Eurosport - Mon, 09 Feb 16:49:00 2009
You probably know this already, but Player of the Week Shay Given is an absolutely brilliant goalkeeper.
HOW IT WORKS
We tot up the marks out of 10 awarded in five national newspapers - The Sun, The Mirror, The Mail, The Times and The Guardian - to create a total out of 50. The top player in each position will be rewarded with a spot in the team of the week, while the worst scorers will be named and shamed in our Flops XI.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
If Given were English, we would all be saying he was the best goalkeeper in the world. The Irishman's heroics this season have defied belief, and he started his Manchester City career with a whopping 44 points to take Player of the Week honours by a mile. A good win for Sunderland sees three of their number earn selection, while Everton's two-goal debutant Jo leads the forward line. The Big Four have nobody in this team, but four players in the flops XI below.
GK: Shay Given (Manchester City) - 44
RB: Phil Bardsley (Sunderland)- 34
CB: Michael Turner (Hull City) - 38
CB: Danny Collins (Sunderland) - 38
LB: Leighton Baines (Everton) - 35
RM: James Milner (Aston Villa) - 40
CM: Luka Modric (Tottenham Hotspur) - 40
CM: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa) - 38
LM: Andy Reid (Sunderland) - 38
FW: Jo (Everton) - 42
FW: Marc-Antoine Fortune (West Bromwich Albion) - 39
FLOPS OF THE WEEK
Liverpool have made history as the first team to win a match but provide three players to the Flops of the Week. Reina is unlucky, as marginally the worst of a decent batch of goalkeeping performances, but Ryan Babel and David Ngog are duly slated after their stinkers at Portsmouth. Thank heaven for Fernando Torres... The worst individual performer was West Brom's Abdoulaye Meite, whose only competition came from team-mate Leon Barnett.
GK: Jose Reina (Liverpool) - 27
RB: Andy O'Brien (Bolton Wanderers) - 24
CB: Abdoulaye Meite (West Bromwich Albion) - 15
CB: Leon Barnett (West Bromwich Albion) - 18
LB: Stephen Warnock (Blackburn Rovers) - 25
RM: Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal) - 19
CM: Kim Do-Heon (West Bromwich Albion) - 22
CM: Keith Andrews (Blackburn Rovers) - 23
LM: Ryan Babel (Liverpool) - 21
FW: David Ngog (Liverpool) - 20
FW: Ariza Makukula (Bolton Wanderers) - 21
TEAM OF THE SEASON (minimum 13 starts)
Given's heroics see him overtake Frank Lampard as the player with the highest average in the division this season. It has been nip and tuck between Gareth Barry and Xabi Alonso all season, but the Villa man has just nudged in front by the smallest possible margin.
GK: Shay Given (Manchester City) - 34.96 average
RB: Glen Johnson (Portsmouth) - 32.06
CB: Michael Turner (Hull) - 33.64
CB: Martin Laursen (Aston Villa) - 33.84
LB: Patrice Evra (Manchester United) - 32.63
RM: Antonio Valencia (Wigan Athletic) - 33.64
CM: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa) - 34.72
CM: Frank Lampard (Chelsea) - 34.92
LM: Ashley Young (Aston Villa) - 33.72
FW: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) - 34.00
FW: Craig Bellamy (Manchester City) - 33.75
FLOPS OF THE SEASON (minimum 13 starts)
Julien Faubert's move to Real Madrid means he is out of the picture, while Pascal Chimbonda and Darren Bent could soon become ineligible as both have made the minimum 13 starts. The hopeless Keith Andrews has taken Zoltan Gera out of central midfield with a scything, mis-timed tackle.
GK: Heurelho Gomes (Tottenham Hotspur) - 29.66
RB: Pascal Chimbonda (Tottenham Hotspur) - 28.77
CB: Andre Ooijer (Blackburn Rovers) - 28.47
CB: Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle United) - 28.47
LB: Jose Enrique (Newcastle United) - 26.06
RM: David Bentley (Tottenham Hotspur) - 28.95
CM: Keith Andrews (Blackburn Rovers) - 28.18
CM: Amdy Faye (Stoke City) - 27.35
LM: Chris Brunt (West Bromwich Albion) - 27.81
FW: Roman Pavlyuchenko (Tottenham Hotspur) - 26.98
FW: Darren Bent (Tottenham Hotspur) - 27.75
Comment 103 - 122 of 122
man city choose two great players two buy this year city will go to the champions league next year
liverpool will emerge as winner of the premier league,arsenal will not go to the champions league next season,villa will participate in it,gerrard is the best midfielder in the english league
Arsenal will till the end.Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!
rooney rocks
I think there has been a mistake.T.o.t.w.shows Given,Bellamy and A.Young.Tell me it,s a joke
villa will slip
Zoltan Gera is the best. Come on Fulham
Given truly the best. Van isn't that spectacular & Cech lost form. Congrat Given.
I reckon that shay Given is the best in the prem when he puts his mind to it. But when Newcastle liverpool and Givev was in goal, 4 players on the line but GOAL!!!
ALL THE BEST SHAY!!!!!!!COME ON ARSENAL
"shay given is best keeper in the prem by a mile"
Apart from van der Sar and Petr Čech, of course.
Good Luck Shay, You deserve some silver ware, you were a great servant to us, all the best, a sick toon fan!!!
shay given is best keeper in the prem by a mile, good look to the lad. never step out of place once at the toon unlike the rest of them. sick mag
arsenal will back to the track..........u will see this week agame
arsenal will back to the track..........
i do ur solid in a min thuges 60 evry bdy knows Van Der Sar is da best . kk @#$% . tink dey so rich den players turn around and say mark Hughes cant handle big players
AT last we have a solid keeper (Shay Given) and a terrier up front who will give 110% (Craig Bellamy) jury's out on Wayne Bridge1
shay given is da best keeper in da prem and maybe the best in da world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
liverpool rox
LFC=LOSERS FOOTBALL CLUB
van der sar is best keeper in prem''for an old guy.he has best ten players in front of him too-just watch united show how easy it is to win title yet again,watch and learn all u chelsea fans who have never been 2 stamford bridge
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