Imagine there's no Premiership, it's easy if you try.

It’s often said that one of the main problems John Toshack has as national coach is the lack of Welsh players getting first team football in the top flight. We have Giggs, Bellamy and Gabbidon that when fit will start pretty much every week but other than that we’re reduced to a choice of just a few fringe players. Simon Davies and James Collins get the odd game when Everton and West Ham need cover for injuries or suspensions but they soon lose their place when the players return. David Cotterill has been doing well for Wigan and it was great to see him net his first goal last week but it’s still early days for him. That leaves Richard Duffy and Jason Brown, who are technically Premiership players even though they’ve both just had one appearance each this season. It’s quite ironic to talk of such shortages when you have Robbie Savage, John Oster, Gary Speed and Ben Thatcher all getting their fair share of Premiership football week in week out. It’d be nice to get a couple of them involved again but apart from perhaps Oster it seems highly unlikely. I think too much has been said concerning the Savage and Thatcher situations, while Speed made his intentions clear long ago.

Anyway, I did my usual Saturday routine when I got home from work today. Straight on Ceefax to check out the football results (Premiership first, then League 2 for Wrexham, Championship next for Cardiff, then League 1 if I can be bothered) What stood out today in the Championship was the prominence of Welsh goal scorers. Jason Koumas, Robert Earnshaw, Gareth Bale and Gavin Williams all bagged goals while even the yet to decide Welsh eligible players were banging them in too. Chester born David Jones (Both his parents are from Colwyn Bay) scored for Derby and Jamie Cureton (He spent a fortnight holiday in Barry in 1989) got two for Colchester. This got me thinking, if the Premiership vanished and the Championship was the top flight how good would Wales be! We’d have the league top scorer in Earnshaw, the hottest prospect in Bale, the most skilful player in the league in Koumas…fantastic! Who would England have? Dean Windass that’s who. Speaking of Gareth Bale, I can’t see him staying at Southampton for long which is a shame. I think another couple of seasons there would benefit him. There’s no point going to Liverpool or Arsenal just to waste away in the reserves. If you haven’t seen him play yet believe the hype, he is that good. The Ceefax game report actually used the term “Bale hit another of his trademark freekicks”. Trademark freekicks?! The lad’s barely seventeen!