Planet Swans ArchivesIt was billed as the biggest match for 20 years but like all other big matches over that period of time for Wales there was nothing to shout about as they started badly, did nothing much in the middle and fell finally to a World Class goal that would have beaten better keepers than Paul Jones in the Welsh goal.
The simple but harsh fact of this game was that Wales didn’t compete and pretty much to a man they let themselves down but more importantly from our point of view they let us down as a nation of football fans.
The 90 minutes passed with only a header from Gary Speed testing Paul Robinson in the England goal and bar some good challenges from Gabbidon and some wrong selections from England it could have been far far worse than the 2-0 scoreline suggested. 2-0 did flatter us and it hurts to say that.
The game itself confirmed what we knew beforehand that in depth Wales have no strength and when you get a late withdrawal as we had today in Melville, you lose one of your best players to right back , way out of position, and have Jason Koumas as a replacement. I have said it before and no doubt I will say it again Koumas is not an international.
Many have pointed over the period of the last 5 years that Mark Hughes has taken us a long way. The reality is he has done some good work but over the displays of the last 18 months some of that work has been undone. He has let himself down with his team selections – Russia being a classic example – and has proven that his tactics are too negative. This was supposed to be a cup tie so how come we couldn’t muster a shot on goal or anything that actually resembled the fact that we worried the English. We didn’t – I’ll trust that Azerbaijan may worry them more on Wednesday than we managed this afternoon.
Poland arrive at the Millennium Stadium on Wednesday and it has been said many times today that we must win this game. What if we do? We will still only be third at best – fourth if Austria get their expected result against Northern Ireland – and still facing the reality that we have to beat England in Cardiff and get some form of result in Poland. Anyone fancy us to do that at this moment in time? I know I don’t.
Mark Hughes tenure will officially end on Wednesday night – it should in reality have ended the moment that he left for Blackburn Rovers. The man we need was sat in the BBC Studio this afternoon chastising the decision to play Simon Davies at right back and rightly so. Davies was always going to be a threat today but placing him back there neutralised that and the rest, as they say is history.
Wales are in danger of slipping backwards again down the World rankings. We were the third highest ranked team when this group started but so far we have scraped draws against two of the sides below us and capitulated against the English very embarrassingly.
Wales will not be going to Germany in two years time and the planning now has to be for Euro 2008. We have to play to plan and if that means a premature end to the careers of Gary Speed and Ryan Giggs then so be it. It sounds very harsh for people that have served their country but it’s the only way the next generation will get used to the international stage – blood them young and let them grow into it in what are now meaningless games. Some will disagree with that but for me it is the only way.
Let’s get the man we need – beg him if we have to – but I’m 33 now and I still harbour a dream of seeing Wales in a major international tournament. The only way to do that is get someone in who can see the failings of the team and work to put them right. Toshack is our man.
Today was simply embarrassing and I honestly never believed we would let ourselves down that badly. Men against boys? Pretty much it was!
