Kelly 'disgusted' by Trapattoni comments

He went to Poland and endured the same heartache as the rest of squad felt without a second on the pitch. He was sat on the sidelines when Germany tore an insipid Irish defence apart in October. And he even went to Torshavn despite a training-ground tiff with Marco Tardelli hanging broodingly over him like a dark cloud waiting to burst open.

Now, after non-inclusion against Poland this week, that cloud has burst over Stephen Kelly and he has responded to Giovanni Trapattoni’s comments in relation to the 29-year-old’s international future.

It has been said many times before but is worth re-iterating: you would seldom find a more placid footballer than Kelly. That’s what makes his response all the more unique.

Friendly and unassuming, he has always played the role of nice guy. He has never courted controversy, but the manager’s insinuation that he would refuse to travel unless he was playing has obviously irked a player whose dedication to the cause has never been questioned before.

“It is extremely disappointing for me to have to make this statement. I am simply shocked and disgusted with the untrue and unwarranted comments made by Giovanni Trapattoni,” Kelly said.

“These hurtful and untrue comments have caused distress and upset to myself and my family who have supported me throughout my career and know the level of commitment and passion I have always shown in representing my country.

“I have proudly represented Ireland from the age of sixteen, and I have never shown anything other than 100% commitment to my country and my team.

“I cannot and will not tolerate attempts to defame my commitment and loyalty to Ireland.

“Representing Ireland at senior international level has given me some of my proudest moments in my professional career, and for me captaining my country will always be my greatest achievement.

“It saddens me greatly that I should have to defend my good character and reputation in a profession I love, however, I refuse to allow anyone to question my passion for representing Ireland.

“I will continue as always to proudly be available for my country.”

This unsolicited airing of dirty laundry from Trap has ruined what was a good night for the team on Wednesday. The 2-0 win over Poland re-built confidence and crucially saw the team keep its first clean-sheet in six - a certain boost ahead of next month’s decisive qualifiers.

Ireland’s first mark on the clean slate of 2013 was positive but now it has been blotted thanks to the manager’s careless comments. The caliginous squad environment has again been shoved into public view, and unnecessarily so.

For club and country, Kelly has always been a consummate professional. Unspectacular, yes, but how many full-backs make you gasp with excitement? He has worn the captain’s armband in a forgettable friendly against Uruguay and has earned more than 30 caps for his country, so it was only natural he would be disappointed by this unwarranted castigation.

He gets the job done proficiently and, let’s be honest, more consistently than the likes of Paul McShane, whose work ethic, solely, keeps him in the picture.

But, in the grander scheme of things, this is just one small chapter in the continuously wacky world of Trap. What gives you a stark sense of how unsurprised supporters have become by his decisions is the lack of reaction to McShane’s inclusion this week.

Granted, Seamus Coleman was injured and John O’Shea was still at centre-half due to the absences of Sean St Ledger and Richard Dunne, but not so long ago McShane, who does come in for a lot more criticism than he really deserves, was the player Irish fans loved to hate.

In past games, you couldn’t walk five yards around the Aviva concourse without someone muttering their distate at his involvement. Yet on Wednesday night, it felt like the even the most hardcore fans have given up hope on Trap picking his best players.