Shay Given

**theworm2345** · 06/06/2012, 5:19 AM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

This is probably complete bull****, but Shay is apparently a major doubt for Sunday:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/eur...d-Croatia.html

No its true, did you not see the injury report put out by Trap?

Shay Given - bad calf
Sean St Ledger - bad knee
Stephen Ward - runny nose
John O'Shea - bad back
Richard Dunne - bad shoulder, knee, ankle
Glenn Whelan - SARS
Aiden McGeady - H1N1
Keith Andrews - Ebola
Kevin Doyle - bad achilles
Robbie Keane (c) - strained vocal cords
Damien Duff - ruptured testicle (see picture in other thread)
Stephen Kelly - pulled groin
Paul McShane - Ginger
Jonathan Walters - Concussion
Darron Gibson - broken jaw
Keiren Westwood - broken thumb
Stephen Hunt - bad wrist
Darren O'Dea - bad hamstring
Shane Long - hip bursitis
Simon Cox - pulled groin
Paul Green - Absolutely fine, actually
James McClean - bad elbow
David Forde - broken toe

**magicman** · 06/06/2012, 5:25 AM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

This is probably complete bull****, but Shay is apparently a major doubt for Sunday:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/eur...d-Croatia.html

Not nice to read at all. Dunno how much truth is in it but they have a lot of facts to back up the claim that he may be injured. One thing I find tough to take serious(apart from it being the Daily Mail) is the headline. "unlikely to be risked" against Croatia? If he is 50/50 then he'll still start

**geysir** · 06/06/2012, 7:20 AM

When it comes to his loyal players, Trap's stonewall code of silence is impressive.

**Stuttgart88** · 06/06/2012, 8:48 AM

I'm not that fussed tbh. I think Westwood is top quality. Very agile, great reflexes, good in the air, good temprament, and excellent long kicks. The only thing is that Shay is tried & tested in these major games, but Westwood has impressed me every time he has stepped in. And - dare I say it - if we concede a penno...

**irishfan86** · 07/06/2012, 7:25 PM

Good news: Given 100% fit:

http://www.goal.com/en-ca/news/4185/...00-percent-fit

**BonnieShels** · 07/06/2012, 9:36 PM

Originally Posted by irishfan86

Good news: Given 100% fit:

http://www.goal.com/en-ca/news/4185/...00-percent-fit

**seanfhear** · 15/06/2012, 10:53 AM

Just seen on a sports bulletin on BBC that Shay (from the horses mouth) is giving big consideration to calling it a day with Ireland,

**DannyInvincible** · 15/06/2012, 1:35 PM

Shay pulled out two or three great saves over the past two games but he's not the same goalkeeper he once was. He has looked sluggish and perhaps even in need of losing a few pounds. It's painful to say it, but no longer did I feel our rear-guard was impenetrable with him behind it. We've leaked seven goals and still have Italy to play. And already Shay's talking of hanging up the boots? Is there a video/text?

**Stuttgart88** · 15/06/2012, 1:46 PM

In last night's warm up I was surprised to see Shay punching and fisting away shots a GK of his generation would always have tried to catch. So when the second goal came from a bad decision by Shay to fist away a ball he should have taken to his chest it struck me that he seems to have tried to change his game in line with modern trends.

Anyway, he's not what he was and at 36 I think his reactions will only get slower. It was a bit sad, but he reminded me of Bonner in 94 and Seaman in 2002 - great keepers for their country but sadly just past the point where they should have been replaced.

**Junior** · 15/06/2012, 2:55 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Anyway, he's not what he was and at 36 I think his reactions will only get slower. It was a bit sad, but he reminded me of Bonner in 94 and Seaman in 2002 - great keepers for their country but sadly just past the point where they should have been replaced.

Had the same thoughts myself last night. Pre-Tournament I've posted somewhere that I could see Shay having another 4 years easy with the national team. Unfortunately those two performances have seen me knee-jerk to now expecting him to retire from International duty. 100+ caps, unbelievable servant to us over the years, I just think he will now step aside along with Duff and possibly Robbie.

Heading back over to Poznan on Sunday - Should it be their last performances for Ireland, I'll be glad to be there and give them a send off they deserve. I hope that they perform and give the fans one that we deserve.

