By Dave Knapper | Email to a friend | Digg |
Published: Thursday 04 Sep 2008
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City star set for international action

STOKE City midfielder Glenn Whelan admits he almost has to pinch himself when he looks ahead to participating in a World Cup qualifying campaign.

The Republic of Ireland player was lining up for Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday in January – but then his fortunes took an upward turn.

Little more than seven months on from securing a £500,000 move to the Britannia Stadium, the 24-year-old Dubliner is now in the Premier League and a senior international.

On Saturday in Mainz, Germany, he is likely to start Ireland’s first World Cup qualifier against Georgia as new manager Giovanni Trapattoni sets his sights on South Africa 2010.

Whelan’s impact on the international stage has taken many by surprise since he was called into Trapattoni’s young squad for a summer training camp in Portugal.

Whelan won his first cap in the 1-1 draw with Serbia at Croke Park on May 24, and has also started the friendlies against Colombia and Norway.

He said: “The games in the summer, even though one or two players were out, there wasn’t much expected.

“But I’ve been in the team for the last few friendlies and now I’m in the squad for the World Cup qualifiers.

“It’s going great so far. But it is up to me to keep it going to stay where I am.”

Selection for Saturday’s match will come as a welcome boost for a player who has found himself sitting on the bench for Stoke in recent weeks following the arrivals of Seyi Olofinjana and Amdy Faye.

Whelan said: “You ask anybody and they will tell you they want to play every game.

“It is going to be difficult this year. The manager, Tony Pulis, has brought in some new players and he wants to develop a settled team to get us going.

“I’m more than confident I can get back in the team. I just have to keep my head down.”

In the meantime, Whelan will hope to help his country get off to a good start on the road to South Africa.

The Georgians will not have the advantage of playing in their own capital city of Tbilisi after FIFA ordered them to stage the game at a neutral venue, and Ireland have been allocated almost twice as many tickets as their opponents at the Bruchweg Stadium. But Whelan insists once the first whistle goes, all that will count for little.

He said: “Georgia would love to have played in their own country, but that wasn’t possible with everything that was going on.

“In saying that, it is still 11 v 11 on the pitch. Hopefully, we will have a lot of support, but it will be just like any other game.”

Trapattoni’s reliance on Whelan, who was partnered by the returning Steven Reid in Oslo after his injury misery finally abated, meant there was no place for Andy Reid against the Norwegians.

Reid, who has enjoyed an encouraging start to his career at Sunderland since recovering from his own injury problems, has been widely tipped to return to the starting line-up in recent months.

However, the fact that he has not yet forced his way into the team suggests to Whelan that he must be doing something right, although he is acutely aware that situation could change rapidly if he does not maintain his standards.

He said: “It’s nice to know that you have been picked ahead of great players, and Andy is a great player.

“But it was just that one time and you don’t know what the manager has in mind for the following games.

“I know that I am keeping a great player like Andy out of the team, but I know that if I play badly, he can take my spot just as quickly.”

Like the rest of his team-mates, Whelan has enjoyed the experience of working with legendary Italian Trapattoni and trying the glean all he can from a man who has a formidable track record.

However, he revealed the manager is not one to over-burden his players with advice and instructions.

Whelan said: “He is a quiet man. I think the press might know the teams before we do.
“It helps me personally not to know too long before the game. It helps not to get the nerves up.

“He is a quiet man, but he has a lot of experience and he works hard on the pitch.”

Trapattoni has left his players in no doubt that although South Africa may be two years off, the process of getting there begins in Germany on Saturday, with a tricky trip to Montenegro to follow four days later.

But no-one within the Ireland squad will be allowed to get ahead of themselves.

Whelan said: “We will just worry about Saturday’s game and try and get the three points there.

“If we get that, then we will look for three points in the next one.

“If you set your standards high, you might achieve them. If we come back with four points, that would be great.

“It would mean we are coming back unbeaten and we are coming home with a win under our belts as well.”