Saviour of club and country for well over a decade, Shay Given has long earned his place in the hearts and minds of Geordies and Irishmen alike. The 32-year-old from County Donegal was unveiled as a Manchester City player on Thursday morning, after completing his move from Newcastle United for an undisclosed fee, understood to be around £8m, on Monday.
Throughout the continuing turbulence which has plagued the North East giants since Sir Bobby Robson’s unfortunate departure, Given has been “a small, reassuring constant in an ocean of change”. So says a Shay fansite, where one Newcastle supporter laments that his departure “will sting as only the bitter break-up with a loved one can”. Now that’s some serious feeling.
It’s safe to say, though, that unpopular owner Mike Ashley failed to appreciate the depth of the attachment between the fans and their hero. Given explained:
“The first contact I had with Mike Ashley was on January 26. There were a few things they could have done to try and keep me but they didn't do so. In the end they were happy to take the money and move on.”
The goalkeeper continued: “It felt like a long and drawn-out transfer. I felt they could have dealt with it a little bit better. Considering the service I gave the club, the regime could have looked after the whole thing a bit better. They made me do things I didn't want to do.”
Given, having already sealed his lucrative move up the Premier League pyramid, stood to gain little by indulging in a barely credible Charles N’Zogbia-style self-pitying rant. Instead this was a calculated assessment of the state of play at Newcastle, borne out of frustration at having to leave in order to fulfil his ambitions.
Despite the alarming slump from top four contenders to relegation-threatened also-rans in recent years, the Ireland no.1 has long remained tight-lipped about the wandering direction of the club he did so much to serve. Only now that he is free of the unedifying circus which poses as the Newcastle United hierarchy has Given chosen to speak out. A decade-plus of total commitment and outstanding performances (papering over the gaping cracks left by Bramble, Boumsong, Cacapa, et al) have earned him that right.
The Christmastime thumping at the hands of free-flowing (yes, really) Liverpool facilitated his departure. That humiliating 1-5 reverse was the nadir of a long, illustrious career which encompassed spells at Celtic and Blackburn prior to his arrival at St James’ Park. With the club offering only token resistance to City’s advances, Given’s switch to Eastlands was a fait accompli.
Kinnear’s version of events, not surprisingly, doesn’t quite tally with that of his fellow countryman’s though. According to the ex-Wimbledon gaffer, he maintained a “great relationship” with the ‘keeper he claims is “one of the best in the world.”
“I would be the last person in the world who would want to sell him,” he said, “But these things happen.”
With his frequent rants against the media and perceived unfair treatment at the hands of referees, it is clear that under-pressure Kinnear hopes to foster a siege mentality at St James’. However, to successfully pull off such an approach, as frequently mastered by the likes of Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager must keep the playing staff firmly onside.
Given’s mid-season exit (with the words: “over the last six months it has been fizzling out and it’s not been enjoyable going into training”) allied to N’Zogbia’s altogether more predictably messy departure, suggests that the Geordie ship is sinking – with a helpless Captain Kinnear flailing helplessly about at the helm. His man-management skills must be called into question if, as expected, there is a mass exodus – led by perma-crocked Michael Owen – from Tyneside in the summer.
The interim manager revealed several weeks ago that he had been offered a new two-year deal to remain as manager, which will apparently be formalised come the summer. The offer was seen as means of Ashley instilling a little stability. But is it really such a wise decision? And speaking of ‘Wise’ decisions: has Newcastle’s executive director of football really made a competent fist of the post he was so bafflingly appointed to?
Wise’s abject failure to recruit adequately during the January window could prove costly. The prospective arrivals of Toulouse full-back Albin Ebondo, City’s Michael Johnson and Kieran Richardson of Sunderland failed to materialise. A flimsy, ill-balanced squad, littered with dead wood, has been supplemented by Kevin Nolan, Ryan Taylor and Peter Lovenkrands, but stands in real danger of a calamitous drop through the top-flight trapdoor.
Only saintly-patient Steve Harper’s obvious ability to step into the void left by Given is a small mercy. The imminent returns, from injury, of Alan Smith, Oba Martins and, to a lesser extent, Mark Viduka might yet engender an upturn in mood and fortune. A win from Saturday afternoon’s clash at The Hawthorns with fellow strugglers West Brom is now desperately important if the Magpies are to survive their second successive relegation battle.
“I've got no bitter feelings towards the fans, they are extremely loyal,” said Given as he wrapped up his move to Manchester. An accurate assessment of the Geordie faithful’s dedication, but it’s difficult to see how that loyalty will ever be re-paid as long as the much-maligned ‘Cockney Mafia’ remains in situ at St James’ Park. You can’t help but feel that Seamus is better off out of it.
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