Road to South Africa - Group A

Hmm, Group Four. I've had a few days to take in the draw and the task Wales face. Let's take a look...

Germany - The best team in Europe at present? Possibly. So are there any positives to be taken out of being drawn against this nation again. Well for starters you'd probably have to accept the fact that any name pulled out of the top pot would have made most Welsh fans wince. People would argue and say 'better to get Greece or Croatia'. I think these people should take a look at the efficiency that these two nations showed in winning their Eur0 2008 qualifying groups. No I think the only plus we can take from it is, to quote John Toshack, "Better the devil you know". At least many of our players know what to expect to some extent and the draw in Frankfurt last month can only aid confidence. Yes I know the Germans started the game with their foot off the pedal but they really wanted it towards the end. Anyway with only group winners claiming automatic qualification the realists would say Germany are sure to claim top spot, leaving the other nations to fight it out for second place. This takes us on to...

Russia - I think many Welsh supporters thought of one thing when Russia were put in the same group as us. Revenge. For those who are unaware of the history, Russia beat Wales in one of the Euro 2004 play offs. After a decent first leg in Moscow we were mouth wateringly close to qualifying for the tournament but we blew it big style back at home with no excuses. I love the thought of playing them at the Millennium Stadium again and I'm sure several of the Welsh players will too. That said our squad is unrecognisable from the one that played four years ago. I imagine most of our team were still at school in 2003. Don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate how hard it'll be to get anything from either game. England recently found this at their expense. However I think there's a strong possibility highly influential coach Guus Hiddink will leave his post after Euro 2008. He left the Dutch after France 98, he left the South Koreans after the 2002 World Cup and he left the Australians after Germany 2006. He hasn't signed an extension yet, so I expect the trend to continue. I'm not suggesting that Russia will fall apart without him and all the technically gifted Russian players will suddenly lose their ability but they're surely going to miss him. Yeah okay I'm clutching at straws...

Finland - Another nation who had a good Euro 2008 qualifying campaign narrowly missing out to Portugal and Poland in a difficult group. This was exceptional, especially for a nation with a worst tournament qualifying record than us. Finland's improvement has been attributed to coach Roy Hodgson, who left the role last week. This will be a loss for them and I doubt they'll be able to attract an equally high profile replacement. I've read that defensively the Finns are great but they can be quite ineffective in front of goal so perhaps we can expect two nil-nils against them.

Azerbaijan - Ahh we meet again Azeris! We've been drawn with them in our Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 campaigns making me think some of the Welsh supporters should have bought a time share in Baku. They've improved since we first faced them in 2oo2 and they will not be a push over but if we drop points against Azerbaijan we wont stand a chance of finishing anywhere near second place. The 1-1 draw against them in the opening game of the World Cup 2006 qualifiers really knocked the stuffing out of us. Obviously need to avoid a repeat of this. Interestingly they beat Finland this year. They look good to take points from one of the above teams, preferably Russia.

Liechtenstein - The Group A whipping boys? I'm not convinced there's such a thing in world football anymore. The so called European minnows such as Malta are beginning to produce one or two decent players and getting the odd respectable result. San Marino weren't far from claiming a draw against us and were a lot closer to getting one against Ireland back in February. We soundly beat Liechtenstein 4-0 a year ago but it should be noted they've got some brilliant results since then. In the space of a few months they've beaten Latvia and taken four points from Iceland. However if we approach the games properly we should claim six points.

Summary - I'd be happy with a respectable third place in the group. I think every nation will take points off each other and as long as we win the games against Liechtenstein and Azerbaijan we take the pressure of ourselves. You know with a young squad it'll be another roller coaster campaign as you will unlikely see the consistency that experience brings. We'll hopefully see some new faces pop up during the games. The likes of Sam Vokes, Ched Evans, Simon Church and, if his heart is definitely in it for Wales, Joe Collison. Some nice away trips too, a bit boring for the regular travellers but cool for novices like me. I quite fancy Helsinki or perhaps Moscow.

Anyway onwards to Norway at the Racecourse!!!

