Given expects to recover from wrist injury for Andorra trip
Out on the training pitch, his colleagues are busily going through a session under the watchful eye of the Irish management team but the ‘keeper, who is resting a sore wrist, insists that there’s no fear he’ll miss Friday’s Euro 2012 qualifier in Andorra.
“It happened against Newcastle a few weeks ago when a lad came sliding into me during the first half and pushed my wrist back,” said the Aston Villa man. “It was just niggling and I have been trying to get rid of it. I took a few days to get some treatment on it and I’ll train in Barcelona. But it’s nothing that’s going to stop me from playing.”
Indeed, Given seems rather more concerned about the state of the Andorran pitch than his own state of health.
“It was hard to tell from the videos and we will know more when we get there but there were patches and patches of sand,” he grimaced.
“It just looked pretty horrific. That’s a few months ago now so maybe it had improved — or maybe it’s got worse (laughs).”
Someone suggests that perhaps Saipan was the last time he played on such a pitch, which produces a grin from the veteran.
“More like Lifford Celtic, Saipan was alright,” he said. “But, look, it’s the same for both teams so we cannot make excuses. The most important thing is to win. We must do a professional job and hopefully get the three points.”
One thing’s for sure, Given is unlikely to be kept as busy in Andorra as he was in Moscow.
“Hopefully the action will be up the other end but to be fair to Andorra they have come on in the last couple of years and I don’t know if you remember but they caused us some problems early on in Dublin (when Ireland stuttered to a 3-1 win),” he said.
“There will be a couple of patches in the game where we have to be patient but hopefully we’ll have chances at the other end.”
And if the evening does go according to script, how will Ireland’s number one cope with a mainly watching brief? “Check out the mountains, I suppose,” he chuckled before putting his serious face back on. “For a goalkeeper, it’s all about the concentration levels. Sometimes you come out of a game like this drained and sweating and people think ‘what is happening there?’ But you have to be tuned in and focused the whole time as it might be a save in the last minute that protects a lead.”
As it happens it’s one of the strikers who remains the biggest cause for concern, with the Irish camp waiting on word from the medics at Stoke to see if Jon Walters has a chance of recovering from an ankle injury. Better news is that John O’Shea, who had been nursing a knock, took a full part in training yesterday.
Meanwhile, the sight of Keith Fahey partnering Kieth Andrews in central midfield on the training pitch raised a few eyebrows in those looking on but Marco Tardelli wasn’t giving much away when asked if the Birmingham City man could be a surprise starter on Friday night.
“I don’t know, I don’t know,” he said. “We have many options now — Andrews, McCarthy, Whelan, Fahey.
“We have again two days to decide.”
RUSSIA coach Dick Advocaat will allow his players to go on a drinking binge next week if they qualify for the Euro 2012 finals.
“(Next) Tuesday evening they can drink as much as they want,” the Dutchman said ahead of the decisive Group B qualifier in Slovakia on Friday. Russia (17 points), who lead second-placed Ireland by two points with Armenia and Slovakia a further point adrift, then host last-placed Andorra in their final match next Tuesday.
Two years ago, the Russian media accused some of the national squad of drinking and smoking a hookah pipe ahead of a 2010 World Cup playoff second-leg tie in Slovenia.
After winning the first leg 2-1 in Moscow, the Russians, then led by Advocaat’s compatriot Guus Hiddink, were eliminated on away goals after losing the return match 1-0 in Maribor. The players vigorously denied the accusations with the Berezutsky brothers, Vasily and Alexei, taking their battle to court in order to clear their names.
Asked if the team would be allowed to smoke a hookah pipe ahead of the Slovakia match, Advocaat quipped: “They could smoke it next week (after playing Andorra). Then, they could also drink what they want, I wouldn’t mind.”
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