Qatar Tango - Wales Watch

Very poor in defence. Rodon booked so out of next game.

 

Riding our luck.
1st touch poor.

 

Frustrating wales look half a yard off it, again Ramsey a passenger but this ref is letting lots go

 

So many mistakes. Getting overun.

 

Ah well, just got to beat England then.

Poor all over the pitch.

The heat was probably a factor but not an excuse.

 

Beaten by a far better team on the day.
Seemed like an entire squad having an off day. It's football.
Hope there's not going to people playing the blame game now.
I'm gutted.

 

Like watching City - poor first touch, wayward passing and nothing in midfield.

Bale was atrocious and a total passenger. Ramsey was awful and Allen shouldn’t have come on.

Overall Iran worthy winners.

On the red card an Irani player did virtually the same later and got a yellow.

 

No problem with Allen coming on. Other alternatives too inexperienced for that stage in the game.

It looked to me like Hennessey got sent off as last man although Williams was a yard further back. Their foul was in a different position and I'm not sure he made contact, minimal if it was.

Agree with everything else.

 

Wales is a small country and has for a while now dwelled in the recent past with admitedly star performers like Bale and Ramsey cited as virtual Gods. Not long ago they were winning games for us - not any more. Both were a shadow of their former selves and offered nothing inspirational to their younger colleagues on the pitch. Their presence is just not enough - they need to contribute as well.

Today they were both really poor and I suppose you could argue we really have no quality alternatives. The truth is you can't take on any international side capable of making it to these finals with unfit past glory passengers - and sorry to say, that's what they were today. The whole team performance suffered as a result when those around them were looking for leadership, it didn't happen.

I suspect Page was hamstrung - damned if you do, damned if you don't, but they were both clearly unfit to play at this level any more. Time to find and develop the next "Bale and Ramsey" because the current ones are finished at this level.

 

Have to agree with much of the above.

It was hard to watch our previously top players struggling like they were.
Page's loyalty is commendable but there were just too many undercooked players out there for us who haven't had enough minutes under their belt and just weren't fit enough.

The Iranians would have had a natural advantage with the kick off time but combine that with the lack of energy / the clear tiredness in many of the players and we were on a hiding to nothing sadly.

My fear isn't so much replacing Bale and Rambo as I think the likes of Wilson and hopefully Colwill and Dave Brooks will see us through in that department, but even Kieffer is getting "old" now and I'm not seeing any natural replacement for him.

 

Just seen the sending off, please go easy but was there a VAR check for offside when the ball was passed ?

 

I thought the Iranian guy was offside as he stepped over the half way line but I didn't see any VAR verification requests - it was all about Hennessy's body check.

 

Personal view which I know will not go down with many.

For me, the target for the group of players we have was to reach the WC finals. So job done. We were never going to win the tournament for the very reasons that have been stated in relation to today's game. Playing in the finals was the reward for the guys that have instilled a new togetherness and that was the catalyst for the reignited enthusiasm for the fans. So while I agree that Bale and Ramsey were poor over the last two games (and perhaps a little before) they earned the right to be there.
Yes I know many will say there's no room for that in the game but I think there should be. There's enough hard hearted philosophy in the club game. International football has always been the purest (not 100% pure) football. I would hate for us to be like many England fans that have expectations that demand a win every game.

So now we do our best against England and go out with good grace. Thereafter, we start the rebuild and keep the flame burning

This tournament has been the end of the beginning and not the beginning of the end.

Forgive me if I don't engage with anyone who sees it otherwise. I'm sure the arguments will be strong but perspectives will differ from mine. This is just one of the few things in football that I have an entrenched opinion.
Cymru am Byth

 

Was watching it with an English mate and we both called for the offside. Dont think it was checked.
Irrelevant as we didn't deserve to win.
Hardly heard bales name mentioned, Ramsey's first touch was terrible, as was his passing, they all gave the ball away cheaply.
Very disappointing after the second half against USA.

 

Clingo sir, I salute you.

I have no doubts many fans will now call Rob Page clueless and say his contract was given too soon etc. but for me he's shown a true loyalty in an ever increasingly cut throat world, and that is extremely admirable.

Plus, we're still not out of it yet.... It ain't over until the fat Welshman sings and I've not warmed my vocal chords yet!!!

 

Thank feck for that. Hes useless.

 

Bale and Ramsey have carried us for years.

Ramsey was poor and Bale anonymous in 2 games. Hes obviously nowhere near match fit and i suspect hes just made sure hes got to the WC injury free.

Despite this only Moore was even half decent today.

A terrible display. Even Ben Davies was poor but I suppose playing with Rodon and Roberts takes its toll.

 

Clingo, I agree with you. The recent BBC series charting the development and progress of the Welsh Football squad, beginning with Toshack and Brian Flynn, was quite remarkable, with Tosh saying this was a long term plan, for which we have enjoyed the fruits, certainly in the last 7 years.

That investment in the young players of the day, perhaps forced by the 'retirement' of many of the old guard, together with the foresight of the managers that followed Toshack, through a tragic backdrop that is still close to the heart, has seen Wales reach the World Cup Finals.

With our heroes reaching the end of their careers, we have a new crop of youngsters coming through, who will all take something from this into the next European tournament and then into the next World Cup, where we should expect to compete with the best.

It's the trajectory that counts, not the short-termism that blights much of our club football.

 

I applaud this post!!! We can see it in what's coming through academies in Wales and getting into the Premiership as a steady trickle....enough to feed our clubs and the national team if it is kept up.

 

I admire the obvious optimism on here toward the future of our national side. Even an eternal optimist like me can't see us getting any further than the England game, so until next Tuesday I'll draw this line under what's happened.

There's no doubt that reaching a World Cup Finals is a significant achievement for a small country such as ours. You can also argue that those that got us there deserve the right to play in them, and that's fair enough.

I also don't believe Page had any option other than to play Ramsey and Bale for emotional reasons otherwise he'd have been pilloried, but that doesn't alter the hard facts. In those two games, both were reminiscent of part time players which in all honesty is exactly what they currently are.

History will rightly tell us of their glorious earlier exploits, but right now that history book is being updated right now. At this tournament their lack of fitness and recent game time under their belts was totally exposed even by, with all due respect, a country like Iran.

That's not to say for a minute that it was all their fault - the lack of class previously brought to the team by them has never been replaced - plenty of effort but no quality on the ball. At the end of the day, we are what we are - a national team driven by passion not necessarily matched by ability.

Big rebuild required and good luck to Page over the coming couple of years - he has as said got a great crop of youngsters to work with, but back to the present.

Unfortunately for him, I suspect that I'm not alone in believing that not starting Moore in favour of James for the USA game probably cost us 2 points. We'll never know that now, and despite the shambles against Iran, we could be playing England in the last game maybe needing just a point to qualify.