GLENN WHELAN IS probably either the most overrated or underappreciated Irish player of all time.
Almost any other Ireland player who has played over 200 Premier League games and been such a prominent part of the Irish side for the past seven years would be considered a legend on these shores.
Whelan currently has 67 Ireland caps — five less than Liam Brady, eight more than John Giles and exactly as many as Roy Keane managed over twice the length of time.
But despite his willingness to show up time after time for international duty and demonstrate consummate professionalism, Whelan attracts the ire of many Ireland supporters.
Yet perhaps, instead of focusing on his weaknesses, people should celebrate Whelan’s virtues.
His first-half display in the away Euro 2016 qualifier against Germany highlighted Whelan’s many underrated qualities — he is the archetypal ‘unseen’ worker — never nominated for player of the season or even man-of-the-match, yet appreciated by those within the game, as illustrated by the insistence of Tony Pulis, Mark Hughes, Giovanni Trapattoni and Martin O’Neill to more or less continually pick him over the years when available.
What’s most impressive about Whelan is his diligence and sheer dedication to being a top professional. Many people in the game with twice his talent struggle to emulate half of what he has achieved.
The first-half of the Germany-Ireland game last year, in which the Boys in Green earned an unlikely draw against the reigning world champions, was an example of Whelan doing what he does best (last Saturday’s Stoke-Chelsea match was another).
Consequently, we’ve decided to take an in-depth look at exactly what makes him such a valued member of this Irish team…
Positional sense
Whelan’s heat map for the Germany game would probably not be particularly big. The Stoke midfielder spent the majority of the first half stationed in more or less the exact same position of the field (see pics below).
This tendency is undoubtedly what alienates him from fans to a degree. Whelan is the antithesis of the classic all-action box-to-box midfielder, so beloved of many Premier League fans (Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in their prime were both classic examples of this type of player).
Instead of rushing about and playing on instinct, Whelan is a more cerebral footballer. He understands tactics and the importance of positional sense far better than someone like Gerrard, who despite his many intuitive talents, lacked the kind of discipline that the Dubliner possesses in spades.
Reading of the game
They’re not called ‘defensive midfielders’ for nothing. One attribute that players such as Javier Mascherano, Claude Makelele and all the other great players in this role have in common is that — as is also the case with the best centre-backs — their reading of the game tends to be exemplary more often than not. They therefore invariably appear to be in the right place at the right time to make a perfect tackle or intercept an incisive pass.
In the Germany game for instance, Whelan was regularly on hand to pick up the pieces whenever an Ireland set piece went awry (see below).
Whereas defensive midfielders rarely play with the kind of freedom and ambition that footballers further up the field exhibit, they tend to be far more tactically aware than their more attack-minded counterparts.
Whelan is no exception to this rule. On the ball, he is not particularly gifted, but off the ball, he compensates for deficiencies in his game elsewhere. The clip below is a good example — he does really well to stop a German attack before giving the ball away carelessly and putting his side in danger in the process.
Yet this example is uncharacteristic in a way also, as Whelan rarely takes risks in his passing, and has been criticised for this approach by some.
Conservatism
Another reason why Whelan isn’t exactly a fan favourite is due to his obvious lack of technical prowess compared with other Premier League stars. He is the anti-Wes Hoolahan on many levels, adhering to the philosophy: ‘Why play the ball forward when a sideways pass will do?’
It’s unfair to be too harsh on Whelan for this flaw in his game – after all, not exactly everyone can be Xavi. But the 31-year-old could still probably do a bit more to improve in this regard.
In a similar manner to his teammate James McCarthy, he needs to be braver and more positive, showing for the ball to give the defenders an outlet rather than forcing them to go long, or taking an extra second to see if the forward pass is on, rather than automatically choosing to play it backwards.
There are also times when he is in a good position to receive the ball but clearly doesn’t demand it loudly enough. Check out the example below, where the defenders ignore his availability and Ireland end up conceding possession.
Meanwhile, his eagerness to play the ball sideways rather than doing something constructive with it is so conspicuous in the clip below that it verges on self parody.
