Shay Given

[Hookeysmith]

At least we may now have a keeper that might get a sniff with penalties - Brad was awful with them and never got close

[eamonn]

From the north but our last FA Cup hero... and judging from his middle name, that of Shay's full first name, I'm guessing his ma and pa considered themselves Irish.

[LeeB]

Bosk O'Balaban.

Ian O'Lney?

IGMC

Sav O'Milosevic?

[Concrete John]

Deano Saunders.

[Greg N'Ash]

Decent signing at a decent price IF he's not broken. Bit surprised at the length of contract handed out, but i'm guessing it's partly as compensation for the wage cut.

[Risso]

Bosk O'Balaban.

Ian O'Lney?

IGMC

Sav O'Milosevic?

Andyt O'Wnsend

I'm being silly now, nothing Irish about him at all!

[Risso]

Decent signing at a decent price IF he's not broken. Bit surprised at the length of contract handed out, but i'm guessing it's partly as compensation for the wage cut.

You could be right, I just hope we're not discussing him in a similar vein to Beye or Heskey in a couple of years time, ie as an older player, who we can't get shut of because of his daft contract.

[Mazrim]

Decent signing at a decent price IF he's not broken. Bit surprised at the length of contract handed out, but i'm guessing it's partly as compensation for the wage cut.

You could be right, I just hope we're not discussing him in a similar vein to Beye or Heskey in a couple of years time, ie as an older player, who we can't get shut of because of his daft contract.

Cant see it with him. For one thing we're not likely to get a better keeper and Given actually wants to play. So that's Beye 2-0 down already.
The only question mark is the injury situation, which is often exaggerated, and you just have to trust the medical guys to get it right.

[Concrete John]

I think it's about the use we get out of them.  Given isn't a spring chicked at 35, so most will accept we'll need replacing in the not too distant future, but if he plays well for 4 years we'll have justified the decision to sign him.  Were he then to see out the last year of his contract as 2nd choice I personally wouldn't be arguing about what we're paying him to do it, as we'll have had our value in the preceeding 4 years.

[brontebilly]

Great first signing. Much better keeper than Friedel with a big point to prove. Let's hope his injury worries are a thing of the past.

As an impressionable young lad, I started supporting Villa when they had four top Irish players- McGrath, Townsend, Staunton and Houghton. Now four Irish players back at Villa, well 3 and one by default.

[DeKuip]

On paper a very good signing. But he's been out twice for long periods in the last two seasons with dislocated shoulders (both shoulders now), which must be a concern for a keeper.
I know he'll have been put through a tough medical but I shall still wince every time he's called into action.

[Ger Regan]

As an impressionable young lad, I started supporting Villa when they had four top Irish players- McGrath, Townsend, Staunton and Houghton.

Snap.

[cb]

I really wish we would stop buying Irish players! They have shown themselves not to have the quality to make a major tournament for nigh on a decade now, so I really fail to see why they're good enough for Villa. Now we have a mental case, a raging alcoholic (who was never fit to lace the boots of McGrath) and a goalkeeper, who if you look at him slightly crookedly seems to fall apart at the seams (I'm fearing more of the same from him quite frankly).

PS. Yes we've got Clarke, but he was developed at Villa and frankly has F-all to do with the Irish system, apart from being naive enough to fall for the FAI's usual opportunistic approaches.

How's that nice Mr Keano getting on in management?

How have that little country in green got on without him?

[cb]

Cant see it with him. For one thing we're not likely to get a better keeper and Given actually wants to play.

I fail to see how with a transfer fee of £3.5M an similar wages we couldn't have gotten just as good a keeper from the continent, and maybe even signed a slightly younger player, who might have a bit of sell on value and not be made of glass. What are we going to do when he next dislocates his shoulder and has to sit out a season? Very risky signing IMHO...

[Merv]

Well, you've just cited the worst case scenario of a new signing getting injured and missing the entire season, so I'd agree, if that happens it's backfired. Alternatively, Given could play a full season at the kind of form he's shown for ten years, and we'd have one of the best 'keepers in the league on our hands, and £3.5m would look an absolute snip. We don't yet how it'll turn out.