Shay Given praises new Manager Tim Sherwood

Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given says that new manager Tim Sherwood played a huge role in inspiring the club to a comeback over Leicester City in the FA Cup.

Villa moved into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Leicester, who are just two places below them in the Premier League. Both teams are struggling for form in the league. Since staying in the Premier League is a far bigger concern for many clubs, it was thought that Villa would field a weakened team and not bother about getting a victory. It was not the case after they managed to prevent a late fightback from Leicester to win the match 2-1.

Villa had suffered three consecutive defeats prior to this match, but they were on a high after the arrival of Sherwood on a new three and a half year contract. The former Tottenham manager may not have lasted long in his previous role, but he is expected to rejuvenate this Villa team at least in the short-term. Given is coming to end of his career at 38 years of age. He is yet to feature in the league with all of his four appearances so far coming in cup competitions. It is unlikely that this situation will change even after Sherwood’s arrival.

“When the new manager comes in it’s a clean slate for everyone. I have plenty to offer and I hope that Tim sees that today.He was very positive — he’s always a positive guy. He told us to go and express ourselves. We have to take confidence. We scored two goals, and we have struggled to score goals. We will take belief from that as well and use this momentum to take into our league games,” said Given about the half-time team talk given by Sherwood.