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Shay Given (now retired)

Guest sicko2ndbest

by Guest sicko2ndbest
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Groundhog63

Groundhog63

Posted
Posted
50 minutes ago, teohgk said:

Reading his story about how's Fat Ashley and his clowns Llambias ,Kinnear treated him makes me hate these cunts even more.

FWIW I think the treatment dished out to Jonas epitomises the club then but... 

 

“It felt like we were drifting, inch by inch, week by week, from being a club that wanted to win and succeed in the Premier League to becoming a club that just wanted to survive in the Premier League. There’s a world of difference between those two approaches, those two ideas, and I only had one career and one chance. I started to think that I would have to move on.

“Eventually the chance to join (Manchester) City came up. They were everything Newcastle were not at the time – ambitious, clear about their plans, willing to spend and attract big players and they wanted success.

“What footballer doesn’t want that in his life?

“Eventually, me and Michael Kennedy had a meeting with Mike Ashley about what the future held. It was at the manager’s office at the training ground and Llambias was there as well. I was willing to listen to what they had to say but ultimately I left it all up to Michael. This is what usually happens with contract and transfer issues, the player leaves it in the hands of someone they trust. I went out of the room soon after the meeting had begun and returned to the car. Michael was back out, sat in the passenger seat, soon after. “We’re not staying,” he said. “That was not a serious offer in any way, shape or form.” Mike Ashley had told Michael the deal being proposed but it was considerably lower than what we were offering new players at the time, who were coming in on huge long-term contracts that would secure them for life.

“My deal did not do that and just confirmed what I already suspected – they weren’t going to pull out the stops to keep me at the club. I was prepared to stay for the rest of my career but, ultimately, I was in my prime, a potential Premier League winning team wanted to sign me and Newcastle did not give any impression they wanted to chase silverware. The sad thing was I’d placed serious, long-term roots down in Newcastle, my children were in school there and I would easily and happily have stayed forever.

“How much did they really want to keep me though? How much did they want to be challenging? Did the boardroom care about keeping their most loyal players? In a word, no.

“In the end, with me unhappy at what was going on and the lack of ambition shown by the club, a gun was put to my head. They said they would not allow me to leave unless I signed a transfer request. By making me hand in a formal written request, it meant they could waive 10 per cent of the fee I otherwise would’ve picked up after moving. With the fee being around £6-8m, it effectively meant I was waiving £600,000 to go.

“It says everything that they were more keen on saving themselves £600,000 than they were keeping hold of a player who had given his absolute all for the club for over a decade. I’d literally spilt blood for Newcastle, pushed myself hard every day, even when times were so tough and quality players were leaving by the second.

“The least the club could’ve done, in my opinion, is prove I was wanted. Instead, they were more interested in the transfer fee than they were me – a proven Premier League player, a dedicated team-man and a good professional. If they were letting me go, and they were more than happy to let the likes of Milner go as well, what does that tell you? It tells me that the economics of the club were a bigger priority than success on the pitch. That saddened me a lot then and it saddens me a lot now.”

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Paully

Paully

Posted
Posted
13 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Did he say that it had anything to do with Ashley? We were shit obviously, I just assumed that was the reason. 

 

“A general feeling of absolute despair… We were a comedy club… I’d become tired of fighting for the team… It was an embarrassment, a disgrace… There had to be more to life than this, getting battered every week… In my eyes, nobody gave a fuck… It felt like I cared more than anybody else… The club (played) bullshit politics behind my back, claiming it was all me… I was hurting at the time and, to be honest, I’m still mad… I didn’t have the chance to say goodbye.”

The words Given uses now, when he sits down with The Athletic at the back of the Brewhouse, both of us reeling from the heat which touches 91F (32C), are equally laden with feeling.

“I left the club and hadn’t been back and it feels like part of you is missing because that was such a long time,” Given says. He pauses and repeats himself. “Part of what I’d done in my life was missing because it felt like the door had closed. Now it feels like it’s open again.”

Kinnear went public to say Newcastle had “bent over backwards to try and keep” Given, who knew that was a contortion of reality. He was told he could not leave unless he submitted a transfer request, waiving 10 per cent of the £6million fee ($7.7m at today’s exchange rate) City paid for him. It was petty, penny-pinching and, in any case, no player with ambition could truthfully claim Newcastle were trying any more. Loving the club was agony back then and the agony lingered.

There was no farewell. No appreciation. He was a Newcastle man, via Lifford in County Donegal, but Newcastle was lost to him.

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Yorkie

Yorkie

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Hovagod said:

Well, surely if he wants to leave, submitting a transfer request is fair enough? Isn’t that the entire point of a transfer request?

 

It was the petty cuntery of the insistence that he submit the request. It gave them ammunition in the PR game and denied him a financial bonus he was more than worth after such sensational, loyal service. They could've just let him leave but their style was to treat club legends with utter disdain whilst they destroyed the place from the inside. 

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Rich

Rich

Posted
Posted
29 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

It was the petty cuntery of the insistence that he submit the request. It gave them ammunition in the PR game and denied him a financial bonus he was more than worth after such sensational, loyal service. They could've just let him leave but their style was to treat club legends with utter disdain whilst they destroyed the place from the inside. 

 

Good on the Chronicle et al. for playing along with them, mind.

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madras

madras

Posted
Posted
30 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

It was the petty cuntery of the insistence that he submit the request. It gave them ammunition in the PR game and denied him a financial bonus he was more than worth after such sensational, loyal service. They could've just let him leave but their style was to treat club legends with utter disdain whilst they destroyed the place from the inside. 

Yeah it was cuntery. He could've just done it then went public about it all after leaving.

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Stifler

Stifler

Posted
Posted (edited)
14 hours ago, SiLvOR said:

So good seeing him part of the fold again. Gutting that he didn't get a testimonial, but sounds like he's having a class time in the US interacting with the fanbase etc

I’ve been a bit baffled at how he’s been wearing our coaching merchandise, hanging around with our back room staff etc when he’s part of the back room staff at Man City.

Ok go to the USA and do a couple of book signings and fan events, but what he’s done seems a bit more involved, and Man City will obviously be well into their pre-season.

It just seems a bizarre situation.

 

 

Edited by Stifler

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Superior Acuña

Superior Acuña

Posted
Posted (edited)

I'm really glad Given's back in with us. I never blamed him for leaving and hated to see that people did. He's one of our all time top 'capped' players and a great one at that, he deserves the love and to be involved with good times.

 

 

(I don't think it's right that he's at Man City)

 

 

Edited by Superior Acuña

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Gawalls

Gawalls

Posted
Posted
22 hours ago, Dan Gleebals said:

Great he is back in the fold, although not really sure in what capacity!  Having people like him around can only be a good thing IMO. 

Yep - get keegan and shearer involved on some capacity as well 😊

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