It wouldn’t get much lower for Gareth on the international scene than it did on the dark autumn Saturday of October 13 2007. He and his Welsh team-mates slumped disconsolately in their seats on the jet home from Cyprus after they had crashed to a demoralising 3-1 defeat in Nicosia. ‘Yes, it was a real downer,’ a Welsh national team source said. ‘Gareth didn’t much want to talk to anyone on the plane back to the UK – in fact, none of the players were in the mood for even a game of cards. They just wanted to get home, sleep and put the nightmare behind them.’
Yet the afternoon had started oh so optimistically, particularly for Gareth. It was he who set up the first goal; his fine free kick curling into the goalmouth, leaving James Collins with one of the easiest opportunities to drill the ball home for the opener.
It was Collins’s first goal for his country and hopes were high on the Welsh bench that the team, led by the determined figure of Craig Bellamy, could now press on and make a statement of intent for the future. OK, they might be out of the Euros, but a big win would give them a real boost for the World Cup qualifiers and would stamp the seal of approval on Toshack’s methods and reign.
But Wales always seem to do things the hard way and, lo and behold, this would be no exception to the rule. After that bright beginning, they would collapse in the second-half, conceding three times inside 20 minutes; two goals from Yiannis Okkas, and one from Konstantinos Charalampidis crushing Welsh spirits.
Toshack was also quiet on the plane on the way home. He had two years of his contract to run and, inevitably, there were, many calls for him to call it a day and walk away after a performance he himself described as ‘shocking’.
After the match he said: ‘I was bitterly disappointed by the performance and want to apologise to our fans who made the trip out here to watch this debacle. Cyprus were worthy winners and we were fortunate to be 1-0 up at the break. We tried to make some changes at the break but went from bad to worse.
‘It was a shocking performance and we did not compete in any areas of the pitch. We were second best everywhere. It was very, very disappointing to watch that.’
He added that he was aware that, as the manager, he was ultimately responsible for the result – and said he would examine his own preparation work for the match: ‘I will have to have a long hard look at myself and what I am doing here. After what I have seen in this match I am obviously doing something wrong… we were second best everywhere.’
Tosh would now have to raise the spirits of Gareth and his team-mates for another Group D away match four days later against minnows – this time San Marino. They desperately needed a good result if Wales themselves were to avoid being dubbed small fish in world football.
As Bellamy admitted: ‘There is something seriously wrong with Welsh football if we now fail to beat San Marino on Wednesday. We know we did not deserve to win the game – we were that poor. The way we have been playing lately and our tactics, we do run a fine line that can punish us. And Cyprus did just that.’
Fortunately, they would come through against San Marino – but only just. Wales came away with a 2-1 win thanks to goals by Earnshaw and Ledley, but Gareth would pick up a booking and it was another mighty unimpressive performance from Toshack and his side.
The Welsh had gone in 2-0 up at the interval, but then allowed San Marino to score via a shot from Andy Selva – which ensured Toshack would be biting his fingernails right up to the final whistle. Afterwards he admitted: ‘I still feel we have a lot of work and talking to do if we are going to change some players’ attitude. I still want to push younger players in. Some of these lads have had a rollicking, but these days you don’t seem to be able to do that to young players. They think they know it all.
‘I hope the next 10 days we are together will be better than this one was. OK, so this was a win, but that’s all. We set about the first half in the right way, scored two and could have had more. But in the second period we had to make a change because David Vaughan was struggling with a groin injury and we didn’t really get started after that. We gave away a needless free-kick for them to score. From then on, we were biting our nails and calling for the whistle. That was a pity because it should not have been that close. But it was difficult against a defence that did not come out. But to concede like that, with us not marking properly and generally being sloppy disappointed me.’
He was far from alone in his disappointment. The website message boards were flooded with angry comments from fans, most agreeing that the football was of ‘a non-league level’ and demanding Toshack’s head be served up on a plate.
