SHAY GIVEN ADMITS that the decision to retire from international football after Euro 2012 was “eating away” at him.
Given returned to Ireland’s training camp in Malahide this morning for the first time in over two years.
The Donegal stopper immediately refuted reports that he had demanded assurances about his first-team place from manager Martin O’Neill before committing to a return.
He said: “I’m just delighted to be here. The excitement of flying over on the plane last night and to be back in Ireland is something special.
“If I do play, it seems near enough like a second debut to be honest.
I spoke to Martin a couple of times in the last numbers of months. He only just called me on Saturday morning on the way to training. I’m delighted he called me up.
“I probably missed it as much as anything – the honour of playing for Ireland, the buzz that you get, the privilege of playing for your country. You miss that, and you’re a long time retired so you’ve a long time to look back.
“I don’t want to think in 10 years that I should have given it another go or played another few games or tried to help the country as best I could. I don’t want to have any regrets when I do hang up the gloves. That was sort of eating away at me as well.
“I felt that I could still help the team, help the squad, and of course help Martin and Roy as well.”
Incumbent number one David Forde, Keiren Westwood and Rob Elliot are also part of the 27-man squad for this week’s games against Oman and Georgia.
O’Neill admitted that he is unlikely to bring all four to Tbilisi for the opening Euro 2016 qualifier, but he said he won’t make the decision on his starting keeper until shortly before kick-off on Sunday.
Given is hopeful that he might get a chance against Oman on Wednesday, and he thanked Villa assistant Roy Keane for opening the door for his return.
“Roy has been great since he came to Villa and he’s been a big help in getting me back in the squad.
“He sees me in training every day with Villa and he’s on the phone to Martin regularly and keeping him updated. I’m sure that was a big, big factor as well.”
Given might yet leave Villa Park before the end of the day if the right move is on offer.
Hopefully my phone rings at some point but I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Despite his lack of first-team football and his age — Given turned 38 in April — he’s confident that he can slot straight back in to the Irish XI.
“Obviously age does age you but I’m working hard in the gym, doing yoga, doing all the stuff. When you get older you’ve got to do more things to stay flexible.
“I played last week and felt sharp in the game, played a few games in pre-season as well. I feel sharp, I’d just ideally like to play more games and have more match sharpness.”
He added: “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I was definitely sharp enough to play. I don’t know, [Martin's] not said what his plans are, there’s no guarantee and there’s no demands from me.
“I read somewhere that I’ve demanded to play – that’s all rubbish. I’m here to try to help the group and try to get us qualified.”
Shelbourne ,Cork, Rovers, Drogheda, and Bray and Limerick this season all have had same problems in recent year’s….. The fai need to sort out their problem child once and for all
@Tony O Connor: Fai can’t be trusted to sort it out. Fans took control of Cork City and slowly but surely turned the club around,(From going to Derry with just 12 players, to the bus refusing to take them to Dublin for a game because bus company had’nt been paid).A few short years later look where they are now, League Champions and fai cup holders, playing in Champions League! Regular crowds between 4,000 and 6,000, (more for european games). What a turn around because of the fans taking control of their club and running it the way it should be run, not because of fai involvement.
@running man: great point about the fans controlling the club. Munich is 50% controlled by fan and it’s a massive success. Different situation I know but fans don’t want to make money and leave they want to make a good squad that competes for silverware every season
@Arry Ryan: all bundesliga clubs are majority owned by club supporter groups with the exception of one or two clubs who have found a way around the 50+1 “football clubs will not be allowed to play in the Bundesliga if commercial investors have more than a 49 percent stake”
Maybe the league should return to amateur status? There are only a few spectators at any game & there are only tiny TV or advertising revenues. The players are not generating enough income to pay their wages.
@Locojoe: You obviously haven’t been at a City match in Turners Cross.
@Locojoe: Its not up to the players to generate revenue, all they can do is go out and try to win. Its the owners of financial officer at bigger clubs who deal with finances.
@Locojoe: so your basically saying that clubs in league 2/1 over in England should go amateur right? Majority of clubs get small crowds over their, and then you look at cork averaging 5000, sham/dundalk averaging over 3000 and Sligo/pats averaging up and over 2000 people per game.
Yet your here laying into the LOI saying it should go “amateur” when the crowds have been improving year on year.
Limerick were getting 2 to 3 thousand at games last year , and then manager sacked , another left them in the lurch and joined a team back home , and said he was brought in to do a hatchet job , and was leaving the club in a good position , . Pat o Sullivan , who was never shy in speaking out , has for this past while stayed silent. The fai need to send in accountants / auditors to check their books , for a start .
With the battle between GAA and soccer for supporters and players along with our relatively small population very few clubs in this country will ever be on a stable footing. The advertising for games is non existant. The marketing from the club’s and FAI is appalling.
I have been an ireland season ticket holder for years and never once gotten an email about my nearest club which would be tallaght to ask about interest in going to club games. The game in Ireland is dead right now and without a complete new set of standards for clubs, financial and marketing it has no hope of surviving
@ChuckE: “I have been an ireland season ticket holder for years and never once gotten an email about my nearest club which would be tallaght to ask about interest in going to club games.”
You just explained perfectly why so many LoI fans wont go to Ireland games, why fund a sporting organisation when said organisation does literally nothing to improve its local league. Even an email which can be setup to be auto sent and they don’t even do that.
FAI are a joke. Sligo Rovers have to go 77 days without a home league fixture due to FAI planning. Imagine shutting a business for 77 days and expecting it to survive.
Anybody know what a typical wage at a club like Limerick might be?
@Jumperoo: some junior soccer players are getting more than some at limerick , another fai problem to solve? Without burying their heads in the sand?
You still need big financial backers and no amount of wind blowing up my ass is going to tell me that cork dont have big financial backers. No club on FANS ALONE funding it would survive in the LOI. Rumours of two groups looking for 100% ownership when the season finishes. As I said rumours.
@Trevor Beacom: Bohemians have been members-owned throughout their 128-year existence…
@Trevor Beacom: Cork City is 100% owned by the fans with no outside financial backing. FACT.