Robbie has started most games for Ireland since he was 17 so using him as to compare is hardly relevant. Richard Keogh would be more comparable having spent most of his career in the lower divisions and been in many squads before recently coming good. I don´t know how many games Damien spent on the bench when he was justifiably behind the likes of Dunne and O´Shea who were two of the top defenders in the PL in their day. I don´t remember a hissyfit, at the time he possibly felt he wasn´t good enough. To be on the bench timne after time can be soul destroying at any level. He has burnt his bridges with Ireland but I doubt he would want our sympathy. The fact is the team/squad would be stronger if he were in it so it´s more our loss than his. He established himself as a PL player very late at the age of 32 and is probably still not making the millions we hear so much about. Wanting to prolong his club career as long as possible is understandable.
