MATCH THREAD " ISRAEL V WALES ' MATCH THREAD "

" ISRAEL V WALES SATURDAY KICK OFF 17:00 28th March 2015 "

" WALES TEAM ANNOUNCED "

Wales XI v Israel: Hennessey; Williams(Capt), Collins, Davies; Gunter, Allen, Ramsey, Ledley, Taylor; Bale; Robson-Kanu.

Israel team
Marciano; Dgani, Ben Haim(Capt), Tibi, Ben Harush; Yeini, Natkho, Ben Haim II, Refaelov, Zahavi; Damari

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Chris Coleman has a strong squad to pick from,with very few injuries

Wales biggest game for 12 years.

James Collins replaces injured James Chester.

Over 1,000 Wales fans are travelling

Israel are top of group, but have a qualifying record just as bad as Wales'

Israel are top of the group, one point in front of Wales with a game in hand.

Wales are second in Group B after 2 wins and 2 draws. A win on Saturday will most probably take them top of the group.

Israel sit top of the group with a game in hand over Wales with 3 wins from 3 against Cyprus, Bosnia and Andoora.

Top scorers: Israel- Omer Damari Wales- Gareth Bale

Coaches: Israel- Eli Gutman Wales- Chris Coleman




" Wales squad to face Israel: "

Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace)
Owain Fon Williams (Tranmere Rovers)
Daniel Ward (Liverpool)

Ashley Williams (Swansea City)
James Collins (West Ham United)
Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur)
Chris Gunter (Reading)
Neil Taylor (Swansea City)
Samuel Ricketts (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Ashley Richards (Swansea City - on loan with Fulham)
Adam Henley (Blackburn Rovers)

Joe Allen (Liverpool)
Joe Ledley (Crystal Palace)
Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)
David Vaughan (Nottingham Forest)
David Edwards (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Shaun MacDonald (AFC Bournemouth)

David Cotterill (Birmingham City)
Hal Robson-Kanu (Reading)
Tom Lawrence (Leicester City)
Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)
Simon Church (Charlton Athletic)
Sam Vokes (Burnley)

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Would have loved to have seen a 'firing on all cylinders ' Johnny Williams in there too but on the whole we've been lucky with injuries. At this point in the campaign you normally see a few more injured..

Pity about James Chester too, but I'm quite confident about this one !

Not a bad squad at all providing everyone stays fit.

And here is the Wales under 21's squad to play Bulgaria.

Christian Dibble (Barnsley)
Billy O Brien (Manchester City)
Declan John (Cardiff City - on loan with Barnsley)
Jordan Williams (Liverpool)
Jordan Evans (Fulham)
Joseph Wright (Huddersfield Town)
Gethin Jones (Everton)
Liam Shephard (Swansea City - on loan with Yeovil Town)
Josh Yorwerth (Cardiff City)
Josh Sheehan (Swansea City - on loan with Yeovil Town)
George Glendon (Manchester City)
Lee Evans (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Ryan Hedges (Swansea City - on loan with Leyton Orient)
Tom O Sullivan (Cardiff City - on loan with Port Vale)
Wes Burns (Bristol City on loan with Cheltenham Town)
Ellis Harrison (Bristol Rovers)
Harry Wilson (Liverpool)
Jake Charles (Huddersfield Town)

And here is the Wales under 21's squad to play Bulgaria.

Christian Dibble (Barnsley)
Billy O Brien (Manchester City)
Declan John (Cardiff City - on loan with Barnsley)
Jordan Williams (Liverpool)
Jordan Evans (Fulham)
Joseph Wright (Huddersfield Town)
Gethin Jones (Everton)
Liam Shephard (Swansea City - on loan with Yeovil Town)
Josh Yorwerth (Cardiff City)
Josh Sheehan (Swansea City - on loan with Yeovil Town)
George Glendon (Manchester City)
Lee Evans (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Ryan Hedges (Swansea City - on loan with Leyton Orient)
Tom O Sullivan (Cardiff City - on loan with Port Vale)
Wes Burns (Bristol City on loan with Cheltenham Town)
Ellis Harrison (Bristol Rovers)
Harry Wilson (Liverpool)
Jake Charles (Huddersfield Town)

Wondered what happened to Harry Wilson. Seemed to disappear after Belgium away last year.

Shame about JamesChester as Collins will get injured this weekend.

Are Emyr Huws, J.Williams and Dummett still out injured ?

Where's Andy King

King suspended?

The team spirit in the camp has been amazing...I really believe that this will get them over that line and qualify

And here is the Wales under 21's squad to play Bulgaria.

Christian Dibble (Barnsley)
Billy O Brien (Manchester City)
Declan John (Cardiff City - on loan with Barnsley)
Jordan Williams (Liverpool)
Jordan Evans (Fulham)
Joseph Wright (Huddersfield Town)
Gethin Jones (Everton)
Liam Shephard (Swansea City - on loan with Yeovil Town)
Josh Yorwerth (Cardiff City)
Josh Sheehan (Swansea City - on loan with Yeovil Town)
George Glendon (Manchester City)
Lee Evans (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Ryan Hedges (Swansea City - on loan with Leyton Orient)
Tom O Sullivan (Cardiff City - on loan with Port Vale)
Wes Burns (Bristol City on loan with Cheltenham Town)
Ellis Harrison (Bristol Rovers)
Harry Wilson (Liverpool)
Jake Charles (Huddersfield Town)

Wondered what happened to Harry Wilson. Seemed to disappear after Belgium away last year.

He did but scoring some quality goals for Liverpool under 21's


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5FLrSabBZo

Wales can win this

Can't wait , 30 of us from Bridgend area going Tuesday night

The team spirit in the camp has been amazing...I really believe that this will get them over that line and qualify

Bales car was attacked on its way out of the stadium.

Now he is back to playing a central role for wales, I think he will be well up for putting on a performance!

Israel are top of group, but have a qualifying record just as bad as Wales'


Israel

How have they fared so far?
Israel are top of the group, one point in front of Wales with a game in hand.

