John Toshack quits as Wales boss, and suggests Ryan Giggs as his successor
Before last week’s round of Euro 2012 qualifiers, many people had suggested – due to the quality of their opposition in Group G – that it was Montenegro or bust for Wales and John Toshack. Well, it turns out it was bust.
Wales’ miserable 1-0 reverse in Podgorica on Friday night has pretty much strangled all faint hopes of Euro 2012 qualification at birth. Montenegro are the fifth seeds in a five-team group, yet kicked off their match against the Welsh 11 places higher in the Fifa world rankings than their opposition. They’ll go even further above them now, and Toshack has had enough.
After being on the receiving end of some scathing criticism throughout his six-year reign, the 61-year-old former Real Madrid and Real Sociedad boss will call time on his stewardship in the coming days, and has reportedly identified Ryan Giggs as the shock choice to be his successor.
Never universally popular during his time in charge, Toshack was almost strong-armed into taking the job in the first place.
After tiring of Toshack’s outspoken attacks on Mark Hughes’ Wales team – a team who was performing above expectations – when a pundit on Welsh television, there appeared to be a collective opinion amongst Welsh supporters when Hughes left his post to go to Blackburn Rovers in 2004. It was time for Toshack to “put up or shut up.”
And so he put up, when many wished he’d shut up.
Several international retirements followed, some voluntary, others not, and as the feel-good factor that surrounded Welsh football in the immediate aftermath of coming so close to qualifying for Euro 2004 evaporated, the Toshack era began amidst feelings of tension and unease.
He didn’t have it easy of course. A country of just three million people can’t be expected to continually produce world-class footballers on a continual basis, but after being spoiled by the likes of Giggs, Hughes, Ian Rush and Neville Southall in the past, Welsh fans were now expecting the next generation of stars to emerge, and while the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey did come through, their support cast was, and still is, sorely lacking.
So what next? Perhaps Toshack’s touting of Giggs for the top job isn’t as crazy as it first appears.
Hughes took over Wales in 1999, while still a very active member of the Blackburn Rovers side but retired from the international scene.
Some claimed that he should become a player-manager following a man-of-the-match display in Blackburn’s 2-1 League Cup final victory over Tottenham Hotspur in 2002, and while the 36-year-old Giggs still turns in the occasional dazzling display for Manchester United in his role as one of the team’s elder statesmen, perhaps Giggs the manager could inspire Wales’ young stars to perform. After all, they are of a generation who grew up watching him play.
Other names would appear more sensible though, with the likes of the out of work Chris Coleman, Wrexham boss Dean Saunders and under-21 coach Brian Flynn – who has led his young side to the brink of Euro 2011 qualification – all in the frame, that’s if the Welsh FA decide that Welsh is best again of course, which perhaps they should, given that the last non-Welshman they appointed was Bobby Gould.
His disastrous reign – with a much stronger squad – should put Toshack’s into perspective, but the fact remains that Wales are now as far away from qualifying for a major tournament as they’ve ever been – and this group is only going to get tougher with England on the horizon.
He criticised the previous regime, and so it has been a case of falling upon his own sword now he has failed as boss.
Toshack departs, and where Wales go from here is anyone’s guess.
It’s fair to say that Poland and the Ukraine in 2012 isn’t on the radar though.
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