That said, passing it sideways or backwards is not necessarily the wrong option at times. In the clip below, he does extremely well to win the ball. He then looks quickly over his shoulder, realises no pass is on, and correctly chooses to return the ball to the centre-back.
Closing the space
It is games such as the Germany one where a player like Glenn Whelan really comes into his own.
In others, say Georgia at home, having Whelan in the team will always seem a bit redundant, as Ireland will have plenty of possession and will be on the attack for much of the game, and unlocking a defence is patently not the Stoke man’s forte.
But when Ireland are up against a side they are clearly inferior to, such as Germany, having an experienced defensive midfielder in the team like Whelan feels essential.
One of the complaints that RTÉ pundit Eamon Dunphy and many others have made about Whelan is that he doesn’t make enough bone-crunching tackles. However, diving in wholeheartedly to challenges (as someone like James McClean has been known to do) may impress supporters and give the stadium a lift, but it is often completely unnecessary.
For the sake of impressing your fans, a player is risking a booking or worse, so it’s not something a central midfielder should necessarily be doing too regularly.
What the Stoke man is good at is closing the space and jockeying opponents without panicking and resorting to a cheap foul.
Time and again, Germany — the same team who had beaten Brazil 7-1 only a couple of months previously — struggled to break Ireland down. It looked as if they were trying to thread the ball through the eye of a needle, and while it may look to the casual fan as if the world champions simply had an off day, making top-class players look so inept is something that requires serious effort, concentration and footballing intelligence. Whelan epitomised Ireland’s strengths in this regard, as he was regularly impeccably positioned, therefore causing a team as good as Germany to often look so ordinary and bereft of ideas.
Watch how Whelan resists the temptation to dive in below, jockeying his opponent, before delegating left-back Stephen Ward with the responsibility of taking over his man-marking duties. This type of play goes largely unnoticed in real time, but it represents the type of organisational efficiency that is necessary on a consistent basis over the course of the game to achieve big results.
Discipline
Whelan’s tremendous work ethic and level of discipline was replicated throughout the team on the night. Watch below as Ireland simply don’t give Germany an inch of space to exploit, with Stephen Quinn in particular showing the kind of intensity needed to survive against such high-quality opponents.
Unlike many less disciplined midfielders, even as the game got stretched, Whelan managed to hold his position right in the centre of the field on a consistent basis, rather than getting dragged out of place and unwisely following the action.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Whelan’s game ended prematurely in Gelsenkirchen. He went off with an injury that turned out to be a leg fracture, after attempting to block a Lukas Podolski shot and getting an accidental kick for his troubles.
The experienced midfielder’s absence was keenly felt from a defensive perspective, and Germany finally broke the deadlock less than 20 minutes later, as Toni Kroos powered home a wonderful strike.
However, from Ireland’s point of view, Kroos’ goal was eminently preventable. The Real Madrid midfielder had the kind of time and space to take on a shot that he was seldom afforded with Whelan on the field in the first half. Of course, Ireland rallied and John O’Shea scored a famous equaliser, but they may not have needed to had the Dubliner remained on the pitch.
Consequently, for Friday’s away game in Bosnia in particular, Whelan is likely to be a key figure. While their upcoming opponents are clearly inferior to the world champions, in addition to being unlikely to dominate possession in such an overwhelming manner, Ireland will likely start with a similarly cautious, defensive set-up, and the Bosnians may well put Martin O’Neill’s men under the cosh for long periods.
Whelan, with his leadership, reading of the game and work ethic, while being unlikely to win Ireland the match, could nonetheless have a big say in determining its outcome.
Excellent read which the result and results over the past number of years in perspective.
Stick with Stephen and staff .it will eventually prove fruititous.
