BLACKBURN Rovers’ new number one Paul Robinson insists he has rediscovered his hunger for the game after finally drawing a line under a nightmare period in his career.

The 28-year-old, who became Paul Ince’s first summer signing after sealing a £3.5 million move to Ewood Park last Friday, admits he is relieved to have finally left Tottenham Hotspur following a turbulent spell under Juande Ramos.

The England international suffered the ignominy of being dropped by Ramos, shortly after the Spaniard took charge at White Hart Lane midway through last season.

However, Robinson is now looking forward to the prospect of making a fresh start at Rovers, and he admits it’s just nice to feel wanted again.

The 6ft 3in stopper, who has signed a five-year contract with Rovers, was honest enough to admit he arrives at Ewood with plenty to prove.

But, having spoken to Ince about the Rovers chief’s plans for the future, he is even more convinced than ever he has come to the right place to revive his career.

Asked if he had a point to prove after being dropped by both England and Spurs, Robinson’s response was emphatic: “Definitely – one hundred per cent. It’s been a difficult six months, but to come here and make a fresh start in new surroundings is a chance to achieve something.

“I have a bit of hunger back, which maybe I’ve missed in the last couple of years. There’s a bit of fire back in me.

“I’ve trained hard over the summer and I’ve looked forward to this. I know where I am now so I can kick on.

“I know what I can do and I want to do myself justice. I’ve had a rough ride for six months, but I’ve never doubted my own ability.

“I feel I can be England’s number one again. I’m 28 and I have 41 caps already.

“The best years of my career are still ahead of me.

“Now I’ve got a fresh start, there’s no reason why I can’t add to that.”

Robinson’s troubles began after he made a costly error against Croatia in a European Qualifier 18 months ago.

Before that, he was widely acknowledged as the finest English goalkeeper in the Premier League, but that mistake – and the backlash that followed – had a profound effect on him and he admits it began to eat away at his confidence.

“I was disappointed with the reaction to it,” he conceded yesterday, as he was unveiled to the press at Rovers’ Brockhall training ground.

“It was a difficult time, and of course I was affected.

“Maybe I had a dip in confidence at the wrong time when the new manager (McClaren) came in and things didn’t work out for me.”

After losing his place in the England team, Robinson was then made the scapegoat at Tottenham for some of the team’s poor defensive displays once Ramos arrived.

“Not long after Ramos came in, he made his thoughts and things quite clear to everyone.

“But it’s in the past for me now,” said the former Leeds United stopper.

“It is a relief to be out of there now, and it’s nice to be wanted again.

“When you’re having a dip in form, you want the people around you to believe in you and back you.

“I’m excited about what Paul Ince can do at this club. I had a chat with him this morning for 20 minutes.

“He seems to be ambitious and we both feel we have something to prove.

“That’s the type of player he wants – someone who’s hungry and wants to prove something and do well for this club.”

As far as Robinson is concerned, the four years he spent at Tottenham is now a closed chapter in his career, and he is focusing poorly on the future, and the challenge of proving certain people wrong.

“I had four years at Spurs, and three-and-a-half were very happy, but things happen in football. People have different opinions,” he said.

“You either fit into people’s plans or you don’t. For me to be here now, this is a great opportunity to get back to the level I want to be.

“I could have stayed at Tottenham because I had a contract there, but I didn’t feel like I had a lot of choice.

“I didn’t fall out with anyone or make any enemies. I could have fought for my place, because everyone has a level playing field, but this was too good an opportunity for me to turn down.

“Blackburn finished higher than Tottenham in the league last season and the amount of players Tottenham are losing, it’s going to be a re-building job for them.

“As for Rovers, there’s no reason why we can’t push on from here. If you hear the players the manager wants to bring in, there’s no reason we can’t push for a European place.

“I know this club is right for me, because it’s going in the right direction and is very stable.

“I just want to get playing for Blackburn and get back in the England squad again.”