FT: ARMENIA 1 - 1 WALES. Match thread

[Blooburd]

So if they were defying his instructions and smashing it long on their own accord when Page didnt want them to do that why the hell wasnt he out on the touchline barking orders for them to stop doing it?

Was it the players decision to leave Moore so isolated? or start with only 3 attack minded players in a game we had to win?

excellent questions

cant the manager yknow...SUB OFF players not following his command?

[WJ99mobile]

We clearly don't have a strong spine to the team as we did with Coleman........Williams, ledley , Ramsey, Bale

Throw in a clutch of decent championship standard players and we were a good side

But even our better players are not of 2016 quality now

And page isn't as good a motivator as Coleman clearly was

I think all this knives out nonsense is petulant tbh

Comparing to 2016 is nonsense

We’re looking at this side trying to beat Armenia. It’s good enough to win on paper.

5 points dropped against a poor side and Page has to go. Tactics wrong and players were crap.

[J R Hartley]

How do you know he wasn’t? It didn’t happen as much in the second half after he’d had fifteen minutes with them.

The problem you and others who are trying to give the players a free pass for Saturday have is that there’s the precedent of the Croatia game to be factored in.just ignoring it won’t work, so let’s go with the theory that the players basically ignored what Page said and turned in one of the best Welsh performances of the last thirty or forty years off their own bats.

The question then arises that, if Croatia was all down to the players, why couldn’t they come up with something similar against an inferior team this weekend?

I’ve said earlier that I’m not a big fan of Page, I think he’s a limited manager at international level, but you can’t just dismiss the Croatia match because you don’t rate him. My own view is that Wales raised their game against a declining opponent and a big factor in that was that they thought Page was being treated unfairly - they were showing their backing for him.

Wales showed against Croatia that they are capable of raising their game to a level which rivals the sides of the Coleman era at times. They’re not as good as those sides, but, equally, they’re not as bad a team as they looked on Saturday. To perform like that in a game with so much riding on it is, I believe, very concerning and there has to be more to the contrast in performances in two games just a month apart (with Johnson fit, we had a stronger squad against Armenia) than the fact the manager isn’t great- questions need to be asked of the players as well.

One of the best performances of the last 30 or 40 years is stretching it by some distance.

YOU are the only one implying the players are not following the managers tactics and going off their own bar so why should we go with that theory?

Page deserves credit for the Croatia victory but he followed it up with same side and gameplan against a team 97th in the world rankings!!! That just goes to show hiow tactically inept he is. Horses for courses and to play just 3 attacking players against Ar-****ing-menia was criminal. Substitutions like for like, hes limited tactically its unbelievable.

In 7 qualification games weve played well once and that was on the back of 6 national league defeats and a World Cup finals where we looked completely out of our depth.

Page is not the man to take this group forward and no amount of you laying all the blame on the players rather than Page will make me think otherwise.

[Bluebirdman Of Alcathays]

We got 4 points off Croatia because we knew they'd have the brunt of possession and we had to react accordingly. When it came to being more attacking against Armenia, we failed twice. Maybe we're not good enough to do the latter but it doesn't seem that demanding to expect a coach to know how to set up for both.

[J R Hartley]

Two or three years ago, Rubin Colwill was being picked in Welsh squads ahead of Johnson, but then suddenly he kicked on and was soon clearly the first choice out of the two - watching him struggle so much on Saturday though makes you wonder if, perhaps, the original judgment was correct.

Now you're just being facestious

[Bald Barry Bastad]

Can you seriously think of any manager who would tell his team to knock balls into the channels for Keiffer Mooreto chase? I suppose if he was up against some spectacularly slow centre backs you might, but you don’t get many of them at international level. However, if they were obeying Page’s instructions on Saturday by so obviously not playing to Moore’s strengths, then, fair enough, he has to go.

No I can't but genuinely wouldn't put it beyond Page.

[the other bob wilson]

One of the best performances of the last 30 or 40 years is stretching it by some distance.

YOU are the only one implying the players are not following the managers tactics and going off their own bar so why should we go with that theory?

Page deserves credit for the Croatia victory but he followed it up with same side and gameplan against a team 97th in the world rankings!!! That just goes to show hiow tactically inept he is. Horses for courses and to play just 3 attacking players against Ar-****ing-menia was criminal. Substitutions like for like, hes limited tactically its unbelievable.