It was all unedifying, depressing stuff for the many young players within the squad like Gareth. Some were downhearted and found it hard to pick themselves up although Gareth, as we have already mentioned many times in this book, did not suffer the blues for long. He was a naturally optimistic, happy lad who took all football had to offer in his stride – both the good times and the bad.
Some fans who had made the trip to San Marino had made their feelings known on the terraces about the quality of the performance on the pitch, verbally abusing the team from early in the game. It all flew over Gareth’s head, but Bellamy was not as tolerant. Indeed the Wales skipper was furious after the match, saying: ‘I have played for Wales for a number of years and that’s one of the worst atmospheres I have been involved in. Some of the chanting early on was vicious. I am proud to play for my country but that was one of the most difficult games I have been involved in.’
Wales had two more fixtures in 2007 – and Gareth would miss both because of injury problems. The home match against the Republic of Ireland and the away fixture in Germany would also wrap up their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. Given that the Welsh emerged from both with creditable draws – 2-2 at home against the Irish and 0-0 in Germany – the future looked a deal brighter than it had done after the double nightmare against Cyprus and San Marino.
Gareth would suffer another injury in December 2007 – and this time it would be a bad one…bad enough to sideline him for eight months and seriously hinder what had been a most promising start to his international career. Gareth had damaged the ligaments in his right ankle and the injury would require two operations and the insertion of a metal pin (which has since been removed).
It was a career threatening setback, but Gareth was made of strong stuff. He kept up his spirits and worked damned hard to get back to fitness – his single-minded determination not to meet the knacker’s yard just as he was breaking through into the big-time was the turning point.
The injury meant he missed Wales’ first five fixtures of 2008 but finally returned to the team for the opening World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan on Saturday September 6 2008. It was a disappointing display by the team as a whole – a 1-0 win courtesy of a late goal by Sam Vokes hardly being what the fans at the Millennium Stadium had anticipated against another group of world footballing minnows – but Gareth could at least be pleased with his Man of the Match contribution.
He did well on his return to the international fray, setting up the goal on 83 minutes and pushing his team-mates forward with confidence in an early foray. Indeed that early excursion into the visitors’ backline, which saw Gareth bundled over in the box, could have resulted in a penalty from a more vigilant ref than Aleksandar Stavrev of Macedonia.
But Bale earned karmic retribution seven minutes from time when he sent in a pinpoint corner that Vokes swept home with a conviction defying his 18 years. ‘We expected a difficult game and they were tough opposition,’ said Toshack. ‘I’m satisfied with the result and I don’t think anyone could begrudge us the points. We dominated the match and heads could easily have dropped after the penalty was missed. They were bouncing and our lot were deflated. But we kept going, refused to let it bother us for long, and fully deserved the winner. We were easily the better team.’
But a much tougher task awaited Gareth and the boys four days later – in Russia. It would be a match Gareth would not forget in a hurry…he missed a penalty but then made amends by setting up a goal!
The penalty miss came after just 15 minutes as ref Damir Skomina pointed to the spot after Bale, rampaging forward from left-back, was tripped by Sergei Semak. Gareth took the kick and smashed it to the right of Igor Akinfeev, but the brilliant Russian stopper pulled off a fine save. It was Gareth’s only blunder in a match in which he was ‘simply outstanding’ according to his boss, Toshack.
But the miss did temporarily slow up the early momentum of the Welsh team while at the same time giving the Russians a fillip. So it was no surprise when they went ahead seven minutes later – although the manner of the goal was unsurprising, and unacceptable. Just as Gareth blotted his copybook with the penalty, so keeper Wayne Hennessey would now wreck his own otherwise outstanding night’s work by fumbling a Craig Morgan header into the path of the Russians. Konstantin Zyrianov collared the ball, darted forwards and was duly brought down by Carl Robinson. Roman Pavlyuchenko scored from the spot, putting the hosts 1-0 ahead.
Wales equalised when Joe Ledley lifted the ball home just after the hour mark, but substitute Pavel Pogrebnyak killed off Welsh hopes with just nine minutes remaining. It was a sickener for Gareth and his team-mates who had matched the Russian team of Guus Hiddink.
