Whelo's gone :-(

dcr22B

Even though I was kind of expecting it, I have tears welling in my eyes here and I'm not ashamed to admit it!

Whelo, best of luck with the future and thanks for 14 great years and even though you never quite got the Holy Grail, you're an All Ireland champion in my eyes.

Just e-mailed Mrs DCR and she replied back with "No more white gloves, it just won't be the same any more".

Let's hope he gives the Lucan boys hell on Thursday

Source: http://www.herald.ie/sport/the-dubs/whelan-im-calling-time-1874649.html

kaimera

Good player when he wanted, 'some' controversy during the years.

Not his biggest fan I'll admit but still,

All the best.

enda1

Glad to see the back of him. Never liked him.

dcr22B

Can I please ask that this thread not be ruined by the usual anti-Whelan / anti-Dubs stuff that we've had here in the past as this is just an appreciation of what he has done for Dublin over the years.

dcr22B

enda1 wrote: »

Glad to see the back of him. Never liked him.

Good for you.

GalwayDub2

I just heard it on the radio there. It was so expected, but still, its like the end of an era.

Lemlin

dcr22B wrote: »

Can I please ask that this thread not be ruined by the usual anti-Whelan / anti-Dubs stuff that we've had here in the past as this is just an appreciation of what he has done for Dublin over the years.

What has he done for Dublin over the years? Played well against average teams like Sligo and Donegal. That's about it. He's always been found wanting against the likes of Cavanagh, McGrane or O'Se. Even lesser midfielders like Clancy have often run rings around him.

For many, including me, Whelan is the icon of what this team of Dublin footballers are: overhyped prima madonnas who are continually shown that they can't match the hype they revel in.

Tbh, Dublin fans should be glad he's gone. Perhaps now that the poster boy for this period of under achievement is gone they'll be able to move on and actually get to an All-Ireland final.

dcr22B

He's got the same amount of Allstars than your entire county have received in the history of those awards so forgive me if I don't take any notice of most of what you're saying which means that he was respected by journalists and his fellow players alike.

I will agree with you that he has been disappointing in some games but for me (obviously), I'll block out the negatives aspects of his game and remember the good times of which there have been many for me over the years.

Lemlin

dcr22B wrote: »

He's got the same amount of Allstars than your entire county have received in the history of those awards so forgive me if I don't take any notice of most of what you're saying which means that he was respected by journalists and his fellow players alike.

Great comeback. So you won't take notice of my opinion because I'm from a county that are poor at football? Being from Cavan doesn't stop me watching football, playing it or having an opinion on it. What do you make of players like Declan Browne from weak counties then?

The All-Stars have nothing to do with journalists or his fellow players. Many journalists have been criticising Whelan for years. Others praise him to sell papers.

I will agree with you that he has been disappointing in some games but for me (obviously), I'll block out the negatives aspects of his game and remember the good times of which there have been many for me over the years.

So you yourself admit he's no hero but you're just going to ignore it? That's like me saying I'll blot out the last 12 years of Cavan football, just remember '97 and pretend its a success! Great way to look at things there!

Name some of his so-called good times then please....

dcr22B

Lemlin wrote: »

Great comeback. So you won't take notice of my opinion because I'm from a county that are poor at football? Being from Cavan doesn't stop me watching football, playing it or having an opinion on it. What do you make of players like Declan Browne from weak counties then?

The All-Stars have nothing to do with journalists or his fellow players. Many journalists have been criticising Whelan for years. Others praise him to sell papers.

So you yourself admit he's no hero but you're just going to ignore it? That's like me saying I'll blot out the last 12 years of Cavan football, just remember '97 and pretend its a success! Great way to look at things there!

Name some of his so-called good times then please....

His so-called good times were his cracker of a goal against Armagh in 2002, his dominant display against Tyrone in the first half of the 2005 drawn game (so much so they had to double team him in the 2nd half). One thing that has bugged me about people criticising Whelan over the years is that he drifts out of games. Every midfielder I know cannot sustain a full 70 minutes and unfortunately, Whelan has never had the players around him to give him that extra bit of support when it's been needed.

There's no point in my trying to reason with you because you'll just focus on his negatives and I'll try to focus on his positives.