All six group winners and runners-up qualify for the finals along with four of the third placed teams and Wales have given themselves a chance.


Israel away and Belgium home, in June, are the next two matches for Chris Coleman’s men. They also have to play Israel at home.

What is their background
Wales have not met Israel in a competitive fixture since beating them 4-0 on aggregate in a play-off to reach the 1958 World Cup finals in Sweden – the Dragons’ solitary appearance at a major tournament.

Their only appearance at a World Cup was in 1970, but they have been as high as 15th in the world rankings, during 2008.

Signs of improvement came in the last campaign where they finished third behind Russia and Portugal, losing only twice and holding Portugal in their two meetings.

Where are Israel in the world rankings?
Currently at 26. Their highest placing was 15th in 2008, while they were as low as 82nd three years ago.

Who is Israel’s manager?
Eli Guttman. Aged 57. Spent his playing career in Israel, was manager at Maccabi Netanya, AEL Limassol and Hapoel Tel Aviv before taking over the national team.


Israel have had three English-born managers. Former Spurs player Jackie Gibbons was in charge during 1956, while South Shields-born George Ainslie was manager for 1963-64.

In the late 1980s ex-Cardiff City player Jack Mansell became Israel’s manager. He had played for the Bluebirds in 1952-53.

Who is their captain?
Charlton Athletic defender Tal Ben Haim. Former Maccabi Tel Aviv player who signed for Bolton Wanderers in 2004. Has also played for Chelsea, Manchester City, Sunderland, Portsmouth, West Ham, QPR, Standard Liege and Charlton.

Will we know any of their other squad players?
Nir Bitton is a 23-year-old player at Celtic. He was in their starting line-up for the Scottish League Cup final win against Dundee United last weekend.

Defender Rami Gershon and midfield man Lior Refaelov both play in Belgium, for Gent and Brugge respectively.

Bibras Natkho, another midfield player, is with CSKA Moscow and the heart of this Israel team. Natkho provided two assists for CSKA in their European Champions League matches against Manchester City.

Israel’s scorers in their 3-0 win against Bosnia were Gil Vermouth and Eran Zahavi (both Maccabi Tel Aviv) and Omer Damari (Leipzig, Germany).

Zahavi is the star of their team, an explosive, attacking midfield player.

He was top goalscorer in Israel last season with 29 goals and is the biggest superstar in Israel.

Damari has scored five goals in the campaign so far.

Israel have two players named Tal Ben Haim in their squad. One is the Charlton captain, while the other plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The Scottish League Cup Final 2015. Dundee United v Celtic. Nir Bitton
How have they fared so far?
Their game against Belgium was postponed and will be played four days after the Wales game this month. Israel won 2-1 in Cyprus and 4-1 in Andorra during October plus 3-0 against Bosnia.

What’s the verdict on Israel’s start to the campaign?
Israel have only qualified for a major tournament finals once. That was for the 1970 World Cup. Confidence in the national team is low. Fans they treat the team and prospects with some scepticism, but expectations are always there.

After winning their first three matches Israel believe they can finish second - ahead of Wales and behind Belgium.


What is the opinion of Gareth Bale?
Real Madrid are popular in Israel and the fans will love seeing Bale. Local opinion is that he will be welcomed like a rock star and should expect fans in the hotel and outside the training.

Israel v Wales: West Ham defender James Collins is loving life more than ever in the Wales camp - 18 months after spat

With centre back James Chester out injured, Wales boss Chris Coleman insists he has no worries turning to James Collins for the crunch trip to Israel

Chris Coleman has spoken of his relief over his clear-the-air talks with James Collins, admitting Wales are ready to turn to the West Ham defender to keep hope alive in Haifa.

And he reckons the battle-hardened centre-back is loving life even more with Wales following the pair’s spat over availability 18 months ago as he gets set to head back into the side to face Israel this weekend.

Collins drew huge question marks over his international career when he allegedly pulled out of a Wales squad at the end of the last campaign before he and boss Coleman engaged in a public war of words.

Coleman claimed the experienced ace refused to be called up off the stand-by list for a game against Serbia in September 2013, something Collins denied only for the manager to reveal his full version of events before going on to hint it was the end of Collins’ chances of wearing a red shirt again.

But the pair agreed to sort out their differences the following month, seeing the former Cardiff and Aston Villa star recalled to the squad.

Collins, 31, has since seen Hull’s James Chester spark up an impressive partnership with skipper Ashley Williams at the heart of the Wales defence, the duo starting all three of the Euro 2016 qualifying games to date.

Israel v Wales: West Ham defender James Collins is loving life more than ever in the Wales camp - 18 months after spat


By Chris Wathan


With centre back James Chester out injured, Wales boss Chris Coleman insists he has no worries turning to James Collins for the crunch trip to Israel


Chris Coleman has spoken of his relief over his clear-the-air talks with James Collins, admitting Wales are ready to turn to the West Ham defender to keep hope alive in Haifa.

And he reckons the battle-hardened centre-back is loving life even more with Wales following the pair’s spat over availability 18 months ago as he gets set to head back into the side to face Israel this weekend.


Collins drew huge question marks over his international career when he allegedly pulled out of a Wales squad at the end of the last campaign before he and boss Coleman engaged in a public war of words.

Coleman claimed the experienced ace refused to be called up off the stand-by list for a game against Serbia in September 2013, something Collins denied only for the manager to reveal his full version of events before going on to hint it was the end of Collins’ chances of wearing a red shirt again.

But the pair agreed to sort out their differences the following month, seeing the former Cardiff and Aston Villa star recalled to the squad.

Collins, 31, has since seen Hull’s James Chester spark up an impressive partnership with skipper Ashley Williams at the heart of the Wales defence, the duo starting all three of the Euro 2016 qualifying games to date.

James Chester leaves the field with a dislocated shoulder against West HamJames Chester is still out injured
But with Chester having failed to recover from a dislocated shoulder in time to be considered for Saturday’s clash with Israel, Coleman has admitted Collins has a chance to grab another opportunity.

