Newcastle keeper Shay Given will not make a return this season after undergoing surgery for a groin injury sustained against Manchester United in February. Given has suffered with injuries since he perforated his bowel last season whilst featuring against West Ham and so its understandable why manager Kevin Keegan is reluctant to rush him back to action too soon.
Keegan told the Evening Chronicle:
"I think he'll be fit by the end of the season and he'll train with us for maybe the last week or 10 days, but there's no sense for him to play a match.
He just needs to know by the end of the season that he's fit, ready to go away and come back fit for pre-season with all his problems behind him.
aye and he'll get the lip on again if harper keeps his place.. im not sure if its just me but i dont sh it my pants when the ball is passed back to harper unlike given recently.. he was getting like srnicek but without the comedy value
Harper is class we know that but he is number 2 and maybe its wrong but Given will be straight back in.
Chelsea have 2 good keepers and the same happens there. What I'm worried about is someone will come in for Harper and he himself knows deep down that he will always be 2nd choice.
However if Given were to sit on the bench for the first half dozen games of the new season it would be interesting to see his reaction
Actually, Chelsea have three good keepers-but as Hilario was only ever there for Mourinho they'll be down to two over the Summer.
Harper has been solid, but Given is in a different class and will probably go straight back into the starting XI. Harper's been keeping clean sheets, yes, but the team in front of him has played much better than earlier in the season.
I remember playing keeper for teams and at times getting the distinct impression that the team played better in front of the back-up, probably because they're less confident in the GK's ability to make up for their mistakes.
I believe I heard during this weekends match against Portsmouth one of the commentators saying that Given was thought to be responsible for some of the early season leaks to the press and may have lost some favor among the players. I don't recall every reading anything on here about it though, and thought it was kind of a odd thing to throw on the wall to see if it sticks. They were commenting on how many goals Shay had conceded and how the team may be playing better in part because of Harps now being in. So maybe he won't go straight in. Of course it could all just be @#$%&.
If you recall Matt, there was a report early in the season about Given leading a delegation of players who aired the squad's grievances to Allardyce. Given promptly denied it, as did Allardyce and the club, if memory serves.
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