Whelan Knows About Finals - ARCHIVE

Ronnie Whelan and Michel Platini

The UEFA Europa League final ambassador, Ronnie Whelan knows all about big European nights from his successful playing days with both Liverpool FC and the Republic of Ireland.

Whelan was an integral member of Liverpool's all-conquering side of the 1980s and also played a telling part in the Ireland national team's breakthrough appearance at the UEFA European Championship finals in 1988.

Whelan began his career in Dublin with Home Farm FC before crossing the Irish Sea to Liverpool in 1979. Aged 21 he was the Reds' hero when collected his first major honour in the 1982 League Cup final, scoring both goals in a 2-1 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur FC.

The following year he was the matchwinner in the League Cup final once again with an eye-catching curling strike against Manchester United FC.

Whelan tasted European glory with Liverpool in 1984 when they beat AS Roma in the final of the European Champion Clubs' Cup, but was on the losing side when they returned to the final 12 months later and were beaten by Juventus.

Whelan helped Liverpool win the league and FA Cup double in 1986 and by the time they returned to Wembley to beat Everton FC in the 1989 FA Cup final, he was wearing the captain's armband. Overall the Irishman won six league championships with Liverpool and made 493 appearances for the club, scoring 73 goals.

An intelligent footballer, he moved from the left side of midfield to the centre of the park as he matured although many will remember best the spectacular goals he delivered with his left foot.

These included his acrobatic volley in a 1-1 draw with the Soviet Union in the group stage of the 1988 UEFA European Championship. Whelan featured in every game of Ireland's first major finals appearance and was subsequently in the Irish squads for the 1990 and 1994 World Cups. He appeared as a substitute in a first-round game against Norway at USA '94 and retired with 53 caps.

In the 1994/95 season Whelan ended his long association with Liverpool and moved to Southend United FC to take up a role as player-manager. As a coach he worked subsequently at Panionios GSS in Greece, whom he led to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1998/99, and Apollon Limassol FC and Olympiakos Nicosia FC in Cyprus. 

Whelan now works as a media pundit for the Irish state broadcaster RTÉ and The Evening Herald.

First published 18/05/2011

Villas-Boas Aiming to be Special

Andre Villas-Boas reaffirmed his commitment to Porto before challenging his team to help him follow in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessors by lifting the Europa League with a win over Braga on Wednesday night.

Villas-Boas' record-breaking first season in charge of the Portuguese club has alerted Europe's biggest teams to his potential.

Chelsea are said to be monitoring the progress of the 33-year-old, with current boss Carlo Ancelotti seemingly heading for an exit this summer.

Villas-Boas has enjoyed a remarkable first full season in management, becoming only the second manager in history to lead a Portuguese team to a league title unbeaten.

The Porto boss, who cut his managerial teeth under the tutelage of Bobby Robson and Jose Mourinho, could end the year with four trophies - the third of which would come if Porto beat neighbours Braga in the Europa League final at the Aviva Stadium.

A victory would only serve to strengthen calls for him to move to Stamford Bridge, but Villas-Boas insists he is happy to remain at Porto and has vowed to try to emulate Mourinho by following up success in Europe's second-biggest club competition by going far in the Champions League.

'I am very happy at Porto. It's the city where I grew up. It's my home club and I don't see it easy to leave it,' he said.

'We are focused on winning the Europa League and next year we will go into Champions League.

'You cannot say that by reaching the final in the Europa League you will win the Champions League the next year (like Mourinho did). It's not that straightforward.

'Next year we hope to get through the group stage, then maybe the quarter-final or further. Let's dream a little bit more.'

Villas-Boas' thirst for management began as a schoolboy when he sent a letter to then Porto manager Robson, urging him to play striker Domingos Paciencia, who ironically is now the Braga coach.

Robson liked Villas-Boas' passion and offered to help him earn his coaching badges before he took on a coaching role at the club under one of the Englishman's successors - Mourinho.

He then followed the current Real Madrid boss to Chelsea and Inter Milan before he left to start his management career with Portuguese side Academica de Coimbra.

Villas-Boas no longer speaks to Mourinho, but regards his development under the 48-year-old, and Robson, as key to his success.

'Robson gave me my first step in football as a young boy and I told him I wanted to go into the professional game,' Villas-Boas said.

'Fortunately he put me on those training courses. He was the reason I am where I am today. Without him I wouldn't have been here.'

Villas-Boas' record with the Dragons this year has been nothing short of astonishing.

The young coach dropped only six points during the 30-game league campaign. Porto finished 21 points ahead of second-place Benfica and 38 in front of Braga.

He had to contend with losing key players and has inspired strikers Hulk and Falcao to top the scoring charts in their absence.

The highly-rated manager insists though that it is not he, but his players who should take credit for the club's stellar season.

'I think people focus a lot on the work of the manager and I don't see it that way,' said Villas-Boas, who will become the youngest manager to win a UEFA competition with victory in Dublin.

'The work of the manager depends on the structure of the coaching staff and the quality of the players.

'This year we have mixed that together well. It's not a one-man show.'

Porto are huge favourites to win at the Aviva Stadium, but Villas-Boas has warned his team against complacency against a Braga team who have knocked out Liverpool and Benfica on the road to the final.

'The Braga coach and his players have done a fantastic job so we have to focus,' he added.

Spanish Team for Portuguese Final

Carlos Velasco Carballo will referee the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League final in Dublin, with the 40-year-old leading an all-Spanish team of officials for the game between FC Porto and SC Braga.

The 40-year-old Velasco Carballo will lead a refereeing team which also features assistants Roberto Alonso Fernández and Jesús Calvo Guadamuro, fourth official David Fernández Borbolán and the two additional assistant referees, Carlos Clos Gómez and Antonio Rubinos Pérez. Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez will be a reserve assistant referee.

Velasco Carballo has handled one UEFA Europa League and six UEFA Champions League matches this season, including the semi-final first leg between FC Schalke 04 and Manchester United FC.

An engineer from Madrid, Velasco Carballo's first taste of European competition came in April 2005 when he was selected as fourth official for three UEFA European Under-19 Championship elite round games.