Glenn Whelan is one of those players who divides opinion amongst Irish football fans.
One of the main questions that those who don't rate the Dubliner seem unable to fathom is how he has managed to retain a starting place in central midfield in the Premier League for so long, but Chelsea and Bosnia & Herzegovina goalkeeper Asmir Begovic claims that those who feel that way are not seeing the bigger picture.
Whelan has been a stalwart for Stoke since they first appeared in the Premier League, and has been a regular for Ireland since about that time too, so why is it many Irish fans take any opportunity to slate him? Begovic offered his opinion while talking to Dion Fanning of Independent.ie:
To the naked eye, and the uneducated football fans, it's difficult for them to understand his role, but he keeps the team ticking over. He's the guy who is the disciplined one, who'll sit in front of the back four, do the dirty work that people don't appreciate at times. He's made a whole career out of that and that's why he's been so valuable to teams.
There you have it. If you don't rate Whelan then you don't know what you are talking about according to his former teammate at Stoke.
Another Irish international who played with Begovic, not only at Stoke but at Ipswich too, is Jon Walters, and the Bosnian again was quick to talk up a man who has become one of Ireland's most important players:
He's one of those guys who never lets you down, his work-rate is unbelievable, and his quality and skill-sets are sometimes undervalued too. People don't give him the credit for the goals that he scores and the contribution he makes. He's a top player and proved himself at Premier League level a long time. He knows where the goal is, he gets himself in the right positions and he's just really reliable, and that's the thing a lot of teams and managers like about him.
Unfortunately it seems as though complacency won't be an issue for Begovic ahead of the qualifier, as again he seems very eager to ensure we don't see ourselves as underdogs going into the game, a position we are very comfortable with taking.
That said, it is nice to hear an opponent talk about players who usually don't get mentioned along with the likes of Robbie Keane, Seamus Coleman, and John O'Shea, so it makes it difficult for us to hope that Begovic has an absolute shocker in both legs of the upcoming playoff.
But not too difficult.
Begovic's story is quite a remarkable one and you can read the article in full over on Independent.ie
