 In February 2015, Following an injury to captain Ryan Shawcross, Whelan acted as stand-in captain and after a woeful 4–1 defeat against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup Whelan had a dressing room rant at his teammates.Whelan played 30 times for Stoke in 2014–15 as the Potters finished in 9th position for a second season running and they ended the campaign with a 6–1 victory against Liverpool.His performances during the campaign earn him the praise of teammates Adam and Shawcross who both described Whelan as the teams 'unsung-hero'.