Interview with Whelan and Keogh with some competition winners organised by lucozade ahead of the upcoming double header: http://www.joe.ie/football/internati...elan-0015367-1
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Interview with Whelan and Keogh with some competition winners organised by lucozade ahead of the upcoming double header: http://www.joe.ie/football/internati...elan-0015367-1
With Wilson Palacios joining Stoke presumably Whelans starting place is in jeopardy.
is he not more of a wide midfielder?
Nope, Delap if anyone. I like Pulis - he's setting his sights a bit higher now (he has approached CHelsea for Lukaku)Quote:
Originally Posted by Murfinator
Palacios is good competition for Pennant.
Whelan, Wilson, Whitehead and Diao are the centre options.
Unless Pulis is going to adopt a 4321 formation with Etherington and Pennant wide and a narrow three in the middle as Palacios would slot into the right of the three, Wilson the left of the three, and Whelan as the sitter.
how ?? palacios is a defensive centre mid who is a good battler but his passing can really let him down, pennant is an out and out winger whos crossing really lets him down. I would think whelans place is very much under threat, pulis will always look to have delap in for the throw ins.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
In fairness to Whelan there have been a number of times when his days have look numbered at Stoke..........he was out of the starting XI for a significant chunk of last year IIRC. However, each time he has battled back to re-establish himself and appears to be one of the first choice in midfield these days.
Stoke like their W's in a players name.Quote:
Originally Posted by Murfinator
Glenn on the way to West Ham according to this
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...15million.html
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...tt-Parker.html
http://oatcakefanzine.proboards.com/...=172457&page=3
Divided opinion on a Stoke forum, one or two want to get rid of him but the majority want him to stay.
"whelan has to stay IMO"
"Still think we'd be mad to get rid of Whelan"
"Whelan is a weak link. Get rid Tone while you have the chance!"
"Jesus ****ing wept" (response to the above)
So not really divided, the vast majority are keen he stays.
Palacios started more games he played for Spurs on the right.Quote:
Originally Posted by the bear
Source? In the last two years at the very least Palacios was the holding midfielder, particularly in their 4th place season his defensive job was cited as a major factor. He may have been playing other positions before that but I'd say hes very much a holding midfielder now. I'd imagine the plan is to play him with Delap in the centre. Etherington and Pennant out wide firing to two lanky strikers in Jones and Walters/CrouchQuote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
No sources I'm afraid. Had always assumed Huddlestone was the main man in the middle for them, then Jenas. Last season it was Sandro with Huddlestone too.
Still, you know best.
hence why palacios is surplus to requirementsQuote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
he's a good buy for stoke better than whelan
They're not comparable. Palacios is a destructor - similar to Faye and Diao they used to have in there. Whelan plays on the front foot, at least when he's not playing for Ireland.
I like to use the terms "ball user" and "ball winner". Simple, probably too simple, but perfectly descriptive. Much more meaningful than shyte like holding midfielder.
they are in direct competition for a place in stokes centre mid so pulis will have to compare themQuote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
i would not see whelan as an attacking midfielder at all or a ball user for stuts, he's probably a bit more creative than palacios but i wouldn't pick him for his creative talents. i'd say it will be delap and palacios first choice
Whelan has had a great start to the season and has been very instrumental in their good start. With so many games this year in the Europa I think he will get plenty of football.
Holding midfielder is the arguably the best description of Whelan's role at international level as he is neither a ball user or a ball winner.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
ball watcher?Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
http://oatcakefanzine.proboards.com/...&thread=177769
Not getting a lot of love.
Reading a forum like that makes me appreciate foot even more.
In fairness to the Oatcake there are some obvious idiots but quite a few people with their heads on straight. Any forum will get knee-jerk reactions and a club forum especially considering they play more matches.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
Wilson's receiving an awful lot of stick on there too.
http://oatcakefanzine.proboards.com/...&thread=177850
Quote:
He just looks out of his depth.
Quote:
I know one thing: I have had enough of his inept defending
Quote:
He is a liability at full back. At centre back his team were badly relegated. His opportunities in midfield were an utter joke with the guy unable to pass, tackle or track back... I know his best position - at a lower league club!
Seems a bit harsh, but I haven't been watching Stoke recently. Seems to contradict the common assumption that Trap is 'out of order' for omitting him.Quote:
The truth can't be hidden - his signing was a mistake, he has been given ample time to prove himself.
The worse mistake would be continuing to play him
Glenn Whelan just signed a new 3 and a half year contract with Stoke. Tony Pulis was singing his praises, saying he has really stepped up to the plate over the last 12 months.
