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'Spurs "Keane" to pounce on anything'
Shay knows the danger fellow Irishman Robbie Keane poses: "When it comes to goalscoring, Robbie is a predator just like Alan Shearer and he will be a big danger to us. He doesn't hold the ball up as strongly as Alan does but he is a predator and we won't have to give him too much room around the penalty area." Get full story for the Journal here
It was a game of two halves. Newcastle didn't settle in the first too well, while in the second it was pretty much one-way traffic. Titus Bramble jumped all over Johnathan Woodgate and let Murphy dance through to Shay who said afterwards "I stayed on my feet cause I really thought he was going to try and take the ball around me, but he just toe-poked it, which on another day would have hit my legs and went back out but happened to go in."
There's no disputing that Liverpool are as desperate for those vital points on Saturday as the Toon are, but who'll have more hunger and skill on the day? Well the old Webmaster is making his way over and will try and get you some great photos and interviews to savour. Stay tuned...
"I was to blame for Goal" Shay
Shay: "There are no excuses really - I should probably have stayed put and let Woody deal with the situation. The wind did hold the ball up a bit, but I have got to hold my hands up and take the blame for the goal." Read full story here from the Journal
Shay-Given.com Poll
22% got it right...Newcastle were too tired to get the full three points on Saturday...although 600,000 Pounds richer through SkySports! Points or money folks...would make a good poll?
Newcastle are able to?
1. Recover in time for the Wolves match on Saturday lunchtime and even manage to give Wolves a good hiding: 67%
2. I'll be happy if they draw...they'll be still wrecked from the FC Basel game: 22%
3. Wolves will nip a win, due to Newcastle's Thursday night game with FC Basel 11%
Shay saved blushes through Shearer
Shay was saved the weight of losing three points when Alan Shearer shot the equaliser 4 minutes after he was to blame for Wolves opener. A point is better than nothing and perhaps a not so tired Newcastle would have come away with all three.
Some folks will moan about the unconvincing manner in which Newcastle took the UEFA second leg 4:2 on aggregate, but perhaps Newcastle are a little wiser in what it means to take points? Alan Shearer "Europe is different and we took the gas off in the seond half perhaps too much but we're just glad now to go through." Taking the gas off meant that Shay was busy as the 'Man of the Match' award will testify to. Well done Shay, well done Newcastle though in progressing. John Gibson Evening Chronicle put in succintly "Chambermaids - and goalkeepers - pride themselves on clean sheets. It is the joy of a job well done. However, precisely how Shay Given managed to acquire his desire is quite another matter considering the sloppiness of those in front of him." Get full story from John here. Well done Shay...
Shay insists for the Basel game tonight "Ask any of the players at Newcastle and they will say we want to be involved in this competition right up until the final. But that won't be easy. Forget about the teams coming into the competition after the Champions League group stage - there are already sides like Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica and Valencia competing for the Uefa Cup." Read the full-story here from the Journal
Shay wants to finish Basel Job
Shay in well aware of the importance to finishing off the fixture with Basel, taking nothing for granted, especially after the Partizan Belgrade nightmare saying:
"We have to learn from our mistakes, and no-one needs to remind us about what happened against Partizan Belgrade. We had a great result out there in that away leg, but we failed to finish the job off at home."
Shay officially opening the new one million pound state-of-the-art facilities at Prudhoe Community High School on Monday, much to the delight of the Toon Army mad pupils. Shay watched students honing their skills on the artificial pitches, signed autographs and unveiled a commemorative plaque. Despite very cold conditions Shay said "I'm delighted to be asked to open such facilities for Prudhoe, and know they'll be loads of fun here regardless of the weather. A lot of credit is due to the people who made this happen..."