Luck of the Irish - Wales v Republic of Ireland 17.11.07

As the final Euro 2008 qualifier in Cardiff came to an end on Saturday evening the sense of relief provided by Jason Koumas and his dramatic late penalty obscured the usual feeling of disappointment that comes at the end of a campaign. The Irish fans, who were fantastic throughout, were finally silenced and for around five minutes the Millennium Stadium held the sort of atmosphere I would love to see at all of our home games. I sat in the North Stand for a change and it was miles better than where I usually buy tickets for. It was mostly made up of adults who were up for a sing song but all very good natured. And best of all it's the cheapest seating area! Had a great night in Cardiff afterwards. Got talking to some top Irish fans about the match in Hard Rock Cafe, I went round each one asking who they wanted as their next manager and why like I was interviewing them for Football Focus!!!

Under circumstances I don't think Wales could have done much better on Saturday. The loss of Bellamy and Bale were hard enough to cover but to lose Earnshaw and Nyatanga so close to kick off would have given Toshack a headache. Starting with both Earley and Gunter could have blown up in his face but they pulled it off. I thought tactically things went well enough and we took the forced substitution of Carl Robinson in our stride. In fact one of the main plus points for me was the introduction of Dave Edwards. He made a few mistakes, which is to be expect on his first cap, but he looked hungry. I know I'm getting well ahead of myself here but after ten minutes I was thinking we have to start with him against Germany! We're amazingly short on midfielders and with the promising batch in the Under 21s far off maturity you have to at least consider giving Edwards a chance in the friendly against Norway in February. Chris Gunter also looked confident in both the left and right back positions and wasn't scared of going forward when needed. You could perhaps criticise Toshack for bringing on Easter before Cotterill. I couldn't really understand that one, Easter obviously had a great season last year but he's hardly kicked a ball this one. Problem is as well he's never really looked like scoring in the games he's played for Wales. Hopefully he can prove himself at a higher level while on loan at Plymouth and keep his place as the fourth choice striker.

Jason Koumas showed why he will always be in the starting eleven for Wales. He can at times seem so disinterested during a game but then pop up just when you need him. His header of Saturday was a peach and it showed his versatility when it comes to goal scoring. He was a constant threat against Ireland forcing a couple of good saves from long distance. As many Welsh fans predicted he picked up another yellow card which stops him from playing in Germany. Koumas has a poor attendance record for Wales away games and this has led to rumours beginning to circulate about him having a Dennis Bergkamp style fear of flying. This would explain a lot about his international career but I believe if he came out and admitted to having a phobia most Welsh fans would be sympathetic and get off his back. Best working something out with him than losing him completely. That said it could be a load of rubbish and Koumas just might prefer spending the odd international break at home with his missus.

Anyway onto to Germany for the last one minus most of our first choice team. You would have to say a thrashing is on the cards but don't worry Welsh fans check out this conspiracy about Wednesdays match put forward on the Sporting Life website-

Germany, it has been suggested, might not want to win the group now because it would make them one of the four top seeds. That would see them alongside hosts Austria, Switzerland and holders Greece.
If Germany contrive to finish second on Wednesday, they would then give themselves the chance of meeting one of those three decidedly weak sides in next summer's finals, rather than being forced to avoid them by the seeding.

First the JFK assassination and now this! I just don't know who to trust anymore!

Divided We Fall

San Marino 1 Wales 2

I can’t remember winning ever being this embarrassing.

I enjoyed most of what I saw during the first half and I didn’t want to hear the referees whistle signalling half time. Okay our goals were sloppy but we looked extremely comfortable and there seemed a hunger for more. I don’t know what was said during the interval but we looked a different team second half. It’s fair to say we didn’t at any point settle and for whatever reason we slipped into the exact mentality we had shown in Cyprus. To be blunt, San Marino dominated us for most of the second half. They worked hard, pressed us at every opportunity and were deservedly rewarded for their efforts when Andy Selva scored the sort of free kick we’d expect from Gareth Bale. The embarrassment peaked after San Marino had a man sent off but they still looked the more like scoring. I’m sorry to admit that I was willing the final whistle, showing the contrast between each half of the match. When it came I noticed only Earnshaw went over to clap the Welsh supporters. The reason for this was about to become clear. Just as we thought it couldn’t get any worse the post match interviews took place and Bellamy tells the world of the ‘vicious’ criticism from the travelling Welsh fans. Minutes later John Toshack doesn’t fair much better, “I told you not to ask me about that” he warns the intrepid BBC journalist when he asks whether his recent ‘pampered players’ rant had an effect on the squad. With this the interview breaks down and Toshack exits stage left. Read into this what you like but it’s clear that something is not right.