@John Kenny: John I think we should stick with him for sure but disagree with your final sentence. Look at the teams that we would call in the past our barometer: Belgium, Austria, Serbia, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Turkey, Czech Republic, Poland. These were sides that not so long ago Ireland had a 50/50 shot of beating. Over two legs you’d of said yes. How many of those would we compete against never mind get a result off of now? Our level is tier 4/ seeded 4 whatever they call it now. This Luxembourg team is our current level. Here are some others Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands, Macedonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia. This is our level now
Thanks for the article Paul. The result from last night is the repercussions of over 20 years of mismanagement from the FAI. The problem with this team as been apparent since the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers, in the final stage of the O’ Neil era. We should follow the footsteps Wales made at the beginning of the 2010′s under Toshack. They blooded in young players such as Bale and it was worked for them. We are in this process under Kenny. The players are the problem not the manager and it won’t change if we change the manager.
@Sorcha Morrissey Excellent points re. Wales.
Had forgotten that .
Look, Michael O Neill in Northern Ireland went through a similar string of poor results. Won 1 in 19 ,I think. Lost to Luxembourg away and drew at home.N.I. were ranked 129 in world rankings and he got to 20 in his 8 years stint.Built a side over these years.
More time required with this project.
@John Kenny: I also forgot about Micheal O Neill. We just badly need to restart the whole concept of football in Ireland.
Out of his depth end of
@Bar Hay: Bar stool expert …..elaborate please?
@Austin Shields: fairly self explanatory at this stage go back to bed man
@Bar Hay: your wrong about Kenny, he’s forgotten more then you will ever learn . You go back to bed or at least , educate yourself
@Shane Lad: ok lad you stick with Kenny it will be great craic
@Bar Hay: Explain why? What would a new coach do differently with this squad?Some thought we were going to qualify for World Cup, most football people knew was’nt going to happen this time with this squad.Fair play to Kenny for trying to get them playing decent football, not his fault they can’t get the ball into the net, but these are the players he has at the moment. At least with Dundalk he had players who were used to winning and knew how to play….
@running man: kenny has a league of ireland C. V his last step up in level in Scotland didn’t go to well… He is not and has not enough high level management… Way out of his depth… A dic##ead Delaney appointment…
@running man: we can’t score and just got beat by Luxembourg and the manager was actually frightened talking on tv last night and you want me to explain seriously
@Damien Garvey: Damien – he isn’t just a league of ireland manager he is a league of ireland manager that made a league of Ireland team competitive in the europa league getting points on teams with vastly more money and experienced and playing great football……. that’s exactly the type of cv we need someone who can do more with less – but last night wasn’t good enough.
@Bar Hay: Honest question…do you think NI fans thought Micheal O’Neill was out of his depth??
@Damien Garvey: You’ve chosen to ignore what he did with the under 21s there
Exactly. Let’s develop our own academies and stop hoping the British do that for us. At least its out of our hands now with Brexit.
Perspective is needed. Irish players are of poor quality which took the field last night. Injuries have ravaged the squad. Everyone has said how poor the opposition are but they have beaten Georgia and drew with France in the past few years which we struggle to do. People calling for his head when I dont know what other manager could do better unless you go back to playing ultra defensive and hope for a draw or to sneak a set piece win !
@John Michael Mcdonald: ah this is the problem though. I agree we don’t have the players to be confident that we’d be in the 13 that would qualify. But we have better players than Trap, and O’Neill gave us credit for, we can play football and average more than a pass a minute. and kenny has proved that. But we also have far better players and a far deeper squad than Luxembourg. I’ve been all for the development we need, BUT despite all our signs of development against Slovakia and Serbia (and even Finland). None of it counts for a lot when you can’t beat a team that you are much better than. It’s dejecting. The only thing saving kenny is that there is no obvious alternative – other than one that will revert to the outdated tactics that we are trying to move away from.
@Augustus hoop: but chalk and cheese from the quality that o’Neill and trap had. That’s exactly the problem. I could barely watch them play under trap and o Neill. Then they were totally found out at the Euros. It’s time to get a philosophy of play from the ground up. How many times have we seen players who cant play a ten yard pass to a team mate. Michael o’Neill had the north playing much better football than us. Says it all.
@Augustus hoop: We are not “much better” than Luxembourg though are we Augustus? Serbia gifted us the second on Wednesday night & all we heard was ah we scored two goals away from home. Totally outplayed on Wednesday and it was clear from the off last night who had the better ball players. THEM.
