The poulation of Uruguay, only 3m

I was shocked to read that and disappointed that they can be such a force in world football wheras we, Wales, with the same populus, are such poor, and with football being our national sport as well.Costa Rica have a population of just over 4m also and find themselves in a world cup quarter final.

What have they got that we haven't and what can be done about it? Otherwise, we will all go throughout our lives not seeing Wales in a major tournament.

I was shocked to read that and disappointed that they can be such a force in world football wheras we, Wales, with the same populus, are such poor, and with football being our national sport as well.Costa Rica have a population of just over 4m also and find themselves in a world cup quarter final.

What have they got that we haven't and what can be done about it? Otherwise, we will all go throughout our lives not seeing Wales in a major tournament.

well firstly, they have a much easier time qualifying than we do.


Secondly, a lot of the media would have you believe its not our national sport.

I was shocked to read that and disappointed that they can be such a force in world football wheras we, Wales, with the same populus, are such poor, and with football being our national sport as well.Costa Rica have a population of just over 4m also and find themselves in a world cup quarter final.

What have they got that we haven't and what can be done about it? Otherwise, we will all go throughout our lives not seeing Wales in a major tournament.

well firstly, they have a much easier time qualifying than we do.


Secondly, a lot of the media would have you believe its not our national sport.

True but they've won the tournament twice, so as easier it is for them to qualify, to go on to win it is another thing.I know it was donkeys years ago but they're still very competitive.

their players fight for their country and give everything, while most of our team aren't even Welsh and don't give a shit if they turn up or not!

Same as Bosnia too.

their players fight for their country and give everything, while most of our team aren't even Welsh and don't give a shit if they turn up or not!

I think that's closer to the crux of the matter.This world cup has shown that team spirit goes a long long way and you don't really need to be that skillful or talented.Sadly for us, we're missing that vital ingredient.

their players fight for their country and give everything, while most of our team aren't even Welsh and don't give a shit if they turn up or not!

I think that's closer to the crux of the matter.This world cup has shown that team spirit goes a long long way and you don't really need to be that skillful or talented.Sadly for us, we're missing that vital ingredient.

you can see they want it more during their anthems, they all belt it out... with Ramsey, Bale, Allen, Davies, Williams (gives more than most Welsh players) and all the highly rated youngsters coming through such as Huws, i think we got a good base! Coleman just needs to mould them into a team and play to a system!

Same as Bosnia too.

Yep and closer to home as well and more relevant.Maybe it is what Cal has just said and our players aren't united.Perhaps an all Welsh side is the way forward and as much as I enjoy seeing Ash captain the side it could be that Coleman should give it to Bale or Ramsey instead.

I'm not saying that is the problem, more a thought.

I think the main problem is the dire quality of our national league. At the moment only players that are spotted by English clubs, have Welsh relatives or that come through the ranks at Cardiff/Swansea are available.

Uruguay/Bosnia have a decent enough domestic league where many Uruguayans/Bosnians can play competitive football (don't know about Costa Rica though). If players impress then they will be picked up by better teams. Our Welsh league is nowhere near the required standard. When was the last time a Premier League (even Football League) team picked a player out of the Welsh league? How often does it happen?

Last edited by mjw6150 on Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

Same as Bosnia too.

Yep and closer to home as well and more relevant.Maybe it is what Cal has just said and our players aren't united.Perhaps an all Welsh side is the way forward and as much as I enjoy seeing Ash captain the side it could be that Coleman should give it to Bale or Ramsey instead.

I'm not saying that is the problem, more a thought.

Williams is the most dedicated of them all.

I have no idea what our problem is, there is just a lack of an enthusiasm for welsh football. The public included.

their players fight for their country and give everything, while most of our team aren't even Welsh and don't give a shit if they turn up or not!

I think that's closer to the crux of the matter.This world cup has shown that team spirit goes a long long way and you don't really need to be that skillful or talented.Sadly for us, we're missing that vital ingredient.

you can see they want it more during their anthems, they all belt it out... with Ramsey, Bale, Allen, Davies, Williams (gives more than most Welsh players) and all the highly rated youngsters coming through such as Huws, i think we got a good base! Coleman just needs to mould them into a team and play to a system!

