' Wales manager Coleman calls '

Wales manager Coleman calls for cool heads

September 5, 2015


Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Wales manager Chris Coleman has urged his players to keep their focus on Sunday when they face Israel in Cardiff needing victory to qualify for next year's European Championship.

It is 57 years since Wales last qualified for a major tournament, coincidentally beating Israel in a play-off to reach the 1958 World Cup, and the game at Cardiff City Stadium is sure to be an emotionally charged affair.

But with the Group B leaders on a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions, Coleman is confident his players will not let the occasion get the better of them.

"We all know what the possibilities are and what it's going to be like," Coleman told his pre-match media conference in the Welsh capital on Saturday.

"There's going to be a fantastic atmosphere, but we mustn't get caught up in it because if you do that you stop thinking about what got you there in the first place.

"We'll stick to the game-plan and I'm not bothered about the performance being remembered for loads of goals and lots of excitement.

"If that's the case and we came out on top, great, but we'll stick to what we've been working on and stay calm and focused."

Coleman confirmed that midfielder Joe Ledley will miss out with a hamstring problem, but Nottingham Forest's David Vaughan has been brought into the squad to compensate for the Crystal Palace man's absence.

West Bromwich Albion centre-back James Chester, meanwhile, hopes to feature after returning to training following a hamstring injury of his own.

Gareth Bale will be central to Wales' chances, having scored six goals in their seven qualifying games, including a bullet header in Thursday's 1-0 win away to Cyprus.

"I was pleased for Gareth on Thursday because it wasn't a night when we were at our best offensively," Coleman said of the Real Madrid forward.

"But Gareth got his reward and he's got more goals in him in this campaign."

39 years not 57!

39 years not 57!

It is actually 57 years since the last time we qualified for the final's of a major tournament overseas, when we got to the 1976 European championship quarter final's only the semi finalists qualified for the final tournament that year held in yoguslavisa, so we fell one stage short yet again, it was changed four years later when 8 teams qualified for the final's in 2 groups of 4 and that format remained until Euro 96 in England until it doubled to 16 teams!!

Wales always the bridesmaid's never the bride since 1958, are we about to become the brides tomorrow night

39 years not 57!

It is actually 57 years since the last time we qualified for the final's of a major tournament overseas, when we got to the 1976 European championship quarter final's only the semi finalists qualified for the final tournament that year held in yoguslavisa, so we fell one stage short yet again, it was changed four years later when 8 teams qualified for the final's in 2 groups of 4 and that format remained until Euro 96 in England until it doubled to 16 teams!!

Wales always the bridesmaid's never the bride since 1958, are we about to become the brides tomorrow night

I thought it still counted as a qualification?

39 years not 57!

It is actually 57 years since the last time we qualified for the final's of a major tournament overseas, when we got to the 1976 European championship quarter final's only the semi finalists qualified for the final tournament that year held in yoguslavisa, so we fell one stage short yet again, it was changed four years later when 8 teams qualified for the final's in 2 groups of 4 and that format remained until Euro 96 in England until it doubled to 16 teams!!

Wales always the bridesmaid's never the bride since 1958, are we about to become the brides tomorrow night

I thought it still counted as a qualification?

I don't think so it was only 4 countries in the final stages in a host country up until 1980, and the fact we played the 2nd leg at ninain park don't actually feel like a finals of a tournament does it!

39 years not 57!

It is actually 57 years since the last time we qualified for the final's of a major tournament overseas, when we got to the 1976 European championship quarter final's only the semi finalists qualified for the final tournament that year held in yoguslavisa, so we fell one stage short yet again, it was changed four years later when 8 teams qualified for the final's in 2 groups of 4 and that format remained until Euro 96 in England until it doubled to 16 teams!!

Wales always the bridesmaid's never the bride since 1958, are we about to become the brides tomorrow night

I thought it still counted as a qualification?

I don't think so it was only 4 countries in the final stages in a host country up until 1980, and the fact we played the 2nd leg at ninain park don't actually feel like a finals of a tournament does it!

I see.

39 years not 57!

It is actually 57 years since the last time we qualified for the final's of a major tournament overseas, when we got to the 1976 European championship quarter final's only the semi finalists qualified for the final tournament that year held in yoguslavisa, so we fell one stage short yet again, it was changed four years later when 8 teams qualified for the final's in 2 groups of 4 and that format remained until Euro 96 in England until it doubled to 16 teams!!

Wales always the bridesmaid's never the bride since 1958, are we about to become the brides tomorrow night

I thought it still counted as a qualification?