So in a matter of days we’ve gone from third place hopefuls to sixth place candidates. Looking at the group as things stand you realise the opportunity we’ve thrown away. It seems every time we got a foothold in this group we’ve been knocked back down to earth with a bump. The results against Cyprus and San Marino made us fully aware of the continuing shortcomings of both manager and team. Although I wish the problems ended there. The fans hate Toshack, Toshack hates the players and the players hates the fans, forming a Welsh football hate triangle. Alright, I’m exaggerating a bit here but it kind of sums up the sudden and frankly worrying break down in relations coming so soon after our best away result in years against Slovakia. Bellamy’s poorly timed televised criticism of the fans has needlessly opened a conflict on another front. I appreciate his frustration, especially if there was booing during the first half, but why choose to blame the fans for the poor performance? The best possible reaction from Bellamy would have been to thank those fans for parting with their hard earned cash and apologising on behalf on the team for not turning in a better display. The travelling away fans are the one thing Wales can count on and their opinions need to be respected. I know some of these supporters were going abroad with Wales years before half our squad were born. Apparently there were people who went out to Cyprus, came back to Wales to work a shift or two then travelled out to San Marino spending towards a thousand pounds in total. I’m not going to start on a big ‘pampered players’ rant but I doubt any of our current squad could comprehend the financial sacrifices these fans make. Despite all this I doubt our fans will turn on Bellamy, his spirit and commitment to Wales is second to none. You may hear the odd jeer when his name is announced at the Millennium Stadium next month but I think it’ll be forgotten overall. Mark Hughes observed this week that the fans wouldn’t have reacted this way had Toshack held back with the ‘pampered players’ comments. I think he had a fair point, the Welsh fans rarely ever boo the team. It takes a lot to make us react in such a way, the 5-1 loss to Slovakia for example. We’ve endured a lot disappointment over the years and taken a lot without turning nasty. And let’s put it into perspective, a light hearted “We’re shit and we know we are” is not in the same league as the vitriolic abuse displayed by the English travelling fans in Andorra last year. Ask Steve McClaren and he’ll tell you what “vicious” is. Also you need bare in mind such chants were coming in between the supporters singing ‘Y Brawd Houdini’ and at one point a stirring rendition of our national anthem.

Despite all this we're still on for Frankfurt next month. Been looking up the city of the internet. I read somewhere that it's "The Manhattan of Europe". Very promising indeed!

Cyprus Kill

I've left writing this blog for a few days to allow time for me to calm down. Had I of written it on Saturday night it would have been a drunken rant held together with profanities. Truth is even though I left it a couple of days I still am unable to understand what the hell happen in Cyprus on the weekend. Well I do understand to some extent, Wales were embarrassed. Never at any point of the game did we look in control. Never have I seen Wales gifting the ball to their opponents so frequently. I spent the entire game willing us to keep the ball for any significant length of time. Our defense was a shambles to boot and Cyprus exposed it ruthlessly.

Limping in at half time with a 1-0 advantage I imagined Toshack was going to rally the troops for the second half . I had great confidence in this happening but it was more of the same. There was a sense of inevitability about the equaliser. Some times you can ride your luck with a great goalkeeping performance but poor Danny Coyne wasn't up to the job. Much like the Germany and Ireland games we rolled over. Heads dropped, then came the second closely followed by the third. And the horrible truth is the scoreline could have been worse. Dreams of third place shattered, another campaign dead in the water riddled with more humiliating memories.

The last few days I've been reading everything I can in the media on the situation. Post match, Toshack seemed to blame himself. Statements such as "I must be doing something wrong" and "I need to take a long hard look at myself" suggested he was going to walk away from the post. The FAW came out in his defense, "Give him more time" they requested. This was followed by what is becoming a fixture of Toshack's reign, a Robbie Savage rant calling for him to quit. I use to think Savage was great but his continuous attacks are becoming extremely boring. When he originally fell out with Toshack I think he had everyone on his side but I don't know what he's trying to achieve with these outbursts, all he's achieving at the moment is the loss of the respect of most Welsh fans. Then yesterday Toshack comes out and lays into the players, which wasn't the best display of man management. I worry another squad member will make himself 'unavailable' soon.