Same action as Andy Reid, opposite outcome.Quote:
Originally Posted by drummerboy
Its interesting one as Pulis was believed to have wanted Whelan out in the summer, with Palacios in it appeared Whelans days at Stoke were numbered. But a bit of fortune with injuries to Palacios gave him another oppurtunity and he's taken it. As Pulis himself said he was proven wrong.
Where did Pulis say this?Quote:
Originally Posted by Murfinator
Pulis just said "He has had a fantastic time these past 12 months, and he's shown that he's a player who thrives on being challenged to step up to the next level."That's probably the Celtic blood in him and a steely determination to prove people wrong, which has included even myself on occasions."
Pulis didn't mention the details of what those occasions were about, could have been a bet that Glen couldn't do the 100m inside 20 seconds and Glen's steely determination saw him succeed.
Whelan finally spoke out about being over-run in midfield in almost every match he has played under Trap, but said he would end up out of the team if he said anything. Fair play to him, I wonder does he see the idea of Hoolahan behind a loan striker as a step in the right direction, or does he want 3 out and out midfielders starting
He said he would end up out of the team if he said anything? :)Quote:
Originally Posted by EAFC_rdfl
He is quoted as saying "He’s the manager now and if I’m told to do something I’ll try and do it."
The only implication there, is that he's asked to do things that he's a hard time doing.
I was wondering what he meant in answer to this question
Q From your point of view, were you happy to see him stay?
A “From my point of view, yeah, well, either or
either or? I know it's dubenglish but was he saying he would be happy either way, Trap in or Trap out?
Whelan outs Trap
After reading that whole interview in the other thread i wonder if the players are going to dump the Greece game on purpose.
I think what he means is that he not going to concern himself with things he cannot change just get on with whatever job he is asked to do. Pretty simple, straight forward and professional attitude. I do feel sorry for Whelan, he has become probably the main target for stick and he is 100% right about the 2 versus 3 in midfield. Always looks a much better and effective player for Stoke. A regular midfielder for a few seasons in a mid table EPL team, not many Irish players fall into that category yet he's the worst there has ever been.
Listened to him on OTB last night. He spoke of his record in recent years and how it stands up to scrutiny. Which to be fair it does on paper. I wonder does he attribute any of it to playing under Trap and what he's learned? Basically when i hear Didi Hamman giving Trap credit for how he brought him on as a central midfielder at Bayern I've oftern wondered has Whelan benefitted in the same manner and would he acknowledge as much....
Ok maybe I need to be even clearer - if he said anything....about being over run in midfield. hows that?Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
I listened back to him speaking on todayfm sport from 8:30 this morning - his exact quote was "...you do what he says, cause if you don't you're not going to get picked".
Didi Hamman had more ability for Trap to uncover :)Quote:
Originally Posted by dr_peepee
Hard to say whether Whelan would or would not be the same player for Stoke if Trap had not adopted him all those years ago. It certainly did him no harm. He's the type of player with the attitude that garnered respect from coaches and he learned from them.
And what manger would tolerate a player not following his orders?Quote:
Originally Posted by EAFC_rdfl
You have to admit that it's quite different to what you first thought Glenn said.
He did say that it's not for him to go and tell the manager that he's not going to play that role.
There are two things, he's not happy with the criticism being leveled at our midfield which means he personally has (unfairly) taken the brunt of some of the criticism directed and he's not happy with the way the midfield is set up from a competitive point of view.
He's shoved the responsibility entirely back onto Trap for the way midfield are set up to play.
I think at this stage this is not shocking news as the issue of Trap's intransigence has dominated discussions around the team since before we went to the Euro Finals.
Well before we had qualified for the Euros too, I might add.
Still its fairly damning saying "if you don't do what he says you don't get picked". I think they, the players, know given what's gone on in the past few months, they are shielded from being dropped by Trap because there is a witchhunt being conducted by the media, rightfully so to an extent. They would never have come out and said this before, even though they felt it. He clearly blames the system for how badly the midfield has performed, with him in that midfield. If any salt to what you say, then assuming its changed to a 3 man midfield, with him in that 3 man midfield, and his performances are still pretty abject, then we can judge Whelan fairly(and fully).
I think by now (after 5 years?) we know what Whelan is about as a player.Quote:
Originally Posted by paul_oshea
The issue is more to do with our midfield as unit, how it performs with the ball at their feet instead of hoofing it upfront or knocking it back to the goalie and how it competes against other midfields.
Nor is it news - Whelan has commented on this in the past.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Ah he hasn't been as outright just that he had mentioned that he preferred 2 in the middle. He has clearly come out and said "you do what he says or you dont play", which could be taken as, he doesn't really listen to anyone else, including tardelli, and the consequences are not good for those who dont "play ball", as we have seen in the past.