Toshack had confounded his critics and had shown he was really beginning to appreciate the contribution – and effect Gareth Bale could have on a match – by pushing the youngster forward from his left-back slot in the second half. The move freed up Gareth to attack the hosts – and left the Russians nervous every time he darted forwards.
Toshack said: ‘I am disappointed for the players because there were a lot of young lads out there and I thought we worked very hard. In the second half we were the better side. I can understand the Russians thinking they just about shaded it but I thought we deserved a point. A draw would have been a great result in the circumstances. They are one of Europe’s top four sides and we’ve got an injury list as long as your arm.
‘If this had been a boxing match, we would have lost on a split decision. Gareth Bale, Chris Gunter, Ched Evans, Sam Vokes, Ledley etc are all young boys who will now know, against the best teams, he who hesitates has lost.
‘After Bale’s penalty miss, we dropped our heads a little because we are still an inexperienced side but otherwise Bale was outstanding again.
‘We didn’t get tight to them often enough and they hit us hard. There’s no disgrace to lose 2-1 to a side like Russia, particularly in the circumstances, but to come so close and lose the way we did is obviously bitterly disappointing. Overall I am satisfied – but if we are going to have any chance of qualifying we have to get 12 points by the end of March.’
That was an optimistic aim and would take a lot of achieving by the youngsters Toshack was entrusting with the nation’s fortunes. There were three more fixtures to round off 2008 and Gareth appeared in all three – Liechtenstein at home and Germany away in World Cup qualifiers and Denmark away in a friendly.
The match against minnows Liechtenstein – the seventh smallest country in the world at the time – brought the expected three points while the match in Germany garnered none, also as expected.
Wales beat Liechtenstein 2-0 on Saturday October 11 in front of a lowly 13,500 crowd, but it was no walkover. In fact, it was almost half-time when David Edwards finally put them ahead – just what was it with Toshack’s Wales and the struggles they had against teams they should have monstered? A minute after the goal Bale earned a penalty when he was bundled over in the box by Martin Buchel. But Bellamy missed from the penalty spot.
Luckily sub Ched Evans wrapped up the all-important three points with the winner 10 minutes from time, and Wales were looking down from second place in the group. ‘Gareth and the younger lads have done well,’ said Toshack after the game. ‘But maybe a few of the older ones can step up to the plate and do a bit more for us.’
They would certainly need to if they were to get anything from the tough-looking encounter in Mönchengladbach the following Wednesday. Bellamy, especially, would need to find his shooting boots again after missing chance after chance (including the penalty) against Liechtenstein – following on from Gareth’s miss from the spot against the Russians. Toshack added: ‘Craig came off wondering why he didn’t have a hat-trick and the match ball. But these things happen to strikers. I missed one myself for Wales in Hungary 30 years ago. So I don’t know whether Gareth and Craig are in good company being with me or if I’m in good company being with them.’
Toshack could afford a joke then, but he wasn’t laughing four days later when his team lost to the Germans, although they did put in a battling, creditable night shift. Wales, with Gareth outstanding at left-back, held out to almost the three-quarter hour mark when a rasping, unstoppable shot from Piotr Trochowski broke Welsh hearts. The loss meant Wales slipped a place in qualifying Group Four to third. ‘Gareth and the boys felt they had done enough to earn a point and were a bit disappointed,’ a Welsh national team source said. ‘He played well and showed he could hold his head high against world-class players – which is what the Germans are.’
Toshack agreed that his players had given their best and done well: ‘The fact all the players are disappointed in the dressing room is a good sign. Germany are a top side and we did very well against them. I couldn’t fault the lads at all.’
But Tosh spelled out his uncomfortable belief that Wales would now needed to win all their remaining games to make the World Cup finals – including the two home games against the Germans and Finland the following March. He said: ‘March is not quite last-chance saloon but we need to win both those games if we want to qualify. I want to be on 12 points then and see where it takes us. We’ve had the two toughest games and we need to win the rest.’