Anyway San Marino tonight and only a big win for Wales would do. I was reading earlier that Eastwood and Vaughan are doubts for tonights game which is a shame. I'd have loved to see Bellamy and him both on the attack tonight. On the plus side it's available to none Sky Sports subscribers again. Although tonight it's on BBCi rather than S4C. There was a weird 80s retro thing going on with the S4C coverage on Saturday. The studio set up was bizarre, they had a full on buffet laid out on the coffee table in front of the pundits. Various random people were sat behind them such as the Llanelli FC chairman who would offer observations when asked. The match coverage was equally strange. The way Malcolm Allen's head kept on popping up on the pitch during the game was like something from 'The Day Today' or 'BrassEye'. I kept expecting him to shout "Back of the net!!!" in Welsh. On one occasion the on screen phone in graphics were so big they covered the goal mouth action. Don't get me wrong though, I loved it. The more games on S4C and BBC the better.

Euro 2008: Wales - Looking ahead to Cyprus and San Marino.

I don’t if you’ve read the articles about possible scenarios that may unfold in the Euro 2008 qualifying Group D. Since we gave Slovakia a deserved beating last month Welsh mathematicians have been working out what it would take for Wales to take the race to second place right to the last game. I know how highly unlikely it all is but it’s been nice to be able to still talk about qualification at such a late stage no matter how unrealistic it is. Qualification may be out of reach but third place is tantalisingly lined up for us. On form Wales can beat Cyprus and San Marino over the next few days and that would leave us to face Ireland at home next month with a lot to play for.

Cyprus away will be difficult. Their mauling of the Republic of Ireland back in October 2006 surprised pretty much everybody in football but they’ve followed it up with a win against San Marino and an impressive 1-1 draw with Germany. To date it’s the only points the Germans have dropped in the group. Combine this home form with their convincing friendly victory over us two years ago and you realise you cannot take anything for granted. In an interview this week Toshack mentioned that when teams go to play Cyprus there is almost a holiday, training game feel to it and this has been the undoing of certain national teams. He attributed our 2005 loss over there to this strange complacently, a game he recognised could have cost him his job. Hopefully he’s pinpointed what went wrong for us last time and we can have a similar performance to the one during our 3-1 victory at home last year, where we pretty much walked all over them. The fact of the matter is if we are to show progression and development under John Toshack only a win will do. Our task isn’t helped by the loss of Hennessey, Koumas and more importantly Bellamy. That said providing we don’t lose anyone else we should have enough about us to complete the job. It’s a similar squad to the one we sent over to beat Bulgaria in August. Obviously the lack of first team football on offer for many of our squad is a worry, our strikers in particular. But you hope the likes of Bale, Ledley and Davies (all playing well at present) will get us through. Score prediction? The way results are going in world football at present I wouldn’t even want to try and guess.

As for our mid week game, no disrespect to San Marino but anything but a win for us against them would be a disaster. Again they gave Ireland a tough game at home but we really shouldn’t be too worried. A win and a good one at that is what’s expected. If we do stutter against Cyprus the possibility of a returning Bellamy should liven things up.

I won’t be going to either game. I was planning to go to San Marino but it fell through because of various reasons. I’m hoping to be going to Frankfurt in November though. Luckily for a none Sky subscriber as myself the Cyprus game is being shown on S4C and the San Marino game is apparently being shown on BBCi so red buttons at the ready.

Wales v Czech Republic - Millennium Stadium - 02.06.07

Giggs is gone. To be fair I think most Welsh fans had been expecting this decision for a while. I know I had, it's crossed my mind before every game I've been to in the past two years. He could have gone after the play off loss against Russia or joined the exodus of players after Mark Hughes last game against Poland. He didn’t, he stayed around became captain and put in some of his best displays for Wales. Notably the double header against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan where he pretty much single handedly dragged us to our first competitive wins under John Toshack. He clearly embraced his role as captain of his country, I’m sure it meant more when Gary Neville got the nod ahead of him for his club when Roy Keane left in 2005. It’s hard for me to imagine Wales without Giggs, I was eleven when he made his debut against West Germany in 1991. His commitment has been questioned over the years and his displays criticised at times. Let’s be honest, he really should have clocked up more than 64 caps in that amount of time but I think it’s crazy to suggest he somehow saved his best performances for Manchester United. I’m not sure what some people expected from the guy given the players around him and the level of opposition.

