SOCCER: MARY HANNIGANtalks to Glenn Whelan ahead of tomorrow's opening Euro 2012 qualifier against Armenia

HE’S BEEN an ever present for Giovanni Trapattoni since being called into the manager’s first squad, for the May 2008 friendly against Serbia. Even now, though, the Italian can surprise Glenn Whelan, not least when he describes the midfielder and Keith Andrews as “a beautiful couple”.

Whelan, mildly bemused, nods on being told of the compliment, returning it by expressing his happiness at the manager’s return to duty after his health-scare last month. “If I’m anything like him at his age I’ll be really happy,” he said. “You can see him out on the pitch at training, still doing warm-ups and running around. He has looked after himself really well. He told us that he was really disappointed not to be at the Argentina game, hopefully now he is much better and he will be there for us come Friday.”

But with Andrews’ injury leading to the break-up of the beautiful couple, Whelan awaits word on whether it will be Darron Gibson or Paul Green who partners him in midfield against Armenia, on a night when the Stoke City player will win his 21st cap. “Of course it’s disappointing for Keith, but it gives someone else a chance to get in and do well – and if they do, then Keith might have to fight to get back in. But that’s good to have in any squad, it just makes people try and improve and do better when they get a chance.”

Whelan was familiar with Green long before the Derby midfielder joined the squad in May, their first brush at the end of 2004 when Whelan’s Sheffield Wednesday met Green’s Doncaster in a League One game.

“We’ve had a few little barnies, I would say, we’ve crossed paths a few times going back over the years. That first one was like a derby game as well, which helped spice things up. I think he hit me once, which I thought was over the top a little bit. I haven’t got him back yet,” he smiled, “but I’ll try soon.

“But you could tell with Paul that he had the ability to kick on and do really well. Then he got his move to Derby, which has helped him come on leaps and bounds. He is playing for a big team now and doing really well for himself.”

“No matter who comes in for Keith the manager has his style and way of playing, and to be picked you need to fit in to that. He’s seen enough of Paul playing for Derby to be happy to throw him straight in. I’d say Keith and I are more defensive-minded than Paul, but he’s well capable of playing in this match. And knowing Paul, the way he is, if he’s selected he’ll just take it like any other game, it wont effect him.”

Also vying for a place in the team is Whelan’s international room-mate Liam Lawrence who left Stoke for Portsmouth on transfer deadline day, with Marc Wilson making the opposite journey. While dropping a division didn’t sit well with Lawrence, Whelan understands the move.

“There is no point being at a Premiership club and not playing any games, what is the point in that? He always said he just wants to play football so if he does really well at Portsmouth you never know what will happen.”

The arrival of Wilson and Jon Walters from Ipswich last month has upped the Irish contingent at Stoke, Walters featuring in the club’s last three games. “I played with Jon at under-21 level for Ireland, so I knew him already. The manager (Tony Pulis) has been trying to sign him for the last two or three seasons, so he’s finally got his man.

“Jon’s been asking me about the Irish set-up, he’s obviously keen to get called up, as any player would be for his country. If he does things right and scores some goals for Stoke he’ll make some headlines.”

It’s just a week shy of two years since Whelan made his competitive debut for Ireland, scoring the second goal in the 2-1 win over Georgia in Germany in the opening game of the World Cup qualifying campaign.

He’s hopeful of a similar result in Armenia. “We’re not going into any campaign thinking ‘let’s go for second’, we’re definitely going for top. Two years ago there were a few players like myself coming on the scene, who hadn’t had many international games. Now, a lot of us have picked up quite a few caps. That campaign gave us the experience of playing in the big games in stadiums away from home. Absorbing that, hopefully, will hold us in good stead for this campaign.”