FC Basel will travel to St. James to restore the injured pride caused in Basel through their unexpected 2:3 defeat. Everybody in Switzerland will be watching the return leg hoping Basel will pull a surprise or even win the return leg to restore dignity to the wounded Swiss Champions. Newcastle should expect a very tough challenge from the Swiss Masters. Everyone will have to be on their best game...get an early goal might take the wind out of Basel sails or at least not concede any goals in the first half...howay the lads... :-)
After a tough first half where Newcastle dominated but no goals to show, it was easy to taste the relief on the 59th minute when Shola Amoebi bundled in a goal to drive all tension from St. James, but it was Alan Shearer who stole the day again with two gutsy goals after hard work from Frenchmen Bernard and Robert.
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Our very own "Bear Who, Bear Bum" was at the Canada Game
The Bear travelled down to see Shay in action and true to his nature, couldn't resist sending us on his experience on the day. NOT TO BE MISSED HERE FOLKS
Shay offers Police to do a reconstruction
Shay has sensationally offered Police to do a reconstruction of the robbery at the team's hotel if someone will give him a balaclava. :-) Brian Kerr revealed that the Irish lads had seen the funny side of yesterday's armed robbery at the team base especially Shay it seems!
src: Irish Independant
The Bear is on the CRIME Scene!
The Bear had a quick chat with Shay on the phone and got Shay's version of events around the armed robbery at the Irish Teams Hotel in Dublin. Get it here folks. Cheers Bear.
Armed Robbery at Shay's Hotel
Three armed men burst into the Hotel Shay and the Irish Team were staying at in preparation for the friendly Tuesday against Canada firing a shot into the ceiling as they made off with several hundred Euros cash. No-one was hurt despite the presence of many children in the Hotel at the time wanting autographs from the Irish team, being told to lie on the floor. The Irish team will stay at their current Hotel location, despite being rushed to their rooms by the Irish Security for the team. Read full story here
Shay wishing there had've been more luck for the Irish
Shay speaking to the Journal, "It will be tough for me watching the play-offs this weekend because Ireland have a squad good enough to be competing in Portugal next summer. At the start of the qualifying campaign I would have tipped us to win the group and so, having failed to get as far as the play-offs, it's still very hard to take. Read full story here form the Journal's Simon Rushworth
Fast hands need fast gloves
Emma Compton, one of Shay's faithful fans tried every week to win the NUFC quiz and finally won it this week to get none other than a pair of signed gloves from the man himself! :-)
The deal is that the fastest person on the 6th question gets the prize and Emma logged a 2.5 seconds on the clock replying to "Where did Michael Chopra go on loan to this season?". Well done Emma, fast hands need good gloves! :-)
SOLD OUT?
The Man City game is already sold out. That says something about the fans in the North-East. Chelsea was a freak result against a weakened Newcastle Squad (no Shearer and 10 men on the field), but it didn't deter the following matche against City being sold out. Sure folks are excited about Kevin Keegen but there's also genuine support for the TOON. Rock on the GEORDIES. By the way, did you know that Shay has Geordie BLOOD? If you can tell me the connection, write to geordieandproud@shay-given.com
...and everythings quiet three days after the 5:0 trashing at Chelsea. Now it's time for Shay and Andy O'Brien to get ready for the Ireland game against Canada on the 18th of November in Dublin. No rest for internationals. Maybe Shearer was right quitting international football, but of course a goalkeeper does have less physical stress during games. It would be nice to get a generous victory over the Canadians to boost moral in the Irish camp after our early shower in the European Cup. No Portugal for the Irish, only Germany 2006 to aim at.
Shay pretty devastated at the five goals
Shay speaking on NUFC.co.uk says: "We didn't play well at all today and when you go down to ten men it is always going to be a struggle. It is hard enough as it is playing here, but when you are playing with a man short against one of the best sets of players in Europe, it is even harder." Read full story here
It was Chelsea's week despite the Swiss Roll
Shay hit for five after a glorious night in Basel. Who would have bet on it? Was Alan Shearer's absence so detrimental? It pushes the question again...who will replace Shearer? We probably need Russian rubbies to buy Shearer strike power OR Bobbies Babes will come good. On the Tram leaving the Basel Stadium, one Newcatle Supporter said "It's OK playing against that opposition, everyone's going to look good, you can only rate how the team's really doing playing the best!" Did we get a reality check on Sunday? WB
Shay-Given.com Poll. 17% got it right in knowing Chelsea would win, while 67% obviously wanted more Swiss Roll! :-)
Can Newcastle get the right result against Chelsea on Sunday?