Craig Bellamy was much of the same opinion, telling BBC Sport: ‘If you look at the table we’ve probably played the two toughest games, Russia and Germany away from home, and we can take heart from that but we have lost twice and that is disappointing. I just don’t know how to start turning glorious failure into glorious success, if we knew that it wouldn’t have taken us 50 years to qualify for a major tournament.
‘There have been better Welsh teams than this one who haven’t done it. But we are a decent side as I’ve been in Wales teams who’ve struggled to get anything together away from home whereas we are turning up and having a good go. No one wants to feel the hurt and we’re not too far away, I just hope the experience the younger players are gaining from these tough results might do us good in the long term.’
Bellamy himself struck the winner in the next match, the friendly in Copenhagen – a fine 1-0 win over Denmark. Gareth played well but was subbed for Neal Eardley with three minutes of normal time remaining.
Gareth found himself on the left wing – rather than back in defence – for the first international of 2009, a 1-0 friendly loss in Portugal against Poland. Then it was on to the big two – Finland and Germany at home in the World Cup qualifiers and two matches the Welsh just had to win if they were to turn their finals dream into anything approaching reality.
The good news was that Gareth added another two caps to his growing tally. The bad news was that he probably wished he hadn’t bothered as Wales crashed in both matches.
Before the encounters, Gareth said he was enjoying his time in the Welsh side. He said: ‘I love to get forward and attack and with Wales there is more licence for me to get forward as I play wing-back. But I need to improve my defensive side. I’ve been working hard on it and hopefully it will pay off. Spurs assistant boss Kevin Bond takes a group of us and I am learning.’
He also admitted that it was vital Wales won both matches, adding: ‘The Finland game is must-win. If we can do that, it’ll give us a kick-start for Germany.’
With those comments in mind, the loss to the Finns was a particular blow: Gareth and the boys knew the Germans would be tough, but had fancied their luck against the lesser talents of what Bellamy would later dub ‘a bad team’ (Finland). Goals from Jonatan Johansson and Shefki Kuqi destroyed Wales and the team and their manager were very low afterwards.
Toshack said: ‘As hard as we tried, I couldn’t see a way through. The players found it difficult and, if I’m honest, I did as well. It’s very difficult. You look at the young lads, like Sam Vokes, Ched Evans and Gareth Bale. They come through and then some of them hit the brick wall and they’re not getting the game-time you would like. If we win our last five games I don’t think it will be enough. It hurts and it’s frustrating but that’s the truth of it.’
Bellamy was desolate, also writing off any hopes of qualification as he said: ‘This isn’t a nice feeling and maybe you could say I should concentrate on club football. But no. I’m Welsh and that is how I am. Getting knocks like this is part and parcel of what I have grown up with, disappointments like this have always been there. We have never done anything, we are not going to do anything – certainly with this campaign – so wipe yourself down and get on with it again.
‘I don’t want to sound bitter but I think it is over for both us and Finland. Russia and Germany have far too much quality, which means it’s the same situation we’ve been through before. Try to get as many points as you can, play for pride, play loads of games. It’s just so disappointing.’
Gareth and Co went down 2-0 to the Germans in Cardiff – the same scoreline they had lost to the Finns. A scorching shot from Michael Ballack and an Ashley Williams own-goal condemned Wales to another defeat in Group Four. But it was a much improved showing from Wales, without Bellamy, who cried off with a late injury. Toshack blamed the ref for the loss, saying he failed to spot a first-half handball by Serdar Tasci that would have given Wales a penalty and changed the outcome. He was also angry about the throw-in that led to Ballack’s opener in the 11th minute, saying: ‘You wouldn’t see decisions like that down at the local playing fields. We are disappointed with the first goal. It was a ridiculous decision to not give a throw-in for Wales.
‘The linesman pointed our way, Aaron Ramsey was heading towards the touchline and Ballack went into that area where Aaron is expected to be. Then we feel we should have had a penalty for the handball and a sending-off. It was a penalty and red card. It is tough enough against one of the best sides in the world without those decisions going against you. It’s very disappointing from a top referee.’
