da esport bet： Ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifier between Wales and England at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, former Wales international Chris Coleman has been talking about the future of Welsh football, and why it is definitely on the up…
da bet7： Wales have two outstanding young players in Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey. Could they head a ‘Golden Generation’ of players for Wales over the next few years?
Well, if there is to be a golden generation around the corner then Bale and Ramsey will be at the head of it. I’m sure there is though, because we have been waiting and waiting for it, but some of these players are not 19 or 20 anymore, they are 24 or 25 now. They’ve got to step up to the plate. It’s no good just talking about Bale, Ramsey and Craig Bellamy, the other player have got to step up. They need to have some pride in pulling on the Wales jersey and turning up for every game.
If you look at the last half a dozen games, if you can show me another country which has had more players pull out then I would be incredibly surprised. Wales are having about a dozen withdrawals every game, and you can’t have that, I’m not putting that all down to injuries and suspensions, no way. Whether players had a problem with the previous manager or not, as a player you still turn up and do your best because playing for your country is one of the highest accolades you can have in your career. I just feel that because we were having a bad time with Wales, putting that red jersey on has been watered down a little bit by certain people, which disappoints me. If you can’t get your best squad together on a consistent basis, the results are not going to be good, especially for a small country like ourselves.
So, first and foremost, let’s make sure we have our best players playing every game, because that’s when we can start climbing the rankings. That’s when we get a bit of pride and confidence back.
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Which other Welsh players should we watch out for aside from Bale and Ramsay?
I have been very impressed with Andy King, the Leicester midfielder. Sven-Goran Eriksson has been getting the best out of him. I saw him a few years ago and I thought he was a good player. He plays that central midfield role very well, either in a flat two or as part of a three pushing forward and trying to run in behind the striker. He times his runs into the box very well.
Joe Ledley left Cardiff and went up to Celtic where he has performed well. He’s a good midfielder with a great left foot and I actually think that he’d have made a big impact at a Barclays Premier League team.
At the back, Ashley Williams of Swansea is a very good player, and obviously he plays with James Collins of Aston Villa at centre-back. I think those two complement each other very well.
We’ve got some good players, we really have, if we can get them all together and if they are all fit. There is not a lot of pressure on them for this game because England are expected to win, but we have a couple of players in there who can do a bit of damage ourselves.
How much would a Welsh side (or possibly two) being in the Premier League boost the Welsh game as a whole?
I’m a die-hard Swansea City fan, a born and bred Swansea Jack. But also I am a football enthusiast and I love football and I love my country, so I’d like Swansea and Cardiff to get there. I really would. Obviously, if it were a toss-up I would want Swansea to get there, but I would love the pair of them up there. It would give welsh football a massive boost. The Barclays Premier League is the best and most publicised league in the world, and it would be a tremendous step forward for Wales as a football nation.
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