Wolves star hopes Tottenham Hotspur's Robbie Keane won't be smiling too much

Dec 6 2009 by Bill Howell, Sunday Mercury

“I was a teenager of maybe 14 or 15 when Robbie started out and made his Irish debut at 17 when he was still at Wolves,” said Doyle.

“And at 29 he’s still going strong and is the record goalscorer for the country so he’s come an awful long way.

“He’s not just scraped the record either, he’s miles ahead of anyone else and has got a good few years left playing international football.”

Doyle is full of admiration for the career Keane has carved out, from as far afield as Inter Milan, Leeds and Liverpool.

“Everywhere he goes he’s done well and scored goals and he’s gone for big transfer fees which show what people think of him,” said Doyle.

“He’s never let his standards slip and seems to play most of the time and consistently get goals year after year.

“When he broke through at Wolves he was highlighted as the next best young player from Ireland. He was a built up massively as a 17-year-old and put under a great deal of pressure but he’s lived up to that over the years.

“Kids looked up to him when he broke through and still do now – that hasn’t changed. That just shows what a top player he has been for such a long time.”

Doyle took over the captaincy of Ireland, replacing the unavailable Keane for one game against South Africa in September. He says the two of them have worked well together in Giovanni Trapattoni’s side.

“It’s good for me to play alongside such a top player for Ireland,” said Doyle.

“We do different jobs on the pitch but I think we do well together.

“I thought it worked particularly well during the last campaign.

“Robbie got more of the goals but I play a different way for Ireland than Wolves.”