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Shay – Any Given Saturday: : The Autobiography
SHAY GIVEN is one of the game’s good An Irish hero and Premier League marathon man whose goalkeeping career has spanned three decades. He has played in World Cups and FA Cup finals; shared a dressing room with football greats like Roy Keane, Alan Shearer and Robbie Keane and worked under celebrated managers like Kenny Dalglish, Bobby Robson and Martin O’Neill. But Shay has had to show courage and strength of mind to get where he wanted in life. At four years old, he cruelly lost his mother to cancer at the age of just 41. Mum Agnes’s dying wish was that Dad Seamus would keep the family together. Seamus kept his word and the Given clan watched with pride as Shay forged a record-breaking career in the sport he loved. From Donegal to Saipan, Glasgow to Wembley and Tyneside to Paris, it’s been some journey. Shay has seen it all. Glorious highs and desperate lows. Dressing room wind-ups and team-bonding punch-ups. Brutal injuries and crippling self-doubt. Along the way, he has made so many friends. When one of his closest pals, Gary Speed, died suddenly in 2011, he was devastated. He played on, doing the only thing he knew to get him through the pain – pulling on a shirt and a pair of gloves. Shay loves football – for him, nothing can beat the buzz of a Saturday afternoon or the thrill of a big match night under lights. But he has never lost touch with the fans who make the game what it is. Entertaining, opinionated and inspirational, his long-awaited autobiography ANY GIVEN SATURDAY features a stellar cast of famous football names from the past 25 years. It tugs at the heart strings, bubbles with banter and lets slip secrets behind the big stories. This is a rare journey behind the scenes as told by one of our own.
363 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2017
30 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 16 reviews
January 30, 2018
Shay — Any Given Saturday gives the reader an insider’s view of events in a varied and largely successful footballing career. It is a fast-paced and generally enjoyable read, covering his time with Celtic, Blackburn, Newcastle, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Stoke, along with his 20 years keeping goal for the Republic of Ireland, which he did on more than 130 occasions.
The book opens and closes with tragedy. The first chapter tells us of the loss of Given’s mother when he was just four years old; towards the end, and as Given’s footballing career nears its own conclusion, he recalls how he reacted to the suicide of former teammate and friend Gary Speed. Given explicitly refers to his career as an attempt to make his mother proud, and the passages regarding his memory of his mother — and how he never really knew her fully — are very poignant.
A recurring theme of the book, presumably informed by these tragic experiences, are Given’s reflections on how men often bottle up their pain and hide behind “banter”. Yet equally, the book contains numerous anecdotes of his exploits in the company of teammates which, while occasionally very funny, do become slightly repetitive after a while. One wonders whether the editor could have tipped the balance more towards the sporting content at times, as there are points in the book where it feels that the football is merely the backdrop to various nights out.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. Whether I would have done so if Given hadn’t been my childhood hero, I’m not so sure. Yet I feel that somehow misses the point; this is a book for football fans, and fans of Ireland and Newcastle in particular. I just don’t think I’ll be in a rush to pick it up again any time soon.
The book opens and closes with tragedy. The first chapter tells us of the loss of Given’s mother when he was just four years old; towards the end, and as Given’s footballing career nears its own conclusion, he recalls how he reacted to the suicide of former teammate and friend Gary Speed. Given explicitly refers to his career as an attempt to make his mother proud, and the passages regarding his memory of his mother — and how he never really knew her fully — are very poignant.
A recurring theme of the book, presumably informed by these tragic experiences, are Given’s reflections on how men often bottle up their pain and hide behind “banter”. Yet equally, the book contains numerous anecdotes of his exploits in the company of teammates which, while occasionally very funny, do become slightly repetitive after a while. One wonders whether the editor could have tipped the balance more towards the sporting content at times, as there are points in the book where it feels that the football is merely the backdrop to various nights out.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. Whether I would have done so if Given hadn’t been my childhood hero, I’m not so sure. Yet I feel that somehow misses the point; this is a book for football fans, and fans of Ireland and Newcastle in particular. I just don’t think I’ll be in a rush to pick it up again any time soon.