Oh, and by the way, the Allstars are selected by a small panel of sports journalists from the national media. Your point of papers praising him to sell papers is offset by the fact that they also criticise him to sell papers (Mr Breheny being my public enemy #1).

Het-Field

When on the rare occasion he was very very good, the man was unstoppable.


His goal against Armagh in 2002 is testament to that.

However, his departure along with Sherlocks, can only be viewed in a positiive light. I hope that the new decade will signal the interaction of a new group of players with the team. They do exist, and for some reason were unpicked, or injured. Losing lads like Kevin Nolan, Mark Vaughan, and Mark Davoren would hit any team hard, particularly when they all have All Ireland Club medals int ehir back pockets from last March.

Equally, the **** surrounding Eamonn Fennell will be properly resolved, and he will be available for selection again. Four players such as these need to be around the team, and if Gilroy sees the light, they will.

Between 1999 and 2000 Dubiln were revamped, and by 2001 were the outside contenders, and going into the semi against Armagh in 2002 were deserved favourites, and save for mental frailties, that game was there for the taking (6 points up at H/T and all that). I think a new side is there to be built. Bring Alan and Bernard Brogan, Stephan Cluxton, Barry Cahill, David Henry and Paul Griffin, and start revamping the team with that as the spine.

DARK-KNIGHT

whelan was a good footballer and not a great!!!!

if you had any idea what you were talking about you would know that!;)

no all irelands and deservedly so!!

goodbye ciaran whelan!:cool:

royaler83

raycaulwell wrote: »

whelan was a good footballer and not a great!!!!

if you had any idea what you were talking about you would know that!;)

no all irelands and deservedly so!!

goodbye ciaran whelan!:cool:

Couldn't agree more, was such a bad loser, threw the dummy out of the pram when things weren't going his way!

Unstoppable when going on a rampage but this happened only once or twice a year max!

Once again showed his true colours against Kerry, great way to bow out:rolleyes:

cruiserweight

Okay people this is a preemptive warning. People can discuss Ciaran Whelan love him or hate him, once it remains civil and does not descend into a crapfest. I don't want to see threads and posts like happened a few weeks ago after the Dublin vs Kerry game which resulted in record levels of bans, infractions etc. for this forum. This will be a zero tolerance thread with this being the one and only warning

Het-Field

royaler83 wrote: »

Couldn't agree more, was such a bad loser, threw the dummy out of the pram when things weren't going his way!

Unstoppable when going on a rampage but this happened only once or twice a year max!

Once again showed his true colours against Kerry, great way to bow out:rolleyes:

In fairness, you could say that about countless footballers.

royaler83

Het-Field wrote: »

In fairness, you could say that about countless footballers.

Probably true but not in such a fashion as highlighted above, don't wanna say too much cos don't wanna get banned.
In the long run the dubs will prob be better off that him n jayo r goin cos they need others to step up to the next level

soundsham

DON'T WANT A BAN EITHER
SO JUST GOING TO SAY HE WAS LOVED BUT OVERHYPED BY THE DUB FANS IMO

I WILL NOT MISS HIS STYLE OF PLAY AT ALL

wixfjord

Never a fan, in fact the exact opposite like many fans of the other 31 counties, will miss the controversey he brought, but not as soundsham says the style of play. Hopefully Ryan can kick on and become a great, as hes a player I admire, a good professional who doesnt usually get involved in the type of stuff whelan did a lot. I agree with the poster above that Whelan along with Pillar sometimes symbolised all that is percieved to be wrong about Dublin football.

overmantle

A pity to see a footballer of ability hang up his boots, whatever your personal feelings about him might be. Admired his play but don't have any personal thoughts about his character, one way or the other.

Het-Field

wixfjord wrote: »

Never a fan, in fact the exact opposite like many fans of the other 31 counties, will miss the controversey he brought, but not as soundsham says the style of play. Hopefully Ryan can kick on and become a great, as hes a player I admire, a good professional who doesnt usually get involved in the type of stuff whelan did a lot. I agree with the poster above that Whelan along with Pillar sometimes symbolised all that is percieved to be wrong about Dublin football.

Provided Ryan doesnt retire. In 1997 one retirment was followed by 6 or 7.

If he doesnt, I would expect him to get far more game time next year, alongside Eamonn Fennell, hopefully.

