WALES WALES

Robbie, Neil and Sparky

By Mike Hughes

It is perhaps as well that I have a certain amount of tinnitus to contend with. It has no doubt helped me ignore the loud choruses of “I told you so!” around these parts recently. So, in the aftermath of the Swiss game, you might be assuming that normal service has resumed and there will be no more than token optimism around these parts from now on. Well, actually you couldn’t be further from the truth. Here are random thoughts about what (for some) appears to have been a trauma.

WELCOME HOME!

First of all, regardless of the performance; the opposition; the lack of a crowd on the kop; the weather etc. can I just say what a pleasure it was to see international football back at the Racecourse. The bottom line with these events is that many people spend their lives bitterly complaining how big events always end up in cities and then when we have the opportunity to see a big (ish) event we attend in the sorts of numbers that justify putting such events on in places like Cardiff and Swansea. So, I for one will always make the effort whenever able, and, I have to record my appreciation for the others who also made the effort. Now, if we can just get the Kop seated (ooh, controversy!!!) perhaps the Racecourse can secure a couple of home games in the next World Cup qualifiers? I see no reason why we can’t compete with the Millennium Stadium. After all, we don’t leak and things don’t fall off our stands! Equally, why can’t we adopt the stance of other small nations and play our home games in small but intimidating and full stadiums? Didn’t the Poles try this recently?

UGH!!!

The game itself was undoubtedly a case of “same old Wales” in as much as there seemed to be cause for optimism whenever we attacked and a certain inevitability about the standard of defending. On the other hand, these things take time to put right and, as Mark Hughes has rightly been given that time, I for one am not going to be as critical of the performance as perhaps many people feel I ought. I certainly won’t me following the suggestions of some fans who thought it sufficiently dire to suggest that they may never go again! If Mark Hughes has convinced the Welsh FA that the task will take time then I’m not going to be leaping on any such bandwagons just yet. I should note at this point that this doesn’t contradict my initial assessment of the Belarus game which was essentially similar in that it was a poor performance (with a fortuitously good result) from the same group of players. The confusing numbering in the Pricey Griffiths stand didn’t help and neither did the awful PA. Talking of PG: I must say it rather summed up the current malaise at the club when he exited a car on Crispin Lane with some friends and felt compelled to greet the official programme seller but not the lonesome fanzine seller. It was equally telling that no holders of parking permits had been advised that they would not be valid for this match. Do we not hold a database of these people? Is it really that hard to sort these things out? Is it any wonder that people entered the ground after the game had started?

Anyway…given all of the above, the atmosphere was not bad and, although I note the concerns of some fans about the anti-English chants, I must also record the fact that, unlike internationals in South Wales, there were no club factions within my earshot (but see opening paragraph re: tinnitus!) chanting against each other rather than supporting their country. However, I found it more disturbing to note the number of fans who clearly supported either a Premiership club and Wales or simply supported just Wales and no other club at all. This is not the column to reheat a debate already going on elsewhere, but, what does that say about Wrexham FC and football in Wales?

EDDIE, DAVID AND NATHAN

Help!!! I asked in vain but no-one could recall seeing our Eddie on the bench or elsewhere. Maybe he got lost on the way there? Maybe my eyesight failed me (not unusual!). Next time around I vote for a Joey-type chant to help us identify Eddie! The reason I raise this topic is that, after the first twenty minutes, there was an inevitability to the occasion which kind of dictated that my attention was drawn elsewhere. My background in sociology helped during that first twenty minutes when I was reminded of the concept of the self-fulfilling prophecy. David Johnson was having a very promising debut until we realised that the he was actually Nathan Blake. He was dreadful after that. Hmm!!!

TALKING OF WHICH…

I’m sure I don’t need to repeat the shameful activity of the past few weeks with regard to the above-named. I would prefer to not conjecture with regard to the nature of his injury before the Swiss game. Suffice to say he appears to have got his just desserts with regard to Scotland and let us hope that Mark Hughes gets an apology at the very least.

Should we consider him as a Welsh player? Hmm! My first inclination is to say no way. On the other hand, if sufficient contrition is shown and he has the bottle to even talk to the Welsh management then I don’t think it’s beyond the realms of possibility. I think the main concern has to be that we continue to look for more of the same - players of international potential who won’t get a look in with England or others.

THE NOBLE SAVAGE?

Finally, I also came to understand the previously inexplicable hobby of Savage- baiting. It would appear that, in the flesh, our Robbie is conspicuously talented but has not a clue what he’s supposed to do with his talent. The answer in his own mind would appear to run as follows:

1.    Effortlessly ghost into space to demonstrate Premiership class
2.    Get ball: Preferred methods

Shout at team mates or referee in manner of spoilt six year old.

Stamp feet until attention paid by relevant person (includes kicking opposition anywhere except legs!).

Tackle (agreed action of last resort).

3.    When in space with ball make no decision about next action until circled 3600 with ball to enable opposition to draw lots as to which one will be terribly unfair and take the ball away.

4.    Stamp feet etc.

Forgive my negative outburst here but, good grief, he created space out of nothing every time and contrived to make an idiot of himself without fail.

GOOD GRIEF!!!

Surely my eyes deceive me? That was really Neil Roberts wasn’t it? Thirteen minutes of Neil Roberts no less and a very good thirteen minutes at that. His subsequent form bears out that it wasn’t a fluke and, as someone he spoke to some weeks ago about how down he was whilst injured I have to say “Well done that man”. Given the similarity in style should this man not be Ian Stevens to Faulconbridge’s er…Faulconbridge?
Equally significantly was the manner of his call-up. The fact that Mark Hughes felt it necessary to emphasise that he wasn’t just there as a sop to the home fans speaks volumes about the way Wales intend to do business. Maybe he’ll never pull on a Wales jersey again but some of us have wailed for years about the fact that there seemed to be little point in having either a ‘B’ team or under 21s if there was never a realistic possibility of graduating. So, maybe there’s still a chance for Gareth Owen and Waynne Philips???

WHAT NEXT?

So, where does all of the above rambling leave us? Well, I stand by all of my original thoughts. Results and performances will be the ultimate determinant but behind the scenes I sense that we are indeed heading in the right direction and we perhaps shouldn’t judge results until the end of next season.

I’m sorry if some of you reading this can’t be bothered to come to the Racecourse for international football but if you don’t support it you won’t have it! I won’t make excuses for a poor performance but nor did Mark Hughes and, finally, I begin to detect a structure and mentality being put into place that might rid us of the complacency in the national squad that has held us back for so long. I suspect and am willing to predict that the next Welsh squad could spring more than Neil Roberts as a surprise! RP