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It's telling that, in a must win game, we looked less and less likely to get the necessary result with each substitution Page made.
The pitch looked a bit ropey and the players never settled or found any sort of rhythm- they looked like they spent last night either on the lash or in a cell in Yerevan, or perhaps both. We were just lucky it wasn't a hiding.
Taking off Wilson rather than switching to 4 at the back at that point was a truly bizarre decision, showed absolutely no understanding of the tactical situation. We ended up with speed up front and nobody to link between the back and the front who could actually get them the ball.
2-0 Croatia, time to get ready for a tough playoff.
Where the hell did our performance against Croatia come from?
Hopefully we can win the play offs. You have to be an incredibly poor team not to qualify for the Euros these days
Here's a thought.Quote:
Originally Posted by LA Bluebird
Croatia win tonight, Wales lose to Turkey and Armenia beat Croatia, no play offs, I think?
Happily be wrong.
Changing the management won't make much difference we simply don't have the player base
We have done well since 2016 , punching above our weight
Two or three real quality players in that side and we would be very useful
But when you are bringing on Dan James hoping he may change the game or relying on an ageing keiffer moore up front , who clearly isn't playing enough football , then it's the last chance saloon really
Really poor today.Losing pssession so often.Passing really poor.
It really was dreadful.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pearcey3
Can't argue with much of that Sludge. Two quality central midfielders and a major upgrade on Conor Roberts and we would indeed be a useful side. But with a relatively small pool of players to choose from any success we have will be cyclical and it could be a while before our time comes around again.Quote:
Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY
Wales are in a playoff regardless, which will be at home unless the following happens.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jordi Culé
Wales �������������� path to a home playoff semifinal (should they not overtake Croatia) needs these teams to qualify:
���� Netherlands
���� Italy
���� Switzerland
���� Czech Republic
The host of the finals are drawn at random.
The best case scenario is Iceland at home in the semi & Poland home in the final
If any of those teams fail, Wales will be away to that team. If they all qualify, Wales will be at home to one of Finland, Ukraine or Iceland
Page has no idea how to change a game that isn't going our way, it's like he's shocked that the opposition might try and nullify us
Based off the Nations League isn't it?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jordi Culé
And he ended up going to a back 4 afterwards anyway, he has no clue what he's doing. It's all like for like changes then a panic when that doesn't workQuote:
Originally Posted by LA Bluebird
Even if they finish 4th in the group? What a pile of crap.Quote:
Originally Posted by Des Parrot
I didn't know that, finish 4th and being awarded a play off place feels very wrong if right.Quote:
Originally Posted by City123
We'd be getting the playoff spot based on finishing bottom of our Nations League group as well!Quote:
Originally Posted by Jordi Culé
By my reckoning only 3 of our starting 11 are starting regularly for their teams, All those 3 are in the championship. A number of that 11 are not getting a look in at club level, including the keeper and striker. I think we’ve done very well based on the above and it was always going to catch up with us at some point.
This, bring on James & Johnson but continue to play in front of Armenia instead of turning themQuote:
Originally Posted by City123
Page has to be the most basic manager I’ve come across. He’s basically making it up as he goes along and hopes it works, tactically I’ve not seen many worse.
Our team isn’t that bad.
He could have made effective changes tonight but he didn’t.
He ballsed it right up and panicked at the end playing with four forwards and nobody to feed them.
Imbecilic.
He certainly doesn't know how to use Brennan Johnson. Christ knows what he's trying to achieve there
You can’t just blame the manager because a player as talented as Johnson produces his club form so rarely in international football. Who played well for Wales yesterday? I suppose Danny Ward did, but I’m struggling to think of anyone else. The team passed the ball really poorly and for all of those criticising Kieffer Moore (who I admit looked like someone who barely plays these days), he had virtually nothing to work off because our crossing was mostly useless - instead, we fed him as if he had the speed of a Johnson or James as he was given long balls into the channels and asked to outpace his marker - that’s not Moore’s game and never will be.Quote:
Originally Posted by fugsyphil
Even someone as reliable as Ben Davies was a long way short of his best yesterday - a team has little chance when so many of their squad are below their best, so, for me, just blaming the manager is too easy. I’m not a huge Page fan, but yesterday was a collective failure whereby too many players failed to show up when it really mattered.
