Euro 2012: John Toshack running out of time to help Wales’ youngsters prove their worth
When he was appointed as Wales boss in 2004, John Toshack urged the Welsh nation to judge him on the Euro 2008 qualifiers, citing that he was inheriting a squad who would need time to prove their worth, and that young, promising players were emerging.
As soon as qualification for Austria and Switzerland in 2008 became impossible, he told the country to look ahead to World Cup 2010, and once that tournament passed by without any Welsh representation, well, you know what comes next.
In fairness to Toshack, he hasn’t had it easy.
After taking over from Mark Hughes, he was immediately tasked with repeating the current Fulham manager’s success, but without the resources.
Hughes took Wales to within a 1-0 aggregate play-off defeat to Russia of qualifying for Euro 2004, but then immediately saw many of his top performers retire from the international game. Of the team that beat Italy 2-1 at the Millennium Stadium in October 2002 – the apex of that Euro 2004 campaign – only Craig Bellamy remains today. Toshack has overseen a complete overhaul.
He’s done it quite successfully too, if you believe the numbers. In his 52 matches in charge, he’s won 22, lost 22 and drawn eight. His win percentage of 42% is greater than any manager Wales have ever had, and it’s not as if that has come from a limited amount of games either; he’ll become the Principality’s longest-serving boss during this campaign.
It’s not numbers that the country’s followers care about though. It’s a place at a first major finals since 1958, when a solitary goal from a 17-year-old Brazilian named Pelé knocked them out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage. The footballing trajectories of the forward and of Wales have gone in opposite directions ever since, and now 61, Toshack knows that he’s running out of time to put his country on an upward curve.
He’ll start his latest attempt in Podgorica, Montenegro on Friday night.
The veteran boss has been there before, and saw his side slip to a 2-1 defeat in a friendly international just over a year ago, but that home victory was inspired by Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetić, the gifted 20-year-old “Montenegrin matador” who beat Liverpool almost on his own in a Champions League fixture six weeks after that friendly. Now, a cruciate knee ligament injury sidelines him for the next six months.
Not that Wales have had much luck with injuries either, and as Toshack starts his fourth tournament qualifying campaign, he does so without two of the young midfield stars that have been the cause of so much optimism in recent years, Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey and West Ham’s Jack Collison.
He’s likely to rely on Gareth Bale – surely one of the most in form left-sided players in any of the top divisions in Europe at the moment – and Cardiff’s prodigal son Bellamy to lead his side. Some-time captain Joe Ledley completed a switch from Cardiff to Celtic in the summer, James Collins is a mainstay of the Aston Villa defence, while the recent addition of Millwall’s Steve Morison – a former freelance paper shredder in the London area, the top scorer in the Lions’ promotion to the Championship last season, and the recent beneficiary of the discovery of a Welsh grandmother – adds competition for places. He’s likely to start the campaign upfront.
Wales will need a first choice XI available if they are to have any chance of progressing from what is a difficult group. Montenegro are the fifth seeds from this five team grouping, but currently sit 73rd in Fifa’s world rankings, 11 places higher than the Welsh. England, Switzerland and Bulgaria will present even tougher tests.
Toshack’s problem is that he hasn’t had enough quality available to him on a consistent basis, and that problem looks as though it will continue into this campaign.
Such is the realism now attached to Welsh football, most supporters won’t be expecting to see their team lining up in Poland and the Ukraine in 2012.
Qualification is unlikely, but whether or not the boss will still be around to urge fans to “judge him on World Cup 2014” looks a clearer cut issue.
Friday night could be the opening verse of Toshack’s swansong.
Euro 2012 previews:
http://www.senore.com/Euro-2012-Englands-footballers-start-the-long-road-back-to-regaining-the-nations-trust-a24972
http://www.senore.com/EURO-2012-Tough-task-awaits-new-Scotland-boss-Craig-Levein-a24981
http://www.senore.com/Euro-2012-Northern-Ireland-bid-to-end-European-Championship-hoodoo-a24973
http://www.senore.com/Euro-2012-Republic-of-Ireland-looking-to-overcome-Paris-heartache-a24975
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