Shay Given still has right stuff – Martin O’Neill

With a cup run and an international recall under his belt, Martin O’Neill has suggested that Shay Given is serious about cementing his comeback next season.

The 38-year-old again faces the prospect of leaving Aston Villa to play more if he cannot displace Brad Guzan but the Republic of Ireland manager seems to sense a renewed determination on the part of the Donegal man after the past few months to extend his top-level career in whatever way he can.

‘International level’

“I think that’s a question that you would really need to put to him,” said O’Neill, while in Dublin to launch the now SportsWorld-sponsored Summer Soccer Schools, “but in conversations that I’ve had, he feels that been given a kind of a new lease of life at international level and in cup matches and almost proven to himself again that he’s capable of doing it at a very, very decent level. That must have given him some food for thought.”

O'Neill was at pains to emphasise that David Forde has done nothing to let him down but, he observed: "you can't beat what Shay has had now at his age."

His age, needless to say, is hardly ideal from the manager’s point of view with Given set to turn 39 on Monday but it is an issue O’Neill is well accustomed to dealing with in regard to key areas of this team.

“It would have been nice if we’d had a Lewandowski to play in our side,” he remarked at one point while reflecting on Ireland’s performances. “I think we would have a fairly decent chance . . . [if] there is a possibility of a genius out there turning the game. And if we don’t possess that at this time with Robbie (Keane) ageing a little bit, we have to try and work other ways.”

In the circumstances a flat out attempt to bring Patrick Bamford, the 21-year-old Chelsea striker who scored his 19th goal of the season for Middlesborough on Tuesday night, back into the Ireland fold would seem a logical move and O'Neill, who could offer the player competitive international football long before he is likely to see it with England, if he ever does, didn't entirely dismiss the idea even if he appears to still have his reservations.

“If we thought, selfishly, that it was going to serve my purpose and the connection was there for somebody stepping in and saying: ‘yeah, hold on, you could not only step into our side, you could be playing top-quality international football before you’d ever set foot playing for someone else if you’re actually connected.’ I wouldn’t have a genuine problem with that.”

Bamford, who had represented Ireland at underage level before switching to playing for England, clearly qualifies and the hope has previously been that he might simply come around to switching back, presumably at the point he feels his England prospects are receding. Given the situation with regard to strikers, though, some more proactive persuasion would seem to be worth the effort.

Wider attitude

O’Neill, though, gave some indication of his wider attitude towards the treatment of players when asked about his policy of only telling them whether they are in his team or not shortly before each game.

“You know, when we gather on a Monday night, I don’t go up to their rooms and ask them when they would like to know when the team is being announced,” he said with a grin. “You know what I like to say to them? You’re very lucky to be here and if you’re in that team, you be ready. Whether I tell you on a Thursday or whether I tell you on a Saturday morning or whether I tell you 15 minutes before I’m due to announce the team. Be ready. Be ready for the game.

“I couldn’t give a monkey’s about the players,” he continued, warming, a little joyously, to his theme. “They will know the team when I want to tell them, most of them, unless he is three years of age and he wants to know before he has a good night’s sleep with a rattle. These are men, you know.”

Most are likely to be kept waiting in the run up to the England and Scotland games again, then, but Alan Judge can pretty much take it he won't be getting a call up despite a strong season for Brentford with the manager sounding cool enough on the 26-year-old Dubliner.

Darron Gibson remains a major doubt with O'Neill saying he was waiting on an update from Everton who initially described the problem as "a lengthy injury".

"I'm waiting to find out what that means," he said, before suggesting that team doctor Alan Byrne might actually have managed to find out. Either way, he acknowledged the Everton midfielder will not have played much football in the lead up to such important games.

Details of this year’s FAI Schools Summer Camp programme are available at summersoccerschools.ie