Shay Given is hoping there can be positives to extract from the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2012 performances.
Keeper admits Ireland are hurting after Euro 2012 woe
Shay Given is hoping there can be positives to extract from the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2012 performances after conceding nobody expected such a dismal showing.
Ireland bowed out of the European Championship with a 2-0 defeat by Italy on Monday, which followed on from a 3-1 loss to Croatia and a 4-0 thrashing by Spain.
The nature of the results and performances in Poland has led to calls for Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni to bring through a new generation of players for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
Given, who is Ireland's record appearance holder with 125 caps, concedes it is currently hard to find positives, but is hoping time will help to heal the wounds.
Bigger picture
"We've just lost three games, so positives are thin on the ground," said Given.
"We came here before the tournament expecting to do better.
"Things are hurting at the minute, but when you look at the bigger picture in a few months' time then maybe you'll see some positives."
Aston Villa goalkeeper Given admitted he could not have envisaged such a dismal display at Euro 2012, saying: "I don't think anybody did.
"We went into the tournament with plenty of confidence and looking forward to it.
"But it's just shown the standard of teams you're up against when you get to major finals. Especially Spain. We all know how they played and even Croatia were a very strong team as well.
"You know when you get to the finals, you're up against the elite players and the elite teams."
