Shay Given did not establish himself as one of the Premier League’s finest goalkeepers, let alone earn 134 caps for the Republic of Ireland, without both supreme concentration and the knack of compartmentalising his emotions.
They are qualities his former international team-mates will require in spades in Copenhagen on Saturday when the first leg of their World Cup qualifying play-off against Denmark kicks off. “It’s all about keeping our emotions in check and being focused on what we need to do – we’re so close now,” says Given as he sits in a quiet corner of a Newcastle hotel, a long goal-kick from St James’ Park.
Twenty years ago he was in goal across the road when Kenny Dalglish’s Newcastle United famously beat Barcelona 3-2 in the Champions League. Further dramatic European nights followed under Sir Bobby Robson but, cherished as those memories remain, they take second billing to Given’s achievement in 2001.
Back then he was part of the Ireland side that overcame Iran 2-1 on aggregate in a World Cup play-off to reach the 2002 finals in Japan and South Korea. “Iran is probably the highlight of my career,” he says. “You can’t beat that feeling in Tehran, the realisation that we were actually going to a World Cup finals.”
Given – now 41 and combining pondering various career options with publicising his absorbing autobiography – felt the pain of a controversial play-off defeat by France before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa but is cautiously optimistic that Denmark can be overcome and Russia reached next June.
“Club football, Champions League football is great,” he says. “But I think any player you ask would want to play in the World Cup finals. We’re so close to doing it and none of our squad have been to a World Cup before.
“That’s the good thing for these guys – it’s a burning desire. They’re hungry to get to Russia. We need to go to Denmark, sit nice and tight, get a goal, win 1-0 and go back to Dublin as favourites for Tuesday’s second leg.
“But we need to focus on the immediate job in hand. You can get carried away by the prospect of playing at World Cup and lose focus on the game in front of you, on the job you need to do. And Denmark are seeded higher than Ireland; people shouldn’t forget that – it’s not going to be easy.”
Goalkeepers possess an intuitive grasp of physics but Given seems more intrigued by the peculiar chemistry binding Martin O’Neill, Ireland’s manager, and his assistant Roy Keane. Ostensibly, two men with seemingly little in common bar both having managed Sunderland appear an odd match but the mutual dynamic works.
“Roy brings huge qualities,” says Given, who appeared alongside Keane before playing under him and O’Neill at the tail end of his two-decade international career. “Roy’s got stature. He goes around the changing room speaking to players individually, just a few quiet words here and there.
“If something has to be said, Roy will say it. He’s got a calmness when he speaks to you but people know he has that fire inside as well so, if you’re not doing something, he’ll tell you. And players sometimes need that as well.
“He and Martin work really well together; they’re both well matched in the sense that they’re two of Ireland’s most famous sons. Martin speaks to people and does his team talks in an educated way. Sometimes he does lose his head but most of the time he’s quite measured. He’s very clever when he speaks to people. He can put you down or pick you up just with his choice of words whereas Roy would have a go at someone if he felt it was needed.
“But they can both be bad cops if they want to be; they’re both passionate about the job. Roy is much more relaxed nowadays, he’s mellowed a lot but, in football, not everything’s always going to be rosy in the garden. To now and again tell people they’re not doing their job is part and parcel of management. Part of Roy’s job with Ireland is to go round people, talk to them and get them playing well.”
Should he succeed, a glittering prize awaits. “If we get to the World Cup it gives the whole country a lift, something to look forward to,” says Given. “There’s lots of bad stuff going on in Ireland at the moment but the World Cup is a special thing for the country. I know how much it would mean to everyone. And tournaments are always more fun when the Irish fans are there.”
Fun and Keane have not always seemed entirely synonymous but Given demurs, at least slightly. “Roy has a humorous side people might not see at times,” he says. “He has a soft side – although I’d agree you don’t see it that often – and he does like a joke at the odd time too. Roy definitely has a sense of humour, he’s very switched on, very clever. You mustn’t underestimate Roy Keane.” The same goes for O’Neill. Given shakes his head at the suggestion that Ireland’s coach is a “dinosaur” lacking a Rafael Benítez-esque grasp of tactical nuance.
“Maybe because Martin doesn’t do team shape or name the team on a Thursday, people say he’s a dinosaur,” he says. “But Martin has a way of management which has been hugely successful over the years and he’ll probably never change.
“The players have got used to it. Maybe at the start they were frustrated but you can’t argue with Martin’s record. I think whatever you do in this life, there’s always something or someone wanting to say something bad. But he’s been successful; most of his critics have never managed a single game.
“Martin gets the best out of people. He manages players really well and has huge loyalty towards them. Footballers respond to that.”
Shay: Any Given Saturday – The Autobiography, published by Trinity Mirror Sports Media, is on sale now in hardback and as an ebook
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion