In some senses, Azerbaijan was everything we hoped for: a full house; a win; three points; a clean sheet; an extension of the unbeaten run and more football shirts in the streets than rugby; however…on the debit side were injuries to Savage and Speed and, although, we had a second-string team out at the back, we also put together a poor performance in a few too many respects as a team.

The re-arrangement of the Serbia fixture makes the injuries less significant in one sense but, in another, one can't help but feel that both Steve Bruce and Bobby Robson are going to be just a little less keen to see their players released on what is currently an international friendly date despite the fact that Savage managed to effectively injure himself through stretching into a tackle he never had to make in the first place (although see my reference to Giggs below).

As if our four remaining fixtures weren't going to be hard enough, we also seem to have got away with stuff in our last three matches that we may not in our next few. This is often called good luck amid much talk of 'making your own'; however, you would have to be particularly stupid to not see that Wales is currently a team at full stretch and that, contrary to media reports suggesting we could go up another couple of gears, our last two games have suggested that, despite the system helping new players fit in, we are beginning to be exposed in ways that will cost us dear when we really need to produce the goods.

What do I mean by this? Well, first of all, Davies in defence was very good (perhaps Glenda does have a point?) and even the erratic but enthusiastic Oster in midfield seemed okay but the lack of Davies to balance us upfront until a third of the way into the second half (when the game was fortuitously dead) and the lack of the calm exuded by Gabbidon at the back left Bellamy upfront looking like a one-trick pony; Giggs battered and marked out of the game; and the midfield giving the ball away like it was Fergie on a bad day. Many wondered what might have happened if we hadn't scored the first goal so early.

Are we really going to go to Italy or Serbia and secure a point if we give technically competent but ineffective teams like Azerbaijan and Bosnia just as many chances as we create (check the stats. for yourself)? What do you think would happen against Brazil or, more pertinently, France or Spain if we did that?

What can we do about this? I suspect, absolutely nothing. We are a small nation and our defence currently looks paper thin. Our manager has adapted the players to this quite brilliantly but only time will tell whether we can get away with it for long enough to qualify in first place. The real qualification tests start from August onwards.

One final serious comment. As Bellamy scored our opener Giggs was treated by their no.11 to what might be commonly known (especially to Bellamy) as common assault. He spent the first 20 minutes rubbing his eye to see. He had two markers on him every time he touched the ball and was battered from pillar to post for 90 minutes. Among the better ones was the holding of the skin on his neck in the move just prior to his scoring (one way to iron out those wrinkles!) and the arms across his neck and chin and studs into the back of his knee on at least three occasions. Did you see him retaliate or even complain once? Bellamy - watch and learn.
Unfortunately, other people were around to do it for him. Far be it for me to draw conclusions but which Azerbaijani player was on the receiving end of the (indeed) Savage tackle that ended Savages game? Yes, that's right - number 11! Never let Robbie know you're hurt. It's likely to end his game!

Okay, that's the serious analysis out of the way. Now for the fun.

PRESIDENT GAS

Now, just explain this to me again. Serbia has a state of emergency after their President was assassinated. They have the alleged killer and were able to play a friendly at home against Bulgaria two days before we played Banzai Raje but they don't want to play us there because they are in a state of unrest! Aren't we all? 

THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN' aka CRAIGNESS

You know you have a problem with Bellamy when Hughes holds Hartson up as an example he could build upon! My sympathy is with Craig. Anyone who has been to a club in Cardiff; had their coat stick to the wall, been accosted by Goths etc, will know that it's all too easy to lapse into political incorrectness in your overwhelming desire to get out of there!

WELCOME TO THE CABARET

Finally, a word about that PA and that music. I missed the mighty SFA whom I love dearly (too busy buying baseball caps and nattering to fellow RP correspondent and RPFC ace player Mark Williams); however, I was relieved to do so. 

I have tinnitus, which is bad enough on a good day but by half time most of the West stand had it too. We of Wrexham know all too well just how difficult it is to make the big magic electric stuff send noise to all four corners of a stadium without upsetting the druids so hats off to Cardiffians for turning it up to 12 on a scale of 10 and making sure that no-one could debate the game afterwards because we couldn't hear each other!

I am told that some prat yelled 'Wow' over the PA after our opening goal; however, I was too busy being pinned into the groin of the person (not nice) behind me by the G-force level sound- waves to actually be able to decipher anything!

Amusing though Big John was over the PA at half time, I was less amused to hear We Shall Not Be Moved and, far worse, Perfect Day - a song about a hit of smack for goodness sake. What is the world coming to?