Is Chris Coleman up to the task of leading Wales?

How Wales boss Chris Coleman can stop a drama becoming a crisis
Sep 16 2012



" Is Chris Coleman up to the task of leading Wales? "


Fingers have been pointed, voices have been raised and heads shaken in the immediate aftermath of the nightmare of Novi Sad, a performance and result that will go down in Welsh football history for all the wrong reasons. Yet there is little time to sulk about Serbia with two further make-or-break World Cup fixtures fast approaching on the horizon as Scotland roll into town next month, before taking on group favourites Croatia in Osijek.

With the dust finally settling on one of those weeks for Wales, Football Correspondent Chris Wathan picks out SIX things that must happen to stop a drama becoming a crisis.

CHRIS COLEMAN MUST DECIDE WHICH SORT OF BOSS HE IS

Right now, it appears that Coleman is trying to be all things to all people.

Eyebrows were raised when he was first appointed, not because of his experience as a manager but the type of manager he was.


Gary Speed had left behind a team that had really started to get up and running in a style and system that did not lend itself to the football seen at Coventry under Coleman.

The soundbites from the new appointment were that he had seen the light if you like, that he wanted to carry on with a brand of passing, possession football that not only suited the best players at his disposal, but was and is actually engrained into FAW strategy plans.

However, there has been little evidence of the ‘Welsh way’ in the games to date and Coleman’s comments regarding long-balls, earning the right to play and ‘getting stuck into them’ make you wonder if he has full faith in either that way forward or in himself as being able to implement it.

Perhaps he needs to be true to himself, as much as it will jar with those who believed Wales had found a way to play.

If he is going to revert to type then – regardless of others’ opinions – he needs to do it now and be judged by his own ideals and not someone else’s.

Coleman was an uncompromising central defender and maybe it’s the defence he needs to sort out first and foremost.

If he does feel able to press ahead with a passing style, despite the difficulties it offers, then it must be whole-hearted. This is no time for half-measures.

BE BRAVE

Just as Coleman must be brave with his approach and his beliefs, so too must the all-round attitude be one without fear.

In the build-up to the last games, almost too much has been made of the strength of a Belgian team that is technically superb as individuals but not yet superb as a side.

If they had been, it would have been a far greater beating.

Coleman has asked how suitable the ‘golden generation’ tag is, rather than talking it up when this young team appears to feed off confidence and belief.

That lack of confidence was seen throughout the games, from booting the ball from the back instead of trusting a teammate, to Coleman looking scared stiff to make changes of any note in Novi Sad.

There is no avoiding the fact there is pressure, but fear of it will only see another case of the rabbit in the headlights syndrome which led to the events in Serbia.

CLEAR THE AIR WITH PLAYERS

After such a hammering, there is undoubtedly going to be a bad vibe the next time the Welsh camp meets up.

The first job must be to ensure it ends there, that any gripes or grumbles about who and what was at fault for the humiliation in Serbia are immediately off chests.

It is not about a blame culture per se, but about being able to be brutally honest about what went wrong to be able to put it right.

If that means Coleman himself or so-called star players have to take criticism in that dressing room, then take it they must.

There can be no hiding place.

BUILD AROUND RAMSEY AND ALLEN

There has been a lot of talk of ‘give it to Gareth’ regarding the Wales games of late, understandable given the brilliance of Bale.

In the days of Ryan Giggs when things were so low around him, it was just the same.

Yet Giggs couldn’t lift a side on his own and aside from the odd flash of excellence – like that free-kick in Novi Sad – Bale won’t either.

Yes, Wales need to work out how to get him on the ball more (and playing him on his natural left when Bellamy isn’t around would be a start) but the two men key to that is Aaron Ramsey and pass-master Joe Allen.

Both suffered from a lack of protection and balance in Serbia, the captain to blame for the shape falling apart for almost caring too much and losing his tactical discipline in a vain attempt to try and make something happen.

These are the two who can make the team click and they trust each other the most on the ball.

However Coleman goes forward, they are key both defensively and creatively and to ignore that fact would be perilous.

A CHANGE IN LUCK

The loss of Allen – you would like to think – dramatically changed the way Wales were going to go against a Belgium side who were given too much respect.

Likewise, Allen and Ramsey might have had the protection they required against Serbia had one of Jack Collison, Andrew Crofts or even the more dynamic Joe Ledley been able to step-in rather than the like of David Edwards or David Vaughan who were square-pegs in round-holes for those midfield roles.

Wayne Hennessey was much more missed than many had anticpated beforehand and Craig Bellamy’s influence can never be underestimated.

No Wales side has been able to cope with excessive withdrawals, this one is no different.

An excuse? Perhaps, but a drop of fortune wouldn’t do anyone any harm next month.

IMPROVE

Already it has been declared it is a win or bust scenario at Cardiff City Stadium next month, not just for one side either as Craig Levein looks to avoid becoming the third Scotland manager to be axed after woes in Wales.

Yet too much emphasis cannot be placed on one game.

Given that Rio looks a million miles away right now, it can be argued improvement is of greater importance.

More’s the pity, but we are used to losing with Wales.

We lost plenty under Speed. The difference?

There was a direction, a sense of where he wanted to go and how he hoped to achieve it.

There must be that sense against Scotland, that things will not regress any further. Either way, we will get our answers come full-time.



Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballna ... z26cP4Npbq

He has to go, got to be one of the worst appointed welsh job and take all his backroom staff with him, total clearout is needed

No!

In a word NO !

Quite simply, no, Annis. He hasn't had any success as a manager but the FAW seem hell bent on picking a Welshman (whether that's right or wrong) for the job. Apart from Tony Pulis, i can't think of any other Welsh manager. They should have given the job to Raymond Verheijen as we all know but alas we've quickly returned to the dinosaur era.Sorry,but that's my opinion.

NO he is not, also the players need to have a good look at themselves. Whatever formation Coleman had decided - We should have never conceded 6 goals to a country that hasnt scored in a long time.
We need a continental style manager

No he's not, should never have been given the job in the first place.

Hope he walks! The FAW won't sack him.

No

Definitely no, he should walk now before it's too late

Bloody hell that article is abysmal!

So one of the things Wales have to do to improve is... IMPROVE!!

Nice one, genius.

No... Not good enough, like his assistant and coaches.... No way out, he won 't walk and we can't afford to pay him off.

No never was to start with most knew this, hes done achieved nothing in his footballing days nore as a manager so that says it all. Welsh fa are a bunch of amatures like like old ray told us.

He needs to start his management career over again. He can f**k off to the lower leagues.

no simple as that