International Football: why do we bother..?

I agree, players choosing alternative countries because they are not good enough to play for the country of their birth.
Makes me sick, most of them are passionless and cant relate to us fans.
Lets have some home grown talent (good or bad ) but at least they will have pride for their jersey.

The passionate fans will do anything for their country but then you see the players opting to play for others countries then where they were born and brought up in because they just aren't good enough for their 'home' countries.

It makes me sick!!!

What worries me most is that we don't seem to accept that we are a "lesser" footballing nation and fail to adjust our football accordingly

What is the point of Toshack (and now Speed) encouraging a passing game from the back when we simply don't have the players to play that way. If the City played Barcelona would we want DJ to go out with the tactics of trying to out pass them ? No we wouldn't, we'd want to be in their faces and put them off their game and get the ball behind them and hope for a break and that passion and pace would get us a shock result. That's how Wales must now play until we can somehow improve the quality in the squad.

The other thing that Speed has to learn quickly is to play the players playing Prem football before virtually all others. Why play Williams before Gabbidon, Croft before Vaughan, etc. OK some of the Prem players didn't have their best games e.g. Collins (x2 !!) and Ramsey, but with better quality alongside them it could have been less onerous for them.

Can't wait to see some quality football on Saturday because even City on a bad day are better than what I saw from Wales on Saturday

Yes piledriver, I agree, but Toshack used to try and play that way of waiting for a chance to break and he used to organise the side from the back so teams like Germany, Russia etc would only scrape victory against us. Germany scored a good long range goal to win 1-0 and we also got a 0-0 against them with Toshack incharge. we lost 2-1 away to Russia as Bale missed a penalty and we also got unlucky away at the Czech republic as they scored off a rolling ball wen taking a free kick and also one goal was offside. But it makes me realise how many Welsh fans have a lack of knowledge as Toshack was doing good things but fans and players were against him.
Before u all disagree, check who had a better win percentage as Wales manager, Toshack or Mark Hughes, u will all be surprised!

Yes piledriver, I agree, but Toshack used to try and play that way of waiting for a chance to break and he used to organise the side from the back so teams like Germany, Russia etc would only scrape victory against us. Germany scored a good long range goal to win 1-0 and we also got a 0-0 against them with Toshack incharge. we lost 2-1 away to Russia as Bale missed a penalty and we also got unlucky away at the Czech republic as they scored off a rolling ball wen taking a free kick and also one goal was offside. But it makes me realise how many Welsh fans have a lack of knowledge as Toshack was doing good things but fans and players were against him.
Before u all disagree, check who had a better win percentage as Wales manager, Toshack or Mark Hughes, u will all be surprised!

I can see where you are coming from but losing by one goal is not much different to losing 3 or 4 in terms of qualification. I personally didn't rate Hughes either (again too cautious).

Toshack did good things for sure, but stayed on 18 months too long because progress had stalled in terms of results and we needed a fresh impetus. Playing the formation that he did meant that we might limit the big boys to one or two goals against us but we struggled to score when playing the lesser sides which, in turn, has decimated out world ranking making it even harder to qualify for the next 3 or 4 tournaments.

The job is hard for any manager, we should just spend the cash to get a top man. I'd love Guus Hiddink, the man can work miracles!

Personally I in order for the Welsh squad to improve I strongly think that the LOW needs more funding and more fans cause I've seen a few games on TV and its not bad. £7,500 from the WAG compared to £1.5mil rugby gets.....and the "regions" are doing pretty well and the Welsh squad have a chance of winning something with quality youngsters. Christ £500,000 would be a bloody start.

Just on the BBC live update thing:

6 - Asamoah Gyan had twice as many shots v England this evening than the entire Wales team managed on Saturday.

seriously Wales suck

Wales just need a complete footballing overhaul. So many nations have a better league than us. The league needs to be more competitive with more funding. Like Bridgend Bluebird said, £500k would do to start. Just give clubs a bit more to work with, make the league more exciting, get more games on TV. I'm sure BBC 2 Wales would snatch at the opportunity to show a game every Saturday or Sunday.