Answers & Percent
It hardly gets sweeter than that folks, from going twice behind to come back and bang in three goals...it left the Stadium wondering was it all for real? Talking to Shay after the match, he seemed just as delighted as anyone, walking away with victory and three goals..."Aye, it's mad to come back from two goals at the start and pull off a victory is very sweet. It's a brilliant night for us".
83% of you guys got in right in our Shay-Given.com Poll for the UEFA CUP: Can Newcastle beat Basel in Switzerland?
1. Yes, we're on a run... 50 83%
2. A draw will do me 7 12%
3. B asel are unbeaten in their league and I think we'll lose 3 5%
Basel are still undefeated in Switzerland this season, and with crowds of 30,000 'Swiss Rollers' compared with other Swiss Clubs not averaging over close to 10,000, they're no walk-over. Sir Bobby believes it could be the biggest challenge of the season for Newcastle to leave Basel with a result. I'll (Webmaster) will be there to bring you close ups of the game and talks with Shay.
Another Frustrating Point To Take
With Newcastle dominating and Shay hardly any work to do, you can understand the frustration for players and fans at not taking the other two points on Saturday against a Villa side overrun by Newcastle. Who would bet on Alan Shearer having a penalty saved, and by all people Sorenson! :-) The Black Cats will have loved that.
Newcastle and Shay hope to continue their current winning streak against Aston Villa on Saturday with Shay saying "We're aiming for continuing our run on Saturday. It's like all games...an important one for us and one where we'll be wanting three points from. We've got to keep our run going and after last night's game against West Brom, we all want to get back to winning ways.
WEBMASTER'S NOTE:
Folks check out the latest questions that Shay has answered today and also last week here. I've had such a backlog of questions that I made a deal with Shay to go through them week for week in 15 minute batches, until we answer them all.
Disappointment hits St. James
Newcastle 1:2 West Brom
Newcastle flew out of the Carling Cup on the first round, with West Brom taking a late winner and holding on for dear life to book their place in the second round and leave 47,000 Geordies disappointed.
It's not always a great comfort to get the odd match here and there when the regulars are rested, but Steve Harper can't complain tonight when he gets to Captain Newcastle for the first time. Read it here from the Chronicle
Folks, I honestly wouldn't have bet on Newcastle beating Portsmouth 3:0. But they ran riot in the first half with a strong all round display. Shay was rarely troubled except by a Teddy Sheringham shot which sent him full stretch. It's great to have another three points, regardless of the scoreline, but Shay will be pleased also for his clean sheet.
Shay took some time out to give us his thoughts on Saturdays visitory Portsmouth. He summed it up himself with the following words: "They've had a very good start to the season, with Harry Redknap and Jim Smith doing a very good job."
"They've had some great results in their first season in the Premiership, beating Liverpool last weekend one nil, so it's going to be a tough game. There's no easy games to be fair, but it would be nice to keep the run of results going that we got started with."
'SHEAR' Delight as Newcastle record another FANtastic victory
After two early goals for Fulham, you would think most teams would be dead and buried but not Newcastle and under the Captaincy of Alan Shearer, this is turning into a 'do or die' squad capable of fighting to the last whistle. Well done the lads. Excellent result and another precious three points. You couldn't have asked for more. It's a sweet revenge for their 2:1 from last season.
If Shay plays tonight against Fulham, it will have been his 100th consecutive appearance for Newcastle Utd. without injury. No wonder he's earned the nickname 'Lazarus'. :-)
Kieron Dyer and Andy Griffin are both out with minor injuries. Squad: Ambrose, Ameobi, Bernard, Bramble, Bowyer, S Caldwell, Chopra, Given, Harper, Hughes, Jenas, LuaLua, O'Brien, Robert, Speed, Shearer, Viana.