**barney** · 15/06/2012, 3:13 PM

Originally Posted by Junior

Had the same thoughts myself last night. Pre-Tournament I've posted somewhere that I could see Shay having another 4 years easy with the national team. Unfortunately those two performances have seen me knee-jerk to now expecting him to retire from International duty. 100+ caps, unbelievable servant to us over the years, I just think he will now step aside along with Duff and possibly Robbie.

Heading back over to Poznan on Sunday - Should it be their last performances for Ireland, I'll be glad to be there and give them a send off they deserve. I hope that they perform and give the fans one that we deserve.

I think, and hope, the difference with Shay is that he wasn't fully fit. He's been really poor for 2-3 goals so far in this tournament which just isn't him. However, I'm still optimistic that a fully fit Given is one of the first names on the team sheet unless he decides to call it a day.

**Maroon 7** · 15/06/2012, 3:15 PM

He's looked very slow and ponderous this tournament. Shay is no spring chicken anymore but he can't have aged that badly in the matter of a few weeks which makes me think he is still carrying that injury a bit.

**Stuttgart88** · 15/06/2012, 3:19 PM

But his reactions were slow. He should have got his hands up to Torres' shot and would have not long ago. They ain't gonna be any quicker when he's 38. Remember he let in soft goals against Estonia and Armenia at home, shots he'd never have let in previously. I'm sorry but I think he's in decline. I love Shay to bits but I think it's Westwood's time.

**dong** · 15/06/2012, 10:12 PM

I believe Given was playing with an injury coming into this tournament that he never fully shook off.
He definitely wasn't getting any distance on his kick outs and he had no spring off his standing foot for a couple of the goals we conceded.

**geysir** · 15/06/2012, 10:29 PM

No distance to his kick outs is the death knell.

**tricky_colour** · 15/06/2012, 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by Maroon 7

He's looked very slow and ponderous this tournament. Shay is no spring chicken anymore but he can't have aged that badly in the matter of a few weeks which makes me think he is still carrying that injury a bit.

Well basically the whole of the team looked slow an ponderous, he pull off some top quality saves.
Where he was slow it was usually unsighted.
Some of his kicks looked a bot short.

NO keeper woudl have seen the Fabragas shot and had time to react.
Not physically possible.

**tricky_colour** · 15/06/2012, 10:33 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

No distance to his kick outs is the death knell.

Yes I have noticed that before reading your post, they were rather short, reminds
me of when i was in goal lol.

**Serb** · 15/06/2012, 10:58 PM

I'm agreeing with people here who say he looks injured. I'd be sad if he calls it a day, though from today's quotes in the Guardian ("I think it might be time to step aside and let somebody else come into the side now.") it looks pretty certain he'll be retiring in the next couple of months. I think he still has a campaign in him, but players tend to retire after tournaments, especially if it's looking like it will be their last (extremely unlikely we'll be qualifying for Brazil and he'll be 40 by the time the next Euros roll around).

I also thought it was interesting how he described the first goal: ""The [opening] goal was just a blur, I think he's only five yards away from me. Probably when you see it on a replay on TV, it looks like it's savable but when he hits it that hard, you just don't have the time to react. Replays do nothing for goalkeepers". I'm not sure I really buy it, but then again, I've never been a top international goalkeeper.

Anyone who thinks Robbie is going to retire is a foolish though. He's 31 and he's still playing well. He hasn't been great in the past two games, but then again, who has?

**BonnieShels** · 16/06/2012, 1:40 AM

Originally Posted by Serb

I'm agreeing with people here who say he looks injured. I'd be sad if he calls it a day, though from today's quotes in the Guardian ("I think it might be time to step aside and let somebody else come into the side now.") it looks pretty certain he'll be retiring in the next couple of months. I think he still has a campaign in him, but players tend to retire after tournaments, especially if it's looking like it will be their last (extremely unlikely we'll be qualifying for Brazil and he'll be 40 by the time the next Euros roll around).

I also thought it was interesting how he described the first goal: ""The [opening] goal was just a blur, I think he's only five yards away from me. Probably when you see it on a replay on TV, it looks like it's savable but when he hits it that hard, you just don't have the time to react. Replays do nothing for goalkeepers". I'm not sure I really buy it, but then again, I've never been a top international goalkeeper.

Anyone who thinks Robbie is going to retire is a foolish though. He's 31 and he's still playing well. He hasn't been great in the past two games, but then again, who has?

Keith Andrews?

Agree with most of the sentiments above. It hasn't been the Sahy we know the last few months. Even watching him for Villa just goes to show he's not the same keeper. It's sad but it happens to all the greats eventually.