MX23RW : Tuesday, March 19 03:44:09| >> :120:19408:19408:

Shay Given: 'I wanted to stay at Newcastle United for life but was forced out'

Shay Given claims in his new biography that he wanted to stay at Newcastle United for life but the club forced him out.

Shay Given has claimed that he wanted to stay at Newcastle United for life but was forced out by the club.

The goalkeeper made 354 appearances for the Magpies but left in controversial circumstances in 2009, with many fans labelling him a mercenary for making the move.

In his new biography Any Given Saturday, the 41-year-old says that the club spun his exit to make him look bad and insists that money was not the driving force behind his move.

"They made it sound like I was holding them to ransom and that poor little Newcastle were being stitched up by just another greedy footballer when, in actual fact, I wanted to stay – but only if Newcastle gave me a competitive contract and, by doing so, proved the club had big plans for the future," he wrote.

"The way the club portrayed me was a disgrace and the money it cost me wasn't – and isn't – the issue; the issue was I'd given nearly 12 years of my life to that football club, given everything.

"They'd quadrupled what they paid for me and when it came down to it, they couldn't care less about me, the future of the club or the direction it was going in. To then read in the papers that I was effectively the one 'desperate to go' made me so mad."

The Republic of Ireland international has said that he hopes his biography, which was released on Thursday, can set the record straight with the St James' Park faithful.

ID:309929: cacheID:309929:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2205:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Shay Given of Stoke City kicks the ball during the Colonia Cup 2015 match between FC Porto and Stoke City FC at RheinEnergieStadion on August 2, 2015 in Cologne, Germany.
Read Next:
Shay Given rules out retirement
>
Read more about Shay Given Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!