In 7 qualification games weve played well once and that was on the back of 6 national league defeats and a World Cup finals where we looked completely out of our depth.

Page is not the man to take this group forward and no amount of you laying all the blame on the players rather than Page will make me think otherwise.

So you think that all of the blame lies with Page and you think I’m laying all of the blame on the players? I’m not, I’ve said I believe Page is limited at this level and I found his response to what was happening disappointing, but if he has to shoulder his share of the blame for Saturday, then I say so do the players.

I said earlier that, as far as I’m concerned, only Ward can claim to have played pretty well, the best of the outfield prayers (maybe Jordan James), plus the subs, were worth no more than a six out of ten and I don’t see how such a blanket under performance can be laid solely at the manager’s door.

[the other bob wilson]

Now you're just being facestious

I was, as I admitted in the next sentence, but what I would say is that you could have brought Colwill on for Brooks on Saturday and he wouldn’t have had to have done much to have offered more than Johnson did.

[EastbourneBlue]

Nice to see Rambo out there supporting the boys. Huge game today

Do we go with the same 11 or bring in one of James/Johnson? James is in good form at Leeds & Brooks isn't playing much for Bournemouth

Anyone else reckon Armenia can get a draw tomorrow?? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[Grangenders]

Anyone else reckon Armenia can get a draw tomorrow?? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

No they are a pretty poor team

[llan bluebird]

Underdog manager, playing underdog tactics, sometimes the rope a dope works, most times it doesn't though.

Against a team we should be planning to be on the front foot, we play 5 defenders, a lad who doubles up as a center half, and a kid who has barely a dozen championship games, 2 attacking midfielders and an isolated target man.

Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face, it's the inability to change during the game that demonstrates how limited he is.

[the other bob wilson]

Anyone else reckon Armenia can get a draw tomorrow?? ��������������

Even if they do, are we going to beat Turkey?

[EastbourneBlue]

No they are a pretty poor team

Managed a draw in Turkey

[City123]

Managed a draw in Turkey

Also lost to Latvia

[EastbourneBlue]

Even if they do, are we going to beat Turkey?

Turkey surely aren’t going to be going hell for leather

[Jordi Culé]

Turkey surely aren’t going to be going hell for leather

I'm not sure Wales have got it in them to go hell for leather either?

[Dave Blue]

So you think that all of the blame lies with Page and you think I’m laying all of the blame on the players? I’m not, I’ve said I believe Page is limited at this level and I found his response to what was happening disappointing, but if he has to shoulder his share of the blame for Saturday, then I say so do the players.

I said earlier that, as far as I’m concerned, only Ward can claim to have played pretty well, the best of the outfield prayers (maybe Jordan James), plus the subs, were worth no more than a six out of ten and I don’t see how such a blanket under performance can be laid solely at the manager’s door.

Amen

[EastbourneBlue]

I'm not sure Wales have got it in them to go hell for leather either?

All I’m saying is it’s only 11/1 for an Armenia draw/win and a Wales win.

Pleased to see Page has now stopped talking playoffs. Not over til it’s over

[BLUETIT]

4-4-2
Ward
Nico Williams
A. N Other
Rodon
Ben Davies
Brooks
J. James
Ampadu
Wilson
Johnson
Moore

[the other bob wilson]

4-4-2
Ward
Nico Williams
A. N Other
Rodon
Ben Davies
Brooks
J. James
Ampadu
Wilson
Johnson
Moore

A N Other = Tom Lockyer I would have thought.

[WJ99mobile]

A N Other = Tom Lockyer I would have thought.

Banned

[the other bob wilson]

Banned

How? Why?

[BLUETIT]

A N Other = Tom Lockyer I would have thought.

I’m not sure about him, with international referee’s, I think he’s a bit to physical, a red card waiting to happen

[City123]

I’m not sure about him, with international referee’s, I think he’s a bit to physical, a red card waiting to happen

Well it would either be him or Cabango, or Ben Davies slots in at left centre back.

I think a back 4 is the way to go though, with Ampadu and James in front of them

[WJ99mobile]

Banned

Sorry got this mixed up with mepham