Just read that Joe is to give up international football. Bad news for Wales but good news for us. At his age Joe needs to rest his tired body when he can.
Joe Allen
- Thread starter ivoralljack
- Start date
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Gave it all he had to very end. And delivered a lot more than others.
I think Ramsey still wants to play for Wales. He'll have to up his game if he does and by a great deal.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
This is where Page is going to have to have some common sense and a pair
He might have common sense but I'm not sure about the balls else he'd have benched Bale and Ramsey in Qatar to be used as impact subs. What concerns me is that he just doesn't have the top level experience or the nous to be an international manager. You think of Yorath, Hughes, Toshack, Speed, Coleman and Giggs who were all quality players who'd played, been managed and learned at the very top level. What does Page offer? Port Vale and Northampton as a manager? Okay, he played for Wales but he wouldn't have been capped by any of the top 30 international teams. He was a good honest journeyman pro nowhere near true international class.
So what I'm saying is that, whereas his predecessors all commanded instant respect in the dressing room because of who they were and what they'd achieved, Page most certainly can't. Consequently he has to compensate by being big buddies with his squad, maybe giving them an easy ride and relying on 'togetherness' to knit the players, as opposed to quality and innovative training input. Not an encouraging scenario.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
We are now building from scratch. Ben Davies is the common sense choice of captain - best, most experienced player in the squad.
Oli Cooper needs to be added to squad. We basically have to evolve from a team of IX+2 to a team of XI. We relied on one player in particular producing "worldies" for far too long and carried another geriatric basking in his career and delivering declining quality. If nothing else those two had a duty to turn up to Qatar in superb physical condition and frankly, Allen who had been battling an injury for months turned up at a much higher fitness level.
Oli Cooper needs to be added to squad. We basically have to evolve from a team of IX+2 to a team of XI. We relied on one player in particular producing "worldies" for far too long and carried another geriatric basking in his career and delivering declining quality. If nothing else those two had a duty to turn up to Qatar in superb physical condition and frankly, Allen who had been battling an injury for months turned up at a much higher fitness level.