| The broken record of Welsh International Football 14:32 - Sep 7 with 3503 views | acejack3065 |
International break is normally a time lamented by swans fans because the standard scenario is we usually slam into these tedious two week debacles immediately off the back of the clubs best run of form since the previous international break. After weeks of getting up to speed, the pass count and accuracy increasing, we become a well oiled and razor sharp unit that can tear the league leaders a new one on our own patch, only to have Ash, Ben and Neil to be hauled away to Azerbaijan to play on a cabbage patch in the middle of old Russian nowhere whilst the rest of the squad have to sit and train for two weeks with no competitive football in sight. As frustrating as international break can be for the club and its fans, this is not why I've decided to log back into the new forum for the first time and air my probably worthless views.
International football in Wales is in nothing short of an appalling state of affairs and it has been in this almost exact same state for as long as I can remember. I used to follow the egg as a boy with my father, I played up to youth level and I was a regular down Strade Park. I didn't start following the swans until the early 2000s when it was clear the club was in trouble and needed local support to pull it through its darkest days. From then I was hooked and I got my first season ticket in 2004. I went from being a rugby only boy to following both sports but it was the Swans that became my priority on a match day. Such is my love for the club that when we win on a Saturday I have to absorb any and all football that comes on until the next game. When we lose it puts me in a foul mood which is something my missus just cannot relate to at all. The point I'm trying to make is that the relationship I have with my football club, one which I would relate to as fanaticism, simply doesn't transfer over to the support for national team. The international break rolls around and my interest wanes completely.
Welsh football has a major problem in that it simply cannot attract the interest in its games which is even more worrying as we are undergoing a period of unprecedented success for welsh clubs competing in the English Football League Tier system. We should in theory have enough strength in depth to be at least reasonably competitive during tournament qualification. We should be at least be able to fill the Liberty or the City stadium for our home games. We have the worlds most expensive ever player on our wing and a manager with reasonable credentials and a successful career. Despite what should be a naturally talented and competitive team with enough welsh football fans turning out to support them, we have a piss poor team and a disinterested public of which I am one.
Every single year its the same disappointment, critique of an injury depleted squad, lack of goals, no creativity, boring style of play and the list goes on. I like Chris Coleman but how can he carry on after a result like the one against FYR Macedonia and his decision not to play the hottest property in World football right now?
While I thrive on intelligent football discussions I even find myself apathetic in discussing the answers to these problems because there appear to be none that haven't already been analysed over the last god knows how many decades. We have already had these discussions about changing the gaffer a hundred times over for example when Tosh was in charge of the national team. Would Tony Pullis really do a noticeably better job than Chris Coleman right now and would he only end up being replaced by A another when he steers us to another disappointing qualifying group finish? The welsh youth team is constantly being trumpeted around as the answer to our future problems but that rarely comes to fruition. Judging by the quite frankly embarrassing result the U21s had against San Marino, which has a population smaller than Swansea, the future could potentially and quite unbelievably get worse for the national team.
I've written this short post because I care about the game in Wales yet at the same time I write this because I feel like many fellow football fans that I don't care enough. The state of affairs remains the same, only the players and coaches change as we continue to be an embarrassment on the international stage. Loosing Gary was a big blow to the nation and the team as it looked like he was about to turn this sorry state of affairs around but unfortunately the worst happened and all we have now is his memory rather than a legacy to draw from. What does the team need to move on? At very least something to throw the fans to keep them remotely fixated on the sport for their two week turn on the main stage. If Chris and Co could do that at very least then they could claw back the lost and disinterested fans like myself and just try to get the ball rolling once again. |  | | |  |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 14:36 - Sep 7 with 3492 views | Darran |
Well that's a great post but i'm not one of the people that doesn't care enough I honestly couldn't give a f*ck full stop,I have absolutely no interest in it whatsoever.
Just being honest.
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 14:42 - Sep 7 with 3471 views | acejack3065 |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 14:36 - Sep 7 by Darran |
Well that's a great post but i'm not one of the people that doesn't care enough I honestly couldn't give a f*ck full stop,I have absolutely no interest in it whatsoever.
Just being honest.
This post has been edited by an administrator |
I give less and less of a shit every single qualifying group, I just wish the team could prove me wrong and actually have a go one year for a change. I'd love to feel something more than just apathy towards the national team. I'd even take missing out on qualification by a dodgy penalty against Scotland like the old days. At least there's some heart and emotion involved.l | | | |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 14:47 - Sep 7 with 3458 views | airedale |
Its the same old problem with us. We can field a side with maybe 6 or 7 PL standard players and that's it. Also we always seem to have a world class player on the pitch as well.
To have a good international squad you have to have (imo) a squad of 22 PL standard players. Like the big names in International football.
Who knows, with the interest increasing in Wales for football, we may have a large amounts of talent coming through. |  | | |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 14:55 - Sep 7 with 3431 views | NOTRAC |
I think that by transferring the home games from the Millenium Stadium to the Cardiff City stadium and to the Liberty ,instead of being a good move it has been divisive.This has definitely been reflected in the size of the crowds ,and has given the impression that there is a favouritism towards Cardiff ,which is reflected in a relatively negative attitude towards support by Swansea fans when matches are played there.
The days when over 60,000 watched matches ten years ago seem like a long lost memory.
It could be argued that success will bring back the crowds, but with present capacity limited to a maximum of 27,000 ,even success would not bring back the atmosphere and crowds of the Millenium days.
I would therefore advocate a return to the Millenium,on the condition that a new turf system is put into effect first.In order to raise enthusiasm ,the previous policy of cheaply priced admission prices should again be introduced to bring the crowds back. |  |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 15:00 - Sep 7 with 3411 views | Jackfath |
I know this is not really on topic, but if one wants to find info out about the Welsh FA, one would probably go to their website. Do it. Have a look. Try to find some information about the set up. Future plans, how to get involved in a club at grass roots, what the WFAs philosophy for success is, and how they hope to achieve it through development etc.
Compare it to the English FA site. Also compare it to the WRU website. Worlds apart.
Now I know you play football on a pitch etc, but things like this do matter. |  |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 15:07 - Sep 7 with 3380 views | treboethjack |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 15:00 - Sep 7 by Jackfath |
I know this is not really on topic, but if one wants to find info out about the Welsh FA, one would probably go to their website. Do it. Have a look. Try to find some information about the set up. Future plans, how to get involved in a club at grass roots, what the WFAs philosophy for success is, and how they hope to achieve it through development etc.
Compare it to the English FA site. Also compare it to the WRU website. Worlds apart.
Now I know you play football on a pitch etc, but things like this do matter. |
that's actually a very good point. The WRU are miles ahead when it comes to advertising, creating the "big match experience", promoting the sport at grass root levels etc. The FAW could learn a hell of a lot from the WRU. |  |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 15:57 - Sep 7 with 3333 views | monmouth |
I'm probably in a very small minority, but I just don't see the point of internationals full stop. Manchester City or Chelski would beat England seven or eight times out of ten and Barca would probably do Spain. It's a hangover from an era when it was 'our gang versus your gang' and there were many different kinds of football that you'd only see once every four years. I still remember 1970 with enormous fondness and how wonderful that world cup tournament was; Brazil; England: Germany; Italy....all different styles, all a great battle between (yes Brendo) proper football philosophies practised in each league by 99% home grown players. the best international team simply was, indisputably, the best team in the world.
It's just been left behind by history and change in my mind. Never mind Wales' pathetic excuse for an international team, I wouldn't give a second thought if the whole international circus simply folded. |  |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 17:18 - Sep 7 with 3273 views | reddythered |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 15:07 - Sep 7 by treboethjack |
that's actually a very good point. The WRU are miles ahead when it comes to advertising, creating the "big match experience", promoting the sport at grass root levels etc. The FAW could learn a hell of a lot from the WRU. |
WRU might advertise internationals well, have utterly ballsed up domestic egg.
The problem is the FAW is full of amateurs trying to manage professional football. Dogmatically wanting a Welsh manager meant potential candidates of quality ignored. The "mates network" brought Hartson in, wtf does he contribute? Coaching strikers? Ok if you want immobile lumps content to carry on obtaining money under false pretences, ie not actually being a footballer.
Sack Flynn, replace with Geraint Williams, such a successful manager with Colchester?
Advertising isn't the biggest problem tbh. Low ticket prices are needed to get bums on seats; MS took a big cut of income. Someone on a CIty forum posted the names involved in the FAW. Noticing that one of the marketing people was someone who used to work for us, well, speaks volumes given we've vastly improved on that since she left. | |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 18:35 - Sep 7 with 3193 views | dgt73 |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 17:18 - Sep 7 by reddythered |
WRU might advertise internationals well, have utterly ballsed up domestic egg.
The problem is the FAW is full of amateurs trying to manage professional football. Dogmatically wanting a Welsh manager meant potential candidates of quality ignored. The "mates network" brought Hartson in, wtf does he contribute? Coaching strikers? Ok if you want immobile lumps content to carry on obtaining money under false pretences, ie not actually being a footballer.
Sack Flynn, replace with Geraint Williams, such a successful manager with Colchester?
Advertising isn't the biggest problem tbh. Low ticket prices are needed to get bums on seats; MS took a big cut of income. Someone on a CIty forum posted the names involved in the FAW. Noticing that one of the marketing people was someone who used to work for us, well, speaks volumes given we've vastly improved on that since she left. |
You can sack who you want and appoint who you want but in reality the welsh fa have no money, so attracting quality managers and coaches wont happen. International football in wales is in a pathetic state at the moment, at least the welsh clubs are doing well, and thats only because they play in the English leagues. |  |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 19:15 - Sep 7 with 3159 views | reddythered |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 18:35 - Sep 7 by dgt73 |
You can sack who you want and appoint who you want but in reality the welsh fa have no money, so attracting quality managers and coaches wont happen. International football in wales is in a pathetic state at the moment, at least the welsh clubs are doing well, and thats only because they play in the English leagues. |
Maybe, but the fact remains Coleman was nowhere near good enough for the role. Lagerback was interested previously but obviously isn't Welsh.
If they have no money, hiring Hartson was an even bigger joke then. | |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 19:19 - Sep 7 with 3155 views | OwenThom |
Great discussion this.
I've been hooked on the international team since my first game, which was a 1-0 win against one of the German halves I think (East or West). Anyway, I only went to this game because the FAW gave my local club about 50 odd tickets priced at £5 each to go to any and every game at the Millenium Stadium. The seats were great as well with us always being about 20 rows back from the touchline behind the bench. I'd be bouncing to go and see an international game played at the magnificent Millennium Stadium and the chance to see a Welsh team give it a right go at qualifying.
In my opinion, the FAW NEED to re-adopt this stance by handing cheap tickets to loads of boys and girls clubs across the south Wales area. Those days where we had a close to full house against Azerbaijan seem a distant memory now but one can only hope that the FAW shape themselves up and get youngsters interested again, because they certainly got me on board for life just before the 2004 Euro qualifiers just by handing out cheap tickets to local clubs. This would, at least, get lots more people attending the games again! |  |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 19:44 - Sep 7 with 3132 views | dgt73 |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 19:15 - Sep 7 by reddythered |
Maybe, but the fact remains Coleman was nowhere near good enough for the role. Lagerback was interested previously but obviously isn't Welsh.
If they have no money, hiring Hartson was an even bigger joke then. |
I doubt hartson is earning much money in his role as coach, and how can you blame him for the welsh team being crap as far as we know he maybe doing a good job unless you know differently. Its probably because he's a jack and we know you cardiff fans dont like him, the state of welsh football is not the fault of coleman or hartson, but the welsh fa committee some of who are cardiff city season ticket holders. | |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 20:13 - Sep 7 with 3095 views | reddythered |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 19:44 - Sep 7 by dgt73 |
I doubt hartson is earning much money in his role as coach, and how can you blame him for the welsh team being crap as far as we know he maybe doing a good job unless you know differently. Its probably because he's a jack and we know you cardiff fans dont like him, the state of welsh football is not the fault of coleman or hartson, but the welsh fa committee some of who are cardiff city season ticket holders. |
Ah, yes, the hiding behond the "it's because he's a Jack" argument.
Hartson gained his coaching qualifications a while ago. He's used those qualifications where exactly? Which teams has he used his skills? Nowhere?
As I understand it, his focus is on the forwards. Argue about the quality of striker we have, but just watching the matches shows we're just a tiny bit sh*t up front.
And of course you resort to the FAW committed having some alleged CCFC ST holders. Some may be SCFC ST holders. Who knows - other than the fact the FAW Committee are simply incompetent which has zero to do with us or your lot. | |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 21:17 - Sep 7 with 3047 views | Belfast |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 19:15 - Sep 7 by reddythered |
Maybe, but the fact remains Coleman was nowhere near good enough for the role. Lagerback was interested previously but obviously isn't Welsh.
If they have no money, hiring Hartson was an even bigger joke then. |
And an even bigger joke is turning this in to the usual bollox we hear from you lot.
Chip or what.
Not your usual style .... [Post edited 7 Sep 2013 21:23]
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| You can always save face by cutting your fu cking head off. |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 21:55 - Sep 7 with 2982 views | wr72 |
It's easy to hate and then like Welsh international football.We do well we all love it,we do shite and it's dead in the water.We're fortunate enough that Wales is not our first love so we can diss them at will.Pick and choose.
It's the same with the rugby on here.We hate it when we're not playing well and berate 'the boys'.But when we're winning grand slams there's 10 pages on here of how good we are. |  | | |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 02:01 - Sep 8 with 2888 views | 2face |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 14:47 - Sep 7 by airedale |
Its the same old problem with us. We can field a side with maybe 6 or 7 PL standard players and that's it. Also we always seem to have a world class player on the pitch as well.
To have a good international squad you have to have (imo) a squad of 22 PL standard players. Like the big names in International football.
Who knows, with the interest increasing in Wales for football, we may have a large amounts of talent coming through. |
Denmark has managed to qualify many times with half of the players coming from a league not even at the level of the Championship. It's a question of attitude and having a manager who's had succes as a manager and with personal experience from Euro and World Cup tournaments as a player. Chris Coleman has neither.
You need a Manager who knows what it takes. [Post edited 8 Sep 2013 7:59]
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 12:06 - Sep 8 with 2766 views | reddythered |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 21:17 - Sep 7 by Belfast |
And an even bigger joke is turning this in to the usual bollox we hear from you lot.
Chip or what.
Not your usual style .... [Post edited 7 Sep 2013 21:23]
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It's only the usual bollocks if you're unable to remove the chip off your own shoulder.
The fact Coleman, Hartson are Jacks is irrelevant, my view would be entirely the same if they were from Cardiff, Newport, Wrexham, wherever. The manager has a proven track record of not being very good, Hartson has preferred to espouse his views in the Welsh local media rather than actual coaching. Not exactly a good track record for coaching a ntional team.
I wonder what your view would be if say Perry was manager with Nathan Blake as a coach? I know that would be sh*t, you know that would be sh*t. Difference between us is that their place of birth / club played for would be irrelevant. | |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 12:38 - Sep 8 with 2755 views | dgt73 |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 12:06 - Sep 8 by reddythered |
It's only the usual bollocks if you're unable to remove the chip off your own shoulder.
The fact Coleman, Hartson are Jacks is irrelevant, my view would be entirely the same if they were from Cardiff, Newport, Wrexham, wherever. The manager has a proven track record of not being very good, Hartson has preferred to espouse his views in the Welsh local media rather than actual coaching. Not exactly a good track record for coaching a ntional team.
I wonder what your view would be if say Perry was manager with Nathan Blake as a coach? I know that would be sh*t, you know that would be sh*t. Difference between us is that their place of birth / club played for would be irrelevant. |
How can you compare jason the table doesn't lie perry that is in until Swansea finish above cardiff to coleman, perry is a coward and a complete wa*ker. | |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 12:43 - Sep 8 with 2749 views | reddythered |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 12:38 - Sep 8 by dgt73 |
How can you compare jason the table doesn't lie perry that is in until Swansea finish above cardiff to coleman, perry is a coward and a complete wa*ker. |
I was struggling to think of somebody associated with Cardiff who would be a manager. Maybe substitute Ratcliffe for Perry then if that helps you since you've misunderstood the point being made. | |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 12:51 - Sep 8 with 2743 views | dgt73 |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 12:43 - Sep 8 by reddythered |
I was struggling to think of somebody associated with Cardiff who would be a manager. Maybe substitute Ratcliffe for Perry then if that helps you since you've misunderstood the point being made. |
I wouldn't have a problem with anyone from cardiff being the welsh manager except for perry. There is tho cardiff fans that dont like coleman just because he's a jack, you even got some fans who think Williams shouldn't be captain because he was born in england. | |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 12:59 - Sep 8 with 2735 views | reddythered |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 12:51 - Sep 8 by dgt73 |
I wouldn't have a problem with anyone from cardiff being the welsh manager except for perry. There is tho cardiff fans that dont like coleman just because he's a jack, you even got some fans who think Williams shouldn't be captain because he was born in england. |
Well, I agree. Equally, there would be Jacks who dislike any Cardiff linked manager. Cuts both ways.
The facat remains, Coleman has shown throughout his managerial career he's just not that good.
As for Williams, well I personally don't like the grandparent rule. Never have, never will. Vinnie Jones springs to mind and you do have to ask with respect to Williams, if you'd progressed as you have done before he'd declared for Wales, would he have done the same if the reasonable prospect of playing for England had come along? | |
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| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 13:22 - Sep 8 with 2720 views | dgt73 |
| The broken record of Welsh International Football on 12:59 - Sep 8 by reddythered |
Well, I agree. Equally, there would be Jacks who dislike any Cardiff linked manager. Cuts both ways.
The facat remains, Coleman has shown throughout his managerial career he's just not that good.
As for Williams, well I personally don't like the grandparent rule. Never have, never will. Vinnie Jones springs to mind and you do have to ask with respect to Williams, if you'd progressed as you have done before he'd declared for Wales, would he have done the same if the reasonable prospect of playing for England had come along? |
What about earnshaw wasn't he born in another country, I dont think cardiff fans care that much that williams was born in England, its more to do with he plays for Swansea so use the born in England as an excuse to have a go at him. | |
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