Shay's ongoing excellence is a Given

I have often said to Republic of Ireland fans that if the incomparable Pat Jennings had been born a few miles further south, the boys in (lighter) green would surely have managed to qualify for the finals of a major tournament. Enter Big Jack and the rub of the green (all forty shades of it) and Packie Bonner becomes a national hero, in front of a very secure defence. However, Packie's fellow-countyman Shay Given has brought the art of goalkeeping to an even more advanced level, in front of a far less secure defence and his continued excellence is a must if Giovanni Trapattoni's men are to successfully see out their remaining World Cup qualifiers and make it to South Africa next summer.I was actually having a late read of a leading daily newspaper last Saturday night with one eye on Match of the Day when the Donegal maestro pulled off a stunning save in Manchester City's 1-0 win over Wolves. The other eye read the headline re Trap's unchanged squad for the precarious trip to Cyprus - "Trapattoni stays with tried and trusted". The squad, containing so many journeymen pros compared with the glory days, even includes Liam Miller, whose 'unattached'status means he is not sure where his next journey will take him (you were a foolish lad, Liam, leaving Celtic Park, and we all suspected it). Yes, it is a great credit to all concerned that an assortment of players containing only one regular from the Premier League's 'big four' sides is so well positioned to make at least a play-off for the 2010 World Cup finals. 'Tried and trusted' is a fair description of the panel in general, but reserve keepers Kieran Westwood (Coventry City) and Joe Murphy (Scunthorpe United) are untried and mistrusted by many of us who watch every Man City game, rosary beads in hands, praying that Given does not pick up any knocks which would rule him out of Ireland games. Ironically, Given's devotion to the Irish cause in a roundabout way deprived us of a more battle-hardened number two, with Dean Kiely's frustration with being permanently handed the number 12 jersey leading to his second, and presumably last, retirement from the international scene.While Packie Bonner's place in Irish sporting folklore was assured with his heroics aginst Gary Lineker in Stuttgart in 1988 and Daniel Timofte in Genoa two years later (let's keep Wim Jonk out of this), there was a niggly suspicion that he was prone to error (ok, let's bring Wim Jonk back into it). Brief highlights in pre-Sky days from Celtic's matches often showed us glimpses of Packie's fallibility in the less-than-auspicious Scotttish League. "The goalkeeper is the jewel in the crown and getting at him should be almost impossible; it's the biggest sin in football to make him do any work," Gunners' boss George Graham said back in the 1990s - boring, boring Arsenal's tactics perhaps at the time? Yes, the oft-maligned Mick McCarthy/Kevin Moran central defensive partnership invariably gave Packie an easy ride for Jack Charlton's 'boys in green' and Shay is seldom afforded the same luxury nowadays, despite Richard Dunne's regular heroics. Packie was Shay's coach when the latter took over from Alan Kelly Jnr and the Donegal teacher was instantly impressed with the Donegal student. "When you spoke to Shay Given he looked into your eyes; he took in everything you had to say," Packie stated. We all understand 'Hamiltonese' by now and we know what the irrepressible George meant when he said a few years ago during a commentary: "Shay Given almost single-handedly won the game for Newcastle against Everton, although obviously he didn't score the goals." Now that his fruitless and frustrating spell at St James's Park is over, all genuine soccer fans will hope that the Lifford man garners some silverware with the mega-rich Eastlands club in the blue side of Manchester. For all the zillions spent on outfield players, Mark Hughes' modest investment in Given may prove to be his shrewdest purchase. Having seen Alan Kelly Snr, Paddy Roche, Mick Kearns, Gerry Peyton and Jim (or Seamus, as Jimmy Magee christened him) McDonagh in action for the Republic, I still feel that a really top-class netminder may just have edged us over the line to a major finals in our many years of hard luck stories BC (before Charlton).A rare lapse in concentration by Shay almost 12 years ago ended with Dion Dublin being famously gifted a goal for Coventry City against the Magpies, prompting a cruel line in an English tabloid: "Shay Given, the only Irish international who doesn't know where Dublin is". Well we all certainly hope he knows where Dublin is in October and November. If, as expected, he plays against Cyprus and in the friendly against South Africa a few days later in Thomond Park (memo to the FAI, please reduce the ridiculous admission charges) he will win his 100th cap against world champions Italy in Croke Park in October. What a fitting occasion it would be for the man almost universally acknowledged as the Republic's finest ever custodian.PS The man lauded above is not to be mixed up with Gay Shiven, as per the wonderful malapropism of Martin Dahlin, then of Blackburn Rovers, on Swedish TV. Honestly!