Complaining, unfortunately, would not change the outcome. It was another defeat and hopes of making the 2010 World Cup were fast disappearing for Gareth. Eight weeks later he was part of the youngest ever Wales team that chalked up a 1-0 friendly international victory over Estonia in Llanelli, but missed another win by the same scoreline in the World Cup qualifier in Azerbaijan a week after that. Injury also ruled him out of the friendly loss in Montenegro in August and the September World Cup qualifier defeat (3-1 at home) by Russia.
But he finally returned for the qualifier in Finland, which would decide whether Wales finished third in the group. Gareth played his now usual wing-back role, which meant some defending and some attacking. But to his credit, Toshack had encouraged him to go with his instincts – which meant he tended to attack more than he defended.
Indeed, it was Gareth who helped set up Bellamy for the Welsh goal in what turned out to be a disappointing 2-1 defeat. Bale pushed the ball out to David Vaughan who, in turn, sent Bellamy on his way. He also set up Simon Church 10 minutes before the break for an opportunity the Blackpool man should really have buried, but instead nodded wide.
Roni Porokara had put the Finns ahead within the first five minutes and Nicklas Moisander killed off Welsh hopes when he stabbed home the winner with 13 minutes remaining on the clock. The defeat meant Wales had now sacrificed third place in the group to the Finns – another letdown in another big international tournament for Gareth. Yes, he could certainly sympathise with Ryan Giggs when the veteran spoke about his own feelings of disappointment at never reaching a major tournament with his country. It was a heartbreaker that men of such world-class talent as Gareth and Ryan would never grace the biggest international arenas. ‘Gareth had hoped that he and the lads would at least clinch that third spot,’ says a Wales source. ‘At least if they had done that it would have showed they were on the right track. To lose out to the Finns was a real blow. The young lads were all a bit low on the way home to the UK.’
Toshack was also upset that they had not secured third spot. He admitted: ‘We are bitterly disappointed by the result. We wanted to finish in third spot and that is now beyond us. We conceded two very sloppy goals with mistakes from experienced defenders.
‘We had a poor start, scored a super goal but then things just petered out. With the amount of injury problems we have had, we were only able to name four players on the bench. That in the end denied us any options to be able to change the game. The goals we let in were sloppy although I felt we deserved a draw.’
Skipper Bellamy was disillusioned at his country’s sixth loss in nine World Cup qualifiers. He said: ‘We keep saying the youngsters will blossom but what plusses can we take from the campaign? It’s familiar territory for me with Wales. This hurts.’
Wales were guaranteed to finish fourth in their group whatever the result in Liechtenstein the following week – but that was not good enough for Bellamy, or Gareth Bale for that matter. Was Toshack the right man to take them on to glory in the qualifiers for Euro 2012? He believed he was, and bemoaned what he considered bad luck for the losses that had cost him and his players any hope of making the World Cup finals in South Africa in the summer of 2010.
He said: ‘This group has been very frustrating and we have had one problem after another. We have lost twice to Finland while doing OK against the two big sides, Germany and Russia. I won’t be glad to see the back of this group, only glad one day to see us able to put out our best side without injuries, withdrawals and retirements to disrupt our plans.’
Wales duly triumphed in Liechtenstein, beating the minnows 2-0 with goals from Vaughan and Aaron Ramsey. Gareth lasted 80 minutes before he was taken off and replaced by Lewin Nyatanga.
Before that he twisted and tormented the minnows’ defence, leading them a merry dance with his darting runs and skilful teasing. Gareth set up Vaughan for the first goal on 16 minutes and indirectly the clincher – after he was fouled on the edge of the box. Ramsey lashed the ball home from the resultant free kick.
The Guardian summed up Gareth’s contribution, headlining their report: ‘Gareth makes hay as Wales take consolation win in Liechtenstein’ and declaring him to be the Man of the Match. Gareth was certainly pleased with his own performance – he declared it to be one of his best so far in a Wales shirt – and that the team had finished the campaign on a winning note.
