Kenny in line for Irish recall
Yesterday’s news rubber-stamped what Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni said earlier in the week — that Given will miss the Euro 2012 qualifier with Macedonia at the Aviva Stadium on March 26, and obviously the friendly with Uruguay three days later.
Given, who has won a record 110 caps, would then be in a race against the clock to be back fully fit for the Carling Nations Cup ties with Northern Ireland and Scotland at the end of May to give him some game time ahead of the potentially pivotal return qualifier away to the Macedonians in Skopje on June 4.
Given sustained the injury, a recurrence of a previous shoulder dislocation that required surgery last April, when warming up for last week’s Europa League tie away to ArisSalonika.
Coventry City goalkeeper Keiren Westwood, who has yet to play a competitive match for Ireland, is Given’s first understudy ahead of Joe Murphy.
Murphy however is currently out injured, as is Ipswich Town’s ex-Bohemians stopper Brian Murphy.
As well as Kenny, Galway-born David Forde of Millwall is also awaiting developments with interest.
However, Kenny, two years younger than Given at 32, is undoubtedly the in-form Irish keeper in Britain this season having kept 17 clean sheets for QPR, who sit five points clear at the top of the Championship.
Kenny won the last of his seven caps in the horror 5-2 defeat to Cyprus in a Euro 2008 qualifier in Nicosia in October 2006, and then made himself unavailable shortly afterwards to enable him to sort out personal problems.
On his return from a nine-month long drugs ban last year, Kenny said he’d like to get back involved with Ireland again, and had spoken to goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly. However, Trapattoni has so far resisted recalling the former Sheffield United stopper.
“Shay has this problem in his shoulder and I think he needs three months to recover,” said City manager Roberto Mancini on Given yesterday.
“He has the same injury that he had last year and I think that he needs an operation. I’m disappointed for him because we have lost a goodgoalkeeper.
“Last year we had the problem in the last three games because we lost him to injury and I hope this year it is not the same.”
Having made just four appearances for City this term — none of them in the Premier League — after losing the number one spot to England stopper Joe Hart, Given was keen to go out on loan in the January transfer window. Should he, as is likely, leave Eastlands in the summer, this injury set-back could mean he has played his last game for City.
Meanwhile, the FAI yesterday announced a reduction in ticket prices for the remainder of 2011.
International friendly ticket prices will fall from 2010 costs of €55 and €40 to €45 (-18%) and €30 (-25%) . The reductions will see the price of tickets for competitive matches fall from €70 and €50 to €60 (-14%) and €45 (-10%).
The reductions come into effect immediately and apply to tickets for the Euro 2012 qualifier with Macedonia on March 26 and the friendly against Uruguay three days later.
Tickets go on public sale from today in a two-match package through www.ticketmaster.ie.
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