The ex-Ireland goalkeeper shares his thoughts following his country's incredible wins against Portugal and Hungary to clinch a World Cup playoff spot.
Shay Given says Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying wins over Portugal and Hungary showed how football can unite the country like no other sport.
Ireland are currently 350/1 in the World Cup betting odds to win the competition, but before they could get that chance they must first make it through the play-offs.
In our exclusive interview, the legendary goalkeeper discusses Ireland’s chances of reaching the World Cup finals, Caoimhin Kelleher’s outstanding performances in goal and what’s next for Troy Parrott.
Ireland got a great result against Portugal – does that show they have the quality to beat top teams and what did you make of their performance?
Luckily, I was there at the stadium. It was quite refreshing and brought back memories for me personally as a player and as a fan. The way the stadium was absolutely bouncing and obviously the result helps, and Ronaldo being sent off. Even before he got sent off, we were 2-0 up, and it was bouncing
We played the perfect game. We sat in a defensive unit, and everyone was working to defend, but when we got the opportunities to break, we did. We caused them lots of different problems.
Their possession was a lot higher than ours, but we knew that would be the case beforehand. It was just about staying in the game, being disciplined in a defensive shape and then breaking out.
It was amazing to be there. It was a special night because we were talking before the game about maybe getting a draw and then we’ve got an outside chance of beating Hungary. No one envisaged us actually beating Portugal, so it was a monumental night.
The last few years have had some tough moments, but now feel like things are going well. I don’t think they could have had a better atmosphere than what they did on Thursday night at home. But then to go to Hungary and back it up – it was just crazy.
What does Sunday’s result do for Irish football? Could it be a major turning point for Irish football after a tough few years?
We’re such a sporting country, with Gaelic football and rugby, but since the Hungary game the scenes I’ve seen on social media and all the different people coming together – I’ve seen babies aloft and grandads jumping out of their chairs – it shows what football does to the country. It’s something I don’t think any other sport can do – it really unites everyone.
Against Hungary it was an early kick-off, but everyone was glued to the TV at home. Everywhere was at a standstill, and that’s what that’s what a successful Irish football team can do. It can stop the country in its tracks.
You can’t underestimate the feelgood factor of it all. The dramatic finish to the whole thing when we thought we were dead and buried with 10 minutes to go, 2-1 down thinking we’re not going to be able to score two goals away from home.
Their fans were almost half celebrating that they were going to the play-offs, but for the lads to keep believing and go all the way to the end, it was the last roll of the dice.
If you watch Parrott’s run from the penalty spot, he was anticipating the knock on, but he timed his run perfectly. Just the emotion of the whole country poured out after that because there’s no better way to win than with the last kick of the game. It was amazing.
Where does the win against Hungary rank among all-time Ireland results?
I think it’s up there. I played in the game in the 2002 World Cup when Robbie Keane scored against Germany. That was actually at the World Cup in such a big game as well, but then there’s obviously the Ray Houghton goal in that era before me and Robbie Brady in 2016 scoring against Italy to get through the knock-out stages.
There are big goals and big moments, but for Troy Parrott alone to have scored five goals in two games across four days is just amazing. I genuinely think it’s up there with one of the best results and best performances and showings of togetherness that an Irish team has had. I think it feels like this group of players have got that feeling back.
Troy Parrott said the last few days were the best of his life. What might the team be feeling right now and how do they ensure this momentum is carried into the WC play-offs?
I don’t think it’s a bad break, if I’m being honest. March is a few months away, so I think it’s an opportunity to reset and refocus.
We want all these players, and Troy Parrott is a good example, to be really firing at their clubs coming into the international break. But in March, you never know, one of your key players could be injured so it could be a tricky few months. But at the same time, the players know there are big games coming in March and they’ll be all pushing that extra hard for their clubs.
I hope these two games have given the whole team huge belief. The manager was really calm after the game yesterday even though everyone was going bananas. He was measured in his interview, but I don’t know how he stayed that calm because the emotion of a last-minute winner to get yourself into the play-off was phenomenal.
How much credit does Heimir Hallgrímsson deserve? He has come under huge criticism over recent months, but his team delivered when they needed to.
A couple of months ago we lost away to Armenia, and I think even the players were a bit shell shocked. Everyone was a bit disappointed.
Managers are judged on results and he knows that as much as anyone. However, to have bounced back to get these three victories, which was needed to have any chance of qualifying is a huge achievement, so credit to the manager for that.
It just shows you that togetherness and the team spirit to push right to the very end gives you a chance.
You have experienced both winning and losing a WC play-off – how that was to be a part of?
