' NEW year, New start " Wales manager Chris Coleman "

My opinion, he should of gone ages ago.

OPINIONS PLEASE







' Another new start for Wales as Coleman looks to lay foundations '

By Paul AbbandonatoFeb 6th 2013

" Wales manager Chris Coleman "

NEW year, new start... and that horrible, horrible, horrible Welsh football word ‘transition’ again.

On the face of it, Wales versus Austria at the Liberty Stadium this evening is just about as meaningless an international fixture as you can get.

The crowd will be small, the opposition unattractive, interest level minimal. Let’s be honest, the TV figures for those in Wales watching England versus Brazil tonight will dwarf anything we can expect for the audience viewing Chris Coleman’s Dragons.

Barring a mathematical turnaround of incredible proportions, Wales are out of the World Cup already.... so little to play for there either, in terms of planning for next month’s qualifiers against Scotland and Croatia.

But tonight has to be viewed by Coleman and his Football Association of Wales employers almost like a new beginning.

The first step on the road towards Euro 2016 when, with more countries involved in the finals, we might just finally get to one of these major tournaments.

Despite their woeful results achieved to date under Coleman, these Welsh players are certainly good enough to qualify.

They just need to have the organisation, game-plan, confidence and conviction.

And the planning for that starts in earnest against Austria.

Sadly, Coleman has done nothing yet to convince the cynics that he is the right man to hold down the job of being in charge of his country.

But, by that token, nor do I believe Coleman is a anywhere near as bad a manager as results have suggested. Given the challenging and unique set of circumstances in which he was handed the job, perhaps we should be cutting him a little bit of slack.

Rightly or wrongly, it’s almost as if we need to put aside his first 12 months in the role and wipe the slate clean.

Having tried to do things the Gary Speed way and appease the players and huge army of backroom staff left behind, Coleman is finally putting his own stamp upon the Wales team.

He is right to do that because there was only one Gary Speed, but he was also right not to rip everything up to begin with.

Coleman already has a new captain at the helm in Ashley Williams, his lieutenant and eyes and ears on the pitch, if you like.

With competitive points not at stake, what this evening should be about is Coleman starting to bed in the playing system and personnel he believes will serve Wales best in the Euros.

I know we don’t like to hear the word transition. Heck, we’ve had enough of it for the past eight years, but this is the reality of where Wales are right at this moment in time.

Craig Bellamy said in these very pages yesterday that in Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen, Wales possessed three quality footballers who could be the hub of any international team in the world.

An exaggeration in the case of Allen, perhaps, but you get the drift of what Bellamy means.

But Wales have more than that. Much, much more.

In Bellamy, they possess a player of nous, speed and directness who is still capable of carving open the best defences around.

Our captain Ashley Williams had been the form defender in the Premier League over the past couple of months.

Adam Matthews is a magnificent right-back, whose stock has soared after the way he marked Barcelona’s superstars out of the game in Celtic’s stunning Champions League victory this season.

Yes, Lionel Messi for half an hour included.

Neil Taylor, when he returns to fitness, is a highly-accomplished left-back who still has a huge role to play for Wales over the next decade.

While the jury is out at international level on his deputy Ben Davies, it’s fair to say the teenage stand-in has yet to put a foot wrong for club or country.

So there are seven players there, Matthews, Williams, Taylor, Bellamy, Allen, Ramsey and Bale, who are more than capable of taking this Welsh side to new heights.

The trouble is, it is being done the wrong way around, so to speak.

Football teams are traditionally built around a strong spine. Top goalkeeper, big, strong, robust centre-half, dominant midfield anchor-man and goal scoring centre-forward.

Get those positions right and the flair players can work off the solidity and foundation provided from down the middle.

Wales possess the flair players. They lack the spine and it is something Coleman needs to urgently address, beginning this evening.

Wayne Hennessey was the answer in goal, but a double dose of knee surgery has set him back and we have to see if he returns as good as he was.

Boaz Myhill will play number one against Austria. Lewis Price, himself injured tonight, has been first choice in Hennessey’s absence. Jason Brown has also been in the mix. Where Coleman goes there is anybody’s guess.

He also has options for his holding midfielder, such a pivotal role in international football as that man is tasked with stopping the opposition playmaker when he flits dangerously between the lines of striker and midfield.

Speed deployed Andrew Crofts in the position, Coleman has plumped for David Vaughan. But neither man has the presence to impose themselves upon an international football match.

