SHANE LONG HAS recalled the moment he felt “the writing was on the wall” in relation to his Ireland career.
The 36-year-old has played 29 times for Championship side Reading this season, scoring twice, but looks to have played his last game in the green jersey. It is two years to the day since his last appearance at international level, starting the 1-1 friendly draw with Qatar in 2021, having come off the bench amid the World Cup qualifying 1-0 defeat to Luxembourg days earlier.
Other young strikers including Adam Idah, Troy Parrott and Evan Ferguson have since superseded Long in the Ireland pecking order, with the Tipperary native omitted from recent squads.
Speaking on the ‘Kay And Ash, Share Your Voice’ podcast, which is co-hosted by his wife Kayleah, the footballer recounted when he began to feel he was being consigned to the periphery of the squad.
“It was lately in my Ireland career,” he said, when asked to talk about the toughest parts of his time in football. “So obviously when you come into the ranks you get a high number in the Ireland squad.
“I remember Kevin Doyle was number 9, Richie Dunne was number 5, Robbie Keane was number 9. Going back over the years it was Gary Kelly number 2, Ian Harte number 3. You kind of earned your number in the squad.
“Once Kevin [Doyle] had gone to America and left international football, I was given the number 9 shirt. I was so proud to have that number, and I had it for years.
“Stephen Kenny called me into the squad. He called me, Seamus Coleman and Darren Randolph. He wanted to start a new tradition of welcoming new players, just giving them their first Ireland jersey, having a little speech saying how proud I was to make my first appearance, and just introducing them to the team, which I thought was a great idea.
“So Seamus Coleman steps up, I think he had Dara O’Shea and giving him the No 23 jersey. Randolph stepped up, I think it was Caoimhin Kelleher he gave the jersey to, another high number. And then I stepped up and it was Adam Idah, and I was delighted because obviously, he’s [from] Cork city, he’s a bit of a culchie like myself, a young guy, big potential.
“So I gave a speech, saying ‘it’s nice to see another country lad coming through,’ and I held up the shirt, and on the back, it was number 9. I remember just handing that jersey over and I wanted to storm out of that room. And if it was at club level I would have left the club, that would have been me gone. That was a manager making a statement. But because it was Ireland [I couldn't].
“I rang Kayleah she’s normally my sounding board and she was raging as well.”
Kayleah suggested that Kenny should have taken Long aside and explained the decision to take the jersey away rather than allowing him to discover the news in a team setting.
“Adam hadn’t made an appearance for Ireland either, he hadn’t earned the shirt,” Long added.
“I spent so many years trying to earn that number. That was one of the lowest points, I think.”
Long, however, continued to play for Ireland after this moment and reluctantly accepted his lowered status in the pecking order.
“When it’s Ireland, it’s different, you don’t want one man to ruin it for you. I wanted to get every cap I could for my country and enjoy every moment on that pitch. But that one was a tough one to swallow.”
Long went on to suggest that concern over numbers is commonplace among footballers.
“Even when Robbie Keane retired, Robbie Brady was in the squad a long time and he was desperate for the number 10. He was wearing number 10 at the Euros.
“It was just the traditional way, you have to earn that number in the squad. To get it taken off me like that and handed [to someone else], it was embarrassing and degrading.”
Long added that he still would have been “raging” had he been told this news privately in advance, but says he at least would have had time to “state my point and process it”.
He concluded: “I didn’t want to take away from Adam Idah’s moment as well, it was a big moment for him to play for his country, so I just swallowed it.
“I went straight to the kit man and asked him who picks the numbers, and he said it’s the gaffer. So I knew that the writing was on the wall then.”
