Tipperary's Shane Long speaks of 'hurt' in manner which he lost coveted number 9 jersey

Tipperary international soccer player Shane Long has spoken out about how he was embarrassed and hurt at the manner in which he lost the number 9 Irish jersey.

Long, from Gortnahoe, played 88 times for Ireland and scored 17 goals, said that Ireland manager Stephen Kenny subjected him to an "embarrassing and degrading" moment in a Republic of Ireland camp when Kenny gave away his squad number to Adam Idah. 

Long, whose last game for the Republic of Ireland was in 2021, said he was furious about the incident and hurt that a newcomer had been given the number 9 jersey ahead of him.

"It was late in my Ireland career," he said on his wife Kayleah's podcast - the Kay and Ash: Share your voice podcast.

"When you come into the ranks you get a high number in the Ireland squad. Once Kevin (Doyle) had left international football and gone to America, I was given the number 9 shirt. I was so proud to have that number, and I had it for years," Long said.

He said that he was hurt when Kenny gave his squad number to striker Adam Idah and that he only found out mid-way through an initiation routine that he had lost the squad number.

"Stephen Kenny called me, Seamus Coleman and Darren Randolph," said Long who currently plies his trade with Reading.

"He wanted to start a new tradition of welcoming new players, give them their first Ireland jersey.

"I had a little speech saying how proud I was to make my first appearance, just introducing them to the team, which I thought was a great idea," he said.

He recalled how Seamus Coleman and Darren Randolph stepped up and handed over jerseys, then he stepped up to hand over to Adam Idah.

"So, I gave a speech and I held up the shirt, and on the back, it was number 9. I remember just handing that jersey over and I just wanted to storm out of that room. That was a manager making a statement," he said.

"I rang Kayleah, she’s my sounding board and she was raging as well. Adam hadn't made an appearance for Ireland, he hadn't earned the shirt," he said.

"I spent so many years trying to earn that number," Long said.

He called the experience "embarrassing and degrading."

"That was one of the lowest. I didn’t want to take away from Adam, it was a big moment for him.

"I went straight to the kit man and asked him who picks the numbers. He said, 'The gaffer'. So I knew then that the writing was on the wall."

Long said he didn't walk away from the Ireland set-up after the incident because he didn't want to let "one man" prevent him from playing for the national team.

"I wanted to get every cap I could for my country and enjoy every minute on that pitch," he said.

Despite not being in the squads for the recent Latvia and France matches, last May, Stephen Kenny said Long's international career wasn't finished.