@John Michael Mcdonald: Kenny Cunningham has been slated on the comments here for bigging up the opposition. While he went a bit too far with some of his assessment, he was right about a lot of it. They were more comfortable and creative on the ball than we are (regardless of who them being from a tiny country), they were confident and hungrier to. Sadlier made the point that when we went behind we played with more urgency and that would suggest that we didn’t play with any attacking tempo for 80 mins which I would agree with. Again there was no passion in the players in the anthem, and no heart or desire by most involved. Perhaps Kenny is too soft on them when they could do with a kick up the hole
@Noel Doherty: I just want to know who everyone thinks they should get in and what else they would do with the squad that is available at the moment. Think the players are good enough to win last night but didnt have the appetite for it. Motivation comes from within. If they cant get themselves up for a match then it’s a reflection on the players. Managers cant make players better in a few days at international level
@Noel Doherty: re Serbia – they gifted us the second, but we arguably gifted them all 3, and should have had a peno. That was the best we’ve played in an away game since 2016 euros….
Re Luxembourg my point is that player by player we are much better than Luxembourg in terms of quality and depth of squad, but last night it didn’t look like that, which is a killer. Because up to now I’ve felt we’ve been really unlucky but the change in approach was worth it (I was so sick of watching us not be able to put a pass together and cling on for lucky draws in previous regimes) but if change of approach means you can’t beat poor teams I don’t know where it leaves us.
@Augustus hoop: I agree with you change was needed & no way do I think Stephen Kenny should go. I’m only saying, which I think we are both in agreeance, that we are at a poor level now player wise and it’s depressing. I beg to differ on Wednesday night with you but that’s fair enough we are allowed to banter ;-)
@John Michael Mcdonald: I think Kenny should be retained & supported John.
@Aidan Prior: remember a few years back watch Georgia pass us off the pitch and we scraped a draw. Players definitely need to be pulled up.
@Aidan Prior: when he tried to light a fire under them, someone dobbed him into the Press for it.
Needs to stronger support for the league of Ireland. Too much money from Irish football fans going across the water
I still think all this mess over the last few years is one person’s fault for not doing his job – John Delaney!!
@Garry: I agree. Nobody in the FAI with any foresight. Hell, it doesn’t even take foresight! The IRFU have provided a blueprint.
Fewer professional teams with a more secure funding structure. A more competitive cross border league including teams from N Ireland and Scotland would be my suggestion.
We simply don’t have good enough players, there has been glimpses under Kenny of potential. But realistically the players coming through are not ready yet and the older generation of Brady, McLean , Hendrick among others are not up to it, and there is nothing in between. A few poor campaigns on the horizon I think.
If anyone can convince me that Stephen Kenny kicks the ball for players, who couldn’t play a simple 3 yard pass last night, then I will concede that he has to go. But last time I looked, he stood at the side of the pitch with the same bemused look on his face as all the Irish fans had. If the players energy levels are drained, how can the tempo go from zero to frenetic after Luxembourg scored. How come they put in their best shift in the last 5 minutes plus stoppage time when their lack of game time and match fitness is used as an excuse. Kenny isn’t the problem, the lack of quality coupled with the lack of spirit from the players is a couple of the many problems deep rooted in Irish football. It’ll be a long time before we will be able to consistently compete at a high level again.
@Paul Linehan: his interview last night after the match showed he can’t handle it and he knew
@Bar Hay: His interview showed how devastated he was, nothing else. The Seamus Coleman interview was similar, so I suppose by your assessment he can’t handle whatever your ‘it’ is either. The difference in performance between last night and the one in Belgrade were light years apart. The players let him down big time
Stephen Kenny is going nowhere. The FAI don’t have the resources or the will to sack him even if they wanted too.
I would like to see thou the acceptance that (A)
there is no excuse for not having pride in the jersey.
(B)
the failings in the development structures argument have been going on for decades and it was never a reason for any other manager for not getting the boot.
(C)
Results matter. If we are short players for whatever reason, than play a system that suits the game in hand now. If thats long ball or park the bus for a game or two than so be it. If SK is the man with the plan than he must have more than 1 way to play.
