Given to Go?

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Originally Posted by Wolfie

Still drives me demented thinking about that. :(

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Me too, just move your leg a little lower Shay.........

The guy is a top class keeper and is a true professional for us and his club. But if you watch him in penalties, he really gets a hand/near to the ball. I would need to watch the pens again but am fairly sure in the Spanish game he didnt really look like saving any. The two missed Spain pens were wide im sure.

Maybe that pen shootout taints my perception of him at pens, he did save a fine pen from Kevin Nolan earlier this year.

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Originally Posted by Torn-Ado

You could see Mendietta jump a little after he struck it. Even he wasn't convinced by it.

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mendieta never looked at the ball when he took a penalty, always kept his eyes on the keeper to see his movement and tended to roll it the other way.

even though his penalty wasnt aesthetically the best, he rarely missed because of this technique

City make £8m bid for Given


http://www.herald.ie/sport/soccer/en...n-1595677.html

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Originally Posted by tricky_colour

City make £8m bid for Given


http://www.herald.ie/sport/soccer/en...n-1595677.html

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Thursday, 8 January 2009

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has denied making a bid for Newcastle and Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given.

Media reports claimed City had table an offer of around €9m for the 32-year-old, but Hughes says this is not true.

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Originally Posted by Torn-Ado

You could see Mendietta jump a little after he struck it. Even he wasn't convinced by it.

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Given would've saved that with his legs had it not hit a bobble to take it over them at the last moment, shocking penalty. Still sick thinking about it, worst I've ever felt at a game I reckon....

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Originally Posted by Drumcondra 69er

Given would've saved that with his legs had it not hit a bobble to take it over them at the last moment, shocking penalty. Still sick thinking about it, worst I've ever felt at a game I reckon....

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Amazing how a whole campaign can hinge on these "hairs breadth" moments.

I tend to juxtapose that penalty moment with Hollands excruciating miss against us at Lansdowne Road in the qualifier. Remember Dunne, Staunton and Given with some Key-Stonesque scrambling around in the box as the ball trickles wide of the post?

If we were in a peno shoot out tomorrow - who are the 5 you'd want taking them?

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Originally Posted by Wolfie

Amazing how a whole campaign can hinge on these "hairs breadth" moments.

I tend to juxtapose that penalty moment with Hollands excruciating miss against us at Lansdowne Road in the qualifier. Remember Dunne, Staunton and Given with some Key-Stonesque scrambling around in the box as the ball trickles wide of the post?

If we were in a peno shoot out tomorrow - who are the 5 you'd want taking them?

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The emotions throughout that game were unreal for me, i wear my heart on my sleeve as it is and am fairly edgy generally, but that day I reckon I got a glimpse of what manic depressants feel. Couldn't sleep properly the night before, headed down to the Irish Embassy in boston for around 7. Sheer elation, undescribale highs that no drug could bring about, unbeleiveable lows, I literally didn't talk to anyone for around 4 hours after that game and it annoyed me the fairweathers chatting and laughing about an hour after the game(im usually always talking, longest stretch is about 5 mins :D). I couldn't watch any more football until the final and none of it mattered then anyway. I didnt stop thinking about it for ages, I remember thinking before the game, sure we have got this far, what does it matter now, how wrong I was in how I felt after the game. Football is only a game(granted when your country is playing its more), but that day it felt like an awful awful lot more.

I remember thinking the same, the ball bobbled over his leg, but at the same time thinking shay lift yer leg, lift yer leg shay, shay lift yer fcuken leg!!! :D

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Originally Posted by Wolfie

Amazing how a whole campaign can hinge on these "hairs breadth" moments.

I tend to juxtapose that penalty moment with Hollands excruciating miss against us at Lansdowne Road in the qualifier. Remember Dunne, Staunton and Given with some Key-Stonesque scrambling around in the box as the ball trickles wide of the post?

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Afair, avoidance of a goal was due to Stan's instinct to lay the ball in a direction slightly wide of the goal. Shay is prone to the odd rash rush. He was not watching what Stan was doing.
Féck it though, hard to keep cool when the world stops turning for 2 seconds.

Are Shay's kick outs not improving? He was able to land the ball directly on Doyle's head time after time at Croker recently, like a man who has finally found the spot to nourish.

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Originally Posted by Wolfie

Amazing how a whole campaign can hinge on these "hairs breadth" moments.

I tend to juxtapose that penalty moment with Hollands excruciating miss against us at Lansdowne Road in the qualifier. Remember Dunne, Staunton and Given with some Key-Stonesque scrambling around in the box as the ball trickles wide of the post?

If we were in a peno shoot out tomorrow - who are the 5 you'd want taking them?

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Remember it well, how we got away with that I'll never know!! People go on about how Keane's tackle on Overmars in the first minute 'set the tone' but that's nonsense, they battered us for at least half an hour after that and Overmars made a mug of Kelly till the sending off, we were lucky to still be in the game at half time. He dragged us back into the game alright but that tackle itself meant nothing despite the mythology.