Coleman said: “I’m glad we had that coffee together. We made sure we had it in the middle of the hotel so it didn’t kick off between us and we could stay civil with the number of people around us!

“But it’s great that he is with us and I think that perhaps what happened has helped him value playing for Wales even more.

“We had our spat, but I have known him since he was a kid and always liked him and when he has been with us he has been right in the middle of everything. His presence and personality are going to be very important going forward.

“He has had to wait for his chance but this is an opportunity for him. He was brilliant in the last camp, as were Danny Gabbidon and Sam Ricketts, who did not play but were great round the dressing room in Brussels.

“That is great for the younger guys because it is good to have advice from senior players. ‘Ginge’ likes the challenge and the atmosphere we will find ourselves in and it will be a dog-fight, which he enjoys.”

" CAN THEY REALLY FINALLY DO IT,THIS TIME? ? "


Link
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=156243

The Euro 2016 Group B qualification picture facing Wales as they prepare for day of destiny v Israel



Tuesday 24 March 2015


By Simon Gaskell

Wales are second in Group B going into the next round of fixtures as they hunt a place at a major tournament for the first time since 1958


Following the most promising start to a campaign in years, a positive result against Israel would continue Wales’ trajectory towards a first major tournament since 1958.

But Israel provide a significant hurdle, having been the surprise package of Euro 2016 qualifying group B so far.

So, how exactly do things stand and what would be acceptable for Coleman’s men on Saturday to maintain the qualifying feelgood factor?

With Wales playing their last qualifier against Belgium in November 2014, we re-cap the state of play in Group B as the Dragons prepare for their day of destiny...




How it stands...

Israel and Wales occupy the top two positions in Group B.

Israel are top with nine points from three games, having earned a 100% record with wins over Cyprus, Andorra and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Wales have eight points from four games, having beaten Andorra and Cyprus and drawn with Belgium and Bosnia.

Behind them, Cyprus have six points, Belgium five, Bosnia two and Andorra none.

Belgium are still a big threat – they are undefeated in three games and, on paper at least, have the strongest squad of any team in the group.

How the contenders for Group B qualification look

P W D L F A Ps
Israel 3 3 0 0 9 2 9
WALES 4 2 2 0 4 2 8
Cyprus 4 2 0 2 9 5 6
Belgium 3 1 2 0 7 1 5




Who qualifies?

In the first instance, the top two qualify automatically.

There is a chance third in the group could qualify automatically as well – but only if they are the best third-placed team out of all the groups A-I.

Otherwise, third will go into a play-off with one of the third-placed teams in another group.






Is anything different about qualification this time?

For the tournament in France, 24 places are up for grabs in all, more than in previous versions of the tournament when there have been just 16.

France already has one as host, 18 come from the top two automatic qualifiers in the nine groups and another for that best third-placed team.

The other third-placed teams, of which there will be eight, will play-off for the four remaining places at the tournament.






So what would be a good result for Wales this weekend?

Well, it goes without saying a win would be nice!

That would take Wales to the top of the group, with main rivals for qualification Israel and Belgium set to take points off each other when they meet in Jerusalem on Tuesday, March 31.

With eminently-winnable games against Cyprus and Andorra left, it really would put automatic qualification within Wales’ reach.

Israel have proved they are no turnovers at home though, with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over group top seeds Bosnia-Herzegovina, with goals by Gil Vermouth, Omer Damari and danger man Eran Zahavi, laying down a serious marker.

Given that, a draw would not be a disaster and would mean things are still in Wales’ hands when they take on Belgium at the Cardiff City Stadium in their next qualifier in June.

A loss, however, does not bear thinking about.

That would put Israel four points clear of Wales while, if Belgium beat Israel after what will surely be a win over Cyprus on Saturday, then they would also be three points clear with a better goal difference.

In short, a loss in Haifa would mean Wales are playing catch-up and relying on other results to get back into the automatic qualification picture.




Ideal scenario?
Wales are certainly capable of beating Israel home and away, but need to be at near their best.

Belgium have been hit by injuries to Everton duo Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas and showed they aren’t all that dynamic going forward against Wales in November.

Nevertheless, you would expect them to beat Cyprus at home.

If they do that, Wales win in Haifa and Belgium and Israel subsequently draw in midweek, it would mean Wales top the group one point clear of Israel and two ahead of Belgium, with all three teams having played five games.

That would keep the momentum going ahead of the Belgium game in June and the trip to Cyprus in September.

All this is discounting group top seeds Bosnia-Herzegovina, who look to have given themselves too much to do after picking up just two points from their opening four games.

As he prepares to win his 50th cap for his adopted country, Ashley Williams opens up on what it means to play for Wales, his relationship with Gareth Bale and why he can’t bring himself to think of not making it to Euro 2016.

In one of his most revealing interviews, the captain of Wales speaks to Football Correspondent CHRIS WATHAN.

Monday 23rd March 2015

‘Ashley Williams, he’s not even Welsh’.

In the heat of a South Wales derby, the retort from some Cardiff City fans was as cutting as it was cold.

“To be honest, I chuckled,” said Williams, the player whose Swansea supporters had taken pride in pointing out is captain of Wales. After all, as he points out, in a way they’re right.

In his booming West Midlands tones, the 30-year-old knows he can’t escape the fact that he wasn’t born this side of the Severn. There’s been no dragon hastily tattooed on his chest a la Vinnie Jones and there’s no attempt to try and deny the undeniable.

But, as he speaks candidly about his time in a red shirt ahead of this weekend’s landmark, there is no getting away from the fact that few are better qualified to wear it.

“I get asked it a lot and I have to explain it a lot, which is fine, because I know I’m not Welsh as such,” says the defender. “I wasn’t born here, I grew up watching England in football, rugby, whatever. I have Welsh blood but I’m not stupid enough to go around saying I’m Welsh when I was born where I was born – but I know what I feel.


“I’ve lived here for seven years and I have roots here; my kids are Welsh, they’ll go to school here, our family and our home are here and will probably stay here when I retire.