You can say what you want about the quality of play and the way Newcastle got their three points but if Newcastle win the league with "unattractive football", they'll be zero complaints on Geordieland. It's about winning afterall and win they did, climbing to eleventh place. Shay had 4-5 world-class saves and did no harm at all to his growing reputation as one of the Premiership's best. We of course at Shay-Given.com believe he is the best and getting better all the time. :-)
Shay said: "We didn't start well and it could have been a different game, but those saves helped," said Given. "And it wasn't just me, but the whole team. In the second half, they were throwing the kitchen sink at us but we got the blocks in as if our lives depended upon it. That's what was needed. We have played better this season and lost and we deserve credit for plugging away." Well done Shay, well done Newcastle...
An exciting day today in the life of a Newcastle Utd. fist team squad member. Today they'll know their new opposition in the UEFA Cup second round and have the last preparations for Saturdays local derby which has to be a must-win game for Newcastle to get them off the bottom part of the league table. It doesn't make for pretty reading for fans and players alike.
Well it's a relief isn't it? Newcastle go through to the second round of the UEFA Cup. Shay was rested on the night alongside Alan Shearer and Gary Speed. The 5:0 in the first leg gave Newcastle a comfortable edge and they finished the tie professionally with frenchman Laurent Robert getting the only goal of the night.
There's certainly no rest for Shay these days. Just back from Switzerland and he's jumping aboard another plane today to face NAC Breda in what hopes to be their second victory over NAC Breda and a crack at the next round of the UEFA Cup.
The following Newcastle squad flew out from Tyneside on Tuesday morning,
Breda have four players struggling to make it against Newcastle: Feher (ankle), Schenning (groin), Diba (ankle), and Peto (thigh).
The Newcastle team that flew out is as follows: Given, Harper, Caig, Griffin, Hughes, Bernard, O'Brien, Bramble, S.Caldwell, Dyer, Speed, Robert, Solano, Ambrose, Jenas, Viana, Shearer, Ameobi, LuaLua, Chopra, Cort.
Bellamy has knee trouble and didn't
travel with Bowyer still on his Euro ban.
Switzerland 2:0 Ireland
'We were never at the races', as the man says. We were missing Roy Keane in the middle of the park plus nerves were visible with only really Damian Duff playing up to his usually high standard. The Swiss are an inferior team on paper but they're a better unit than ours. Teams win games and this one was won on the day by the better team. Roll on the world cup 2006! :-) Shay's comments after the game: "It's depressing, we couldn't put three passes together in the first half. I don't know what was going on!".
Switzerland need to win
The pressure is on the Swiss as much as the Irish. If Ireland win and Russia win too, then Switzerland is out. Playing in front of your home crowd also puts added pressure on you, but Ireland are going for broke and with the disunity in the Swiss team this last week, we might get a hard-won victory to brighten any Irish smile, if it needed any brightening.
Ireland have to win. The swiss don't. So will the swiss 'roll' over and let the irish take the honours? I don't think so. They want to finish their campaign in style. Why do the Irish leave it to the last minute to qualify like in Belgium (WC '98) or Iran (WC '02)? It might be the Irish's need for drama and keeping things interesting. Let's hope so. I'll be at the game myself so I'll try and get a few pictures with Shay and perhaps an audio interview. Roll on Saturday, roll over the Swiss! :-)
Shay speaking of the game said: "It's a must-win game but we must remember that we can't win it in the first minute. It's a 90-minute game and we must concentrate for 90 minutes because one lapse could let them in and kill us. We've got to remain calm and use all of our experience." Here here Shay.
What a relief folks. Everybody wholly related to Newcastle Utd. is a relieved soul for seeing Shearer's 44th minute goal hit the mark. Roll on Middelsborough.
Shay in well aware of the importance to finishing off the fixture with Basel, taking nothing for granted, especially after the Partizan Belgrade nightmare saying: 
Shay speaking to the Journal, "It will be tough for me watching the play-offs this weekend because Ireland have a squad good enough to be competing in Portugal next summer. At the start of the qualifying campaign I would have tipped us to win the group and so, having failed to get as far as the play-offs, it's still very hard to take. 
