Yaana Noore wrote:Gary Speed's death was such a shame. I remember watching his Wales side and it seemed like they were making genuine progress - I really thought they were going places. Coleman picked them up well from that but otherwise I wouldn't give him much credit.
Russia were awful though, absolutely awful. Probably the worst team at the whole tournament. Don't see how Wales beating them was a major achievement. Slovakia slightly better but again not that good. Northern Ireland were genuine minnows and much worse on paper than Wales, their team was a bunch of League One, Championship and Scottish Prem players and they had nobody anywhere near Allen/Ramsey/Bale, just a really talented coach. Wales were better than all three of those teams and should have won, which they did. Not their fault the new format has seriously weakened the competition, they just took advantage of it. The win against Belgium was impressive but that was the only game where they were the underdog. On the face of it semi-finals is a massive achievement but when you look at it closer it's not the sort of minnow-triumphing-against-the-odds story it is made out to be.
Giggs appointment was a joke, weak pool of candidates but still. Personally I thought they should have gone for Mark Hughes, or Osian Roberts if they wanted someone unproven for a gamble. Giggs has done nothing to earn that job, he's done more to justify not giving it to him than anything.
We also had England don't forget. Which although we lost to gave a massive scare and should of won. They went out to Iceland in the next round anyway which made it even better.
When you have had a team that has only qualified for a major tournament twice in it's entire history (58 World Cup, Euro's 76) it really is a huge achievement to get to the Semi's. Wales has been so starved of success it is massive. Yes the players are 'superstars' these days, but even when we have had a similar calibre (okay not quite but still pretty close), Hughes, Speed, Giggs etc we've still failed to even make it.
And as for the win against Russia, I still have memories of 2004 qualifying campaign. Beating Italy then getting knocked out in a 2 leg qualifier by Russia. It was 2004, but still they are a side we consistently lose against.
I'd have liked Bellamy to be manager. Rumours were he would be Wrexham's man for a while (not that I ever saw him dropping that low) but to give it to Giggs citing we needed a passionate Welsh coach was farcical.
Their goal came from their only chance, a free-kick from miles out which Joe Hart should have saved. They then proceeded to park the bus, dropping deeper and deeper to the extent that Wayne Rooney (a man with zero mobility) was somehow bossing the midfield and then deservedly lost after being dominated the whole game. I remember it well, I was there. England's failure doesn't really make any difference to whether or not Wales' tournament was a success, bit of a small-time mentality there. But if you want to judge it against England then you should take into account Wales were the only team England actually beat.
(I am a football lover!) . It was a dream to see national players right in front of me in Russia, but though cannot afford the tickets hence I am about to 