“So I know people will have their opinions about it, but I feel Welsh and hopefully people can see I’ve given my all for the country. I’ve played through injuries, learned the anthem before we were told to do it as a squad, researched the teams of the past, I’ve thrown myself into it. I know what it means because I feel it.”

Williams smiles when he tells of how his two oldest of three children, Raphael and Xavier, speak with a Swansea twang and while his accent remains as thick as it did when he first arrived in South Wales in March 2008, he laughs when explaining he tells wife Vanessa that he’ll do things ‘now in a minute’.

And all by chance. Brian Flynn, then Wales’ youth chief, had travelled to Stockport’s Edgeley Park to watch Wayne Hennessey on loan from Wolves when impressed by the then 23-year-old centre-back. If not for the fact of his father’s surname, the question that revealed his maternal links to the land of his grandfather may never have come.


“I can remember the text from our assistant manager, Pete Ward who played for Flynny at Wrexham,” recalls Williams. “All it said was if I had any Welsh in me. That was it, no explanation.

“I knew all about my links (through mother Lyn’s Gelli-born father Bill Rowlands), my aunts and cousins are all Welsh, so I explained and the text came back: ‘You could nick a cap here.’”

John Toshack duly named Williams in the squad to play Luxembourg – a game that took place seven years ago this Thursday – but not before casting his own eyes over the former non-league defender once released by West Brom as a schoolboy.

“He’s said since he’d seen enough to know I was good enough to leave at half-time,” says Williams of Stockport’s League Two game at Hereford shortly before the call-up. “But he’s told me the reason he left was because he’d thought: ‘He’s s**t’! Somehow he still picked me.”

And started him, winning the first of 49 caps to date with the 50th set to come in far different circumstances in Haifa. No longer the nervous new boy, glad the likes of Craig Bellamy and James Collins were absent not to be overawed in strange international surroundings, now he is the captain Chris Coleman turned to as he looked to ensure the golden generation had some steely stewardship.

Williams admits there have been mistakes along the way since Coleman replaced the much missed Gary Speed, both by the manager and by the team, but the fact they have come through it together has strengthened a bond and a belief between them that this qualifying campaign can be different.

So far it has been, the spirit evident from the stands and the squad with the attitude and images of a world class talent like Gareth Bale leading in his own right perhaps best summing up the new feel to this campaign. It would have been easy for a more insecure character to have felt threatened; Williams is anything but.

“He’s come out of his shell in terms of leadership,” he says of Bale. “He’s taken it upon himself and for me it’s brilliant, that was perfect, because sometimes a captain needs someone they can lean on. I haven’t felt at all as if he’s trying to take the armband off me; if the manager thought that Gareth would be a better skipper I’d be all for it because it’s whatever best for us to get to France. It’s great especially with the experience of these big games he has.”

Of which Saturday in Israel is very much one of them, a player who worked part-time while playing for Hednesford Town hitting a half-century at the highest level. Ability aside, of which he has it in spades, it hasn’t happened by accident with his club boss, Garry Monk, recently describing the almost-ever present Williams as a machine when it comes to fitness.

“I never thought I’d get to this point. How could I have? I hadn’t thought about playing for Wales before that text because, well, why would I at the level I was?” he asks. “Then it was getting one cap to say I’m an international footballer, then it was wondering if I could get to 10, 20....now I’m on 49. There’s better players than me who retired before getting to 50 so I’ve been lucky. I’ve made that effort to stay fit to play as many games as possible.”

The cynic who sees players put club before country and the way the importance of international football asks why? Why when team-mates are enjoying the R and R of international breaks put his body through it?

“I don’t know – my family ask me the same, worried I won’t be able to walk or play with the kids when I’m older,” he reveals.

“The only thing I can think of is that it’s the why I was brought up, the way my dad was, the way the guys were I played with at Hednesford.

"Back then if you could get on the pitch you did. At the time it meant a lot getting your appearance money because, well, you needed it.

“And that buzz of playing for your country is still the same. There’s been tough times and there are moments and matches when you question why you’re away from your kids. But when you retire there are players who will retire with a lot of things, memories and money and lifestyle – but not many will have international caps.”

Fewer still will be able to say they have played in a major finals, an ambition that burns bright with Williams, for himself and for the country he is so obviously proud to represent.

Because while Saturday will mark a personal landmark, more significant to Williams is the step towards something “far better players than me” have not managed. He has achieved much more than he ever anticipated, but one last goal stands in front of him.

“I will probably never play Champions League and I may be too old for the World Cup. There are things I won’t achieve,” he says.

“I never expected any of it but now this is there, it’s in touching distance. If it all ended tomorrow I could be satisfied with what I’ve done – winning promotion, winning the League Cup, playing in Europe, the caps I have – but because this is so close, because we’ve given ourselves this chance, I can’t think about not qualifying. If we had started badly it would have been ‘oh well’ but now it’s down to us, it’s in our hands. I can’t imagine the regret if we don’t.”

There is almost a wince when he speaks as he goes on to explain how he still struggles to overcome the lows with Wales, of which there have been plenty over seven years where hope has been fast extinguished.

“They are always worse,” he says, the 6-1 loss to Serbia and a personally poor game against Bulgaria springing to mind. “But the good moments are incredible. It’s like that now. I can only imagine how good the high could be if we make it to France.

“No-one’s thinking of not getting there, we’re all talking about making it and how good it will feel.

“There’s a responsibility wearing that shirt, something I’m aware of.

“And perhaps the fact I wasn’t born here means I could never go out giving it half-hearted because I know I’d be letting them down. It’s not even about proving you’re a good player, but proving that commitment, that I’m worthy to wear a Wales shirt.”

Williams has done that 49 times over. As he prepares to make it 50, Wales’ couldn’t ask for more from their natural-born leader.

Wales National Team Manager Chris Coleman, was pleased to see a fully fit squad report for the first training session ahead of the European Qualifier against Israel in Haifa on Saturday (28 March).

