Qatar Tango - Wales Watch

This is your Welsh team v Gibraltar.
Rubin starts.

 

You just beat me to it.
Page having a look to the future.

 

Quite right as well. Michael O’Neill is doing the same with the Northern Ireland squad. Can’t rely on the oldies all the time.

 

Dunno about that - we manage with it on here alright.................

 

Speak for yourself! I’m only 73!

 

0-0 halftime
Wales 80% possession!

 

82 minutes.

Still 0.0.

Wales 78% possession.

Gibraltar no shots. At all.

 

Didn’t even know it was on until I was channel hopping.

Saw the last 15 minutes - what was the point of that exercise? I won’t accept an argument it gives players international experience. What on earth could have been gained from a match versus Gibraltar.

I thought they’d got rid of international friendlies with the Euro league brought in to replace them?

 

Yes. Hardly inspirational.

Two positives. Didn't lose and clean sheet but should have done better.

Detention for all.

 

A starting eleven that had never played together before drawn from a match squad of which some had not even had their debuts for their clubs yet. It's important to start looking at the future when the pressure is off. We talk on here a lot about the importance of a team ethic and finding out who can work together. Other than games like today's, Page would only see these players as individuals playing for their clubs and not together as a team.

 

I get the sentiment but I can’t see how chucking in a mixed bunch of players against the likes of Gibraltar on a balmy night in June was necessary.

Another thing an international cap back in the day was a huge achievement whilst today they’re handed out like confetti.

These games shouldn’t be awarded caps.
I reiterate I thought friendlies had been binned; seemingly not.

 

Clearly international friendlies haven't been binned which is why just about every country plays them.
With regard to the honour of winning a cap for your country for friendlies, surely that's a separate argument and strays from your original point of whether there is any value to these games.
With the Euros taking place this year, it's a golden opportunity for those who didn't qualify to start looking at their long term prospects.
Although modern society demands otherwise, not everything can be evaluated immediately. Today, Wales started a process which they had never done before and got some value out of a friendly rather than trying to field a team with the sole ambition of winning one game, which is how we used to treat friendlies.
Back to the caps, I think they're a great inspiration for those that get them and consequently, motivational.

Ps. Hardly confetti given the number of friendlies Wales play. They were rarer in the old days because we rarely qualified for anything.

 

Eloquently put Clingo.

If and when some of the youngsters who played tonight get put into bigger, competitive games they will have already had experience of international football (albeit versus pub side Gibraltar) so it could well put a lid on first cap nerves.

And it was a lovely stadium to play at on the Algarve. Never been inside but driven past. Any times.

 

Well said. It's hard to overestimate the value of getting experience at such early stages of careers.

 

Totally respect others posts but I still maintain this particular exercise was pointless as well as the awarding of cheap caps which payers from the old days had to work hard to earn.

Dare I say it but IMO the best way of integrating new and current squad players is a summer training camp, which I’m sure Coleman did.

 

I'm sure if the Gentle Giant had got his first cap playing in a similar match, he'd have accepted it with pride. Are you suggesting that new guys don't work hard? My guess is that they work even harder.
From where I m standing, yesterday offered a brilliant balance of giving them a taste while still keeping them grounded. Training camps are excellent but they are limited in variation of opponents and of environment.
Not sure how players in the old days worked harder. They were noticed by what they did for their clubs and while I wouldn't question their work ethic in doing so, it was probably a bit easier.
I think also it's our perspective that changes as we yearn for the good old days. From a players perspective, I'm sure it's a lot different and it would be wrong to undervalued their efforts.
I think you and I see it from completely different perspectives and we'll probably need to agree to differ on this one.
Really good to have the conversation though

 

Not going so well for the lads tonight unfortunately. However, it's all part of the process for small nations when in transition. I'm glad that they're getting some competitive play time together.
Cymru am Byth

 

Pile of poop? Masky

 

Now surely is the time to get rid of this amateur head coach