I have always believed Jack Collison has the stature to perform the role for Wales, but he has missed too many games and is seen as a box-to-box man these days. Joe Ledley is the other plausible option.

In my eyes, Coleman has to go with one of those two against Austria, with Ramsey and Allen either side and Bellamy and Bale on the flank. That’s something of a fab five, you know.

Coleman’s more pressing problems are at centre-half and centre-forward, areas in which Wales lack depth.

Ashley Williams has been a colossus, but he desperately needs a resolute partner playing next to him in the centre of defence.

James Collins is a Premier League regular, but he makes far too many mistakes for Wales to be able to rely upon him. The chemistry between Collins and Williams has never looked right to me.

Darcy Blake was brilliant for a year under Speed, but there was always a nagging fear he was punching above his weight. He can’t even get into Crystal Palace’s match-day squad these days.

Danny Gabbidon is well past his best, Lewin Nyatanga has disappeared off the radar.

Leaving Coleman tonight with the option of Huddersfield’s Joel Lynch, Bolton full-back Sam Ricketts, or moving regular right-back Chris Gunter to the role.

Ricketts and Gunter have each played centre-back in their careers, but are more comfortable on the flank.

Coleman has to begin bedding in his preferred partnership against the Austrians... and stick with it from there on in, because without the centre-back foundation and understanding Wales have no hope.

Somehow, and I don’t envy him this one, Coleman also needs to resolve this on-going Wales centre-forward dilemma.

A whole raft of players have been tried in the number nine position, but none of them have been able to fill the boots of big John Hartson.

Bellamy may get the role this evening, but he’s better for Wales out wide. Coleman spoke yesterday about picking Bale there in the future, but he too needs to play deeper.

Perhaps it is time to give Craig Davies his head. When coming through the Welsh under-21s, he always looked the natural heir apparent to Hartson.

Davies’ career went off the rails, but he appears to be back on track this season and he might, just might, be the striker with the power, pace and presence to link play and get on the end of the splendid approach work from Bale, Bellamy and Ramsey.

See. In the grand scheme of things, tonight’s game isn’t so unimportant for Coleman and a welsh nation.

However, there is one last googly....and a pretty enormous one at that.

Coleman’s contract runs out at the end of the current World Cup qualifying campaign and there has been unrest from some influential FAW figures about results achieved and the lack of a ‘world-class’ coach amongst his backroom team.

The truth is we don’t even know, at this stage, if Coleman will be in charge for the Euro 2016 campaign.

If the FAW want him, they should give him a new deal so we can have continuity. If they don’t, in a way they would be better served getting the new man in to prepare his methods for the Euros.

But, going back to the circumstances in which the FAW asked Coleman to take on the job, that would display an appalling lack of compassion.

What we could end up with is the worst case scenario of Coleman leaving at the end of this campaign.... and precious preparation time lost in the build-up to the Euros, when Wales simply have to hit the ground running.

That ground starts tonight. Hopefully with a win. Fingers crossed, Coleman is the man who delivers the Euro 2016 dream.

No time for chris the dinosaur coleman, he has never achieved anything as a player nore as a manager so i expect nothing diffrent with wales, some of the players dont like him for a start, just as things was getting better under speed the worst thing happened when he took his own life sadly. I've not seen wales since the shambles of the FA got coleman in nore will i watch them on TV

The Welsh starting 11 on paper isn't all that bad, he SHOULD get a few decent results, step up or f**k off to put it mildly! I think I speak for many when I sat interest in the international team has seriously twindled since the the passing of Gary Speed, but when you look at Welsh club football, it's the strongest it's been in my lifetime. The FAW need to realise that this is potentially a great time for Welsh football,if Coleman can't muster the fans they need to find someone who can!

Potential line up is:

No time for chris the dinosaur coleman, he has never achieved anything as a player nore as a manager so i expect nothing diffrent with wales, some of the players dont like him for a start, just as things was getting better under speed the worst thing happened when he took his own life sadly. I've not seen wales since the shambles of the FA got coleman in nore will i watch them on TV

exactly the same mate... i was buzzing with our last so many games under speed (rip) and as soon as i saw our qualifying group, i thought this could finally be our chance of getting to a tournament... then to coleman, we have gone down hill faster than a sleigh full of fat kids!

Annis, he should never have got the job in the first place, it was an easy option (money) for the WFA, but it's proving to be very costly.

