Shay Given: ‘Do you ever get over being dropped for an FA Cup final?’

Aston Villa’s veteran goalkeeper was left out of Newcastle’s 1999 defeat to Manchester United by Ruud Gullit and owns a winner’s medal he cares little for but is relishing the chance to end the Wembley pain against Liverpool

• Christian Benteke: ‘I am happy because I play how I want to play’

Shay Given has been trying his best to put a positive spin on his three previous trips to Wembley when it dawns upon the Aston Villa goalkeeper that he is kidding nobody as he dances around a question about whether the stadium actually holds any happy memories for him. “It was a politician’s answer, wasn’t it,” Given says, laughing.

The truth is that Given is desperate for his luck to change in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool at Wembley. Given was in the Newcastle United team that lost 2-0 to Arsenal in the FA Cup final in 1998, dropped from the starting XI at Wembley the following year when Ruud Gullit’s side were beaten by Manchester United – a decision that still rankles with him – and an unused Manchester City substitute during their triumph over Stoke City in 2011.

Continue reading...



















from Sport | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1DwJtXK

Browse More Articles

Tweet

Written by Unknown

We are Creative Blogger Theme Wavers which provides user friendly, effective and easy to use themes. Each support has free and providing HD support screen casting.