The above quote could have come from Kevin Keegan around a year ago, when the club were busy drafting in Dennis Wise and selling James Milner to Aston Villa behind the manager’s back. Once again, it appears Newcastle have been lacking in the communication department, leaving this former loyal servant with a bitter taste in his mouth.
The Guardian reports that Shay Given was far from happy with the way his transfer to Manchester City took place. It appears that once Newcastle got wind that a) the keeper wanted to jump the sinking ship and b) City were keen to acquire his services, they kept the player in the dark until the last minute.
“I thought that after 12 years at the club they would have treated me a bit better than this, that they would have allowed me to go,” said Given. “I have had very little communication from the club. If you ask me when did I meet them I can tell you that I only saw Mike Ashley on 26 January and that was that.”
Given made over 400 appearances for Newcastle but said he had no regrets over leaving for City. “I’m sorry to be leaving Newcastle in these circumstances but it was clearly time to move on. There has not been much communication with the manager. I’ve spent 12 years at the club and it was clearly the case that I needed to move on.”
No wonder the owner and manager didn’t want to speak with Shay, they were probably lost for words as the realisation struck home that arguably their best player wanted to sign for Manchester City. Are Newcastle fans concerned by the departure of the reliable custodian, or is goalkeeper not a position of concern, considering Steve Harper has always been such an able deputy?