Couldn't agree more.The anthems is a good indication of the passion involved.England the same too.Scotland under Strachan have improved hugely and wouldn't surprise me if they qualified for the Euros.There's no way they're a more talented bunch than the Welsh team but passion wise they piss all over us.

Same as Bosnia too.

Yep and closer to home as well and more relevant.Maybe it is what Cal has just said and our players aren't united.Perhaps an all Welsh side is the way forward and as much as I enjoy seeing Ash captain the side it could be that Coleman should give it to Bale or Ramsey instead.

I'm not saying that is the problem, more a thought.

Williams is the most dedicated of them all.

I have no idea what our problem is, there is just a lack of an enthusiasm for welsh football. The public included.

He is indeed but maybe its the influence he has or hasn't over the other players, as captain that's lacking?

Football has to compete with many other established sports in Wales. Notably egg. Cant think of any other sports Uruguay or Bosnia are decent at?

Not sure, he is one of the most successful welsh club captains in recent history so not sure his captaincy can be brought into question. Ramsey is no captain. Is bale? Possibly. However im not sure why but it would feel a bit empty like when Giggs was captain. Im pretty sure Real Madrid would come before Wales.

Wales have had this issue long before Williams was in the side let alone captain. We have not qualified since the 50's and have had a multitude of superstars over the years,

Bale & Ramsay would be magnificent captains, how hard they have worked at their game to become world class players would inspire a team on it's own.

Both Bale & Ramsay have also carried teams at periods recently (Bale Spurs 12/13, Ramsay Arsenal 13/14)

Bale & Ramsay would be magnificent captains, how hard they have worked at their game to become world class players would inspire a team on it's own.

Both Bale & Ramsay have also carried teams at periods recently (Bale Spurs 12/13, Ramsay Arsenal 13/14)

Good players don't make good captains, just like good players don't make good managers.

Both bale and ramsey are not vocal at all, but again, if anybody thinks our 60 year absence from major competition is due to Ashley Williams being the captain who is captain of the most successful welsh club side in a century and probably THE most dedicated welsh player in the squad.... then i dispair.

Really doesn't help with the majority of the public seeing rugby as the one and only sport in Wales. Big crowds at the 6 nations don't mean shit when less than 5000 turn up for the club games. Mostly seems to be the older generation who think this way, which makes me think in 15-20 years time football could be the main sport by a long way. That is if more people support their local teams rather than United, City, Liverpool etc.

I'm confident for these qualifiers coming up, if we can get to the Euros and really bump up our place in the rankings, I can see football really starting to take off

Bale & Ramsay would be magnificent captains, how hard they have worked at their game to become world class players would inspire a team on it's own.

Both Bale & Ramsay have also carried teams at periods recently (Bale Spurs 12/13, Ramsay Arsenal 13/14)

Good players don't make good captains, just like good players don't make good managers.

Both bale and ramsey are not vocal at all, but again, if anybody thinks our 60 year absence from major competition is due to Ashley Williams being the captain who is captain of the most successful welsh club side in a century and probably THE most dedicated welsh player in the squad.... then i dispair.

I don't think Williams is a bad captain at all but I despair of your attitude towards our two best players. If they came from Swansea and played for Swansea then you would love them and want them as captain for the reasons above. Your opinion is just spite because of where they are from.

I was shocked to read that and disappointed that they can be such a force in world football wheras we, Wales, with the same populus, are such poor, and with football being our national sport as well.Costa Rica have a population of just over 4m also and find themselves in a world cup quarter final.

What have they got that we haven't and what can be done about it? Otherwise, we will all go throughout our lives not seeing Wales in a major tournament.

Neighbours who are extremely good at football!!!

Im not sure if Uruguay is a poor country or not but most south american countries its either sport or crime/drugs etc as a way out.

Eh? My attitude to them? They are fantastic players, the best two we have. Im from cardiff myself so your opinion is way off.

Neither are captains at club level and are both quiet as mice. It seems more likely that you are being biased rather than me being negative. We have a good captain already as proven at the highest level. Is it not common sense to suggest the problem spanning 60 years isnt that?

