GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI might have briefly muddled Glenn Whelan's name with that of Liam Miller on Monday, inadvertently adding a little Chattanooga Choo Choo to his midfield for tonight's game at Croke Park, but, having picked the Dubliner for all five of his games in charge so far, the Italian is more than familiar with what Whelan brings to his team. He's a fan of Glenn Miller too, incidentally, writes Mary Hannigan

Indeed, so satisfied has Trapattoni been by the contributions of the Stoke City midfielder Whelan has played every minute of those five games, an achievement matched only by Richard Dunne in the new regime.

Contrast that with the 24-year-old's experience at club level this season, where he has played just 56 minutes of Premier League football - and that came almost two months ago, in the opening day defeat by Bolton. Since then he's had two League Cup run-outs with the club, but, for now, appears not to be part of his manager's first team plans.

"Yeah, for me the last few weeks have been a real disappointment, but I know I have to sit tight," he said. "We've got a big squad, a lot of players around the team, but when I do get my chance, hopefully I'll take it.

"We've played some big teams in the last couple of weeks and even though we haven't got the right results we haven't actually done too bad. I'm just biding my time at the minute and I know I'm more than capable of getting back in. It's just a question of getting the chance."

Ironically, Whelan's breakthrough at senior international level, having been a regular in the under-21 set-up, appears to have hurt him his prospects at Stoke, manager Tony Pulis dropping him after the Bolton game partly because he was away with Ireland for the friendly in Norway.

"That's what he said. Because we didn't get the right result, that he'd had a team to work with all week and I'd missed training. I think we only had four or five players away that week so there weren't too many lads missing, so they were all in working with the manager.

"I wouldn't say I was being "punished". The manager's just got a certain way of doing things and he likes to have a set-up team. But it wasn't great for myself. Again, though, I just have to hope that when the chance comes around I'll take it and stay there.

"When I came back last month (after the games against Georgia and Montenegro) he congratulated me on the two performances, so obviously he's taken note. Hopefully I can give him a headache if I get the chance against Cyprus."

His frustration at club level has, though, been balanced by his surprise emergence as a mainstay in Trapattoni's midfield, the manager going so far as to suggest Whelan could do for Ireland what Gennaro Gattuso does for AC Milan and Italy.

"He hasn't said much," said Whelan, "but he's got a certain way of playing and to stay in the team you've got to do what he says. Wherever I go or wherever I'm told to play, I'll be trying to do my best.

"I wasn't familiar with his record but I knew he'd had some pretty big jobs in and around Europe. Obviously to get a big manager like him in as manager of Ireland is only going to be a good thing for everybody. It was a very good appointment.

"It's been brilliant for me. I was getting on a little bit and there were younger players coming through, so to get the chance in the summer and to play in the games was great.

"I just want to get as many caps as I can now and to play as well as I can."

Two years ago Whelan watched the 5-2 defeat in Cyprus "as a fan" back in Sheffield, when he was playing with Wednesday, but tonight he will hope to have a more direct impact on proceedings.

"People have talked about it being a revenge mission but we just have to look at it as being another game and three points we should be getting. We're at home and when Cyprus come to our patch they know they're going to be in for a tough game - hopefully that's what we'll give them."

Whelan, it seems, is in the mood.