Darren McGee (apparently only 27 years old ?) will also need to refine his attitude to the Dublin setup, and I would hope he would take a serious stab at it, as he used in 2002)

Dublinproud

Whelo a true Dublin legend and the benchmark for every Dublin midfielder for at least the next 10 years.Thanks for the memories I for one will never forget you!

blackbelt

Sad day for Dublin football.Will be missed but it was never meant to be.An All Ireland Club medal should be the target now but I think that will be even much harder to achieve given that the Dublin club scene is one of the most competitive county championships.

I remember him fondly for games where he imposed himself strongly.Games such as Dublin v Armagh 2002,Dublin v Meath/Laois and Tyrone in 2005,Laois and Offaly in 2006,Meath,Laois and Derry in 2007,Wexford in 2008 and against Kildare this year.Also his display against Donegal in 2002 was immense.

When you want a good decent midfielder who has power,strength,great ball catching ability and who is able to pitch in with some scores from time to time,Whelan fits the mould as a midfielder a lot of counties would want.

Slán agus beannacht Ciarán.

netwhizkid

No loss, You would get arrested for less on the street than some of his tackles down through the years. Talented player but far too dirty, deserved an All-Ireland at the same time, however Darragh needs his 6th far more:D

aidan24326

A good player yes, but not a great one. Not at the level of Darragh O'Se, Anthony Tohill, or John McDermott. Though I wish Galway had a midfielder as good right now.

It's a pity he had to resort to the cynical stuff though, and it's that that put alot of people off him.

NufcNavan

At best a good footballer, not the superhero he is made out to be.

Pity he never won an All Ireland.

LeoB

royaler83 wrote: »

Couldn't agree more, was such a bad loser, threw the dummy out of the pram when things weren't going his way!

Unstoppable when going on a rampage but this happened only once or twice a year max!

Once again showed his true colours against Kerry, great way to bow out:rolleyes:

I am not a big fan of Ciaran Whelan but Like him or loathe him Ciaran Whelan was a good player. He was exciting to watch.
Will agree he Didnt go on the rampage often enough but he didnt have lads around him who were clattering lads off the ball to help him.

For you to say he showed his true colours against Kerry is stupid. Whelan threw a few digs over the years, but nothing you could say was actually bad. This is anti-Dublin the way you put it.

Before people like you come on and say things like this about him or any intercounty player you should take a real close look at your own county.

As a person he was quite yet friendly and I wish him well just as I did Colm Coyle, Mick Lyons, Liam Harnan oh and the great gentleman Martin O'Connell;)

Actually think Jason Sherlock will be a big loss. So good luck to him also. Oh and Graham Geraghty also

soundsham

Dublinproud wrote: »

Whelo a true Dublin legend and the benchmark for every Dublin midfielder for at least the next 10 years.Thanks for the memories I for one will never forget you!

bit ott there,
surely the likes of d o'shea was and s cavanagh is what you would be looking for as the benchmark,
leaders and winners,surely you should be looking to the top of the pile of ai winners

Dublinproud

soundsham wrote: »

bit ott there,
surely the likes of d o'shea was and s cavanagh is what you would be looking for as the benchmark,
leaders and winners,surely you should be looking to the top of the pile of ai winners

Soundsham unlike many people on this thread I only concern myself with players from my own county.Ciaran Whelan is the best midfielder Dublin have produced since Brian Mullins.But seen as you brought them up how do you think either of the players you mentioned would have done surrounded by the players Whelan had playing with him on the Dubs team?

offalyman

Really could never see anything in him. Always thought he was over hyped by the media and went missing when really needed! My own county have not had a lot of top class player over the last 25 years but when I do think about legends he doesn't spring to mind. Not fit to lace Dara O Se's boot!

Lemlin

Dublinproud wrote: »

Soundsham unlike many people on this thread I only concern myself with players from my own county.Ciaran Whelan is the best midfielder Dublin have produced since Brian Mullins.But seen as you brought them up how do you think either of the players you mentioned would have done surrounded by the players Whelan had playing with him on the Dubs team?

What a load of tripe. Whelan was great because he was the best Dublin had? Pull the other one. If you want to be labelled the best you have to be compared to the best and Whelan can't even match the best of his own generation.

You go ahead and concern yourself with players from your own county but the rest of us will be realistic and realise that the All-Ireland is a competition where players from all counties have to be compared.