All opinions aside Saturday was a great occasion for all Welsh fans. It would have been nice to have had more than 30,000 in the Millennium Stadium for his send off. Had there been more than three days notice of his retirement I’m sure more could have made it here. I’ve read on a couple of message boards that the atmosphere in the stadium was once again dire. I have to disagree with that, ok it wasn’t amazing but it was miles better than the San Marino game. The Czech supporters were great, the “Thank you Ryan too” banner they unfurled at the start of the match was much appreciated by us Wales fans. Call me soppy but I like this mutual respect between fans. There’s a nice trend of Welsh crowd not booing the National Anthem of the opposition. You can understand some of the lads getting carried away against England and Northern Ireland but what’s the logic of jeering an anthem just to be offensive. I’ve always felt that if you boo the anthem the team will often react and play with more fire in their bellies. It’s the first step on a rocky road and before long we’ll be throwing patio chairs at foreign police officers. Anyway kudos to us for not doing it.

The game itself was great, it proved that there is such a thing as an exciting goalless draw. I’d say it was the best I’ve seen us play in ages. Beaumaris born goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was excellent on his first start for Wales. (Re: My Blog 06.03.07 for more info) Naturally his shot stopping on the day caught the eye but what I liked was the confidence he had when collecting some of the Czech crosses. The defence looked strong. Jan Koller wasn’t given a sniff. Gabbidon thankfully had blown away the cob webs the week before against New Zealand and along with James Collins and Nyatanga they looked untroubled for most of the match. Ledley was brilliant down the left, it was a benchmark performance for him and he couldn’t have timed it better with Giggs going. Simon Davies looks like he’s growing in confidence since moving to Fulham, he had a great opportunity to score in the first half but didn’t hit it immediately as was required. His head dropped for a bit but he did alright in the second half. Apart from rattling the cross bar Koumas was quiet by his standards but did everything efficiently. It looked like he was clipped by one of the Czechs early on and struggled after that. Bellamy ran and ran like he always does for us, with Giggs gone he’s now our ‘main man’ and I’m sure he’s up to it. Ricketts and Robinson did their best and arguably put in their best performances for Wales but I can’t help but feel they were the weak links. If you swapped them for Bale and ideally David Jones of Derby we would look alright.

And Giggs? Well Giggs was Giggs. Giggs took the ‘Man of the Match’ award. Giggs gave a performance that pointed out how much we’d miss him. Giggs split the Czech defence and for a brief moment looked like he was going to score his greatest goal for Wales. Oh I can’t tell you how much we willed him to put that past Petr Cech, the noise would have been immense! I’ve got to admit I found it quite emotional when he passed the armband onto Craig Bellamy. I thought it was a great touch and a very symbolic gesture. I hadn’t realised until seeing the interviews on telly that he’d cried. I think that was final proof of how much playing for Wales meant to him. On a lighter note I found it quite funny when he was being subbed because he took his time walking off the field as he was enjoying his standing ovation. Any other situation he’d have been booked for time wasting. The Czech Republic who needed all three points clearly wanted him to hurry the hell up and get off the pitch.

He described the game as a ‘benchmark performance’ for Wales. It could have been a case of the team raising their game for the occasion, them wanting to give Ryan Giggs a decent send off. Although I’d like to think we’ve turned a corner, I’d like to think it was an indication that something clicked together. Perhaps now we know we’re not going through we may find ourselves playing without pressure and pick up a few unexpected points. I as a realist understand we’re not going through to Euro 2008 but I’d just like to say Wales have still got 18 points to play for and......oh come on let me dream!!!

Wales v San Marino - Millennium Stadium - 28.03.07

The night didn’t have the best of starts. At the eleventh hour my mate pulled out of attending the game so I went to the match on my own. I arrived at the Millennium Stadium about an hour before kick off to soak up the atmosphere. An error of judgement really, seeing that the only people in the ground were me, the stewards and the San Marino goalkeepers warming up. No not a great attendance again tonight by Euro 2004 standards. A combination of the quality of opposition and it being a Wednesday night fixture probably explains why it wasn’t any higher. I read a message on the Wrexham F.C. fansite ‘Red Passion’ that questioned where all the fans have gone since those hazy days back in 2002-2003. As someone who was unable to get hold of a ticket for the Russia play off I could understand his frustration as last night I sat with a whole row to myself. I do understand it’s hard to get motivated to spend the sort of money needed to buy a ticket and travel from Caernarfon or Milford Haven when there’s so little to shout about. Naturally the lack of people leads to a lack of noise. The atmosphere was perhaps the flattest I’ve seen at the stadium. Hopefully the draw of seeing Koller, Cech and Rosicky will attract the masses for the next home match.

