He went on to coach at Xamax and Arsenal, and spent ten years as manager of the Republic of Ireland U21 team.
He made his scoring debut against Shamrock Rovers in May 1969 but he played just eight more games before moving to Luton Town.
The next few years would see him reach his peak, scoring a combined 49 goals in four seasons and helping QPR not just hold onto their top-flight status but contend for the league title.
If he had scored, The Saddlers would have been relegated, instead it was Sheffield United who were consigned to the Fourth Division for the first time in their history.
[4][5][6][7][3][8] In 1981, escaping the negativity of his time at Sheffield United, Givens moved to Switzerland to play for Neuchâtel Xamax.
This may have seemed a bridge too far but it would prove to be Givens finest moment in a green shirt as he scored a hat-trick against the USSR to give Ireland a 3–0 win in the opening game and a fighting chance of making that play-off.
Givens scored in Sofia, but it was a consolation as Ireland lost 2–1 and subsequently went out of the World Cup places with a 0–0 draw in the final game against Bulgaria at Lansdowne Road.
It was a disappointing campaign for Givens, who, despite scoring against Denmark, was unable to make an impact in a group where Ireland would manage just two wins from eight games.