and getting pumped for five or six on a weekly basis. Forde's earned the same benefit of the doubt I think.