Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
TO GET ONE CAP WAS A DREAM BUT TO GET 85 ..I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD HAPPEN
He may be a ‘water carrier’ but Whelan’s still a legend in Green
WORLD CUP finalist and Champions League winner Didi Hamann knows a thing or two about what is needed in a holding midfielder.
“Glenn Whelan certainly adds huge value to the team because he’s a team player, he’s very reliable, he’s a ball-winner and very good at retaining the ball.”
That was his assessment of Whelan – the much maligned Ireland midfieldee – just two years ago in the course of his occasional appearances as a TV pundit (below) over here.
No frills, no fanfare and like a tin of Ronseal, he got the job done. It wasn’t always to everyone’s liking and
Whelan was swimming against the tide for most of his 84 caps.
Playing in a holding two-man midfield under Giovanni Trapattoni when most opposing teams deployed three against Ireland didn’t help his cause.
And nor did the spotlight shone by the clamour for Stephen Ireland and Andy Reid to return to the fold to add some sparkle in midfield.
At 34, age has caught up with Whelan but those who wanted rid of him from a long way back might now wonder what the rush was for.
Who among the current midfielders available to O’neill has kicked on when given their chance in Whelan’s absence? Harry Arter? Conor Hourihane? Alan Browne?
Tonight, Ireland’s most capped midfielder of all time makes his 85th international appearance and while it is expected to be his last, he insists he won’t officially retire.
Whelan made his debut in Trapattoni’s first game in charge – against Serbia in 2008 - and raking in the caps was the last thing on his mind.
“No, I definitely wasn’t thinking about the long haul,” he said yesterday. “It was one of them where you just try impress him and give him something to think about.
“I wanted to enjoy it as much as I could and, hopefully down the line, get some more caps but I definitely
wasn’t thinking of the long term.
“To get one cap was a great achievement for myself. I never thought I’d get 85.”
But the Clondalkin man insists he never lost sleep knowing that his performances were not everyone’s cup of tea.
“Didn’t care,” he said without hesitation. “That’s something you [reporters] might want to answer as you are the ones who write the headlines.
“When I came in, all I want to do is impress my family first and foremost. I’ve got two kids and a wife. Then I wanted to impress the manager.
“So, no, headlines and stuff like that, it definitely wasn’t about coming in and making them better.
“I’d like to think the players that I’ve played with – if ever you want to speak to anyone and ask what I was like – would tell you the truth.”
Asked what advice he would give young players in the squad now, Whelan said to enjoy it as the career goes by in a flash.
His last appearance for Ireland came off the bench in Copenhagen in the World Cup playoff a year ago.
He was an unused sub in the disastrous home leg and hasn’t featured in any of the games this year with O’neill changing the guard ahead of Euro 2020.
But Whelan insists he won’t retire and will continue to make himself available in the event he is needed.
“The international retirement thing is never something I’ll do. I’ve never picked when to come and play for Ireland and I’ll certainly never pick when I’m not going to play.
“The manager knows that anything ever happens, I’ll be available. I certainly see myself playing as long as I can. Retirement is way off, I think.”
But Whelan couched the thorny issue of international players picking and choosing who to play for, ala Declan Rice.
“I can’t speak for Declan, he got a big choice because there are two countries fighting for him,” he said.
“He’s a young lad, so there’s a lot of pressure on his shoulders and just leave him to make a decision for himself.
“I’m Irish, I’ve green blood, so it was an easy decision for me.” if