This thread shows straight away how he polarises opinion. Start a thread about Sean Cavanagh or Daragh O'Se and you won't get the same reaction from people because they live up to the hype.

royaler83

LeoB wrote: »

I am not a big fan of Ciaran Whelan but Like him or loathe him Ciaran Whelan was a good player. He was exciting to watch.
Will agree he Didnt go on the rampage often enough but he didnt have lads around him who were clattering lads off the ball to help him.

For you to say he showed his true colours against Kerry is stupid. Whelan threw a few digs over the years, but nothing you could say was actually bad. This is anti-Dublin the way you put it.

Before people like you come on and say things like this about him or any intercounty player you should take a real close look at your own county.

As a person he was quite yet friendly and I wish him well just as I did Colm Coyle, Mick Lyons, Liam Harnan oh and the great gentleman Martin O'Connell;)

Actually think Jason Sherlock will be a big loss. So good luck to him also. Oh and Graham Geraghty also

You're way off the mark there, have great respect for most dubs players, brogans, ryan, griffin etc and as I said respect for whelan when he was in the right frame of mind.

Oh and by the way since when is an elbow in the face not bad :rolleyes:

The above Meath players had there moments i must admit but why bring them into a thread about whelan

blackbelt

It is amazing that people compare Ciaran Whelan to Darragh O Sé and say "he wasn't fit to lace his boots".This is just utter crap and showing a lack of intelligence.

Ok,Darragh O Sé has the AI medals and is a better all round midfielder than Whelan but people seem to forget that Whelan bested O Sé for most of the 1st half in the 2007 game and some of the 2nd half and it wasn't until O Sé was taken off temporarily that Kerry got the job done in midfield with Tommy Griffin.

So those saying Whelan wasn't fit to lace Daragh O Sé's boots,get a grip and stop talking out your arse.Statements like that are way over the top and disrespectful.

Grudaire

To add to that the posters who see fit to downplay Wheelans skills are probably not fit to lace Wheelo's boots, let alone contest a high ball with the man.

Lemlin

Cliste wrote: »

To add to that the posters who see fit to downplay Wheelans skills are probably not fit to lace Wheelo's boots, let alone contest a high ball with the man.

When did I ever say I was fit to contest a high ball with the man? I doubt I'd be fit to contest a high ball with 90% of county players across the country but that doesn't stop me having an opinion.

Lemlin

blackbelt wrote: »

It is amazing that people compare Ciaran Whelan to Darragh O Sé and say "he wasn't fit to lace his boots".This is just utter crap and showing a lack of intelligence.

Ok,Darragh O Sé has the AI medals and is a better all round midfielder than Whelan but people seem to forget that Whelan bested O Sé for most of the 1st half in the 2007 game and some of the 2nd half and it wasn't until O Sé was taken off temporarily that Kerry got the job done in midfield with Tommy Griffin.

So those saying Whelan wasn't fit to lace Daragh O Sé's boots,get a grip and stop talking out your arse.Statements like that are way over the top and disrespectful.

Whelan played football for Dublin since 1996, 13 years. Yet I've yet to remember one game where he truly changed a match.

In 2004 Dermot McCabe came off the bench for Cavan against Down at half time. Benny Coulter had given a sublime display of goalscoring in the first half, scoring two goals and Down were 7 points ahead.

McCabe totally changed the match. He was thrown in at full forward and quickly got a goal and lifted the entire team and fans. The Down backline couldn't live with him. He was involved in everything Cavan did and they ended up winning a game they were losing by seven points by four. 3-13 to 2-12. This was a player coming back from injury who totally changed a game which Pat Spillane later listed as number 3 in his games of the championship that year.

Now I'm not saying Dermot McCabe is the messiah. Nor am I saying he is better than Ciaran Whelan. However, when has Whelan ever changed a game like this? Look at the way Kieran Donaghey can change a game like he did for Kerry against Armagh a few years ago (2006 I think it was). Whelan was never capable of doing that.

Yes, he may have lived with O'Se for a half a game in your opinion but he wasn't there when Dublin needed him at the end. Too often over the 13 years he has been found wanting and his fading out of games is significant to the way Dublin often fade out of games. Top players should be lifting their team, not disappearing out of the game at vital times.

