Georgia v Wales - No Bale

[stan butler]

Au contraire Harold.
Have you noticed that our Gareth always seems to suffer injuries just before the international break before miraculously recovering and playing a full parts in Wales games.
He's not injured, he just loves playing for Wales. What a lad!

Have Wales said Bale is out? Not really followed the story last few days..

[Blue in the Face]

Have Wales said Bale is out? Not really followed the story last few days..

Bradshaw has been called up to replace him according to the BBC, who are also saying that he is likely to miss the play offs, were we to make it. Think they changed the length of the injury in the article so the story has been updated during the day.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41483358

I'm still half hoping that this is all to scam the Irish preparations and that Gareth will play the second game, but that's just blind optimism.

[Colonel Cærdiffi]

I'm still half hoping that this is all to scam the Irish preparations and that Gareth will play the second game, but that's just blind optimism.

Show us the pictures Gareth.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

A ot of working ex pats drink there. No inflated prices or anything nd the tee shirts re just to say you've been there, like hard-rock cafes. Its a good night out and the girls are beautiful...

Sounds exactly the sort of place that I avoid - but thanks.
Weather update here in Tbilisi: pissing down after a dry day yesterday.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

A ot of working ex pats drink there. No inflated prices or anything nd the tee shirts re just to say you've been there, like hard-rock cafes. Its a good night out and the girls are beautiful...

Sounds exactly the sort of place that I avoid - but thanks. Off to a monastery set in a very dramatic landscape instead
Weather update here in Tbilisi: pissing down after a dry day yesterday.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

A ot of working ex pats drink there. No inflated prices or anything nd the tee shirts re just to say you've been there, like hard-rock cafes. Its a good night out and the girls are beautiful...

Sounds exactly the sort of place that I avoid - but thanks. Off to a monastery set in a very dramatic landscape instead
Hitch-hiked around Armenia the day before yesterday.
Weather update here in Tbilisi: pissing down after a dry day yesterday.

[William Treseder]

Whilst losing our best player is a big blow, we need to now stand up and be counted. We’re not playing a major force in our last 2 games, like a Germany or Spain. We are plying 2 sides who are on a similar level to us.
If we are to qualify, we need to do it on merit. Georgia haven’t won a group game yet, and the Republic have therir own injury concerns.
We have the bonus of our last game at home, and if we can’t make the play offs from this position, and with the rest of the players in our squad, then we really don’t deserve it.

[BLUETIT]

Whilst losing our best player is a big blow, we need to now stand up and be counted. We’re not playing a major force in our last 2 games, like a Germany or Spain. We are PLYING 2 sides who are on a similar level to us.
If we are to qualify, we need to do it on merit. Georgia haven’t won a group game yet, and the Republic have therir own injury concerns.
We have the bonus of our last game at home, and if we can’t make the play offs from this position, and with the rest of the players in our squad, then we really don’t deserve it.

Hope the boys were listening in the "WOODWORK CLASS"

[Pedro de la Rosa]

What the **** was Zidane talking about at the weekend suggesting Bale might still play on Sunday night.? He must have known it was a non starter
We need to be very careful in Georgia and not be hung ho. Obviously we need the win but a draw may still be crucial. Lose and it’s curtains.

Real and Wales thought it was a tight hammy, they've looked at it further and they've found it was a calf problem. I have serious concerns about the competence of Real's medical team.

[joecity]

Real and Wales thought it was a tight hammy, they've looked at it further and they've found it was a calf problem. I have serious concerns about the competence of Real's medical team.

Dutch Ray would be fuming. Arsenal as well. Injuries galore there.

[joecity]

Hope the boys were listening in the "WOODWORK CLASS"

I wish I was a chippie. They make bucks. Some good jeans years ago as well as long as you liked them baggy.

[JDerrida]

Whilst losing our best player is a big blow, we need to now stand up and be counted. We’re not playing a major force in our last 2 games, like a Germany or Spain. We are plying 2 sides who are on a similar level to us.
If we are to qualify, we need to do it on merit. Georgia haven’t won a group game yet, and the Republic have therir own injury concerns.
We have the bonus of our last game at home, and if we can’t make the play offs from this position, and with the rest of the players in our squad, then we really don’t deserve it.

I don't believe we are playing two sides that are equal to us.
Our players and management seem to have forgotten that just last year, we were Euro semi finalists, deservedly beating Belgium, Russia, etc.
Why has our mental attitude, technical abilities and tactical approach fallen to the lower standard of opposition, when we really are more capable than we are now believing.
I'm not being disrespectful to either team, or saying that either game will be easy.
However, we must have the team ethic and belief that we had last year.
The sum of all our parts are capable of beating significantly better teams than Georgia and Ireland.

[Sloop_Jon_Bee]

I don't believe we are playing two sides that are equal to us.
Our players and management seem to have forgotten that just last year, we were Euro semi finalists, deservedly beating Belgium, Russia, etc.
Why has our mental attitude, technical abilities and tactical approach fallen to the lower standard of opposition, when we really are more capable than we are now believing.
I'm not being disrespectful to either team, or saying that either game will be easy.
However, we must have the team ethic and belief that we had last year.
The sum of all our parts are capable of beating significantly better teams than Georgia and Ireland.

Well said.

[William Treseder]

I don't believe we are playing two sides that are equal to us.
Our players and management seem to have forgotten that just last year, we were Euro semi finalists, deservedly beating Belgium, Russia, etc.
Why has our mental attitude, technical abilities and tactical approach fallen to the lower standard of opposition, when we really are more capable than we are now believing.
I'm not being disrespectful to either team, or saying that either game will be easy.
However, we must have the team ethic and belief that we had last year.
The sum of all our parts are capable of beating significantly better teams than Georgia and Ireland.

Steady on there fella. We massively over achieved last summer, but I loved every minute of it. A decent squad with great team spirit and a bit of luck (it ran out when Ramsey got suspended), saw us almost pull off the impossible.
To expect us to achieve those heights again, even with an improved squad, is highly unlikely. That’s not me being negative. I’m being realistic. If we’d have carried on whet we left off, we’d be almost qualified now, but the fact we haven’t proves how difficult it is to maintain that sort of level in international football.

[Baloo]

On the plus side, at least we haven't lost the FAW Player Of The Year.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Seems like the poor buggers who should have flown in with KLM to Tbilisi this evening won't land until Friday morning due to a flight delay.

[the other bob wilson]

Steady on there fella. We massively over achieved last summer, but I loved every minute of it. A decent squad with great team spirit and a bit of luck (it ran out when Ramsey got suspended), saw us almost pull off the impossible.
To expect us to achieve those heights again, even with an improved squad, is highly unlikely. That’s not me being negative. I’m being realistic. If we’d have carried on whet we left off, we’d be almost qualified now, but the fact we haven’t proves how difficult it is to maintain that sort of level in international football.

For me, the truth is somewhere in between the stances you and JDerrida have taken. I believe Wales were one of the best four sides in Euro 2016, so got to the stage of the competition that their performances merited. That said, if it wasn't for the fact that, apart from 1958 when I was two and so have no memory of the event at all, Wales were there in a finals tournament in a major competition for the first time in my life, Euro 2016 would be right up there with the most boring ones I've seen - the standard was very low at times.

Wales were number one seeds for this group, but that did not make them favourites to win it by any means in my book. If Serbia are in the mood, there are few teams in Europe who could feel really confident about finishing above them and, unfortunately, they have been in the mood this time. Ireland have been a very tough team to beat for more than thirty years now, Austria were always going to be competitive and Georgia were the strongest of the sixth seeded teams by some distance.

Although Wales have more strength in depth now, they are still over reliant on three or four players and, of those, Bale is now missing games and his performances have not hit the levels we have grown accustomed to, Ramsey has missed games and his form has also been erratic, Allen has been out with suspension and Ashley Williams has started looking a lot more fallible at club level. Nevertheless, I would say that there is only one match out of the ones we've played where we got a result that was well below expectations - tomorrow's game is only a must win one because we weren't good enough (in fact we were lucky not to lose) to beat the same opponents when we played them at home.

Even with Bale, I thought we'd struggle to get three points in Georgia and I've very little hope of us doing that not. However, unless we play woefully and lose our two remaining matches, I don't see how a campaign where we have remained unbeaten in our first eight matches can be deemed a failure - say we finish second, but miss out because we are the runner up with the worst record, then I certainly wouldn't see that as us having failed.

[The Joker]

Can Coleman change squad players still?

If Bale miraculously recovered for the Ireland game - could he be put back into the squad?

(I live in hope)

[J R Hartley]

Steady on there fella. We massively over achieved last summer, but I loved every minute of it. A decent squad with great team spirit and a bit of luck (it ran out when Ramsey got suspended), saw us almost pull off the impossible.
To expect us to achieve those heights again, even with an improved squad, is highly unlikely. That’s not me being negative. I’m being realistic. If we’d have carried on whet we left off, we’d be almost qualified now, but the fact we haven’t proves how difficult it is to maintain that sort of level in international football.

Totally agree with the flower man for once.

[thehumblegringo]

Henenessey
Gunter Williams Chester Davies
Allen Ledley
Woodburn Ramsey Brooks/Hal
Vokes

I would also play a 4-2-3-1 with a similar team to you but I would definitely play Woodburn, Ramsey and Brooks in a 3 behind HRK

[Pearcey3]

Does anyone know if Georgia are missing any key players for this game?

[StraightOuttaCanton]

Does anyone know if Georgia are missing any key players for this game?

Matters not. I hope we just go for it.

We should still be thinking of winning the group but we can't do that with a draw. Unfortunately I believe we'll be cautious but I expect Austria to get at least a point tomorrow.

[Pearcey3]

Matters not. I hope we just go for it.

We should still be thinking of winning the group but we can't do that with a draw. Unfortunately I believe we'll be cautious but I expect Austria to get at least a point tomorrow.

I think it matters a lot. The good news is that two of their star players in Okriashvili and Ananidze are both injured. That cancels out Bale being out for us. It definitely improves our chances.

[J R Hartley]

I think we need to be careful with these young lads. Weve criticised the English media for years for building up kids too soon making out they are the next football superstars and yet we seem to be ready to do the same with Woodburn, Brooks and Ampadu.

I personally wouldnt start any of them. I see both Woodburn and Brooks as impact players off the bench.

[Zenith]

I think it matters a lot. The good news is that two of their star players in Okriashvili and Ananidze are both injured. That cancels out Bale being out for us. It definitely improves our chances.

I thought Okriashvili in Cardiff was superb last year. Unluckily for Georgia it is not just today's game he is missing, he's missed a 3 or 4 for Georgia through suspension in injury, who knows where they could have been if he had played in some of those games.