Wales Qualification a Result of Coleman, Speed and Toshack..
Tue Oct 13, 2015 2:12 pm
Wales Qualification a Result of Coleman, Speed and Toshack's Hard Work
Author Jamie Kemble- Inside Cardiff City
http://insidecardiffcity.co.uk/wales-qu ... hard-work/
On Saturday evening, Wales sealed their place in a first major tournament since 1958 but while Chris Coleman deserves as much credit as we can possibly give him, there is no doubt that the works of Gary Speed and John Toshack before him have played a vital part in the national team’s current success.
The players should also receive a massive amount of credit for what they have achieved as a group, especially after the tough times many of them have been through. However, for now, let’s focus on the managers.
John Toshack took charge of the Welsh National Team (for a second time) towards the end of 2004 and while he wasn’t always a fan favourite, his actions were in some ways, the most important because without him Welsh football could have been without a future.
So what was so special about what Toshack did?
The former Cardiff and Swansea player took charge of his national side during one of its most difficult periods following Wales’ loss in the Euro 2004 qualifying play-off’s. Mark Hughes took the Welsh side to the brink of qualification but in some ways, the loss was to be the end of an era and after Hughes’ departure, there was little left for Toshack to play with.
With several players at the end of their careers and with the likes of Ryan Giggs rarely making international appearance’s due to injuries and so on, Toshack had little experience to call upon (or at least not on a regular basis). With Experience becoming increasingly hard to come by, Toshack turned to the up and coming hot prospects and subsequently, his focus was to switch to the development of Welsh players.
Transitional periods are the most difficult times to be a manager as David Moyes and more recently Jose Mourinho have proved in club football, however, while John Toshack knew the chances of competing at a major tournament under his watch were incredibly slim, he also knew that he could set the Welsh side up for a more than promising future.
Even without Toshack we would probably still be watching a similar line-up today but whether or not the players would be at the same level is another question. The former Liverpool front-man took the transitional period and used it as a great excuse to throw in the Welsh’s fruitful youth at young ages in a bid to prepare them for life as an international footballer.
Gareth Bale was given his début at sixteen-years of age while Aaron Ramsey was thrown in at seventeen and Joe Ledley at eighteen. While Wales rarely looked like qualifying under Toshack, they did look like they had a future with young players testing themselves against the likes of Germany and England.
During Wales’ loss to Bosnia, Sky Sports commentator Bill Leslie underlined Toshack’s legacy by stating “This Wales side is still very young but even so, they have a phenomenal number of caps”. Between Gareth Bale, Joe Ledley and Aaron Ramsey Wales have almost one hundred and fifty caps which isn’t so bad for players aged 25,24 and 28.
To summarise, what John Toshack did was selfless, he could have quite easily pushed the older players to their limits in order to establish some sort of push for qualification but instead he put his faith in young players, hoping that their early start in international football could push them on to better things in the future, beyond his time as manager.
Five years after Toshack’s departure we have a set of players who (despite having several young players) are massively experienced in international football, many have tested themselves against some of the best players European international football has to offer and they have grown into it (in the most part) as a group.
How did Gary Speed take the team forward?
Despite all the good that Toshack did, he was largely unsuccessful in terms of results and following his resignation in 2010, former Wales midfielder Gary Speed was given the job as Wales manager. With only four months of managerial experience behind him, Speed had a very difficult job to do in turning an unsuccessful Welsh team into one of belief and success.
Around the time Speed took over, Wales occupied the 117th position in the FIFA World Rankings but that wouldn’t phase the former Bolton Wanderers midfielder as he went about installing his ethos into the Welsh team. A tough set of fixtures made for a tough start for Speed but there was certainly a new feel about the Welsh team.
Wales went on to win three of the last four in the Euro 2012 Qualifiers with the only loss coming in a slender 1-0 defeat away to England. Wales went on to confidently beat Norway 4-1 making it four wins out of five and suddenly, there was a belief surrounding the Welsh national team.
Speed’s shock death was devastating to all but in his short time as Wales manager, he achieved something quite remarkable. Not only were Wales the “FIFA World Ranking’s Best Mover’s 2011” moving from 117th to 45th but they were a team who suddenly believed they could succeed, that they could win and they were to be feared.
Gary Speed’s tremendous work in the dressing room has left a a squad of players who give their everything for each other, they left everything they have on the field of play. Some pundits have even said that the current Welsh squad resemble a ‘Band of Brothers’ in their commitment on the field (a trait stemming back to Speed’s time as manager).
