Michael Walker talks to the Newcastle and Ireland goalkeeper about a "really disappointing" season and his barren trophy cabinet
Shay Given has become the latest Newcastle United player to question the club's immediate prospects after a "really disappointing season" at St James' Park.
"I'm worried about the club's direction," Given said yesterday. "It is going to be very hard now for the chairman and the manager to attract the necessary quality to a club that is in the Intertoto Cup."
Given is the most senior player at the club after Alan Shearer and has two years left on his contract. Although his long-term commitment has never been in doubt, his disenchantment with Newcastle's season cannot be overstated.
Given, 29 last month, has been at Newcastle since Kenny Dalglish signed him from Blackburn in 1997. Eight seasons and four managers later Given has yet to win anything at the club, which has just achieved its lowest Premiership finish, 14th.
The goalkeeper described the night in Lisbon when Newcastle were knocked out of the Uefa Cup quarter-final as "the biggest kick in the teeth in my eight years at the club". Newcastle lost that match 4-1 having been 2-0 ahead on aggregate. Four days later Newcastle lost 4-1 to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final as their season disintegrated amid injuries and spats between the manager, Graeme Souness, and players such as Laurent Robert.
"I truly believed that we could win the Uefa Cup, more so than the FA Cup," he said. "I couldn't speak properly to anyone for days after that. Now it looks like Sporting, a team we were capable of beating, are going to win it.
"To me the Uefa Cup was Newcastle's big chance of making the breakthrough and finally winning a trophy. Personally I feel at this point as if I should be winning medals. I am not being egotistical, but I've won nearly 70 caps and, having just turned 29, I feel like I am in the prime of my career. I know the time will fly, so I want to win something.
"I also know how this will sound, but I don't think I am saying anything different from our supporters. I could hear what they were shouting on Sunday. They have been amazing again and nothing would please me more than winning a trophy in their colours."
On Monday, Given's young colleague Jermaine Jenas called this season unacceptable and questioned the hunger of some of his team-mates. Robert voiced his discontent with Souness yesterday and indicated he wants to leave the club.
"I was on the bench for the last six or seven matches of the season," the French winger told L'Equipe. "I'd played all season, then, out of nowhere, that was it. Out. Souness didn't say a word to me, but then he's a special kind of coach. He's had problems in the past with quite a few players.
"Quite a few clubs are interested in me. There's nothing concrete in the pipeline, but I'm not worried. I want to leave Newcastle. To play. It's not possible for me to play for Souness any more."
Robert has been a serial complainer, but that Given and Jenas, two of Newcastle's most respected players, should be sufficiently dismayed by the past nine months, which have seen Bobby Robson sacked and Craig Bellamy exiled in Glasgow, to speak out is indicative of the atmosphere at St James'.
Big summer signings would alter that mood swiftly. After Michael Owen informed Newcastle last week that he will not be leaving Real Madrid for Tyneside, they are looking at Rangers's Croatian striker Dado Prso.
Souness was at Ibrox to watch Rangers last Saturday and has close links with his former club. He has spent £18.7 million on Rangers players at Blackburn and Newcastle.
In the face of increasing external as well as internal scepticism, Souness said yesterday that he intends to stay.
While confirming that there is no way Bellamy can return as long as he is manager - though the club sent the striker a letter telling him to report for pre-season training in June - Souness said: "I have another two years of my contract and I certainly want to see out those two years. The person I answer to is the chairman, and only the chairman can decide whether I go or stay."