July 27, 2019
My brother got me Shay Given's autobiography Any Given Sunday for Christmas a couple of years ago and finally got around to reading it. Books by footballers tend to be a bit of a mixed bag right across the spectrum, from the excellent (such as Boy on the Shed by Paul Ferris) to the dire (too many to mention). Shay's is towards the good end of the scale - an upbeat and engaging account of the long career of one of the Premier League's best goalkeepers, his recollection of some known incidents (Shearer/Gillespie, Bellamy/Carver, Bowyer/Dyer) in his time at Newcastle, as well as plenty of other anecdotes. There's a lot of good insight into working relationships with managers and coaches - some great, some less so and a fair bit about his international career with Ireland. A decent read by one of my favourite players to wear a Toon shirt and gave us long distinguished service between the posts at SJP.
October 14, 2019
Would be your typical 3-star footballer autobiography, but footballers banter is so bad - the examples of their sense of humour and the 'gas craic' they have in this book are cringeworthy.
Beyond that, it doesn't offer much in the way of deep insight into the game. It took me ages to finish it because it didn't grab me at all. The most interesting parts were about his late mother, which the public wouldn't have known about at all, and Saipan.
Beyond that, it doesn't offer much in the way of deep insight into the game. It took me ages to finish it because it didn't grab me at all. The most interesting parts were about his late mother, which the public wouldn't have known about at all, and Saipan.
July 1, 2019
An enjoyable insight into one of Ireland’s greatest ever players. Some good and funny passages concerning his teammates winding each other up which made me laugh and relate to as an ex player !
Some also poignant and honest pieces relating to his mother’s passing included which were honest and frank.
Overall a good read and must for any Irish football fan.
Some also poignant and honest pieces relating to his mother’s passing included which were honest and frank.
Overall a good read and must for any Irish football fan.
August 3, 2019
Amazing massive respect to hear about man who had go along in life with the loss of his mum after 4 years old to become one of the greatest goalies that ever lived amazing achievement and his mum would be very proud of your career and the man you become. Has some great story's to tell always a pleasure to hear about Sir Bobby .
June 22, 2025
After a devastatingly heart-wrenching opening this quickly settles down into your typical account of a football career complete with the usual mixed bag of stories and anecdotes. Nevertheless Shay comes across as a grounded individual and a likeable bloke, and gives us plenty of insight into the working relationships he’s held throughout his career.
December 17, 2018
This was a great read . Shay has lived the dream and has many a tale to tell in his book. Great insight into how some premier league clubs can worship money above anything else and excellent stories from his time in the Eire setup. What a keeper this guy was.
December 28, 2017
If you're a football (soccer) fan - especially so a fan of the English game and/or the Irish national team, this is a fun and interesting read.
January 18, 2018
Excellent life story a must read for any football enthusiast .
March 30, 2019
Good read, quite in depth.... he will always hold Newcastle United in his Heart. Face didn't fit.
November 11, 2019
Amazing book on his career and his life. From growing up in Lifford in Ireland to being Ireland's number 1.
March 25, 2022
Genuine
It seemed a good and honest account of a great career no pretensions just a hard working Irish Lad who liked keeping balls out of the Onion Bag
It seemed a good and honest account of a great career no pretensions just a hard working Irish Lad who liked keeping balls out of the Onion Bag
October 4, 2023
Great book. Thoroughly enjoyed it. A must for Ireland / NUFC / MCFC fans.
July 4, 2021
Thoroughly, Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The stories he had about the Irish team were immense and very funny, the newcastle united stories too. Its also good to see the hurt and anger that the Irish lads showed after Thierry Henry's infamous handball. Would definitely recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 16 reviews