Not only did Speed improve things on the pitch but he got thousands of supporters back into the stadium, why did they return? Quite simply because they believed in their nations team, supporters believed that they could achieve something.
While the team atmosphere was a real achievement from Speed, it certainly wasn’t the only thing he did as Welsh manager. The former Leeds player took John Toshack’s possession based football, added an attacking dimension and gave supporters the entertainment value they wanted to see while installing the tactics needed to compete and win games.
Following, Wales’ qualification to Euro 2016, supporters, players and staff have paid their thanks to Gary Speed for his contribution to the Wales set-up. Wales captain Ashley Williams had his say on the former Wales manager stating “He (Speed) is definitely in our minds at all times when we play for Wales, I think he did start a process, he changed a lot of things, so he’s always someone we think of.”
How did Chris Coleman complete the job?
Chris Coleman was appointed a short time after Gary Speed’s tragic death and what a difficult job he had. Coleman had the daunting task of picking the players up from an awful grievance in order to keep them on their progressive curve.
Coleman’s tough task of lifting the players spirits was highlighted as Wales’ efforts to qualify for the World Cup 2014 tailed off despite doing the double over fellow ‘home nation’ Scotland. The spark had seemingly gone and understandably so but Coleman’s chance to shine as Wales manager would come again in the next campaign.
Former Fulham manager Coleman’s job was made much more difficult by the fact some fans were against his appointment and he was subject to heightened criticism at several points in the World Cup 2014 Qualifiers but to his credit, he kept his head down and went about his job.
While form had dipped, the togetherness remained and as the Euro 2016 Qualifiers approached, the team mentality was outlined by the FAW’s ground-breaking slogan “Together Stronger”. It took a late Gareth Bale free-kick to rescue three points in Wales’ opening fixture in Andorra but the timing of the goal would give the team the confidence it needed to kick on.
Fast-forward thirteen months and Wales are celebrating their first qualification to a major tournament for fifty-eight years and what an achievement it is. Chris Coleman defied the odds to become the first manager since Jimmy Murphy to lead Wales into a major tournament.
Coleman may have been helped by what he calls a “golden generation” of players but if we look passed his modesty, it’s clear to see that he has done a terrific job in re-galvanizing a team who were in a tough mental state. He brought in his own formation to put his own spin on Gary Speed and John Toshack’s instilled tactics to create a winning yet solid formula which would lift Wales out of a tough qualifying group.
Wales now sit at a record highest of eighth in the FIFA World Rankings despite occupying that 117th spot only five years ago. Their high ranking has seen them seeded highly for the World Cup 2018 Qualifiers, giving them a much better chance of qualifying for yet another major competition which comes as a welcome change after years of low seeding.
So what’s next for Wales?
In short, the answer is ‘a totally new experience’ because we are now entering uncharted territory in terms of preparation and in the actual taking part in a European Championship. One thing is for sure, there will be plenty of support for Wales in France with thousands already planning their trips across the border.
Chris Coleman will be agreeing a new contract within the next couple of weeks and he will do so with the full support of the Welsh fan base. Coleman has won over thousands of supporters and deservedly so after being at the helm while creating Welsh sporting history.
With the experience Toshack gave the players, the togetherness Gary Speed provided as well as the tactics and level-headedness Coleman installed, there is no doubt that Wales can go into the European Championships with confidence, knowing that they can beat any team given the chance.
Author Jamie Kemble- Inside Cardiff City
http://insidecardiffcity.co.uk/wales-qu ... hard-work/
On Saturday evening, Wales sealed their place in a first major tournament since 1958 but while Chris Coleman deserves as much credit as we can possibly give him, there is no doubt that the works of Gary Speed and John Toshack before him have played a vital part in the national team’s current success.
The players should also receive a massive amount of credit for what they have achieved as a group, especially after the tough times many of them have been through. However, for now, let’s focus on the managers.
John Toshack took charge of the Welsh National Team (for a second time) towards the end of 2004 and while he wasn’t always a fan favourite, his actions were in some ways, the most important because without him Welsh football could have been without a future.
So what was so special about what Toshack did?
The former Cardiff and Swansea player took charge of his national side during one of its most difficult periods following Wales’ loss in the Euro 2004 qualifying play-off’s. Mark Hughes took the Welsh side to the brink of qualification but in some ways, the loss was to be the end of an era and after Hughes’ departure, there was little left for Toshack to play with.
