With the start of the Premier League season and just three weeks before two vital European Championship Qualifiers, mid-August is a hectic period for players expecting call ups for international duty.
It's also a great chance for one Ireland International to show his former employers that they were wrong for leaving him wallowing on the sidelines for 12 months.
Shay Given has managed to maintain his International starting spot despite only making four appearances for Manchester City during the 2010/11 season. But after moving south to Aston Villa this summer Given is ready to remind the football viewing public just why he was considered one of the premier Leagues top goalkeepers.
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| Given remained Ireland's first choice through 2010/11 |
“Of course,” was Given's response when asked if he'd missed playing regular league football.
“You train all week to play at the weekend, its just very frustrating when you don't play. Last year was frustrating.”
But frustration at a lack of playing time will be the last thing on Given's mind this season as he put on a dominating display between the posts to keep a clean sheet on his Aston Villa debut.
That dominance between the posts has continued when wearing his national colours over the last 12 months, but the 34 year old still seemed pleasantly surprised to hear that he hadn't conceded on international duty since 17th November 2010.
The run of clean sheets when Given starts has added to the belief in the Ireland camp that European qualification is a real possibility, their first since their last appearance in the tournament in 1988.
“We're confident,” said Given.
“We had a great result in Macedonia and a great result in Belgium away to Italy as well so I think we're unbeaten in the last 10 or 11 games away from home so that will stand us in good stead.”
That away form will be tested in the second of their two ties during the coming international break when Ireland travel to Russia in a game that could see Ireland take control of their group should they also take three points against Slovakia in Dublin four days before.
“We've got a big month next month, huge games obviously,
“Trapattoni has given us a real belief that when we go away form home we can get results and there's a real belief in that squad that touch wood, this is our time to qualify.”
Ireland host Slovakia on 2/9/2011 before traveling to face Russia away on 6/9/2011
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