Newcastle boss Pardew hails Villa’s Magpie legend Shay Given
Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given had a glorious career with Newcastle.
SHAY Given frustrated Newcastle United at Villa Park earlier this season – and Alan Pardew expects the goalkeeper to again be at his best tomorrow.
Given will make his first appearance at the Sports Direct Arena since he left Newcastle three years ago.
The 35-year-old did not appear for Manchester City at the stadium, but having thwarted Newcastle in the 1-1 draw between the two sides in August, Given will be relishing his first return with new club Aston Villa.
“Villa are in good form,” Pardew said.
“And they’ve got a goalie we know very well – a legend at our club – so we’ve still got a lot to do.”
At the other end of the pitch will be Tim Krul, who has been outstanding between the posts for United so far this season.
Pardew added: “I’m sure Shay will look up the other end and think ‘there’s somebody who can take my old job on’.
“It’s a nice learning curve for Tim. If he plays anything like he has done for the past year in the rest of his career here, he’ll be a massive player.”
Meanwhile, Pardew has explained the thinking behind the 4-2-3-1 formation he has used in Newcastle’s last three games.
“It’s about that lack of a ball-winner (Cheik Tiote) in there – that’s affected me in terms of playing 4-4-2,” he said. “What we’ll do on Sunday, we’ll have to see.”
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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