I don't think so it was only 4 countries in the final stages in a host country up until 1980, and the fact we played the 2nd leg at ninain park don't actually feel like a finals of a tournament does it!

I see.

We did top our group though.

39 years not 57!

It is actually 57 years since the last time we qualified for the final's of a major tournament overseas, when we got to the 1976 European championship quarter final's only the semi finalists qualified for the final tournament that year held in yoguslavisa, so we fell one stage short yet again, it was changed four years later when 8 teams qualified for the final's in 2 groups of 4 and that format remained until Euro 96 in England until it doubled to 16 teams!!

Wales always the bridesmaid's never the bride since 1958, are we about to become the brides tomorrow night

I thought it still counted as a qualification?

I don't think so it was only 4 countries in the final stages in a host country up until 1980, and the fact we played the 2nd leg at ninain park don't actually feel like a finals of a tournament does it!

I see.

We did top our group though.

Yes we did but if you look up the history of the Euro's which started in 1960 it states the final stages of the tournament in a host country wasnt until the semi finals so 4 teams qualified for that up until 1980 when it was changed to 8 teams, so if we had done that 4 years later we would have been in the final's, you couldn't make it up could you, like i said always the bridesmaid's never the brides, that terrible ref 76, joe jordan hand ball at anfield, jock steins death at ninain, paul bodin's penalty off the bar and sparky not using an in form of his life robert earnshaw in 2nd leg after getting a brilliant 0-0 draw in russia for Euros 2004, now is our time

39 years not 57!

It is actually 57 years since the last time we qualified for the final's of a major tournament overseas, when we got to the 1976 European championship quarter final's only the semi finalists qualified for the final tournament that year held in yoguslavisa, so we fell one stage short yet again, it was changed four years later when 8 teams qualified for the final's in 2 groups of 4 and that format remained until Euro 96 in England until it doubled to 16 teams!!

Wales always the bridesmaid's never the bride since 1958, are we about to become the brides tomorrow night

I thought it still counted as a qualification?

I don't think so it was only 4 countries in the final stages in a host country up until 1980, and the fact we played the 2nd leg at ninain park don't actually feel like a finals of a tournament does it!

I see.

We did top our group though.

Yes we did but if you look up the history of the Euro's which started in 1960 it states the final stages of the tournament in a host country wasnt until the semi finals so 4 teams qualified for that up until 1980 when it was changed to 8 teams, so if we had done that 4 years later we would have been in the final's, you couldn't make it up could you, like i said always the bridesmaid's never the brides, that terrible ref 76, joe jordan hand ball at anfield, jock steins death at ninain, paul bodin's penalty off the bar and sparky not using an in form of his life robert earnshaw in 2nd leg after getting a brilliant 0-0 draw in russia for Euros 2004, now is our time

And then a pitch invasion makes us the bridesmaids again.

39 years not 57!

It is actually 57 years since the last time we qualified for the final's of a major tournament overseas, when we got to the 1976 European championship quarter final's only the semi finalists qualified for the final tournament that year held in yoguslavisa, so we fell one stage short yet again, it was changed four years later when 8 teams qualified for the final's in 2 groups of 4 and that format remained until Euro 96 in England until it doubled to 16 teams!!

Wales always the bridesmaid's never the bride since 1958, are we about to become the brides tomorrow night

I thought it still counted as a qualification?

I don't think so it was only 4 countries in the final stages in a host country up until 1980, and the fact we played the 2nd leg at ninain park don't actually feel like a finals of a tournament does it!

I see.

We did top our group though.

Yes we did but if you look up the history of the Euro's which started in 1960 it states the final stages of the tournament in a host country wasnt until the semi finals so 4 teams qualified for that up until 1980 when it was changed to 8 teams, so if we had done that 4 years later we would have been in the final's, you couldn't make it up could you, like i said always the bridesmaid's never the brides, that terrible ref 76, joe jordan hand ball at anfield, jock steins death at ninain, paul bodin's penalty off the bar and sparky not using an in form of his life robert earnshaw in 2nd leg after getting a brilliant 0-0 draw in russia for Euros 2004, now is our time

And then a pitch invasion makes us the bridesmaids again.

Yep knowing our luck lol, i have been on every cardiff pitch invadion since man city in 94 up until charlton 2013, I certainly won't be attempting it tomorrow if we win and i will be trying to talk some sence into people around me who will think its a good idea not to either, the english fa are totally differant in thier view's on celebratory pitch invations to fifa/uefa and they would come down hard on us if it happened and we cant risk doing anything to risk messing this up for us!!!