“It’s great to get the squad back together,” Coleman told faw.cymru. “It has been four months since the draw in Belgium so everyone is ready to get their heads down and work hard for the match ahead.

“I’m really happy to see a fully fit squad report for training today, as we look to prepare ourselves in the best possible way for our visit to Israel.”

Israel currently sit top of Group B with maximum points from three matches and Wales are second with eight points from four matches. Going into Saturday’s game both teams are undefeated.

http://www.faw.org.uk/news/FAW99494.ink?newstype=j

Getting excited about this trip - Flying out tomorrow!

Israel v Wales Euro 2016 qualifier: Cliff Jones sees echoes of 1958 in the spirit shown by Gareth Bale and Co

25 March 2015

By Chris Wathan

Jones has reflected on another Welsh win in Tel Aviv on the way to the World Cup finals and how Chris Coleman's side have the same togetherness


Wales' players are looking to emulate the team of 1958

It’s Welsh football’s best-known, lesser-known story.

And, 57 years on, one of its main protagonists senses there is something familiar to the script as Wales attempt to add a new chapter to the country’s greatest footballing hour.


And not just in the fact the national team find themselves once again travelling to Israel in a bid to take a giant step towards a major finals.

“There’s something about this team that reminds me of what we had,” says Cliff Jones, one of the immortals of 1958. “And believe me, there is nothing I want more than for them to do what we did.”

Just as on January 15, 1958, victory in the Middle East will give Wales every chance.

“It’s incredible it’s Israel again,” says Jones, the flying winger of White Hart Lane, a double-winner with Tottenham after starting out with hometown Swansea. “And it’s in our hands again, as it was back then.”

Yet only by a twist of fortune. While Chris Coleman’s Euro 2016 hopefuls have always known they would need to overcome Israel in their bid to qualify, the boys of ‘58 only found themselves in Tel Aviv through politics and pot luck.

Because even the original golden generation had, like so many since, failed to shine in its qualification group.



Wales v Israel, 1958
The Wales team received a case of oranges from the Citrus Marketing Board of Israel. Shosana Ahud, from Tel Aviv, a student in English at London University, hands over the fruit


Having beaten Czechoslovakia 1-0 in Cardiff at the start of May 1957, back-to-back defeats to East Germany and the Czechs later that month had seemingly dashed hopes of spending the following summer in Sweden.

Not even the great John Charles, soon to move to Juventus on £2,000-a-week wages that blew away the British salary cap, had made a difference, with goalkeeper Jack Kelsey later describing the great centre-forward as being particularly, and surprisingly, ineffective.

The 4-1 win over East Germany in September was seemingly a dead rubber, yet all the while a path of redemption was opening up.

“We knew nothing of it really,” says Jones, now 80 but who speaks with a sparkle about his days as a 23-year-old. “We’d competed in all the games, but had fallen short and thought that was it.

'Huge opportunity'
“When we were told we had another chance it was a bit surreal, but we knew it was a huge opportunity. We weren’t going to throw it away.”

They didn’t. Fifa had given Wales a golden ticket they would not pass up, coming about after refusing to allow Israel to qualify without playing a game.

It had not meant to be that way. Unlike now, Israel had been placed in the Asian qualifiers, the winners of which would meet victors from the African qualifying process.

However, Israel’s initial opponents Turkey withdrew because they did not want to be considered as part of the Asian group. In the second stage, Indonesia pulled out over not wanting to play in Tel Aviv before Egypt refused to play, just a year after the Suez Crisis.

John Charles in action for JuventusJohn Charles in action for Juventus
When the final opponents, Sudan, followed suit, Fifa organised a draw from the nine European nations that finished second in their groups to play Israel home and away.

Legend has it the names were placed into the Jules Rimet trophy itself. Belgium were plucked first only for them to turn the chance down because of the politics involved. Wales, next out, took no such stance.

“We met in London as we always did,” recalls Jones, one of only three stars of that side to play every minute of the group stage and the two play-offs, Mel Hopkins and Mel Charles being the others.

“We’d train at Hyde Park, but we were all good players and we all had a real togetherness, so it didn’t have to be over the top. The biggest thing would be to make sure you weren’t on Jack Kelsey’s team when we’d play five-a-side. He was one of the best goalkeepers I have ever seen, but for some reason he fancied himself as a defender and he was useless!

“We were in good spirits and we were very confident going out there. We didn’t know much about them, but we knew we had a good team.

‘Il Gigante Buono'
“There was myself and Terry Medwin and then you had the ‘Golden Boy’, Ivor Allchurch, a very special player. He was the main person with Swansea, but we also had the main personality, Mel Charles. What a player.”

There was a certain someone else too, though he did not join up with the squad in London, Charles making his own way to Tel Aviv from Turin.

Cardiff centre-half Alan Harrington has spoken of how ‘Il Gigante Buono’ made the most of the winter sun to top up the already-healthy Italian tan he had acquired having left Leeds behind in August 1957, Wales delighted Juventus had bowed to pressure to let him play in both legs, having ruled him out of games previously.

“He was a superstar, there’s no doubt about that,” says Jones. “But he was very much one of us. He was playing in Italy, but he was still a Swansea Jack through and through and loved playing for Wales. I see those same qualities with Gareth now.”

Jones, of course, is referring to Bale – the former Tottenham flier who graced the same left touchline in North London as he did all those years ago.

Cliff Jones during his Spurs playing days and watching his former team (inset)
“He’s one of the finest I’ve seen, but it’s that fire he’s got in him too,” Jones continues. “I loved watching him in the last game against Belgium where he was close to scoring one minute, but then defending on his line the next. There’s a big comparison between him and John in terms of how good they were, but also their desire and how they gave everything as part of a group.”

It was not Charles, though, who helped Wales to their first-leg victory

Jones admits he can not remember much of the game, but recalls the heat that had seen reserve goalkeeper Graham Vernacombe collapse in training and the building site state of the half-built Ramat Gan Stadium, though it didn’t affect the atmosphere.