Eh? My attitude to them? They are fantastic players, the best two we have. Im from cardiff myself so your opinion is way off.

Neither are captains at club level and are both quiet as mice. It seems more likely that you are being biased rather than me being negative. We have a good captain already as proven at the highest level. Is it not common sense to suggest the problem spanning 60 years isnt that?

You have written them both off with really dire reasoning, they have both inspired teams to success at the top levels of football.

I am not talking about Williams, I think he is a good choice as captain in terms of personality and stature though I'd rather the captain be Welsh.

I also don't think and have never said that the captain is the problem with our side.

This is why nobody likes having you on this board.

I think the main problem is the dire quality of our national league. At the moment only players that are spotted by English clubs, have Welsh relatives or that come through the ranks at Cardiff/Swansea are available.

Uruguay/Bosnia have a decent enough domestic league where many Uruguayans/Bosnians can play competitive football (don't know about Costa Rica though). If players impress then they will be picked up by better teams. Our Welsh league is nowhere near the required standard. When was the last time a Premier League (even Football League) team picked a player out of the Welsh league? How often does it happen?

we signed rhys heeley from conahs quay (sp? on basically all of those words)

...he hasn't played a game for us yet

I think the main problem is the dire quality of our national league. At the moment only players that are spotted by English clubs, have Welsh relatives or that come through the ranks at Cardiff/Swansea are available.

Uruguay/Bosnia have a decent enough domestic league where many Uruguayans/Bosnians can play competitive football (don't know about Costa Rica though). If players impress then they will be picked up by better teams. Our Welsh league is nowhere near the required standard. When was the last time a Premier League (even Football League) team picked a player out of the Welsh league? How often does it happen?

we signed rhys heeley from conahs quay (sp? on basically all of those words)

...he hasn't played a game for us yet

That's one exception I thought of but the only other one I can think of is Eifion Williams from Barry to Torquay in March 1999!!!

Surely the Jacks may have signed a youngster or two as well but it isn't much. The Welsh league needs to be exporting lots of players in order to help the national side be more successful.

I think the main problem is the dire quality of our national league. At the moment only players that are spotted by English clubs, have Welsh relatives or that come through the ranks at Cardiff/Swansea are available.

Uruguay/Bosnia have a decent enough domestic league where many Uruguayans/Bosnians can play competitive football (don't know about Costa Rica though). If players impress then they will be picked up by better teams. Our Welsh league is nowhere near the required standard. When was the last time a Premier League (even Football League) team picked a player out of the Welsh league? How often does it happen?

we signed rhys heeley from conahs quay (sp? on basically all of those words)

...he hasn't played a game for us yet

That's one exception I thought of but the only other one I can think of is Eifion Williams from Barry to Torquay in March 1999!!!

Surely the Jacks may have signed a youngster or two as well but it isn't much. The Welsh league needs to be exporting lots of players in order to help the national side be more successful.

Grassroots football isn't where it should be either. The state of some of the pitches around is horrendous, as are the changing rooms. A lot needs to be done at junior level to create better players. Personally I think every town where there's a lot of junior football teams around should have those 3G 5 a side pitches. They go a long way to help technical ability

their players fight for their country and give everything, while most of our team aren't even Welsh and don't give a shit if they turn up or not!

I think that's closer to the crux of the matter.This world cup has shown that team spirit goes a long long way and you don't really need to be that skillful or talented.Sadly for us, we're missing that vital ingredient.

British players are spoilt. I read that deandre yedlin ( US sub) gets payed approx 90k a year. Thats probably less than the average player in our squad makes a month. A lot of British players are given too much too soon. The English national team is just getting worse and worse people talk about the number of foreigners in the league but that's just an excuse. You have players on teams like the USA, Costa Rica and Uruguay that play in leagues that we consider poor and their national teams advance in the World Cup. British players lack fighting spirit.

Eh? My attitude to them? They are fantastic players, the best two we have. Im from cardiff myself so your opinion is way off.

Neither are captains at club level and are both quiet as mice. It seems more likely that you are being biased rather than me being negative. We have a good captain already as proven at the highest level. Is it not common sense to suggest the problem spanning 60 years isnt that?