With several players at the end of their careers and with the likes of Ryan Giggs rarely making international appearance’s due to injuries and so on, Toshack had little experience to call upon (or at least not on a regular basis). With Experience becoming increasingly hard to come by, Toshack turned to the up and coming hot prospects and subsequently, his focus was to switch to the development of Welsh players.
Transitional periods are the most difficult times to be a manager as David Moyes and more recently Jose Mourinho have proved in club football, however, while John Toshack knew the chances of competing at a major tournament under his watch were incredibly slim, he also knew that he could set the Welsh side up for a more than promising future.
Even without Toshack we would probably still be watching a similar line-up today but whether or not the players would be at the same level is another question. The former Liverpool front-man took the transitional period and used it as a great excuse to throw in the Welsh’s fruitful youth at young ages in a bid to prepare them for life as an international footballer.
Gareth Bale was given his début at sixteen-years of age while Aaron Ramsey was thrown in at seventeen and Joe Ledley at eighteen. While Wales rarely looked like qualifying under Toshack, they did look like they had a future with young players testing themselves against the likes of Germany and England.
During Wales’ loss to Bosnia, Sky Sports commentator Bill Leslie underlined Toshack’s legacy by stating “This Wales side is still very young but even so, they have a phenomenal number of caps”. Between Gareth Bale, Joe Ledley and Aaron Ramsey Wales have almost one hundred and fifty caps which isn’t so bad for players aged 25,24 and 28.
To summarise, what John Toshack did was selfless, he could have quite easily pushed the older players to their limits in order to establish some sort of push for qualification but instead he put his faith in young players, hoping that their early start in international football could push them on to better things in the future, beyond his time as manager.
Five years after Toshack’s departure we have a set of players who (despite having several young players) are massively experienced in international football, many have tested themselves against some of the best players European international football has to offer and they have grown into it (in the most part) as a group.
How did Gary Speed take the team forward?
Despite all the good that Toshack did, he was largely unsuccessful in terms of results and following his resignation in 2010, former Wales midfielder Gary Speed was given the job as Wales manager. With only four months of managerial experience behind him, Speed had a very difficult job to do in turning an unsuccessful Welsh team into one of belief and success.
Around the time Speed took over, Wales occupied the 117th position in the FIFA World Rankings but that wouldn’t phase the former Bolton Wanderers midfielder as he went about installing his ethos into the Welsh team. A tough set of fixtures made for a tough start for Speed but there was certainly a new feel about the Welsh team.
Wales went on to win three of the last four in the Euro 2012 Qualifiers with the only loss coming in a slender 1-0 defeat away to England. Wales went on to confidently beat Norway 4-1 making it four wins out of five and suddenly, there was a belief surrounding the Welsh national team.
Speed’s shock death was devastating to all but in his short time as Wales manager, he achieved something quite remarkable. Not only were Wales the “FIFA World Ranking’s Best Mover’s 2011” moving from 117th to 45th but they were a team who suddenly believed they could succeed, that they could win and they were to be feared.
Gary Speed’s tremendous work in the dressing room has left a a squad of players who give their everything for each other, they left everything they have on the field of play. Some pundits have even said that the current Welsh squad resemble a ‘Band of Brothers’ in their commitment on the field (a trait stemming back to Speed’s time as manager).
Not only did Speed improve things on the pitch but he got thousands of supporters back into the stadium, why did they return? Quite simply because they believed in their nations team, supporters believed that they could achieve something.
While the team atmosphere was a real achievement from Speed, it certainly wasn’t the only thing he did as Welsh manager. The former Leeds player took John Toshack’s possession based football, added an attacking dimension and gave supporters the entertainment value they wanted to see while installing the tactics needed to compete and win games.
Following, Wales’ qualification to Euro 2016, supporters, players and staff have paid their thanks to Gary Speed for his contribution to the Wales set-up. Wales captain Ashley Williams had his say on the former Wales manager stating “He (Speed) is definitely in our minds at all times when we play for Wales, I think he did start a process, he changed a lot of things, so he’s always someone we think of.”
How did Chris Coleman complete the job?
Chris Coleman was appointed a short time after Gary Speed’s tragic death and what a difficult job he had. Coleman had the daunting task of picking the players up from an awful grievance in order to keep them on their progressive curve.
