Whelan: I don't agree with Trap but I'll do what he says

He might be lining-up alongside James McCarthy in what’s believed to be a 442 against Greece tonight, but Glenn Whelan was insistent earlier this week that Ireland would be best served playing with three in the middle to stop teams ‘overpowering’ them.

Unhappy with the tactics, but still insistent that he will follow Giovanni Trapattoni’s orders, Whelan also says the Italian ‘had to take’ the recent criticism because the results haven’t been good enough.

“If it’s me, Keith Andrews or Darren Gibson or Keith Fahey who’s been in there we’ve been overpowered. We’re playing three against two and I don’t think we get the credit we deserve because we’ve taken a lot of stick,” the Dubliner said.

“What can we do? We’re told by the manager to go out and play like this. It’s not for me then to go ‘hold on I’m not’, he’s the manager, he’s the boss and you do what he says because if you don’t you’re not going to get picked.”

The Stoke midfielder did miss the World Cup qualifiers against Germany and the Faroe Islands through injury after suffering a hamstring injury against Liverpool with his club the weekend previous.

Trapattoni has been subject to an extreme amount of criticism following the annihilation against Germany and speculation had been rife that Trap was about to go before an FAI EGM voted in favour of holding on to him for the meantime.

Whelan says the criticism hurled at Trapattoni comes with the territory: “It doesn’t hurt me with the criticism he gets because at the time, he had to take it because the results weren’t right. Us as players take the criticism on the chin. When papers and journalists are telling you you’re great one week you can’t then not take it the next week when they’re telling you you’re not.

“The FAI have now backed him so hopefully they just get on with it and hopefully qualify for the World Cup because that’s why we’re here and that’s what we want. The disappointment of the Euros is still hanging around a bit and confidence wise it’s been dented so it’s about getting over that first and foremost.”

Although he feels that Trapattoni’s tactics assisted the Republic of Ireland in qualifying for Euro 2012, Whelan feels it’s time for change: “When the manager was first brought in, the board were thinking first and foremost to get us to a World Cup or Europeans, that’s what everyone wanted. It’s ok getting us there, it’s what you do afterwards. What are you going to do once you’re there?

“That’s something we’re going to have to work on and try and improve. He’s fiddled about with systems and things like that. That’s helped because since I’ve been involved I don’t think I’ve played against another national team who’s played 4-4-2.”

Whelan did admit to feeling “embarrassed” following the disappointment of the European Championships. In terms of personal criticism, he says his family try to hide it from him: ”I’ve got skin like a rhino at this stage. You have to take the good with the bad. I was hard to be around (after the Euros), not only because of the pressure of being to a tournament for the first time in ten years. It was the letting down of the family, letting down friends and people who have supported you and that’s what it felt like to me. It was hard to take.”

Despite not always agreeing with the Trap’s tactics however, Whelan says the players do what they’re told: “He’s the manager, his neck is on the line. He’s the one who could be getting sacked, I don’t think you’ve ever seen a player get sacked for giving in bad performances so you do what you’re told and you stick with it because he’s the manager.”