There's been talk of him leaving for years (particularly in 2003 I think it was when he was very poor and was moved to the half forwards) so now that he's finally gone perhaps Dublin can kick on and actually reach a final.

DDC1990

While he had a rough side to him, (Aidan O'Mahoney 2009, Darren O'Sullivan 2007, The Meath Midfielder 4 seconds into the match 2005), he was a good footballer.
He was like what Darragh Ó Sé is now, great for periods, but then disappears.
However, when he was on form for those 20 or 30 minutes, he was class to watch.
Dublin without Whelo is hard to imagine.

Now a more pressing issure for ye Dubs... Who's his replacement?
Certainly not Darran Magee or Ross McConnell?

Eamon Fenell (if he hasn't let himself go in his year out.)?
Or is there any unearthed gems in Dublin football?
Sly's John Coughlan perhaps? Only 23-24 and Built the same as Whelan.
He even wears the massive white gloves :P

Grudaire

Lemlin wrote: »

When did I ever say I was fit to contest a high ball with the man? I doubt I'd be fit to contest a high ball with 90% of county players across the country but that doesn't stop me having an opinion.

I never said that you said you were. I was loosely telling you to stop being so judgemental, while gently referencing Wheelan's ability to field ball.

Whatever about having an opinion you have taken it upon yourself to make sure everyone hears it. You've been here from the first page, and I'm sure you'll last longer complaining. I notice that ya never dealt with dcr22b's post on the first page. Untwist them knickers and stop looking for a fight.

blackbelt

Lemlin wrote: »

Whelan played football for Dublin since 1996, 13 years. Yet I've yet to remember one game where he truly changed a match.

In 2004 Dermot McCabe came off the bench for Cavan against Down at half time. Benny Coulter had given a sublime display of goalscoring in the first half, scoring two goals and Down were 7 points ahead.

McCabe totally changed the match. He was thrown in at full forward and quickly got a goal and lifted the entire team and fans. The Down backline couldn't live with him. He was involved in everything Cavan did and they ended up winning a game they were losing by seven points by four. 3-13 to 2-12. This was a player coming back from injury who totally changed a game which Pat Spillane later listed as number 3 in his games of the championship that year.

Now I'm not saying Dermot McCabe is the messiah. Nor am I saying he is better than Ciaran Whelan. However, when has Whelan ever changed a game like this? Look at the way Kieran Donaghey can change a game like he did for Kerry against Armagh a few years ago (2006 I think it was). Whelan was never capable of doing that.

Yes, he may have lived with O'Se for a half a game in your opinion but he wasn't there when Dublin needed him at the end. Too often over the 13 years he has been found wanting and his fading out of games is significant to the way Dublin often fade out of games. Top players should be lifting their team, not disappearing out of the game at vital times.

There's been talk of him leaving for years (particularly in 2003 I think it was when he was very poor and was moved to the half forwards) so now that he's finally gone perhaps Dublin can kick on and actually reach a final.

I can think of one game,this years Leinster Final.Sure we were only down by a point at half time against Kildare but he showed great resolve to come on and score a point or two to settle Dublin down in the second half while Magee and McConnell had started to fade.Not only did he score but he dominated midfield where Earley was mopping up before and his introduction gave the Dublin team the lift it needed.

Sadly,this is where we may lack next year.

blackbelt

DDC1990 wrote: »

While he had a rough side to him, (Aidan O'Mahoney 2009, Darren O'Sullivan 2007, The Meath Midfielder 4 seconds into the match 2005), he was a good footballer.
He was like what Darragh Ó Sé is now, great for periods, but then disappears.
However, when he was on form for those 20 or 30 minutes, he was class to watch.
Dublin without Whelo is hard to imagine.

Now a more pressing issure for ye Dubs... Who's his replacement?
Certainly not Darran Magee or Ross McConnell?

Eamon Fenell (if he hasn't let himself go in his year out.)?
Or is there any unearthed gems in Dublin football?
Sly's John Coughlan perhaps? Only 23-24 and Built the same as Whelan.
He even wears the massive white gloves :P

Well with Whelan gone and Fennells condition unknown,one would have to think the trio of Ryan,McConnell and Magee will have to hold down the midfield position.

I think the partnership of Ryan and Fennell or Ryan and Magee would work best although we have yet to try out the combo of Fennell and Magee or Fennell and McConnell.

