Resurgent Doyle keeping Wolves from the trapdoor

An afterthought for Ireland’s recent World Cup qualifiers — he only came into the squad for the Austria game after Robbie Keane withdrew through injury — Kevin Doyle has been busy reminding Giovanni Trapattoni of just what he has to offer with three goals in six games for Wolves.

His latest strike was a potentially priceless winner against Hull City on Tuesday night to lift Wolves out of the drop zone as the club seek to avoid a second successive relegation.

And manager Dean Saunders, who played with and against some of the best strikers in the world during his career, is lavish in his praise of Doyle’s timely resurgence.

“Kevin is playing really well,” he said. “In the first half against Hull, he is there flicking the ball on for himself again. That is Kevin, flicking the ball on and running after it and getting it again. Once he is doing that, you know that, physically, he must be feeling better.

“He is a bit like (Wolves legend) Steve Bull. Steve Bull was more of an out and out goalscorer but the rest of the time Kevin is putting himself about, all action and effort. And he is getting the goals now and we are relying on him because all our other goalscorers are injured.”

Saunders also revealed that Doyle has followed a specific training programme at the club in a bid to get him back playing to his strengths.

“We have been training sharper with him than he has in the past and I have changed his training programme,” the manager said. “We are doing a bit more speed and agility and that takes a bit of time to get through the legs. But I think he is getting sharper.”

Indeed, Saunders is now challenging Doyle, who turns 30 in September, to go on for another 10 years.

“Players play until they are 40-odd now don’t they?” he said. “Kevin Phillips is still going strong in the Championship. If your candle is still alight, great. If the candle goes out and you stop enjoying it, then normally your enthusiasm goes and you don’t train properly and you end up packing in. But providing Kevin still has the desire to go on, you can go on until you are 40.”

Shane Long, Doyle’s international strike partner and former Cork City and Reading team-mate, is in line for a rewarding new contract at West Brom after manager Steve Clarke confirmed that talks to agree a new deal with the player centre around improving his current terms.

Long has a year — plus a 12-month option — left on the deal that he signed when he became Albion’s record signing following his move from Reading in the summer of 2011. Talks between Albion and his camp are understood to be progressing well, with Clarke saying: “We are talking about new extended, better contracts for the players we are talking to at the moment. And if anybody comes for players who are under contract they will have to a lot of money to take any players out of the club.”

Meanwhile, Ireland full-back Seamus Coleman says he is still dreaming of playing in the Champions League for Everton. The Toffees are two points behind fifth placed Tottenham and four adrift of Arsenal who are in fourth and, while Coleman admits cutting the gap could prove tough with just five games remaining, he isn’t about to give up.

“We’re obviously the underdogs for it,” said the former Sligo Rovers man, “but we still have games against teams who are in and around that area as well so it’s up to us. As the manager always says, we don’t give up at Everton and it’s good to have something to play for with five games left.”

Everton skipper Phil Neville, who will leave the club at the end of the season, played in the Champions League for Manchester United and has been a big influence on Coleman.

“The way Phil talks about the Champions League has whetted my appetite,” said the Donegal man. “He says when you hear that music playing before the game, you get an amazing feeling and as a player that’s what you want. You want to play at the highest level.”

In other news of Irish internationals, Robbie Keane has returned to training with LA Galaxy after recovering from an injury to his left ankle. Keane is on course to make his comeback against Sporting Kansas City tomorrow.

And former Ireland right-back Stephen Carr could be offered a coaching role at Birmingham City. Carr, who will be 37 in August, has not played at all this season after suffering a knee injury in training. He is out of contract at the end of the season but manager Lee Clark is keen to keep the Dubliner at St Andrew’s. Birmingham do not hold a contract option on the player but Clark — who played with Carr at Newcastle — hopes to find a way to keep him at the club.