Toshack was also happy to sign off with a win in what had been a topsy-turvy, mostly disappointing campaign. He said: ‘I think we deserved to win and maybe we could have had a couple of goals more. I’m pleased with the result. We created six or seven good chances, took two and overall I think it was a well‑deserved result. I thought we gave the ball away at times when we shouldn’t have done. Quality-wise we weren’t as good as we should have been but I thought we set about our task well.’
There now remained just one match in Wales’ international remit for 2009 – and the winner would clinch local bragging rights. Yes, a month after the win over Liechtenstein, Scotland would arrive in Cardiff and, with Gareth in fine form yet again, Wales would secure a 3-0 win that took some of the pressure off under-fire boss Toshack while also raising hopes that better times maybe, finally, did lie ahead in 2010, especially when you took into account the fact that the average age of the Welsh side that started was just 22.
The Scots had not beaten Wales since 1984 and that 25-year jinx never looked like coming to an end. The result meant that Scotland boss George Burley was now the target of the snipers, giving Toshack a (temporary) reprieve.
Wales overran the Scots, with all three goals coming in the first 35 minutes from Dave Edwards, Simon Church and Aaron Ramsey. For once, Gareth was overshadowed by one of his fellow young team-mates…Ramsey, who had a belter of a game. Not that it worried him – Gareth would always put the team performance and result first. He was just delighted to see off the Scots.
To his credit, Ramsey also saw it that way, telling BBC Sport: ‘I was quite fortunate as I played a part in the goals but that win wasn’t just me. The movement of our players was good and the whole team played very well.’
Three months later Gareth was back in Cardiff for Wales’ first international of 2010, the friendly against Sweden. The Tottenham wonder boy was singled out as the biggest threat by the Swedes – and so it proved, as he launched the brunt of Wales’ most dangerous attacking moves. But a goal by Johan Elmander before the break settled the match, leaving Toshack rueing his decision to take Gareth off just after the hour. Without his inspiration, Wales never looked like breaking through.
After the win over Scotland the previous November, Gareth and Wales now looked to be back to square one again. Which meant the pressure was now back on Toshack, although he professed himself relatively happy. He said: ‘I don’t think we can have too many complaints about the result. We came up against a very well-drilled side, very experienced at international level, were too good for us and maybe the result was a bit kind to us.’
Gareth missed the next two matches – two friendlies to prepare for their next major international campaign, the qualifiers for Euro 2012. Wales lost away to Croatia in the first of those friendlies, in May 2010, and then thrashed Luxembourg at home in August.
Three weeks later, on September 3, it was down to business as qualifying began in earnest in Montenegro. Yet again, it was a letdown as Gareth, now back in the fold, and his team-mates crashed 1-0. Gareth played a marauding role down the left-wing and set up a few good chances. Bellamy should have scored from one of them, in the final 10 minutes, but lashed his shot wide.
Montenegro skipper Mirko Vucinic grabbed the decisive goal on the half-hour mark, and Gareth, Bellamy and the rest of the boys were left with that now familiar feeling of déjà vu. They seemed on the road to nowhere fast – and with games due against England and Bulgaria the fans were starting to rebel against the Toshack regime. Just how long could he last?
Bellamy urged patience, saying: ‘Everyone wants to get off to a good start but Montenegro are a very good team. It isn’t over for us but I do believe it would be much easier with a positive result. We have to be realistic now and do something about qualifying. So often we’ve been out of the group early, so it’s about time we did something and got into that major tournament.’
But was that just wishful thinking?
Toshack would be judged on results – and results only, even if he was still contending he was building a team full of brilliant kids for the future. To give him his due, the Wales boss then admitted that the next match – the home game against the Bulgarians the following month was a likely make-or-break fixture for him. He said: ‘To be honest we’re already looking at the Bulgaria game as one we must win or we could be out virtually already. We lacked quality in midfield and our performance in the opening period was not good enough really. After that game we face the two tougher sides in the group, England and Switzerland, so we really have to win that one.’