We also have an option in replacing Denis Bastic with Cian O Sullivan at number 3 and trying out Bastic again at midfield.

I also hope that Gilroy looks at Jamesie O Connor as a viable option as he did well in his debut against Offaly in the O Byrne Cup.

premierstone

I think he really symbolised the Dublin team, mixed the sublime with the very ordinary at times and was inevitably over-hyped addmittedly through no fault of he's own really felt Dublin should have tried him at FF recently would have been a nightmare for any full back and with the brogans or even jayo either side of him playing off him it would have been very similar to Donaghy and Gooch

Spiritoftheseventies

premierstone wrote: »

I think he really symbolised the Dublin team, mixed the sublime with the very ordinary at times and was inevitably over-hyped addmittedly through no fault of he's own really felt Dublin should have tried him at FF recently would have been a nightmare for any full back and with the brogans or even jayo either side of him playing off him it would have been very similar to Donaghy and Gooch

I think its a tribute to Whelan that even non county posters are flocking to this thread to make their opinions known.
First and foremost. he was no Brian Mullins. But who was. Mullins will always be the best midfield we ever had.
I doubt I will see Mullins likes in my lifetime.
But Whelan in his prime was some player. Pitched in with an average of three or four points and had a terrific engine.
Its a shame he never won an All Ireland medal his efforts deserved. But as recent poll suggests, he was one of our best performers. Definitely in top five in last ten years.

Lemlin

dcr22B wrote: »

His so-called good times were his cracker of a goal against Armagh in 2002, his dominant display against Tyrone in the first half of the 2005 drawn game (so much so they had to double team him in the 2nd half). One thing that has bugged me about people criticising Whelan over the years is that he drifts out of games. Every midfielder I know cannot sustain a full 70 minutes and unfortunately, Whelan has never had the players around him to give him that extra bit of support when it's been needed.

There's no point in my trying to reason with you because you'll just focus on his negatives and I'll try to focus on his positives.

Oh, and by the way, the Allstars are selected by a small panel of sports journalists from the national media. Your point of papers praising him to sell papers is offset by the fact that they also criticise him to sell papers (Mr Breheny being my public enemy #1).

I was told I hadn't dealt with this post so here goes:

You've cited two games where you think Whelan played well. 2 games in thirteen years and Dublin won neither of those games. Enough said there I think.

I do realise Whelan had his positives but my argument is that in no way is he the player that some quarters have painted him as. You've agreed to the same yourself so I've no argument here.

Yes, a small panel of sports journalists pick the All-Stars - so surely I'm right then in saying that the All Stars aren't indicative of what his fellow players and the general media think?

Spiritoftheseventies

Lemlin wrote: »

I was told I hadn't dealt with this post so here goes:

You've cited two games where you think Whelan played well. 2 games in thirteen years and Dublin won neither of those games. Enough said there I think.

I do realise Whelan had his positives but my argument is that in no way is he the player that some quarters have painted him as. You've agreed to the same yourself so I've no argument here.

Yes, a small panel of sports journalists pick the All-Stars - so surely I'm right then in saying that the All Stars aren't indicative of what his fellow players and the general media think?

Well the GPA awards were not up and running when Whelan started out. And I think if you ask most players what they think of Whelan, there would be a lot of respect for him.
No-one is saying Whelan was great but he was a good servant to Dublin football. And I dont think any long standing Dublin fan would dispute that. Even Legendary Dubs player, Jimmy Keaveny said it was shame that he would probably never achieve his ambition of winning an All Ireland medal a few days after the kerry game.

Lemlin

Cliste wrote: »

I never said that you said you were. I was loosely telling you to stop being so judgemental, while gently referencing Wheelan's ability to field ball.

Whatever about having an opinion you have taken it upon yourself to make sure everyone hears it. You've been here from the first page, and I'm sure you'll last longer complaining. I notice that ya never dealt with dcr22b's post on the first page. Untwist them knickers and stop looking for a fight.

Nice go at backtracking on your original post but you said " To add to that the posters who see fit to downplay Wheelans skills are probably not fit to lace Wheelo's boots, let alone contest a high ball with the man". I'd take from that that you are referring to any poster who has questioned Whelan's ability which includes me. So you were saying that because we can't match the man on the pitch we shouldn't comment on his performance?