You have written them both off with really dire reasoning, they have both inspired teams to success at the top levels of football.

I am not talking about Williams, I think he is a good choice as captain in terms of personality and stature though I'd rather the captain be Welsh.

I also don't think and have never said that the captain is the problem with our side.

This is why nobody likes having you on this board.

I dont care who likes who on the board, what you making this personal for you dweeb, again an example as to what is ruining the board. Was i rude to you? No

You interrupted a conversation i was having with 6bysedd regarding the problem possibly being the captain. If you didnt think it was an issue then you should have stated it as it is pretty obvious one would assume it. )I could sayThats why i dont like you on the board )

Have i championed joe allen, davies etc? No. You are confusing good players with good captains which is what people tend to do. However its not 5 a side in the play ground and its professional football. We have a great captain as proven at club level your championing of bale and ramsey in the basis they are good players is nonsensical.

As for YOU would prefer the captain to be welsh. Thats all well and good, id prefer Messi to be welsh too. Neither make a blind bit of difference in sensible debate as Messi is Argentinian and Ashley Williams is the most successful captain the welsh side posseses.

Eh? My attitude to them? They are fantastic players, the best two we have. Im from cardiff myself so your opinion is way off.

Neither are captains at club level and are both quiet as mice. It seems more likely that you are being biased rather than me being negative. We have a good captain already as proven at the highest level. Is it not common sense to suggest the problem spanning 60 years isnt that?

You have written them both off with really dire reasoning, they have both inspired teams to success at the top levels of football.

I am not talking about Williams, I think he is a good choice as captain in terms of personality and stature though I'd rather the captain be Welsh.

I also don't think and have never said that the captain is the problem with our side.

This is why nobody likes having you on this board.

I dont care who likes who on the board, what you making this personal for you dweeb, again an example as to what is ruining the board. Was i rude to you? No

You interrupted a conversation i was having with 6bysedd regarding the problem possibly being the captain. If you didnt think it was an issue then you should have stated it as it is pretty obvious one would assume it. )I could sayThats why i dont like you on the board )

Have i championed joe allen, davies etc? No. You are confusing good players with good captains which is what people tend to do. However its not 5 a side in the play ground and its professional football. We have a great captain as proven at club level your championing of bale and ramsey in the basis they are good players is nonsensical.

As for YOU would prefer the captain to be welsh. Thats all well and good, id prefer Messi to be welsh too. Neither make a blind bit of difference in sensible debate as Messi is Argentinian and Ashley Williams is the most successful captain the welsh side posseses.

I believe people can see this debate for what it is. You know your own attitude and I can see it a mile off.

You deeply care about being accepted on this board as seen in your many posts in the many arguments in many threads about the topic, which is why I am closing my contribution to this thread to avoid yet another.

yeah i really care about being accepted which is why my views are often conflicting when sense isnt being adhered to

If you cannot debate then i suggest you stop this exchange as you will only be ruining the thread for everyone else. However in terms of our debate so far, all the facts point to my opinion being the more prevalent, if that is a bad attitude then so be it. You were the name caller because you held the minority opinion and that is there for all to see

their players fight for their country and give everything, while most of our team aren't even Welsh and don't give a shit if they turn up or not!

I think that's closer to the crux of the matter.This world cup has shown that team spirit goes a long long way and you don't really need to be that skillful or talented.Sadly for us, we're missing that vital ingredient.

you can see they want it more during their anthems, they all belt it out... with Ramsey, Bale, Allen, Davies, Williams (gives more than most Welsh players) and all the highly rated youngsters coming through such as Huws, i think we got a good base! Coleman just needs to mould them into a team and play to a system!

If we have any hope of qualifying for anything Coleman needs to go, we have the players just terrible management he's a crap manager

I was shocked to read that and disappointed that they can be such a force in world football wheras we, Wales, with the same populus, are such poor, and with football being our national sport as well.Costa Rica have a population of just over 4m also and find themselves in a world cup quarter final.

What have they got that we haven't and what can be done about it? Otherwise, we will all go throughout our lives not seeing Wales in a major tournament.

They don't take rugby seriously. Thats our downfall.