Glenn Whelan is among a select band of footballers with a barely recognised repeated consonant in his name. (See also: Sami Hyypia, Garry Monk).
In case you still haven't noticed, Whelan spells his first name with two 'n's.
In the interest of absolute clarity, we offer an example:
Glenn.
We noticed an interesting online trend regarding Whelan last night.
Those who were overwhelmingly negative in their assesment of Whelan's performance against Liverpool spelled his name incorrectly, omitting the extra 'n' in his Christian name.
Here are a few examples:
What a shit game,glen whelan's having a shocker!! ??
— Matt Osborne (@matthew8943) January 26, 2016
Can't watch Glen Whelan running around being glen Whelan me it makes me sick that he plays at this level
— Talk 2 Frank (@frankiekaye1) January 26, 2016
Stoke won't achieve European football with Glen Whelan in the middle
— Jack Gallop (@jackgallop96) January 26, 2016
On the flip side, those who gave his name the two 'n's it deserved were effusive with praise for the Irish midfielder:
Still love watching Glenn Whelan play… Does his job quietly and competently. Nice to see him still doing well eight years after #SWFC.
— Joe Crann (@YesWeCrann) January 26, 2016
Glenn whelan is a class player...
— chappothetank™ (@mattchappo19) January 26, 2016
Glenn Whelan : an unsung Warrior.. Jon Walters : just a Warrior.. Two Irish Warriors #LIVvSCFC
— Joff (@Joff23) January 26, 2016
Let's have a look at the evidence from previous games:
Stoke 0 - 0 Arsenal, January 17
How that Glen whelan plays in the premier league I do not know ??
— Tyler (@tyler_neill1) January 17, 2016
Stoke have the likes of van Ginkel and Charlie Adam on the bench yet Glen Whelan is the first name on the team sheet.
— Tony Bassra (@tbass_utv) January 17, 2016
Peak times when Glen Whelan is better than Flamini and you're trying to win the league...
— Doran (@DoranHassan) January 17, 2016
Glenn Whelan is a massive unsung hero!
— ⚽️❤️LeanneSCFC❤️⚽️ (@Leannewilliams1) January 17, 2016
Glenn Whelan getting well deserved praise on @BBCMOTD . So underrated
— Kev Mooney (@KevMooney2) January 17, 2016
Great to see @trevor8sinclair giving Glenn Whelan the praise he deserves.. Been instrumental for years, midfield skewer! #SCFC
— Will Moorcroft (@willtm10) January 17, 2016
Republic of Ireland 2-0 Bosnia and Herzogovina, November 16
Glenn Whelan is actually a very good footballer, he gets awful stick but jaysus lads he was kicking ball well tonight.. #COYBIG
— Shane O'Brien (@ShaneOBrien005) November 16, 2015
Glenn whelan and Richard keogh tonight outstanding ?????⚽⚽⚽
— Sean O'Connor (@SeanOConnor23) November 16, 2015
I think it's fair to say that Glenn Whelan is the greatest midfielder in world football, probably ever. #IREvBOS
— David Hopkins (@reggyhopkins) November 16, 2015
My god Glen Whelan is shit
— JAMIE (@JamieLynch11) November 16, 2015
There is a team going the euros captained by glen whelan, the games on its Arse mate! ?
— Grant Lothian (@grantlothian1) November 16, 2015
Liam Whelan > Marty Whelan > Whelan a pram > Glen Whelan
— Liam Whelan (@liam11) November 16, 2015
Just noticed Glen Whelan is the Irish captain, heartbreaking stuff.
— David Goldrick (@statsieG) November 16, 2015
While there are a few exceptions, the majority of praise is acconmpanied by the added 'n'.
Save for one fabulous strike against Italy, Whelan has been a spectacularly unspectacular member of the Irish midfield under Giovanni Trapattoni and Martin O'Neill since 2008.
While many complain about his continued selection, perhaps it is a case of not watching him closely enough.
Those who pay enough attention to realise how his name is spelled seem to be impressed by Whelan.
For those of you who speak Spanish, this may be a worthy experiment to conduct with Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.
Unless, like Glen Whelan, you think it's a waste of time.
See Also: Photos of Glenn Whelan Bashfully Applauding Ireland Fans Through The Years