I have now replied to his post. I've also replied to yours. In no way am I complaining, I'm giving my opinion. If people don't want me to post, don't respond and ask questions etc. I've said my piece on the topic and am happy to leave it now.

Lemlin

blackbelt wrote: »

I can think of one game,this years Leinster Final.Sure we were only down by a point at half time against Kildare but he showed great resolve to come on and score a point or two to settle Dublin down in the second half while Magee and McConnell had started to fade.Not only did he score but he dominated midfield where Earley was mopping up before and his introduction gave the Dublin team the lift it needed.

Sadly,this is where we may lack next year.

Did one paper name him man of the match after this game? I failed to see where any lauded him for changing the course of the match also.

moylaghshergar

was a good footballer in his day. One thing he never lost was his ability to use his fist and elbow on the opponents face. He was only just on the field against Kerry and he made good use of the elbow. What a hero, haha.

blackbelt

Lemlin wrote: »

Did one paper name him man of the match after this game? I failed to see where any lauded him for changing the course of the match also.

I can't remember if it was Jayo,Bernard Brogan or Bryan Cullen that got man of the match.Those players get a lot of credit for getting the goals and points they scored.While Whelan got 2 points,his introduction at half time settled the Dublin team town when they were playing with 14 men and often heroes go unsung.

He nullified the threat at midfield which was Earley and this stopped a lot of ball going into the Kildare forwards where they had a numerical advantage.

Spiritoftheseventies

Lemlin wrote: »

Did one paper name him man of the match after this game? I failed to see where any lauded him for changing the course of the match also.

Folks this is result of a recent poll we ran on Best dublin player from last ten years. Whelan in second behind Cluxton.
You can argue till the cows come home how strong the competition was in Poll but he is still held with some affection by Dublin fans.



http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=61557890#post61557890

blackbelt

moylaghshergar wrote: »

was a good footballer in his day. One thing he never lost was his ability to use his fist and elbow on the opponents face. He was only just on the field against Kerry and he made good use of the elbow. What a hero, haha.

If you are trying to provoke a negative reaction from posters here,you're going to get yourself banned.

Spiritoftheseventies

Lemlin wrote: »

Whelan played football for Dublin since 1996, 13 years. Yet I've yet to remember one game where he truly changed a match.

In 2004 Dermot McCabe came off the bench for Cavan against Down at half time. Benny Coulter had given a sublime display of goalscoring in the first half, scoring two goals and Down were 7 points ahead.

McCabe totally changed the match. He was thrown in at full forward and quickly got a goal and lifted the entire team and fans. The Down backline couldn't live with him. He was involved in everything Cavan did and they ended up winning a game they were losing by seven points by four. 3-13 to 2-12. This was a player coming back from injury who totally changed a game which Pat Spillane later listed as number 3 in his games of the championship that year.

Now I'm not saying Dermot McCabe is the messiah. Nor am I saying he is better than Ciaran Whelan. However, when has Whelan ever changed a game like this? Look at the way Kieran Donaghey can change a game like he did for Kerry against Armagh a few years ago (2006 I think it was). Whelan was never capable of doing that.

Yes, he may have lived with O'Se for a half a game in your opinion but he wasn't there when Dublin needed him at the end. Too often over the 13 years he has been found wanting and his fading out of games is significant to the way Dublin often fade out of games. Top players should be lifting their team, not disappearing out of the game at vital times.

There's been talk of him leaving for years (particularly in 2003 I think it was when he was very poor and was moved to the half forwards) so now that he's finally gone perhaps Dublin can kick on and actually reach a final.

Whelan gave plenty of good days in a Dublin shirt. You dont spend 13 playing at the top level for an inter county players if you are not up to it.
And I cant say off hand how many games Whelan changed on his own but I know in his prime, he was one of the top scoring midfielders in the country.
As for Cavan player, Im sure he had a good game that day but thats just one game. Not a fair criteria.

Fr Tod Umptious

moylaghshergar wrote: »

was a good footballer in his day. One thing he never lost was his ability to use his fist and elbow on the opponents face. He was only just on the field against Kerry and he made good use of the elbow. What a hero, haha.

I agree, all I will ever remember Whelan for was his assault on Ronan McGarrity in the 2006 semi-final.