A full house of home fans were left disappointed when Wales overpowered their amateur hosts, Ivor Allchurch scoring from 25 yards before Dave Bowen set Wales up for the return leg in Cardiff three weeks later.

Chodoroff injury
The Ninian Park stage was set on February 5, 1958.

“Now I do remember that one,” laughs Jones. “Or at least my goal and the celebrations!”

Reports talk of uncompromising tackles from the visitors in a vain attempt to stop the inevitable, but it was Israel’s star goalkeeper, Ya’acov Chodoroff, who felt the full force of Welsh desire to join the other home nations at the World Cup.

In a challenge with Charles he broke his nose and injured his shoulder, the pre-substitute days meaning he had little choice but to play on. Goals from Allchurch and Jones ended both his and Israel’s resistance, Chodoroff waking up in hospital knowing a dominant Wales had won, but not by how much and speaking Hebrew believing he was back in Israel. Living up to his ‘Il Gigante Buono’ moniker, Charles was one of the first to visit him.

Chodoroff, was left with a broken nose and injured shoulder, but had to play on in the days before substitutesChodoroff, pictured receiving treatment, was left with a broken nose and injured shoulder, but had to play on in the days before substitutes
They celebrated, though, the squad and the suits heading back to Cardiff’s Park Hotel. The Champagne may have been deemed too expensive even for this occasion, but the beer definitely flowed.

The moment did not last for the inspirational manager of the side. Jimmy Murphy had wanted to travel to Belgrade with Manchester United for the European Cup quarter-final against Red Star fearing Matt Busby was not well enough for the trip having only recently recovered from leg surgery. Busby had been adamant his Ton Pentre right-hand man needed to be with his country. Only 24 hours after Wales’ win, many of the players Murphy had helped bring through perished as 23 people lost their lives in the Munich air disaster.

Murphy would help United rebuild, credited with helping ensure the club lived on, leading the team out in the FA Cup final just a month before taking Wales to Sweden.

“I know the air disaster had a profound effect on Jimmy,” says Jones. “But he never showed it to us as players, even though it must have been so hard for him because they were the Busby Babes and he had helped bring a lot of those boys through.




Great hope again
"He was a wonderful man, a proud Welshman and he demanded we never gave less than our all in that red shirt.

“I see those same demands from (Chris) Coleman and I see the same response from the players.

“It gives me great hope, like when I see Ashley Williams being a terrific leader and fostering that togetherness.

“There’s no doubt, just as we had John, this side has Gareth, as well as wonderful players who could lift a whole team; I still say that had he not been targeted and injured as he was against Hungary it might have been different against Brazil in the quarter-finals.

“But what made the difference for us in games like against Israel was the spirit we had. There are fantastic players in this side like Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen, but it’s that spirit that reminds me of us and what we did. It’s been too long but, especially with it being Israel again, maybe it’s meant to be.”

Gareth Bale WILL drag Wales out of the football doldrums - Swansea City star Neil Taylor backs his Galactico teammate

Thurs 26 March 2015

By Chris Wathan

It seems as though Welsh hopes rest on the shoulders of Gareth Bale at the business end of the Euro 2016 qualifiers but his teammates insist they're right with him


Neil Taylor backs Gareth Bale to lead Wales to gloryNeil Taylor backs Gareth Bale to lead Wales to glory

Neil Taylor has revealed how Chris Coleman’s Euro 2016 hopefuls have felt the responsibility of dragging Wales out of the international doldrums – and claimed Gareth Bale has what it takes to help make it happen.

Wales face Israel on Saturday in a game manager Coleman has described as the national side’s most significant since the Euro 2004 play-off defeats to Russia more than a decade ago.


Because victory away to the surprise group leaders would put unbeaten Wales in the driving seat to make it to France next summer and end a major finals exile lasting 57 years.

Swansea City full-back Taylor says the squad are refusing to down-play the importance of the Haifa clash, admitting there was an awareness that it was down to a side containing talents such as Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen and Real Madrid megastar Bale to force football back into the wider Welsh public affection.

And despite the recent storm surrounding Bale’s Real form, that even saw one group of angry Madridistas attack his car after the weekend El Clasico defeat, Taylor says Bale is more than up to spearheading the effort.



Taylor, 26, said: “We know it’s a massive game because an opportunity has arisen for us to really push on as a side.

“And we know the importance because I’m of the belief that playing for your country is massive, the pinnacle of your career.

“We’ve felt all along that we wanted to get a feel-good factor across Wales, to give them something to back.

“They came through for us in those games with Bosnia and Cyprus and made a real difference for us and we don’t want to let that go.

“We want to get the hype around Welsh football again, to get on a crest of a wave, get some results and go somewhere.

“We have spoken about it as a squad, about getting that back; Cardiff and Swansea both have full-houses but we needed them back.

“We knew we had to give them something to shout about, to get the kids interested in the national side.

“We know rugby is dominant, especially in South Wales, but we want to bring football back to an era when we were watching with full-houses at the Millennium.”

Victory in Israel will help, setting up a mouthwatering clash with group favourites Belgium in June.

Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans AgencyChris Gunter and Ashley Williams celebrate Wales' draw with Belgium
As will the Bale factor, with Taylor insisting that despite the scrutiny and the pressure the £85m man is ready to deliver.

Taylor said: “I think Gareth has become a bit acclimatised to how his life is now with stuff like that.

“And when that happens you brush everything off quite easily, whether you’re doing well or not doing well you have to take everything the same way. And he’s played in enough big games now to be able to deal with all of that.

“You saw the cameras here at training for him and even in Andorra there were people camped outside our hotel and it will probably be the same in Israel.

“The important thing for us is that he’s here because when he is he gives it his best and you see how much he wants this as a passionate Welshman.

“He’s desperate to get to a major tournament like the rest of us. I think he obviously feels the onus is on him maybe because he’s one of the best players in the world and everyone knows that.

“He wants to influence every game and he’s become a real leader and that drive is there.”