As this train wreck of a campaign has to go on can we at least call it as we see it and not make excuses for him as we pretend time will solve everything?
I’ve a pain in my hole reading about great young lads “coming through”. Lads in the reserves of Premier League teams or playing for Stoke or Millwall or the like.
@Tuesday Paddy: sorry about your hole, but you must enjoy it if you keep going back for more!
Under Noel Kings reign as Under 21 manager we hardly ever read an article about talented young Irish players that had done well in his team or in the UK
Michael O’Neil had a shocking start to his Northern Ireland career (6-0 loss to Holland), but they stuck with him. I believe we have to do the same otherwise the whole Kenny experiment is a waste of time. If we revert to the Trap style approach we’ll never move forward.
These young lads are decent players but they’re not ready yet for this level. Playing them isnt the managers fault as he’s little choice.
Some may not go on to be Premier League class, but hopefully some will and if playing regularly at international level they will gel and progress if given time.
Kenny’s luck has to change, if Connolly, Parrot, Obafemi and Idah start kicking on things will look brighter.
We’ve decent players in Kellegher, Bazuna, O’Shea, Knight, Molumby, Cullen, possibly Ronan, Kilkenny, Connell, Collins
The project is right but he’s the wrong person to implement it. I know a lot has gone on and the luck with situations hasn’t been great, and the FAI are a shambles but it’s clear to see that Kenny is really out of his depth.
Now I haven’t a clue who is the right person to be honest. We’d all have our dream choices, really world class coaches who can handle this project. They’d be too expensive and no interest in the Ireland job. Then there’s the next group, level 2, with the likes of Hughton in there and even he wouldn’t want it. So we would need to look at 3 or 4 levels down and that’s where we got Kenny from. So who is the right person, the fall guy for this campaign, probably Kenny. So we will end up sticking with him even tho he is out of his depth.
@Ultimate FM: This culture Ireland have soccer if team’s do badly sack the manager has to change kenny in the job a wet weekend he needs time,once players go on to the pitch it’s up to them to take responsibility for how they play manager’s can’t do anymore, changing manager’s Willy nilly does nobody any good they need time to built up a relationship with one another and as the team don’t play together week in week out they need to gel, soccer unlike GAA the Dublin player’s train together a couple of times a week they know what to expect from their team mates I know GAA is an amuter sport unlike soccer, the Irish soccer team don’t train together very often before they play a match and most off them don’t play together when play for their clubs rome wasn’t built in a day
@Moya Power-kelly: I 100% agree with you that the culture of changing managers willy-nilly isn’t great, 100%. However 10 games in international football is enough time to judge someone. I like Kenny, I really do but he is clearly out of his depth and as I said in my comment he will be kept on because I don’t think anyone better than him will want the job. So he won’t lose his job for now.
If we’re going to stick with Kenny let him start playing an U23 side from now on. Start giving these young players experience.
Why are the media so defensive of this guy, guy plays average football and is naive. His greatest managerial achievement is managing in Scotland where he didn’t last very long. Only reason he’s in a job is because the FAI are broke.
Stephen has shown himself to be extremely naive. Throwing in a bunch of unproven kids to a competitive World Cup campaign was crazy. He dismissed a lot of the under performing regulars too easily. McCarthy would have ground out a point in Serbia and won ugly last night. We are not Barca. His substitutions were poor, taking off centre half’s cost us the points last night. It’s lucky theirvwere no fans there last night as it would have been a case of a crowd calling for his head
@Pat Brennan: “he dismissed at lot of underperforming regulars to easily”
You’re a gas man Pat.
No he doesn’t. He just isn’t qualified to deal with players of several levels above where he is at. Who appointed him and in the first place. Looks like the yellow pack option. His whole demeanor lacks confidence. He is not able to look at an interviewer. This lack of confidence will seep down to players they see their manager struggling and will automatically loose confidence in him. The manager has to always appear confidence and in control not matter what’s going on around him this is not Kenny grat in loi but this is not loi.