GIVEN REVELS IN CONTRASTS

Given - impressed by Kinnear and Trapattoni.

Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given has been exposed to two very different styles of management in the last few days.

The 32-year-old Newcastle player joined up with his international team-mates and Giovanni Trapattoni at the weekend fresh from his first experience of working with Joe Kinnear.

But while the legendary Italian and the former Wimbledon boss may have travelled very different career paths and approach their jobs in contrasting fashions, Given has been impressed by both.

Trapattoni will lead Ireland into their third World Cup qualifier against Cyprus at Croke Park on Wednesday evening defending an unbeaten five-game run which has given his players the confidence to seek revenge against a country which has proved a thorn in the side in recent times.

Given said: "With his [Trapattoni's] experience, the amount of stuff he's done in the game, you have ultimate respect for him as soon he walks in that door.

"What he's done in the game is phenomenal, and it's a great coup for us to have him as our manager.

"It's given the team a lift, and we have had a good start to the campaign as well."

But if 69-year-old Trapattoni has made an impact at international level, so too has Kinnear, eight years his junior, at St James' Park.

He emerged from his first game at the helm at Everton last weekend with a creditable 2-2 draw after his side initially fell two goals behind, ending a run of five successive defeats in the process.

That result came after an eventful few days during which Kinnear left sections of the press in little doubt as to his views on how they had reported his appointment hours before a 2-1 home defeat by Blackburn, and his first few days in charge.

Given said: "I think Joe was obviously disappointed and angry with some of the stuff that was written about him because he didn't take charge of the game and he was kind of hammered from pillar to post.

"He needed to get a few things off his chest. He certainly did that, I suppose, but he can be judged on the Everton game and we got a point.

"It's a turbulent time at the club and Joe is only in for a couple of months, so he wants to get as many points and results as possible.

"We have got to give him credit for coming up to the club when it's in a bit of turmoil at the minute to try to get us moving back up the League."

But for the moment, Given's only focus will be on Ireland and righting the wrongs of a 5-2 defeat in Cyprus and a 1-1 draw in Dublin which put paid to Ireland's chances of qualifying for the finals of Euro 2008.

He said: "Okay, we didn't qualify in the last campaign, but you learn a lot from disappointments and games you haven't won sometimes.

"Now it's a year down the line and these players are a bit older, have played a bit more football and have gained that bit more experience."