Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Glenn stick does him disservice
KEITH ANDREWS would love for his former midfield partner Glenn Whelan to be more relaxed in an Ireland shirt. The 33-year-old is often the fall-guy when results go bad for Ireland and has shipped a large degree of flak from fans and some media quarters since coming into the side nine years ago. Dropped during last year’s Euros following the pasting by Belgium, Whelan opted to remain on and fight for his place in the World Cup campaign. His companion in the engine-room during the Giovanni Trapattoni era is adamant Whelan should be appreciated more in his homeland. “Glenn seems a lot freer when he plays for Stoke which is very sad,” said Andrews. “It shows in the type of passes he plays. “He’s been that good a servant for Ireland and deserves a little bit more respect than he’s been getting. “Glenn has always beaten off competition at Stoke. Look at their record signing for €20m, Giannelli Imbula, who he’s kept out of the team. Steven N’zonzi came in a few years ago and he ends up playing with him. Mark Hughes trusts Glenn by always bringing him back into his team. “I never got stick playing for Ireland and it would have broken my heart. “For Glenn, his kids, wife and dad maybe would think about not going to a game because they could get in a row. “Glenn may be disconnected from it but I don’t blame him because it’s not nice. “I’m sure he’s more concerned about his family. “That’s what used to affect me more when I was getting stick at club level.”