Even little things like creating a league website that is better than the one now, having a website for each club that has all the stats and is constantly updated, offering a fantasy football competition for the Welsh league and just boosting its profile. There is a serious case of ignorance towards Welsh football and it's suffering. A draft system should also be put in place where the best players from the local area turn up and are drafted into the league teams with the lower placed clubs having first pick and the better clubs having last pick. I know it's American but given the state of Welsh football right now I feel it could work.

I would love to be given the chance to turn it all around, it's a dream job waiting to happen for someone but the FAW are happy to pick up their wages and watch Welsh football remain stale.

BEST QUESTION ON HERE FOR SOME TIME!! (outside my own, of course!! )

Answers (on the question) to the FAW, Westgate Street, Cardiff

The job is hard for any manager, we should just spend the cash to get a top man. I'd love Guus Hiddink, the man can work miracles!

Aussie Gus is an absolute genius with lower ranked international sides. Look at what he did with South Korea and Australia. If it wasn't for Fabio Grosso's dive in 2006 I reckon The Socceroos could have won that thing.

What worries me most is that we don't seem to accept that we are a "lesser" footballing nation and fail to adjust our football accordingly

What is the point of Toshack (and now Speed) encouraging a passing game from the back when we simply don't have the players to play that way. If the City played Barcelona would we want DJ to go out with the tactics of trying to out pass them ? No we wouldn't, we'd want to be in their faces and put them off their game and get the ball behind them and hope for a break and that passion and pace would get us a shock result. That's how Wales must now play until we can somehow improve the quality in the squad.

The other thing that Speed has to learn quickly is to play the players playing Prem football before virtually all others. Why play Williams before Gabbidon, Croft before Vaughan, etc. OK some of the Prem players didn't have their best games e.g. Collins (x2 !!) and Ramsey, but with better quality alongside them it could have been less onerous for them.

Can't wait to see some quality football on Saturday because even City on a bad day are better than what I saw from Wales on Saturday

That's been my thinking for a very long time.

Gary Speed has to think outside the box and forget about any thoughts of matching the bigger nations in the passing game as we simply don't have the players to compete.

The Republic of Ireland team under Jack Charlton in the 80's & 90's should be our blue print. Pack the midfield, close down the opposition, get in their faces, utilise set pieces and find a robust centre forward.

It's a romantic idea that all small nations can become total football legends like the Dutch, but we don't have the infrastructure so it will never happen.

However, with the right tactics we can become more competitive.

Wales just need a complete footballing overhaul. So many nations have a better league than us. The league needs to be more competitive with more funding. Like Bridgend Bluebird said, £500k would do to start. Just give clubs a bit more to work with, make the league more exciting, get more games on TV. I'm sure BBC 2 Wales would snatch at the opportunity to show a game every Saturday or Sunday.

Even little things like creating a league website that is better than the one now, having a website for each club that has all the stats and is constantly updated, offering a fantasy football competition for the Welsh league and just boosting its profile. There is a serious case of ignorance towards Welsh football and it's suffering. A draft system should also be put in place where the best players from the local area turn up and are drafted into the league teams with the lower placed clubs having first pick and the better clubs having last pick. I know it's American but given the state of Welsh football right now I feel it could work.

I would love to be given the chance to turn it all around, it's a dream job waiting to happen for someone but the FAW are happy to pick up their wages and watch Welsh football remain stale.

Again very much in line with my thinking, the FAW needs a total overhaul and the organisation is crying out for someone with imagination to come in and completely change its direction.

Personally one change that I would love is for the LOW to become a summer league. I would adopt a LOW side to follow during the dreadfully boring summer months and I believe a lot of Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Merthyr fans would do the same.

I agree with the summer league shout! More fans and players would be interested in playing and watching on a nice sumer evening or afternoon rather that a cold wet miserable bleak winter night! More Fans more money!! Makes sense!!
It is annoying to see wales being used like a club, and a platform to play international football! Inreland is the same, cant believe Jermain Pennant has the cheek to turn round and say he might aswell play for ireland now that he has wasted 10 years waiting for an England call up!!!