Rob Phillips also commented at some point that 'just' 3 of the Armenian team play in the Armenian league.Quote:
Originally Posted by bluesp
Think he forgot for a minute that about which league most our players play in 😄
Wales got 1 point out of a possible 18 in the Nations League.Quote:
Originally Posted by City123
For that they've been offered a play off spot.
It's laughable really.
The playoffs aren't until next March. After Turkey could be a good time to change manager, although the playoff semi final would be the new manager's first game in charge.
Would be harsh on the new manager but something needs to be done.Quote:
Originally Posted by Undercoverinwurzelland
So if we can’t blame the manager for these tactics who can we blame?Quote:
Originally Posted by the other bob wilson
Page is out of his depth. He’s got to go.
We don’t deserve to be going to a major finals.
Let’s be honest. The home game against Croatia aside we’ve been absolute dog shit this campaign.
It looks like the Croatia home performance was a one off then as we’ve been poor in every other game. Having a fit Ramsey would be a big boost for a play off match and being at home will help too. However there seemed to be none of the fight from the players to keep Page in a job yesterday that was evident in that Croatia match so maybe after the Turkey game is the time to change the manager, might be a gamble but doing nothing is just as much of a gamble!
£9.25m for qualifying
£1m for each group game won
£500k for each group game drawn
£1.5m for getting out of the group.
They'd have to pay off 3 years of Page's contract (why the hell did they give him a 4 year contract???), but that's a lot of money to miss out on/potentially miss out on if we don't qualify.
Exactly. It's so telling that he went with the exact same setup and team that beat Croatia just assuming that would work. Croatia home and Armenia away are completely different propositions and need a different setup! We ended up with almost a back 7 at times yesterday with how deep Ampadu and James were with no connection at all between midfield and attackQuote:
Originally Posted by J R Hartley
For all the shit he got after we beat Croatia without him, we really missed Ramsey yesterday
I think another issue is players have become too comfortable in their positions in the squad, we saw similar toward the end with Coleman. Connor Roberts has been dogshit for a while now but there's no question he'll start on Tuesday, he needs competition
He's not the best but come on our side lacks an Ashley Williams, Ramsey , Bale etcQuote:
Originally Posted by J R Hartley
It's not just the likes of RamseyQuote:
Originally Posted by City123
Bale , Williams and some quality up front
Page is doing his best but most of the team didn't turn up
That's exactly why I blame the international manager. He's clearly doing something wrong with himQuote:
Originally Posted by the other bob wilson
It is obvious that we have players who can get results, the Croatia home game was evidence of that.
A good manager/coach would how to get the best from each of them in any given scenario and unfortunately Page is not that man.
Re his ridiculously timed contract, we have gone for the cheap option once again.
Isn't it his job to get them to turn up?Quote:
Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY
There are times when you feel players can throw their coaches underneath the bus with their match performances and effort.
Wales yesterday did look half arsed but I'll put that down to the negative and lack of ambition they started the game.
That's down to the coaching staff.
You seem to be correct on this occasion, sad to say.Quote:
Originally Posted by J R Hartley
Armenia prove there are no mugs in international football these daysQuote:
Originally Posted by Jordi Culé
We don't have the squad we had in 2016
No manager can turn water into wine
I assume the new contract was 4 years in order to cover two campaigns. To give him 3 years wouldn't have made sense and 2 (for one campaign) a bit churlish.
The golden era sadly is all over , the new lads are good but not as good as the Bales , Rambo 's , Ashley Williams .Joe Allen in their prime ,and it must be tough carrying the past success of other in your mind .
Folk say other teams this and that , reff's, Manager decision etc this is about Wales under performing and lacking real top end quality and the new breed are not able to deliver when it matters .
Dan James , Wilson are a shadow of their past , Moore well enough said about his obvious limitations , he is lucky he is Welsh ( oh hang On ? ) , if Sparky,Rush types were about ,he'd have to declare himself Maltese or from San Marino to get a gig.