Taylor accepts there is a need for the rest of Coleman’s exciting squad to step up with Bale if they are to make the most of their impressive start that has seen wins over Andorra and Cyprus and hard-earned draws with top seeds Bosnia and Belgium.

And he added: “Sometimes you can see, like against Andorra, he maybe thinks ‘The game’s not happening here for us, I have to take more responsibility on myself because I can do things other players can’t do’. And he does that. That’s where he produces.

“I don’t think there is pressure on him really, but as a team of course we try to help him and do the best we can.

“And we have got other good players here, don’t forget that. Spread out evenly across a big squad we’ve got other people who can come in and affect it.”

Euro 2016 qualifying: Gareth Bale and his Wales colleagues are facing their BIGGEST game in 12 years


Friday 27th March 2015

By Chris Wathan

Chris Wathan argues the top of the table Euro 2012 showdown in Israel is bigger than any Wales match since the 2003 play-off with Russia


There's been no denying it. There’s been no hiding from it.

In fact, as Wales stars gathered at Cardiff Airport before boarding to fly to Tel Aviv, they were continuing to embrace the fact Saturday’s game against Israel is the biggest the national side have faced in more then a decade.

It seems strange to say so in one way. Certainly no-one would have picked out this fixture in Haifa as such a significant one before the teams in this Euro 2016 qualifying group set off on the road to France.

And, although results have ensured that the weekend’s clash at the Sammy Ofer Stadium means first against second will play out in front of 31,000 fanatical supporters, qualifying hopes are not win or bust on the basis of this one result.

Yet Chris Coleman cannot be accused of hyperbole by stating that the importance of this game is bigger than any other Wales have faced since those play-off games with Russia in the autumn of 2003.

Why? Because getting a win in Israel will show Wales really are credible about this being the end of the excuses.



As we build up to the general election, we keep being told that none of the leading parties have managed a game changer.

In terms of Wales convincing the nation that this campaign won’t be like all the others, this is their game-changing game.

There are those fans whose enthusiasm for the national team has never wavered even if their optimism has every so often.

Suddenly the belief from those who have stuck with Wales over recent years has started to flow towards the more casual supporter.

What this Wales side want to do is unite the whole country to sense the excitement they should do about a team containing Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen and more Premier League stars than we’ve managed in years and years.

Winning away from home in a game that truly means something will do more than just bring another three points to Wales’ tally that tantalisingly brings our major finals dreams a bit closer.

Hal Robson-Kanu, Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale will be hoping to celebrate a fine Wales result in IsraelHal Robson-Kanu, Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale will be hoping to celebrate a fine Wales result in Israel
More: Gareth Bale? We're not scared of him, says Tal Ben Haim

It will spark a fire across the land about a football team that at one point looked to have been abandoned, engulfed in apathy.

The FAW, to their credit, and the players have bought into the realisation that the responsibility was with them to enthuse the public once more.

The #TogetherStronger marketing campaign has found itself coming to fruition, no more better displayed than in those two home games with Bosnia and Cyprus.

Several players have already cited the impact the support in those games had and the impression it had left.

They know by showing that this time will be different, that hope is not unfounded, then the buzz before playing Belgium in June will be like nothing they’ve experienced as players.

And they are not ducking it. Neil Taylor spoke of the need of them to deliver, to bring the hype and the hope back. Captain Ashley Williams has spoken of refusing to even think of failing on this bid to make it to the European Championships.

The attitude has been why skirt around the issue any more? They have the momentum, they have the players, they have the opportunity.

They have the experience too; though many of this side started out as youngsters together, a bond formed coming through the age groups, they are well used to dealing with the demands of football at the top level and in the kind of atmosphere that awaits then in Israel.


And they know that teams who make it to summer tournaments have to at one point or another get that big result on the road.

Sparky’s side in 2002 got the win in Finland but lost out in Italy and Serbia. Terry Yorath’s team a decade earlier ultimately failed to get to America because they managed just one point from three games away to Romania, Belgium and the RCS.

This time around, the point in Brussels was a step in the right direction; a win in Israel will be a huge stride.

Ambitions will not stand or fall by what happens in Haifa, but a little of that momentum will be lost. If it doesn’t mean looking at play-offs, it will at least mean playing a little bit of catch up.

Win and the whole of Wales will believe that this is different. That’s how big it is. There can be no denying it.

Gareth Bale won't scare hosts in Haifa as Eli Guttman insists there's no plan for Real Madrid megastar

Wednesday 27 March 2015

By Chris Wathan

Gareth Bale is in Israel hoping to fire Wales to the top of Euro 2016 qualifying Group B but the hosts insists there is no special plan in place for the Welsh Galactico.


Israel coach Eli Guttman has claimed he has no special plans for Gareth Bale - and has backed down on his comments over his his Real Madrid commitment insisting it was a joke.

But he warned his team will be ready to take on both Bale and Wales in the crunch Euro 2016 qualifying clash here in Haifa tomorrow.

Guttman stirred controversy earlier this month when he claimed Bale had been saving himself for this game amid criticism over his Bernabeu form.

But he has now stated he had been trying to make a joke - and then cracked further gags saying he had tried to contact his Real pal Cristiano Ronaldo about how to stop the world's most expensive player.

He said he failed to get an answer from the Portugal superstar who failed to find a net in a 3-3 draw in Israel at the end of the last World Cup qualifying campaign.

But he insisted his team won't be resorting to kicking the £85m man, adding: "We don't have enough strong players to do that.


"We called Cristiano to ask how to do it the same as we did against him against Gareth Bale but he did not answer the phone. Unfortunately. But there will be no man to man, only a team game, that's the point. Every game is this league of ten games is a big match.

We are going to play as a team, one unit, not to give space and this is our plan."

On his commitment comments, he said: "I must improve my humour. I don't wish to discuss Gareth Bale because after those comments he scored two goals for Real Madrid! He made like this [holds hands over ears] but he did not do it for me, he did for the supporters of Real Madrid. That's exactly what I mean."