Personally I in order for the Welsh squad to improve I strongly think that the LOW needs more funding and more fans cause I've seen a few games on TV and its not bad. £7,500 from the WAG compared to £1.5mil rugby gets.....and the "regions" are doing pretty well and the Welsh squad have a chance of winning something with quality youngsters. Christ £500,000 would be a bloody start.

Whilst it's true that the FAW only received £7,500 in funding, the Welsh Football Trust (WFT) received £11.69m.

Personally I love international football, no-one was complaining in the Euro 2004 qualifiers when we almost made it.

I'll be there when we're shit (now) and I'll be there when we're classssss! (soon)

Personally I love international football, no-one was complaining in the Euro 2004 qualifiers when we almost made it.

I'll be there when we're shit (now) and I'll be there when we're classssss! (soon)

Not me!!

consistent to the end....

Didn't go then, don't go now....and won't go then!!

One team man....CARDIFF CITY FOOTBALL CLUB (win, lose or draw)

Personally I in order for the Welsh squad to improve I strongly think that the LOW needs more funding and more fans cause I've seen a few games on TV and its not bad. £7,500 from the WAG compared to £1.5mil rugby gets.....and the "regions" are doing pretty well and the Welsh squad have a chance of winning something with quality youngsters. Christ £500,000 would be a bloody start.

Whilst it's true that the FAW only received £7,500 in funding, the Welsh Football Trust (WFT) received £11.69m.

then wtf do they spend the money on? all they had to do is bump start the LOW then surely it will improve

I dont really get the attitude of if we are shit we may as well not bother.

I do generally agree about people picking and choosing what International team they play for, should it be birth place only? Should earnie be playing for Wales?

Wonder if in my lifetime.....will I ever see Wales atleast qualify for a major tournament?

Loads of good ideas on here already.

Summer Football....not keen on that, neither are the league of wales clubs....they have raised the problems of :

stadiums are used by other sports (cricket, athletics);
the LOW season being at a different season to the rest of Welsh football - what happens to the pyramid system ? and players could end up playing LOW in summer and other Welsh leagues in the winter; also there would be an influx of players from across the border chasing the money and excluding Welsh players.
I don't think the players want it !

If the LOW got money they should spend it on the places that can sustain strong clubs - not teams that do well for a few seasons and then wilt without ever reaching any real heights. Those clubs must be based in the larger towns - Merthyr, Bridgend, Barry, Carmarthen, Neath, Llanelli, Port Talbot, Ponty, Pembroke etc. Also one based in Cardiff and Swansea. Same thing for the mid and north. Places like Goytre (Port Talbot), Clydach, Caldicot, etc. have a few good years but have not got the crowds or stadiums to sustain anything more than local success. I love those clubs and what they do but winning the Welsh League is their limit.

The odd one out in all this is TNS - I don't know how they are successful (well yes it is cash).

The ideas of putting the games on TV to promote the clubs is good too. The standard in the Welsh League (considering the state of the pitches) is good, so the LOW must be even better ? Most people sneer at non league football, never having watched it consistently - even on this and the other forum. If fans spent their saturday's at their local club when City are away I am sure most would see good entertainment, especially when they get to know the players (as they view them close up).

A basic strong robust international team would suit us - a new John Hartson, Toshack, etc up front, never say die midfielders (Vinny?), a few ball players scattered about, and a no nonsense defence. At least we would compete. I felt embarrassed on Saturday we were so poor.

There needs to be more advertising for LOW, I dont even know when Bridgend Town (a team 5min walk from me) play!! It needs proper advertisement and local businessmen should be encouraged to invest

We need to get every youth team playing a system , passing and moving like they do in Holland otherwise it will never change. When we try to string 3/4 passes together thats it !! some of these teams look so comfortable on the ball from defenders to attackers.

We are ranked 116th in the world by FIFA for a reason! because we are :big lump of poo smiley:

because we are big lump of poo