Ex-Stoke star Glenn Whelan takes charge of newly-relegated side for first managerial role

May 30, 2026 - 16:15

Former Stoke and Republic of Ireland midfielder Glenn Whelan has been appointed head coach of Livingston.

In his first managerial role, the 42-year-old will be tasked with leading the club back to the top-flight, following their relegation from the Scottish Premiership.

Whelan, who made over 250 Premier League appearances for Stoke, has previous coaching experience at Bristol Rovers and Wigan.

He had two brief spells as interim manager of the latter, stepping in after Shaun Maloney and Ryan Lowe’s respective sackings.

On top of this, Whelan has also worked in the Ireland coaching set-up when John O’Shea took temporary charge in 2024.

Prior to that, he spent time as part of Ireland’s youth international programme at Under-16 level.

Whelan will succeed Marvin Bartley at Livingston, who resigned in May after he and assistant Neil Hastings were asked to reapply for their positions following relegation.

Livingston finished rock bottom of the Scottish Premiership – 13 points adrift of closest rivals St Mirren – winning just two games all season.

‘Incredibly proud’

Speaking after his appointment, Whelan said: “I’m delighted to have been given this opportunity as Head Coach of Livingston, something I’m incredibly proud of, and I will give my all for the club moving forward.

“I’m eager to grasp this opportunity and help build a successful team that the fans can be truly proud of and get right behind.

“I’m grateful to the board for their belief in me, and the hard work has already begun.

“I can’t wait to get started and look forward to the journey ahead.”

Glenn Whelan at Bristol Rovers — Whelan took his first steps into coaching at Bristol Rovers

6. Glenn Whelan (midfield) - click the arrow above, right, to see the possible Stoke line-up against Liverpool in squad number order — As a player, the Irishman was an ever-present for Stoke in the Premier League between 2008 and 2017

Sporting Director David Martindale, who managed Livingston from 2020 until February of this year, also hailed the appointment.

He said: “I’m delighted to bring Glenn in as our new Head Coach.

“I know it’s taken a little bit of time, but we needed to make sure we got the right fit for the club, and we feel we’ve done that.

“There was a huge amount of interest, and it wasn’t an easy decision. However, after detailed interviews, Glenn came across incredibly well, and we all feel there is real alignment between how Glenn approaches the game and how we want to do things ourselves.

“He had a top playing career and has done the hard yards at several clubs, learning the game from a coach’s point of view.

“He has also had spells in charge as interim manager at Wigan and within the coaching set-up at Republic of Ireland.

Livingston's Cristian Montaño reacts at the final whistle. — Livingston were relegated from the Scottish Premiership, having only returned to the top-flight last summer

“His beliefs and values align very well with ours, and we are delighted to give him this opportunity — and equally delighted that he has accepted it.

“To have played close to 100 games for his country and over 300 games in the EPL shows that we are bringing in an elite mindset and an individual with a real winning mentality.”

Whelan enjoyed an impressive playing carer, making over 700 senior appearances, and being capped 91 times by the Republic of Ireland.

He is best remembered for his nine-year spell at Stoke, winning promotion from the Championship in 2008, before helping the Potters to become an established Premier League outfit and reaching the 2011 FA Cup Final.

Having started out at Manchester City, Whelan also enjoyed spells with Bury, Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa, Hearts, Fleetwood and Bristol Rovers before moving into coaching following his retirement in 2023.