Confidence is high in the Israeli camp, and asked whether he expected the hosts to make it four from four at the top of Group B, Guttman said: "There are 30,000 people coming. We want to send them home with a big smile."

"Gareth Bale won't scare hosts in Haifa as Eli Guttman insists there's no plan for Real Madrid megastar"

There's your chance Gareth, now nail em to the wall!

We have been speaking to several Israelis who are very concerned about they're own goal keeper, i'm told he is equivalent to our league 2 and in the last game he played he allowed 4 goals in the net... Lets hope he is as rubbish as they say he is and get some goals in!!
My prediction 0-2 Wales

Can Chris Coleman's men make history in the land where it appears around every corner?

Saturday 28 March 2015

By Chris Wathan


Wales are in Israel looking for the win that will take them top of their qualification group and here Chris Wathan looks at how they can do it in Haifa.

Captain Ashley Williams insists Wales are on the up

Israel v Wales, Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa - 5pm UK time
You can’t escape the history in this country.

Even in the northern city of Haifa, more industrious than iconic, there is a reminder of the significance of the surroundings.

Haifa, currently bathed in spring sunshine, stretches to the Mediterranean from the slopes of Mount Carmel, a landmark referenced in religions and recent scientific studies that suggest mankind first used fire to our advantage in its caves.

In its shadow, the gleaming, new Sammy Ofer Stadium stands. Within its walls tonight, ambition will burn bright for two nations who cannot escape the chance to make history.


To their credit, and in what should make for a fascinating encounter, neither are trying to.

While Wales still hark back to 1958, the words of a golden generation have, too, cropped up when talking about the hosts who have fuelled belief of a first major finals since the 1970 World Cup following three wins from their opening three games in this Euro 2016 campaign.

They sense the opportunity as much as Chris Coleman’s team, buoyed initially by the prospect of the extra finals places in France and since surging into a confident position with an unbeaten start.



Supporters, who will flood from the neon lights of Tel Aviv to sell-out this six-month old arena, are not so much confident as convinced that this is their time.

On the dusty streets, sand blown by the blustery conditions in this port and beach city, there is almost a knowing smile from some that Wales are set to have hope taken away in Haifa, just as Bosnia were beaten in the national team’s last outing, a 3-0 victory in November.

The mood has clearly crept into the camp. Coach Eli Guttman -–known by Israeli football writers as ‘The German’ for his strict, disciplinarian style – was cracking jokes about ringing Cristiano Ronaldo about how to get one over on a certain Real Madrid teammate and how he will have to resist temptation to join in with supporters’ victory songs.

Asked if there was an expectation of a win, Guttman simply replied that he wants to send the 31,000 expected here home with those same smiles on their faces.

It all came as something of a surprise. Wales may be used to being underdogs, but there is also a greater sense of self-esteem of their own ability now. For good reason; Gareth Bale aside – and it’s difficult to do that – this is a team and a group of players best placed to qualify for more than a decade. Perhaps more so than the Mark Hughes side whose Euro 2004 challenge was referenced by Coleman in terms of the fixture’s significance.

Wales’ players and management will not mind it. They are a team of experience and ability, far more self-assured these days and far more comfortable with what they want to achieve and how to go about it.

And all of them know that a significant win away from home is where history can be made.

It is something that has eluded so many of the sides of the past, often only either winning when qualification was impossible or improbable.



A win away
A win on the road is what could have made the difference in the past and the squad know it is required either here or in Bosnia if dreams are to be realised this time around. Even in a land of history, it goes without saying like there’s no time like the present.

It is not win or bust but there might be a feeling that the refreshing, nation-wide belief of late may burst should Wales not deliver here. Something special has been created at the start of this campaign; it would not derail them if they slip up, but it would diminish things a little.

None of the players, from the biggest star to the most humble worker, want to let it all go as they sense history and a build-up to Belgium like never before. No-one wants to start playing catch-up and getting into must-win games. As they themselves face group favourites Belgium next in just a few days’ time, Israel face a familiar scenario, which suggests there is more pressure than the smiles and Guttman’s gags let on.

But the familiarities between the sides do not stop there. Guttman talked about a team game, about a tight group who have fed off belief from the stands, who are not about star players because, being blunt, they have none.

Not of the calibre of Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen, aces who Israeli players and staff have made clear they respect but do not fear.

“We are going to play as a team, one unit, not to give space and this is our plan,” said Guttman when asked of how to stop Bale, neatly summing up their attitude. “No man to man, only team game, that’s the point.”

It is the same characteristics of unity, of collective, of – to quote the FAW’s campaign slogan – Together Stronger, that has pulled Wales through the type of challenges in games they have often struggled with.

Talent and temperament

Why? Those star players who have the talent and the big-game temperament to come through are doing just that. A draw should not be sneezed at but there is definitely the sense Wales are after more. The sense of something special building has not been lost on a single member of the squad. Efforts have been made behind the scenes to try and keep a lid on bubbling excitement and adrenaline while trying to get coaching messages through with clarity that can be often lost in such circumstances.

The focus and fierce awareness of the stakes, even in a game that is not win or bust, was etched on Coleman’s face as he met Israeli and Welsh cameras and questions last night.

Key will be where Bale plays, whether the fit again Vokes starts and quite how Coleman pieces it altogether. There are suggestions that he will move Ben Davies into one of three central defenders which allows for changes in system during the game, Neil Taylor able to move higher up the pitch while the two Joes – one industrious, one influential – anchor the middle.

Aaron Ramsey can push on behind Bale whose central role can hurt any side. Vokes is the temptaion to provide the platform with Hal Robson-Kanu’s speed and strength a welcome addition from the bench.

Coleman, though, has often sprung surprises with his selection and has admitted he has spent an awful long time going over what it will take to beat an Israel side with plenty of attacking threat.

But they are there to be respected, but they are also there to be beaten.

Wales to win this 3-2

Wales XI v Israel: Hennessey; Williams(Capt), Collins, Davies; Gunter, Allen, Ramsey, Ledley, Taylor; Bale; Robson-Kanu.