Sorry Nelson, we'd love to be there
but Tosh and the team won't let us
but Tosh and the team won't let us
After spending all week telling us how today was a must in game and that any other result was the end of the road, losing 2-0 in Cardiff to Finland was devastating but so poor and inept was the Welsh performance, the tactics and the key decisions that you wonder of there is rarely a better future and talented team. On this evidence, we're having a laugh.
Welsh football has continual lows and very very highs but this ranks among the lowest - out of the World Cup with barely half the qualifier games played!
The passion has been sucked out of the support. It's hard to understand why but there was no appetite for fans to go. I actually missed a Welsh World Cup qualifier in Cardiff for the first time in my life, I accepted we were going nowhere, these are tought times and my money is being saved to watch Cardiff City. A lack of promotion, marketing and publicity saw less than 15,000 tickets sold but a late surge pushed it just past 22,000.
Wales: Hennessey, Gunter-Collins-Nyatanga-Bale. Fletcher-Davies-Koumas-Edwards-Ledley, Bellamy.
There lies a problem before the game even started. A must win game, playing at home and Wales go 4-5-1.
The first half saw Wales have all the possession but create zilch. In fact, the Finns keeper wasn't required to make a save in the entire 90 minutes which is damning.
However Wales were on top and you felt a breakthrough might come but a soft goal conceded 2 minutes before the interval to a real sucker punch as the oldest player on the pitch Jari Litmamen (I thought he had retired years ago) caught the Welsh defence square with a pass and Hibs' JOHANSSON finsihed easily. It could even have been worse as Bale was lucky not to concede a penalty for a trup on Forssel.
You hoped Wales would come beack with fire to fight for the game but, instead, they meekly surrendered, the Finns playing well within themselves still bossed the rest of the game. It needed Collins with blocks, Hennsessy and saves and Ledley clearing off the line to prevent further damage.
Sadly Wales had no answer and Toshack didn't help his or his country's with some bafling subs. Robinson, a defensive midfielder, replacing Fletcher like-for-like, Ledley - one of Wales' livelier players taken off for Earnie when Koumas was doing nothing out there but even Aaron Ramsey, given half hour and his World Cup debut, couldn't do a thing.
So it was left to Crystal Palace's Shelfi KUQI to kill the game with a late second goal, the stadium emptied. The worry for Wales now is Wednesday's visit of Germany, it could prove embarrassing if they play this badly again.
Welsh football has continual lows and very very highs but this ranks among the lowest - out of the World Cup with barely half the qualifier games played!
The passion has been sucked out of the support. It's hard to understand why but there was no appetite for fans to go. I actually missed a Welsh World Cup qualifier in Cardiff for the first time in my life, I accepted we were going nowhere, these are tought times and my money is being saved to watch Cardiff City. A lack of promotion, marketing and publicity saw less than 15,000 tickets sold but a late surge pushed it just past 22,000.
Wales: Hennessey, Gunter-Collins-Nyatanga-Bale. Fletcher-Davies-Koumas-Edwards-Ledley, Bellamy.
There lies a problem before the game even started. A must win game, playing at home and Wales go 4-5-1.
The first half saw Wales have all the possession but create zilch. In fact, the Finns keeper wasn't required to make a save in the entire 90 minutes which is damning.
However Wales were on top and you felt a breakthrough might come but a soft goal conceded 2 minutes before the interval to a real sucker punch as the oldest player on the pitch Jari Litmamen (I thought he had retired years ago) caught the Welsh defence square with a pass and Hibs' JOHANSSON finsihed easily. It could even have been worse as Bale was lucky not to concede a penalty for a trup on Forssel.
You hoped Wales would come beack with fire to fight for the game but, instead, they meekly surrendered, the Finns playing well within themselves still bossed the rest of the game. It needed Collins with blocks, Hennsessy and saves and Ledley clearing off the line to prevent further damage.
Sadly Wales had no answer and Toshack didn't help his or his country's with some bafling subs. Robinson, a defensive midfielder, replacing Fletcher like-for-like, Ledley - one of Wales' livelier players taken off for Earnie when Koumas was doing nothing out there but even Aaron Ramsey, given half hour and his World Cup debut, couldn't do a thing.
So it was left to Crystal Palace's Shelfi KUQI to kill the game with a late second goal, the stadium emptied. The worry for Wales now is Wednesday's visit of Germany, it could prove embarrassing if they play this badly again.
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