5 takers now would be Keane, Doyle, S Hunt and the 2 Reids if fit and playing. Would fancy Stephen Ireland for one if he comes back. Wouldn't give McGeady or Duff it or any of the back 4 at present. Would have confidence in Keith Andrews if he was on and reckon Glen Whelan could put it away at a push. Would have to depend on how subs and that had gone obviously.

Good question!

Whelan’s actually a pretty good ball striker, I’d be pretty confident in him.

Finnan’s penalty in Suwon was the most emphatic (of the 2 that went in! – Holland was unlucky, very similar kick to Sheedy’s in Genoa).

Now I’d have:
Keane
Hunt
Doyle (not a great record from the spot though)
Finnan
Whelan

I've heard it suggested that you leave one of your best until last - there's more pressure at the end and that's when quality tells.

Then:

Dunne (great ball striker but a bit wild)
O’Shea
Andrews
McGeady
Kilbane
Duff
McShane

I'd actually be tempted to give Shay a go at 6 or 7 and Andy Reid would be in my 5 ahead of Whelan if he's playing.

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Originally Posted by Drumcondra 69er

Given would've saved that with his legs had it not hit a bobble to take it over them at the last moment, shocking penalty. Still sick thinking about it, worst I've ever felt at a game I reckon....

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It was retribution for Cascarino's penalty in Genoa. How that went in I'll never know.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

It was retribution for Cascarino's penalty in Genoa. How that went in I'll never know.

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:D Think the keeper made the mistake of diving for the divot which actually was travelling faster then the ball and practically crossed the line first!

Forgot about Finnan, would definitely have him in the 5.

Wouldn't let O'Shea near it till absolutely necessary, always have issues with his concentration levels. Wouldn't fancy Dunne either, too wild. Mind you, who would have expected O'Leary to place it on the top corner with such aplomb in Genoa!

Yeah, Holland was unlucky, have always felt we'd have gone on to win it had that been a few inches lower.

Hope he doesn't move. Has played very well for us and a move could upset the equilibrium - a bit like Robbie K.

I'd love to see him go somewhere like a top Serie A side. Our record with players on the continent is fairly poor but I reckon he'd hold his own.

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Originally Posted by Torn-Ado

I'd love to see him go somewhere like a top Serie A side. Our record with players on the continent is fairly poor but I reckon he'd hold his own.

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I understand we share the same language with England but still I don't understand the lack of players who are signed by to other European nation teams. its not like the language is that big of a deal anyway. many dutch people are fluent in english.

I think it nearly warrants its own thread tbh. Why does it not happen more often or just at a natural level the way it would happen in a country like ours, Croatia? Of course its beneficial for players to play at home in our league but I'd like to see Irish spreading out a bit more around Europe.

I dont buy the cliches like the technique of the players isnt what there looking for. ive played against spanish, french, italian, belgian teams as a youngsters and it was all pretty even really.

I can only think of Dominic Foley, zayed(for a few months i remember) Joe Kendrick(whose now back home), Ronnie O'Brien who have played outside the british leagues.

I remember a few years back roy o'donavon was really close to joining a french team , not sure which one though.

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Originally Posted by irishultra

I understand we share the same language with England but still I don't understand the lack of players who are signed by to other European nation teams. its not like the language is that big of a deal anyway. many dutch people are fluent in english.

I think it nearly warrants its own thread tbh. Why does it not happen more often or just at a natural level the way it would happen in a country like ours, Croatia? Of course its beneficial for players to play at home in our league but I'd like to see Irish spreading out a bit more around Europe.

I dont buy the cliches like the technique of the players isnt what there looking for. ive played against spanish, french, italian, belgian teams as a youngsters and it was all pretty even really.

I can only think of Dominic Foley, zayed(for a few months i remember) Joe Kendrick(whose now back home), Ronnie O'Brien who have played outside the british leagues.

I remember a few years back roy o'donavon was really close to joining a french team , not sure which one though.

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I think money has something to do with it aswell. Correct me if I'm worng but I would assume a decent Championship side would pay a player as much or more than some of the teams outside of the top five in the other leagues. In other words, once a player has found his level in the English lower leagues if he was to compare what he gets paid in England with playing the same level of football in another country then he would get paid more in England.

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Originally Posted by irishultra

I understand we share the same language with England but still I don't understand the lack of players who are signed by to other European nation teams. its not like the language is that big of a deal anyway. many dutch people are fluent in english.

I think it nearly warrants its own thread tbh. Why does it not happen more often or just at a natural level the way it would happen in a country like ours, Croatia? Of course its beneficial for players to play at home in our league but I'd like to see Irish spreading out a bit more around Europe.

I dont buy the cliches like the technique of the players isnt what there looking for. ive played against spanish, french, italian, belgian teams as a youngsters and it was all pretty even really.

I can only think of Dominic Foley, zayed(for a few months i remember) Joe Kendrick(whose now back home), Ronnie O'Brien who have played outside the british leagues.

I remember a few years back roy o'donavon was really close to joining a french team , not sure which one though.

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Robbie Keane,Steve Finnan. O Shea and Gibson played a season at Antwerp

Connolly in Holland, Harte in Spain

Phil Babb, Alan Mahon in Portugal

McPhail in Wales.