They say that a week is a long time in politics – well, it is in football, too. Six days after the Montenegro game, the Welsh FA decided they had enough of promises and hope and dispensed with Toshack’s services. The 61-year-old manager admitted he had considered resigning after Wales’ 1-0 loss in Montenegro but had then decided against it, instead travelling to Bulgaria to watch their Group G game against Montenegro in a scouting mission.
Soon after the Welsh FA pulled the plug on his reign, even though he offered to remain in charge to face Bulgaria at the Cardiff City Stadium on October 8 and Switzerland in Basle on October 12.
Toshack said: ‘I spoke to the [Welsh FA] president Phil Pritchard after the friendly in Croatia in May about reviewing it after the first three matches of this group. Even after the disappointment of the game in Montenegro that was still the way I felt. I discussed things after the game and each of us put our point of view over a few things and really we have come to the agreement that it may be better for everybody concerned if a change was made now.’
Toshack, after a brief spell in charge in 1994, had returned to the Welsh helm in 2004 to succeed Mark Hughes. But his reign was a disappointment – Wales managed just 10 competitive wins in 29 qualifiers, losing 16, since his first game in March 2005.
Brian Flynn would be the man the Welsh FA turned to as a temporary replacement as Toshack headed for the exit door. And Gareth was one of the first to lay out the welcome mat for the man who had introduced him to international football when he was boss of the Welsh Under-21 side. Flynn had once described him as a ‘Rolls-Royce of a left-back’. And Gareth now said, ‘I remember Brian saying that. It’s always good to hear things like that, but hopefully I’ve started to live up to some of the things Brian has said about me. But it’s not just me. Brian has shown faith in pretty much all the squad at different stages and that’s why we’re here now. I know the lads here are good enough to perform at international level, he’s backed us and now we have to repay him.’
Flynn’s first game in charge was the Euro qualifier against the Bulgarians in Cardiff. Unfortunately, it was just as dismal an outcome as the days under big Tosh. Ivelin Popov scored the only goal of the match to condemn Gareth and Co to another sickening defeat – one that meant they had now lost their opening two games in Group G, and suggested even at this early stage they would need a miracle to progress.
It could have been worse but for a series of top-notch saves by Wales keeper Wayne Hennessey. They also had left-back Chris Gunter sent off in the closing stages.
But there was little time for reflection or an inquest – Gareth and his team-mates had to prepare themselves for a quick turnaround as they headed to Switzerland for their third qualifier in the group the following Tuesday, with Flynn once again at the helm.
Flynn had been told he must impress in Basel if he were to have any hope of getting the job on a permanent basis – and he, in turn, now turned the screw on Gareth. He told him via his pre-match press conference that he was effectively carrying the hopes of the Welsh nation, as well as those for his job prospects!
Flynn said, ‘Gareth is one of our most experienced players. And he has the tag of being a match-winner, which he carries on his shoulders as well. It is a big responsibility, but he’s capable of that, be it from a free kick, a pass, a dribble to create something. He’s got a lot of responsibility. I told him when he was 15, “you are going to be extra-special” and he can get better as well. Gareth will get man-marked and tactically he has to work it out himself. He has to be clever. He’s has got pace, but he can’t rely on it just to get out of the situation.’
So no pressure there for Gareth to deliver against the Swiss.
New Wales skipper Ashley Williams also upped the ante for Gareth, seconding Flynn’s assertion that he could be the difference between the two teams. Williams said, ‘Everyone knows how good a player he is. He’s probably going to find it tough when he plays for Wales especially if we don’t have Craig Bellamy and Aaron Ramsey playing. He’s our biggest attacking threat and teams are going to pay special attention to him. But I think he’s a good enough player to deal with that.
‘They will have a lot of the ball and hopefully we can get it to him on the break and let him do his stuff. I think he really gave it a go against Bulgaria, he did make things happen, and if he plays in an advanced role, that’s the way he plays.’
Williams was right in his predictions – the Swiss did have a lot of the ball, and Bale did make things happen. Unfortunately, the Welsh would be at the wrong end of a 4-1 thrashing that left their qualifying hopes in tatters. True, Gareth would take some consolation from the disastrous result by grabbing their goal, but it was little consolation given that it meant another qualifying campaign was all but over before it had really begun. The depressing fact that truly summed up how bad the situation was – and how difficult it would now be to qualify – was this…it was the first time ever that Wales had lost their opening three qualifying matches in the Euros.