Coleman’s tough task of lifting the players spirits was highlighted as Wales’ efforts to qualify for the World Cup 2014 tailed off despite doing the double over fellow ‘home nation’ Scotland. The spark had seemingly gone and understandably so but Coleman’s chance to shine as Wales manager would come again in the next campaign.
Former Fulham manager Coleman’s job was made much more difficult by the fact some fans were against his appointment and he was subject to heightened criticism at several points in the World Cup 2014 Qualifiers but to his credit, he kept his head down and went about his job.
While form had dipped, the togetherness remained and as the Euro 2016 Qualifiers approached, the team mentality was outlined by the FAW’s ground-breaking slogan “Together Stronger”. It took a late Gareth Bale free-kick to rescue three points in Wales’ opening fixture in Andorra but the timing of the goal would give the team the confidence it needed to kick on.
Fast-forward thirteen months and Wales are celebrating their first qualification to a major tournament for fifty-eight years and what an achievement it is. Chris Coleman defied the odds to become the first manager since Jimmy Murphy to lead Wales into a major tournament.
Coleman may have been helped by what he calls a “golden generation” of players but if we look passed his modesty, it’s clear to see that he has done a terrific job in re-galvanizing a team who were in a tough mental state. He brought in his own formation to put his own spin on Gary Speed and John Toshack’s instilled tactics to create a winning yet solid formula which would lift Wales out of a tough qualifying group.
Wales now sit at a record highest of eighth in the FIFA World Rankings despite occupying that 117th spot only five years ago. Their high ranking has seen them seeded highly for the World Cup 2018 Qualifiers, giving them a much better chance of qualifying for yet another major competition which comes as a welcome change after years of low seeding.
So what’s next for Wales?
In short, the answer is ‘a totally new experience’ because we are now entering uncharted territory in terms of preparation and in the actual taking part in a European Championship. One thing is for sure, there will be plenty of support for Wales in France with thousands already planning their trips across the border.
Chris Coleman will be agreeing a new contract within the next couple of weeks and he will do so with the full support of the Welsh fan base. Coleman has won over thousands of supporters and deservedly so after being at the helm while creating Welsh sporting history.
With the experience Toshack gave the players, the togetherness Gary Speed provided as well as the tactics and level-headedness Coleman installed, there is no doubt that Wales can go into the European Championships with confidence, knowing that they can beat any team given the chance.
Re: Wales Qualification a Result of Coleman, Speed and Tosha
Wed Oct 14, 2015 4:59 pm
Always remmber toshack lost players because of his negatives comments against Hughes his team he wanted the job that's why Hughes walked and so did so many other players who had no respect for toshack this never came out but it was plain to see .as far as I'm concerned this is all down to chris colemanand his players and staff
Re: Wales Qualification a Result of Coleman, Speed and Tosha
Wed Oct 14, 2015 9:43 pm
All three deserve credit 
Toshack for recognising that the 'Old Guard' weren't going to achieve anything and having the balls to commit to the youth of Wales
Speed for pulling it all together in a cohesive way
Coleman for having the sense not to change too much when it was obvious Speed's approach was working!
A tough task ahead for Wales at Euro 2016 but at least they are there and I think they might just spring a surprise or two to give the nation a further lift!
Toshack for recognising that the 'Old Guard' weren't going to achieve anything and having the balls to commit to the youth of Wales
Speed for pulling it all together in a cohesive way
Coleman for having the sense not to change too much when it was obvious Speed's approach was working!
A tough task ahead for Wales at Euro 2016 but at least they are there and I think they might just spring a surprise or two to give the nation a further lift!
Re: Wales Qualification a Result of Coleman, Speed and Tosha
Wed Oct 14, 2015 10:06 pm
Remember Savage crying that he was never picked under Toshack was picking the youngsters ahead of him because he knew the team had to go that way
Re: Wales Qualification a Result of Coleman, Speed and Tosha
Wed Oct 14, 2015 10:06 pm
How about Bobby Gould ? He reckons he deserves credit as well 
Re: Wales Qualification a Result of Coleman, Speed and Tosha
Thu Oct 15, 2015 3:32 am
Military Junta wrote:Remember Savage crying that he was never picked under Toshack was picking the youngsters ahead of him because he knew the team had to go that way
He (Savage Robbie) certainly did!
Re: Wales Qualification a Result of Coleman, Speed and Tosha
Thu Oct 15, 2015 6:10 am
Good write up 
Re: Wales Qualification a Result of Coleman, Speed and Tosha
Thu Oct 15, 2015 6:14 am
Good write up