It was a strange game really. San Marino were never going to beat us so even if we’d have knocked ten past them it wouldn’t have given any indication of our position in the group. I hate to be disrespectful to another national side but bloody hell San Marino were awful. Because of the geographic location of the country, San Marino display all the mannerisms and characteristics of the Italians but none of the skill. They’re like Italy’s evil step brother. I’ve never seen a team give away so many needless free kicks. That’s not just fouls, they managed to concede one for a back pass and three for handball. Three for handball?! You wouldn’t see that on a primary school playground in this country. But let’s be fair, it’s a country with a population that couldn’t fill the Millennium Stadium…a bit like Wales then really. As a result of this lack of discipline the referee began to stand out…well he was about twenty two fucking stone! I was up in the heavens of level six of the Millennium Stadium and even at that height I was thinking “I bet he has more than an hour for his lunch break”. It was cruelly funny that the ball kept on hitting him throughout the game because the poor guy was struggling getting out the way in time!

It reflects badly on Wales that we didn’t score more than three. We really lacked a cutting edge tonight. If we’d have finished the way Slovakia did against us we’d have vastly improved our goal difference. We need to be more clinical when it comes to finishing. Against the big two of the group we may only have a couple of chances on goal. You can look back at two pivotal moments of the campaign where if Bellamy would’ve been more lethal things may have been different. His one on one with Petr Cech back in September and the only clear cut chance we had on Saturday. I’m not having a go at Bellamy it’s just an observation. At times our play bordered on arrogance, our showboating and general cuteness in front of goal was not appreciated by the Welsh fans. It’s great to see it when it’s pulled off but when it doesn’t, like every occasion last night, it’s just embarrassing. We should be showing San Marino the same respect that we show the bigger nations. The corners were really bad (All fifty two of them) For a team of short arses it’d be nice to think we’d work out some tidy set pieces but we never looked like scoring. James Collins looked our best hope at these times but he understandably looked rusty (No hair pun intended). I worry that some of these balls will be food and drink to the defences of Germany and the Czech Republic and we'll be hit on the counter attack. Free kicks weren’t too great either, though it was good to see the responsibility shared out between Giggs, Koumas and Bale.

Bale once again looked good going forward. At times he left gaps behind him but it’d be wrong to try to stifle that sort of creativity by criticizing him. As his talent grows it might be a case of him being pushed into a left midfield role, I for one wouldn’t be against that. Koumas had a great time ghosting past the San Marino players, whether he’ll be given the space to do that against the Czechs I don’t know. He picked up yet another yellow card leaving him with his record dangerously close to missing the Germany game. Easter didn’t really have a chance to get stuck in, I don’t know where it leaves his international career after being taken off at half time. Good to see David Cotterill get involved. There’s definitely something about him, if he can break into the Wigan team we will reap the benefits. I still don’t think Toshack knows who his best eleven are. I think the right back position is a problem. I feel Ricketts is struggling out of position and Duffy has all of a sudden fallen out of contention. With Delaney a long way of full fitness I’d have liked to have seen Rob Edwards brought in for the role, his omission from the squad was baffling.

In conclusion, it was a game that didn’t tell us much. Basically to qualify for Euro 2008 we need to go on the greatest run in the history of Welsh football. It would have been nice to see a few more goals. But as Toshack said in the post match interview “A win’s a win”.

