Whelan said: “That manager we had absolutely killed him. You just hope his enthusiasm hasn’t been killed by that idiot.
“I watched the Portugal game in the World Cup and felt so sorry for him. That bugger played him up front on his own and he so wanted to do well but was desperate.
“He was fighting like hell for the ball but they had two men on him and that was it, game over.
“Then he got sent off but that was because he was fighting and running so much.
“Rooney was pulling his guts out for England but the previous manager killed him stone dead. I just felt so very sorry for him.”