I’ve had the lows of losing to Belgium in a play-off when I was really young. I thought my World Cup dream was over because that was just after the Jack Charlton era, so it felt like it could’ve been my only chance to play in a World Cup. I was genuinely distraught and crying on the pitch because it was such a big game.
But I then had the highs of the two-leg play-off against Iran. When that final whistle went in Tehran it was just a burst of emotional relief and joy. I was obviously a fan growing up in Ireland, watching all the Jack Charlton era games at the major finals – so to go full circle and actually be playing as the No. 1 goalkeeper in the country, there was no better feeling. As a player to represent your country at a major finals, especially a World Cup, is the cherry on the top of any tournament.
The Ireland players are so close now and I think most of them probably haven’t played in a major finals, so they’ll all be desperate to get there. I’ve always said this and obviously I’m slightly biased, but I think the major finals aren’t the same without the Irish fans and what they bring to a tournament.
Caoimhin Kelleher has gone from strength to strength since leaving Liverpool and had another two great performances – where do you see his future?
Brentford only paid an initial £12.5million for him and I thought they got him at a good price, because he is a top class keeper. He had just won the league for Liverpool where he played his fair share of games. He also played during a key period of the season, the league wasn’t wrapped up so those were big, high-pressure games and he performed at such a great level.
I think you have to credit Brentford, because they went in early in the window and got it across the line. I think they could see the potential of how good he was going to be. He’s been immense for club and country. I know Troy Parrott will get a lot of the headlines, but Kelleher made an unbelievable reaction save during the Hungary game. He brings a real calm to the team and that’s the sign of a top keeper.
He’s going from strength to strength, but this is his first season as a true No. 1 in the Premier League. I think having a fellow Irishman like Keith Andrews there makes it a really good fit.
There’s no ceiling to where Kelleher can go, so I think he can push on. He strikes me as a player and a person that’s really level-headed and let’s his football do the talking.
With Parrott and Kelleher – how do you see the move away from top Premier League teams as a benefit after struggling to get into the starting XI?
It’s been really important. I think Troy mentioned it when he went to different loan clubs in the Championship. I was a coach in the Championship for three years at Derby, and every game’s like a battle with long balls and physical challenges.
I think it’s a really good fit where he’s at right now, and there’s no argument that he couldn’t fit in the Premier League because it is more tactical and technical. The championship is really helter-skelter and hands to the pump.
I think Troy’s fitted really well into AZ Alkmaar. He’s a technical striker, he’s off the shoulder and drops into pockets where he links things up really well. He obviously has five goals in the last two games for Ireland and that alone is just incredible.
I think there will be clubs looking at him now. Everyone in Ireland had big plans for Troy a few years back when he was at Tottenham, labelling him as the next Robbie Keane. But he’s still only 23, so sometimes you have to take a little step back. It looks like he’s really enjoying himself in Holland, when you score five goals in two big qualifiers like that, people start taking major notice. He’s out there proving to people that he’s a top striker.
Does Heimir Hallgrímsson face a headache when Evan Ferguson is available again?
It seems like Evan has had an issue with injuries for the last couple of seasons, but he’s still growing and still young, and you can get those sorts of setbacks until your body hardens up to week in, week out football.
He went to Rome and he started on fire in pre-season, he was scoring goals for fun, but he maybe hasn’t scored as many in the league as he would have wanted. He’ll be looking ahead to the games in March knowing how huge they are. Hopefully he can stay fit and score some goals for Roma. That will give Heimir Hallgrímsson a big headache come March time because if they’re both banging in goals, he will have a big decision to make.
I think we need both Evan and Troy. Even the last couple of couple of games have shown the subs coming off the bench are so important. Whether Troy starts or Evan starts, it’s still two very good players, especially if they’re bang in form for their clubs as well.
Can Parrott and Ferguson could start together?
I think there is a way, but they’ve scored five goals against two tough opponents in the last two games so I’m sure that’ll be in the manager’s thoughts as well. If everyone’s fit, you never want to change a winning team too much.
It’s too early to tell. There’s a lot of football to play for their clubs. If we’re speaking the week before the March fixtures, for example, we would probably have a clear idea based on both performance and their fitness, but it’s a long way away still.
Do you see Heimir Hallgrímsson continuing even if Ireland don’t make it to the World Cup?
That’s a good question. It’s all about mindset and belief. This guy’s gone and got two unbelievable results that’ll bring huge revenue for the FAI, as I’m sure these play-off games will in March.
A lot will depend on these next games. If they qualify then I think it’s a no brainer, and I think there are a lot of people on side now.
I think he deserves a lot of credit for the job he’s done. He’s stood up for his players at times, as well, which stands him in good stead as the players really respond to that. If he’s standing up for us, we’ve got to go out and stand up for him on the pitch.
