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PREMIER WHELAN
By Phil Campion
Dubliner’s form is central to Potters’ promotion push...
IT’S BEEN a whirl-wind couple of months for Dubliner Glenn Whelan.
He’s moved to a team who look like playing Premier League football
next season and he got the call he’s been waiting for — to
join up with the Ireland senior squad.
The hardworking Stoke City midfielder has represented Ireland through
the underage teams right up to the B internationals but has never been
selected for a senior squad place.
So when he was asked to join the squad for the Brazil gameas a late replacement
he could not get on a plane to Dublin quick enough. And now he wants to
follow that experience by becoming a regular member of Giovanni Trapattoni’s
squad.
“It was a surprise — something I’d always wanted to
do,” Whelan told The Irish Post.
“It was one of the surprises you want to hear. I’ve played
in all the age groups and spent a lot of time with Don Givens at the under-21s.”
Whelan has been around for a while though he’s still only 24 years
of age.
His passing game is excellent and has proved to be a dependable playmaker
week in and week out. If Trapattoni chooses not to persevere with Ireland’s
older players like Lee Carsley, Whelan is capable of stepping up to international
level.
“Obviously I can’t worry about a new manager — I have
to concentrate on playing for Stoke at the moment but you tend to get
noticed in a team that does well,” he said.
Six clubs were reported to be chasing the Dubliner’s signature when
Sheffield Wednesday decided to sell him in January.
Whelan was out of contract in the summer and the £500,000 that Tony
Pullis paid for him was one of the smartest pieces of business in the
window.
“The transfer had nothing to do with me,” explained Glenn.
“I was out of contract — it was not in my hands.
“I couldn’t turn down Stoke City, they were in for me for
a while.”
City manager Pulis has been astute in putting a squad together on limited
resources and he’s impressed Whelan already.
“I’ve only known him a few weeks. He’s got his own style
and I’ve got a lot of time for him,” said Whelan.
“Lots of his deals last season were loanees but he’s been
able to buy a few this season and get a good squad together.”
The Potters’ surge to the top of the table has surprised a few pundits
who have labelled Stoke as ‘long-ball merchants’.
“Not many people believed we could do it — we’ve got
a lot of wins, we just need to keep going,” said the midfielder.
“We have got some big lads and play to our strength but we don’t
get the credit we deserve. People have different opinions about us but
we play good football.”
... as Irish fire Stoke into the Premiership
IRELAND and Stoke City legend Terry Conroy says City are at the top of
the Championship on merit and their challengers lack the Potters’
“never say die” attitude.
The squad of players assembled on a shoestring budget believe nothing
can stop them and three Irishman are the key to City’s Premier League
promotion push.
Midfielders Glenn Whelan and Rory Delap along with right-winger Liam Lawrence
are the players who can keep Stoke at the top of table.
When Steve Staunton was dishing out new caps on last summer’s tour
of America like confetti, for some reason Lawrence missed out.
In December 2006 the 26-year-old was involved in off-field controversy
and sold by Sunderland to Stoke the following month.
“Lawrence has been the most consistent player this season,”
said Conroy.
“He’s nipped in with 12 goals — all he has to do is
keep going. Ireland are not blessed with players of his ilk and it is
only a matter of time before he’s called up.”
Lawrence heaps praise on boss Tony Pulis. He said: “The manager
helps — he believes in me and hopefully I can return the favour
by getting us into the Premier League.
“This club were fourth from bottom a year-and-a-half ago and now
we have got up the League and it is all credit to him.”
Rory Delap’s Ireland days are over but he’s just glad to be
back at the heart of Stoke’s midfield after a horrendous 18 months.
In October 2006 Delap suffered a broken leg in two places that he thought
would end his career.
“I just thought, what’s the point? I’m in agony. I won’t
be able to tackle again,” he said.
But he’s back to his best and his trademark long throw makes a big
difference to City in attack.
“It is quite effective,” said Delap.
“At the start of the season it didn’t seem to be working at
all but the last couple of months we’ve got three or four goals
with it and it is starting to work well for us.”
Irish midfielder Glenn Whelan appears to be the finishing piece in Pulis’
Stoke City jigsaw.
“He was player of the year two seasons running in a struggling Sheffield
Wednesday side,” said Conroy.
“Other clubs came in for him but Tony has been chasing him for over
a year now — it was a great piece of business.”
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