Nick Pope

[Lenny]

I'm not sure how anyone, with 15 years worth of context and hindsight can hold anything against Given for leaving us when he did.

 

Or Enrique, Keegan, Wijnaldum, Sissoko or anyone that's left us that's been held in even moderate regard, who had a drop of ambition. 

[Ronaldo]

Why would any player of that age with ambition waste their time at Ashley and Kinnear’s NUFC? I’d have left. All of us would. 

[Kid Icarus]

I hated it when he did it at the time because we desperately needed him. I think it was around the time Enrique did the same that my opinion totally changed on it.

 

Could make the argument we'd have stayed up if he had stayed mind.

[Interpolic]

Hesitant to risk the wrath of Rod but it was reported for several transfer windows in a row that Given was pleading with the club to show some ambition in their transfer dealings to persuade him to stay. Given also said more recently that they were fucking him around on the new contract (offered him less money iirc, or similar). 

 

He gave everything for us and eventually he'd had enough. Don't blame him whatsoever, it was an absolute clown show by that point. 

 

 

Edited Friday at 23:35 by Interpolic

[Paullow]

'Wraith of Rod' 

 

[toon25]

3 hours ago, Fak said:

Big boy shit. 

[STM]

Goalkeeping has changed so much in 20 years. Watch back a couple of highlights and see Given in all the wrong positions on the goals we concede but it's not just him other keepers seem to have been a bit pap too.

 

He was a great goalkeeper at the time, had a few flaws but was good all the same.

[Gawalls]

I was working in London a few years ago and talking to a spurs fan, remember him telling me he was at a game where we were playing then at SJP - we were winning and they were peppering shot after shot. He said there was about ten minutes left and he just left saying “we’re not gonna beat Given today”. We did win that game apparently.

[80]

It was a weird period when Given left, and I was suckered into thinking he'd done the dirty on us for a little while. Realised eventually we - NUFC - were a pack of cunts and anyone decent should be kept well away from us, though. Was depressing watching others do the 'greedy cunt' routine for player after player for years to come, though.

 

Pope's the better keeper though, by a distance. Given was a brilliant reflex keeper but lacked a lot, in truth. There were a number of times in the earlier years where I wanted Harper to be given more of a go.

 

 

Edited Saturday at 12:34 by 80

[wormy]

With Tino getting called up it's even more annoying that Neek isn't getting a look in again. When was the last time NUFC could boast four England internationals?

[Fak]

Just now, wormy said:

With Tino getting called up it's even more annoying that Neek isn't getting a look in again. When was the last time NUFC could boast four England internationals?

Would have been 96/97ish (if it did happen) when we had Howey, Shearer, Ferdinand, Lee and Batty to pick from. 

[TK-421]

Just seen that after Ramsdale dropping out of the England squad, they've called up James Trafford as replacement instead. 

I mean, probably a waste of time him going anyway, as he never seems to get a chance, but still.

 

 

Edited 12 hours ago by TK-421

[54]

2 minutes ago, TK-421 said:

Just seen that after Ramsdale dropping out of the England squad, they've called up James Trafford as replacement instead. 

I mean, probably a waste of time him going anyway, as he never seems to get a chance, but still.

 

 

 

Trafford was already with the Under 21's and likely already at St Georges Park when Ramsdale pulled out, given they'd already have begun training, it just makes sense to pull Trafford across then to wait the 4 hours it'd take Pope to get down from Newcastle (or where ever he is in the world given they've been given time off).

[TK-421]

Ah, was gonna mention Livramento's call up, but hadn't realised he (like Trafford) was also with the U21's, so makes sense him being able to step up to the seniors easily too.