• Goalkeeper defends side after Roy Keane's reaction to 4-0 loss
• Given will decide on international future after tournament
Shay Given has hit back at Roy Keane over his criticism of the Republic of Ireland's mentality, telling the former captain that the team's Euro 2012 exit was not down to any lack of professionalism or belief. Keane squirmed in his seat as an ITV pundit on Thursday night as Ireland were drubbed 4-0 by Spain. After the 3-1 defeat by Croatia, Ireland have only pride to play for against Italy on Monday.
One feature of the evening at the Arena Gdansk was the unwavering vocal backing from the Ireland support, who filled three-quarters of the stadium. In the closing minutes, they united in stirring song. Keane, though, was irritated at what he described as Ireland's "only here for the sing-song" attitude.
It was easy to suspect that he would have liked to see stinging criticism after such a result. There would have been uproar in most other nations but the recriminations have been relatively mild.
There is broad acceptance among the travelling fans that the manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, has done well to qualify with a limited group of players and that their approach has simply come up short against better teams.
Given said that Ireland had not been good enough. "I'm sure the fans have done that [come for the sing-song] but the players certainly haven't," Given said, in response to Keane. "Why shouldn't the fans enjoy themselves? They've waited a long time to get to this stage.
"But we certainly haven't come along for a sing-song. We didn't come here just to have a good time, we came here to try and get out of the group stage and progress in the competition. Unfortunately, we weren't good enough, but you can't say we weren't trying or that we didn't take it seriously."
Trapattoni also rounded on Keane who, he implied, had not been a success as a manager. "Roy Keane has been a very great player," Trapattoni said. "But what did he do after he stopped playing? Roy, are you a big manager? He should concentrate on getting results as a coach."
The Italy game in Poznan could be Given's last in an Ireland shirt. The 36-year-old will consider his future when he goes on holiday after the tournament.
"It's all a bit raw at the moment because we've lost an important game," he said. "At some point, I'm going to have to make a decision. It's something for me to think about when I'm on holiday and I'll discuss it with my family first before I make a decision. After the Italy game, we haven't got another game until August so there is a bit of time for me to make my mind up. There are a few months to consider things. I'm hurting really badly at the moment so it would be foolish to make a decision. I think it might be time to step aside and let somebody else come into the side now."
Keane was critical of Given for his failure to keep out Fernando Torres's opening goal for Spain, which he hit with such force that the goalkeeper's reaction seemed to come as the ball hit the net.
Given, though, defended himself and, like many of his Ireland team mates, he spoke in slightly awed tones about the defending champions.
"The [opening] goal was just a blur," he said. "I think he's only five yards away from me. Probably when you see it on a replay on TV, it looks like it's savable but when he hits it that hard, you just don't have the time to react. Replays do nothing for goalkeepers. No team has ripped us apart like Spain and it's a credit to the way they play." Read More
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