The Swiss had taken the lead on eight minutes when Marco Streller headed them in front. But Gareth raised Welsh hopes just five minutes later when he scored a fine equaliser. Andrew Crofts put Gareth through and he made no mistake as he dispatched the ball home into the corner. But it would prove a false dawn as the hosts scored three more goals to kill off Welsh dreams, leaving them rooted at the bottom of the group, with no points.
The Daily Mirror summed up Gareth’s contribution in this way: ‘Gareth Bale put his heart and soul into trying to nail down the Wales job for caretaker Brian Flynn. The Tottenham gem, who threatens to become the outstanding Welsh star of his generation, slammed in an equaliser – before celebrating by making the shape of a heart with his fingers. But love, comfort and joy were in painfully short supply for acting boss Flynn last night in Basel, where a heavy defeat undermined his claims to follow John Toshack into the hot seat on a permanent basis. Wales’ Euro 2012 qualifying hopes lay in tatters, too.’
Flynn still wanted the job on a full-time basis despite two poor results out of two. On a disappointing night to mark his 55th birthday, he said, ‘The two defeats haven’t improved my position, but perversely, I want the job even more than I did before. It’s been a joy. I think I’m the man for the job and have no doubt about my credentials. You can see an improvement but there is more to come.’
Gareth led the chorus of players who said they would be happy for Flynn to become boss on a permanent basis – despite his two defeats. Gareth told BBC Sport Wales, ‘Personally I hope he does get the job on a permanent basis. I think Brian has done very well since he’s come in. He’s made the training a lot more lively and it’s good to work with him.’
But the Welsh FA did not back Gareth and his team-mates when push came to shove. It was Flynn who got the shove in mid December 2010…and another former Wales hero Gary Speed who was called up to take the job on a full-time basis.
Speed was Wales’ most capped outfield player after making 85 appearances for his country and he signed on for three and a half years – which meant he had a chance to turn around Welsh fortunes in the current Euro campaign and in the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The 41-year-old, who left his job as manager of Sheffield United to take over, said, ‘It’s something that’s very difficult to turn down when your country comes calling. I am a very proud man to be asked to be manager of Wales. I’m just thankful I’ve got the opportunity to come and try to make Wales successful. It’s an opportunity I’m really looking forward to.’
But was Speed too young to turn around a young team in dire need of inspiration and maybe a wise old head to settle them and inspire them? Only time would tell - their next Group G qualifier was the biggie, against England in Cardiff on March 26, 2011.
Gareth told Sport magazine that he felt Speed could be a success – and at the same time stressed just what playing for Wales meant to him. Gareth said, ‘Most players who play for Wales are passionate about it, and I’m exactly the same. I think Euro 2012 is out of our reach now, but Gary Speed has the whole of this qualifying campaign to build, make us a better team, and hopefully he can do that. We want to start being in contention to qualify for tournaments, and I want to be involved in that future – hopefully it’ll be a bright one.’
Gareth had thrown his full support behind the new man but knew it would be a long hard slog if they were to get a result against England – let alone achieve that dream of ever qualifying for a major international tournament. Still, Bale was managing to make a name for himself as an international player of stature even while playing for what could at best could generously be termed as an up-and-coming Welsh national team as the end of 2010 loomed.
Paul Hayward, the Observer’s fine chief sports writer, summed up Gareth’s growing place of honour in the pantheon of Welsh wonders in this way: ‘Bale has marched through this critical minefield to become the latest in a distinguished lineage of Welsh wingers, from Cliff Jones to Ryan Giggs. Jones, a touchline terror for Spurs from 1957–68, says: ‘He is without doubt one of the best in the world and I have no doubt he will become the first Welsh player to win 100 caps. He’s only 21 and he’s got so much in front of him. In fact he’ll only get better and better.’ Well put, sir…