Euro 2008: Wales Squad for Rep of Ireland and San Marino

John Toshack has announced his squad to face the Republic of Ireland and San Marino for the make or break matches at the end of the month. Let’s be honest, even if we win both games it’s unlikely we can mount a realistic challenge against the resources of talent of the Germans and Czechs. Both countries have started well and have built up formidable goal differences. We’ve got some nightmare games to play besides from the big two. Cyprus are lethal at home just ask the Irish and Germans. Then there’s the away game against the Slovakians. That said I’d love to have a bloody good go at taking all of them the distance. We have games in hand on everyone in Group D now it’s up to us to utilise them. If you look at the facts concerning our three games so far it’s not as bad as you might think. We went down to a last minute goal against the Czechs, we were hammered in a freak game against the Slovaks (6 shots on target, 5 goals) and we comfortably beat the Cypriots. I don’t think we’re credible contenders I just reckon us Welsh football fans should get behind them for these two games.

No amazing surprises with the squad. Want away Shrewsbury Town midfielder David Edwards is the only uncapped player included. There was no sign of Derby’s David Jones joining up. He holds dual nationality (Welsh/English) and he’s been keenly monitored by the Welsh F.A for some time. In interviews he’s referred to international football as being a ‘distraction’ and he refuses to make a decision on a country, I can’t see old Tosh being impressed with that attitude. Watch this space! I was sorry to see that John Oster has again been left out of the squad. Oster has yet to play for Wales under John Toshack, I’m not entirely sure whether there’s a particular reason for this. I know he’s had his personal problems in the past but he’s practically a regular in the Premiership. Defender Rob Edwards is another player I feel is unlucky to miss out. I know he featured in the 5-1 Slovakian drubbing but he’s been an integral part of a Wolves team unbeaten this year and pushing for promotion.

I have to admit Toshack has left me totally confused with his choice of goalkeepers. He’s gone for Danny Coyne, Darren Ward and Paul Jones. Ward definitely deserves included and should be our first choice to start against the Irish. Coyne has done well to reclaim his number one jersey at Burnley after being injured for such a lengthy period and I’m sure most Wales fans wouldn’t mind another look at him. I can see why Tosh has picked those two but how on Earth has Paul Jones made the squad. Legendary comedian Bill Hicks believed that in the event of a nuclear holocaust the only two things to survive would be cockroaches and Rolling Stone Keith Richards. I now believe you could add Paul Jones to that list. Jones is forty in April and he hasn’t played any first team football since October. He’s not even second choice at Q.P.R any more and they won’t be renewing his contract at the end of the season. The average Wales fan assumed that his ill fated 50th cap against Slovakia was his last and that the whole affair signalled the end of his involvement with the national team especially after he was dropped for the Cyprus game. I know the chances of him playing are next to nothing and he’s only there to make the numbers but why not take a younger keeper for the experience. If I was Lewis Price I’d be gutted, especially after taking over from Jones for the Cyprus match and doing a good job. I imagine Jason Brown of Blackburn is also feeling a tad annoyed, he’s sat on the bench for two of the Euro 2008 qualifiers and kept a clean sheet against Liechtenstein in the November friendly but Jones has had the nod ahead of him. Don't get me wrong I like Jones a hell of a lot, he was such an important player for Wales at a really exciting time during the Euro 2004 qualifiers. If our current team shows half the pride in wearing a Wales shirt as he did throughout his career we’d be alright. All I’m saying is let’s give someone else a chance.

And talking of young Welsh keepers… Predictably after writing a blog all about his achievements Wayne Hennessey conceded three against Barnet on the weekend ending his fine unbeaten run. Typical.


Wales Squad to face Rep of Ireland and San Marino

Goalkeepers: Danny Coyne (Burnley), Paul Jones (QPR), Darren Ward (Sunderland).

Defenders: Gareth Bale (Southampton), Danny Collins (Sunderland,) James Collins (West Ham United), Richard Duffy (Portsmouth (loan Swansea City)), Steve Evans (Wrexham), Danny Gabbidon (West Ham United,) Craig Morgan (Peterborough United), Lewin Nyatanga (Derby County (loan Barnsley)), Sam Ricketts (Hull City).

Midfielders: Andrew Crofts (Gillingham), Arron Davies (Yeovil Town), Simon Davies (Fulham), David Edwards (Shrewsbury Town), Carl Fletcher (Crystal Palace), Jason Koumas (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Ledley (Cardiff City), Carl Robinson (Toronto).

Forwards: Craig Bellamy (Liverpool), David Cotterill (Wigan Athletic), Jermaine Easter (Wycombe Wanderers), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United), Chris Llewelyn (Wrexham), Paul Parry (Cardiff City).