Glenn was the Whel’ deal for us
CULLEN HAILS COACH’S IRELAND ROLE
JOSH CULLEN says he has no problem being Ireland’s unsung hero — just like the man he replaced.
Cullen is soaking up as much information as possible on the training pitch from the man who once occupied his position — defensive midfielder-turned coach Glenn Whelan.
Whelan is on interim manager John O’Shea’s coaching staff — and he has wasted no time in getting to work this week on the training pitch, ahead of Ireland’s friendly against Belgium this evening.
O’Shea even joked that Whelan’s enthusiasm required some tempering when he said: “He’s been trying to tackle the midfielders so we had to rein him in a little bit!”
But Cullen, briefly teammates with Whelan late in Mick McCarthy’s second reign, is enjoying every moment of his reunion with the Dubliner.
Great
“It’s been great to have Glenn in, as well as all of the other staff as well,” he said.
“Glenn was part of the squad when I first came into the squad under Mick McCarthy, so it’s good to see him again and have him back in and get little pointers throughout the week on the midfielder’s role within the game plan for the team.
“That has been great. Yeah, I’ve just been trying to soak up as much of the advice and knowledge that Glenn and all the staff have and hopefully put that into practice tomorrow.”
Cullen added that Whelan’s contributions in a green jersey deserved more plaudits than they got.
Whelan was capped 91 times over an 11-year senior international career and the Burnley man said: “Having trained with Glenn and seen him play close up, I know he had much more than that ability-wise.
“But sometimes I think the biggest compliment you can give players like Glenn is you probably notice more when they are not playing, the job they do for the team and the role he always carries out was always fantastic.
“He is always someone I watched and tried to learn from and it’s been great having him around the squad this week.”
As for the work of a defensive midfielder often going unnoticed, Cullen insisted: “I don’t think it’s a frustration, the people that really matter notice it.
“In terms of the management, your team mates, the people that are watching how the game is really played.
Importance
“They really sort of see the importance of the role that Glenn Whelan played throughout his career, that’s the highest compliment I can give to him, in terms of how important that role he played is for any team to be successful.”
Cullen, meanwhile, says there is no reason to fear this evening’s opponents despite Belgium’s standing in world football.
They will head to Euro 2024 hopeful of winning the tournament, with stars such as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku in their side.
And while they will be absent this evening from the side to take on Ireland, manager Dominico Tedesco will have plenty of superstars at his disposal.
Most of his players are getting regular game-time in the top leagues around Europe.
But for Cullen, it’s been a struggle since the last international window three months ago.
He is back in the Burnley team in recent weeks, but has played only seven games at club level since the 1-1 draw with New Zealand.
However, he insisted: “I was never worried about coming in this week.
“There are a more things in life to worry about than representing your country.
“It’s something we all love to do.
Career
“When you are not playing as regularly as you would like it is always a tough time but that is part and parcel of a footballer’s career.
“It is not always straightforward, you are not always in the best vein of form throughout your career.
“The most important thing for me was to get a good run of games running up to this week.
“Hopefully I can get a good amount of minutes under my belt this week and perform well for Ireland. That’s my main focus.”