Shay Given

[mypost]

I don't know about you, but it surprises me that Shay Given remains at Newcastle. He is a great keeper who really should be playing for a team higher in the league. He has been at Newcastle since 1997, and I'm sure at this stage in his career, Shay doesn't want to have to settle for finishing 14th every season. Arsenal and Liverpool are looking to sign goalkeepers, and both should be banging down his club's door to sign him.

As for Shay's club, they seem to be lurching from one crisis to another. Their manager is a joke, not playing his best players because he fell out with them, regardless of how good they were. Their chairman this week fined one of their better players a month's wages for daring to come out and tell the truth to the press about what was happening in the club, not bullsh-itting like most players these days.

Souness was a great player at Liverpool, but apart from when he won almost everything in sight at Rangers, he has a terrible managerial record. He was booted out of Liverpool having wrecked the club, didn't last long on the continent either, came back to England to manage Southampton, and eventually found himself at Blackburn. Fell out with several key players and almost got them relegated at one stage. The club struggled last season again, before he left to join Newcastle. He took on a talented side, and soon fell out with one of his strikers, when he didn't want to play out-of-position. He had several run-ins with Robert, which ended with the player being sent down to Portsmouth. His team blew a two goal lead to go out of Europe. His players had a very public on-pitch scrap, and he led his team to a miserly 14th, well away from a European spot.

Souness is ruining that club like he did with most of his others. As for Shay Given, does he really, really want to play in another Intertoto campaign? Does he need to? At this stage of his career, I think he needs to find a fresh challenge somewhere else, if he wants to be successful.

[Mayo Red]

Yep, Shay really needs to move on. I feel for Newcastle and Given because under Souness they look like they are going nowhere fast, and it would be a shame if a player of his quality finishes his career without any major silverware. He is in his prime now as a goalkeeper, and with all these keepers from the continent being linked with moves to the Premiership I am amazed that there is not more interest in him!

[tetsujin1979]

I think he won't be the manager for the start of the 2006/2007 season, everyone knows he's doing an awful job at Newcastle, and he was always onto a loser with the fans when he was brought in to replace Bobby Robson. I can't see him getting the chop outright, probably just moved upstairs to a Director of Gol...err Football style position, with someone like Shearer given the manager's position

[4tothefloor]

Given isn't interesting the big Premiership clubs because he has one major flaw - his size. He gets beaten very easily at times when other keepers would pull off saves. He's always getting caught with looping headers, or anything with a bit of height. The first Israel goal at Lansdowne is a perfect example, terrible goal to concede from a header so far out, he's always getting caught like that for Newcastle as well. Great shot stopper and superb in one-on-one situations, but gets beaten very easily at times.

[CollegeTillIDie]

I'd forgive anyone falling out with Bellamy he's off his head altogether

[CollegeTillIDie]

Given isn't interesting the big Premiership clubs because he has one major flaw - his size. He gets beaten very easily at times when other keepers would pull off saves. He's always getting caught with looping headers, or anything with a bit of height. The first Israel goal at Lansdowne is a perfect example, terrible goal to concede from a header so far out, he's always getting caught like that for Newcastle as well. Great shot stopper and superb in one-on-one situations, but gets beaten very easily at times.

Irish people just aren't that tall.. hence our failure to make a major impression at basketball ... and the legend of leprechauns

[Dazzy]

Just remember the days Campos was playing for Mexico He was shorter than Given and done good

[tetsujin1979]

Just remember the days Campos was playing for Mexico He was shorter than Given and done good

He's in this month's FourFourTwo for his jerseys. Used to design them himself, even if they did look like you could use them as reflecting jackets for cycling!!

[mypost]

Given isn't interesting the big Premiership clubs because he has one major flaw - his size. He gets beaten very easily at times when other keepers would pull off saves. He's always getting caught with looping headers, or anything with a bit of height. The first Israel goal at Lansdowne is a perfect example, terrible goal to concede from a header so far out, he's always getting caught like that for Newcastle as well. Great shot stopper and superb in one-on-one situations, but gets beaten very easily at times.

That Israel goal was a fluke. Shay couldn't do anything about it, the likes of Schmeichel still wouldn't have saved it - even with his height.

[4tothefloor]

That Israel goal was a fluke. Shay couldn't do anything about it, the likes of Schmeichel still wouldn't have saved it - even with his height.

You should buy the Newcastle end of season review DVD and look at how many times Shay gets beaten by similar goals. That's the reason he's not at a bigger club. It's one flaw, but unfortunately a major one.

[CollegeTillIDie]

Just remember the days Campos was playing for Mexico He was shorter than Given and done good

Campos scored almost as many goals as he conceded though.

[mypost]

You should buy the Newcastle end of season review DVD, and look at how many times Shay gets beaten by similar goals. That's the reason he's not at a bigger club. It's one flaw, but unfortunately a major one.

Tell me how many Liverpool fans buy Newcastle DVD's? Newcastle had one of the worst defensive records in the Premiership last season. Are you honestly suggesting that Given was primarily responsible for that? What could he do for example, when Santa headed the ball into his own net against us last season at Anfield? They're the kind of defensive blunders that concede most of Newcastle's goals, not because of Shay.

If you think Given has flaws, then ditto Dudek. And if he could play for us, why can't Shay?