I think hes out of his depth and the squad don't respect him, when we got thrashed recently it was poor beyond belief , players didnt seem to be trying which is a big worry. Lets see how we go against Austria on paper the players we have should be capable of a result

New year new start? Oh cut the bulls**t.

He was never the right man.

The Welsh FA are just cheap and they insist on this Welsh manager yet we have a English captain?

He was lucky Bale was on his A game against Scotland.

Should of been gone ages ago.

Expectations were set under Speed and Coleman has ruined them and put us back into square one.

WORST APPOINTMENT POSSIBLE.

We are plummeting with dumb and dumber in charge. The Welsh FA are totally inept and has resulted in Welsh football going back to the dark days. It's even getting to the point now where I hope we lose the next handful of games as it should see those pair of jack c###s get booted out and see somebody esle take the reigns. Tho with the WFA I would have no confidence in their next appointment.

The Welsh starting 11 on paper isn't all that bad, he SHOULD get a few decent results, step up or f**k off to put it mildly! I think I speak for many when I sat interest in the international team has seriously twindled since the the passing of Gary Speed, but when you look at Welsh club football, it's the strongest it's been in my lifetime. The FAW need to realise that this is potentially a great time for Welsh football,if Coleman can't muster the fans they need to find someone who can!

Potential line up is:

love it says on the bottom, austria are no mugs

all managers have a shit start, i think Coleman is picking up the team now

He is no where near picking up the team and if you consider the Scotland game as a possible change of things for us then you couldn't be more wrong.

Coleman has a far more successful managerial career than Gary Speed ever had, he was excellent at every club bar Coventry.

Also if people think Coleman should have been sacked ages ago well then so should Speed who also lost 5 of his opening 6 games in charge against some real shocking teams too.

He's got my backing

We are plummeting with dumb and dumber in charge. The Welsh FA are totally inept and has resulted in Welsh football going back to the dark days. It's even getting to the point now where I hope we lose the next handful of games as it should see those pair of jack c###s get booted out and see somebody esle take the reigns. Tho with the WFA I would have no confidence in their next appointment.

This in a nutshell is everyone's issue. Tut tut

Coleman has a far more successful managerial career than Gary Speed ever had, he was excellent at every club bar Coventry.

Also if people think Coleman should have been sacked ages ago well then so should Speed who also lost 5 of his opening 6 games in charge against some real shocking teams too.

He's got my backing

Coleman might be more successful but when it comes to country he doesn't know dog s**t. The 8 years I have supported Wales I actually saw a future with Speed managing us and raising expectations a bit more and he did that.

Even the games we lost under Speed we played well we just didn't score enough to take a win or a draw.

Plus the players actually wanted to be involved and play under Speed.

Coleman just giving jobs to his mates.

Coleman has a far more successful managerial career than Gary Speed ever had, he was excellent at every club bar Coventry.

Also if people think Coleman should have been sacked ages ago well then so should Speed who also lost 5 of his opening 6 games in charge against some real shocking teams too.

He's got my backing

Agree with every word, add to that the shock of losing a mate and for the players losing a mentor, some of the lads are youngsters dealing with something like that. must have been a strange place for all of them. I think they are picking up, though conceding 6 away in that manner was horrendous. Just as horrendous as wanting him out already, I have reservations about him too, but if things were as bad as people make out Bellars wouldnt have returned. He has my backing until the end of the campaign and then see, I fancy us to finish strongly.

Became manager in very sad/difficult circumstances & I think it has greatly affected the Welsh squad as well.

Coleman comes across on tv as a nice bloke but as a national manager no thanks.

He has not helped his project by appointing that jerk/clown Hartson to his coaching staff.

get in!
bale utter class

Read the first few sentences of the article, knowing it was written by Abbandonato, and then stopped. He fawns over some of the players who probably do not deserve to be fawned over (e.g. Matthews, potentially an excellent player but is not magnificent and did not have Messi in his back pocket like Abbandonato seems to think so). Too colloquial.

So a torrent of abuse when Wales lose and not a murmur when they win, hardly a fair critique most are offering. Seems more like a witch hunt or a vendetta to me.....

Well done Coleman and well done Wales, a good performance against a country regularly in the mix for qualifying for major competition.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/8476729/

I lost all respect after we lost 6 1 away to Serbia and he hid as he walked towards the dressing room without acknowledging us in the away end. Would rather a different manager in charge.