It's time for the 'golden generation' to deliver, says boss
WALES manager Chris Coleman has told his players they need to start living up to their "golden generation" billing after being humiliated 6-1 in Serbia.
Wales's World Cup aspirations lie in tatters after an inept display in Novi Sad gifted their hosts the easiest of wins.
It was just Serbia's second victory in 12 games.
Coleman's men are now on a run of five straight defeats and the optimism generated during the latter stages of Gary Speed's reign has vanished.
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Even at this early stage of the Group A campaign it is difficult to see Wales reaching Brazil in 2014.
The current crop of Wales players, including Premier League talents such as Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen, had been rated as having the best chance of reaching a first major finals since 1958.
Such hopes now appear forlorn, but Coleman remains bullish over Wales's chances of getting to Brazil, despite their shambolic performance, and has made it clear to his squad it is time to step up and prove their quality.
"When I came into the job I was told it would take a certain amount of time to get this team to where it needs to be," he said.
"I was told at the start that this is the golden generation, they had just won four out of five games.
"But I am under no illusions, when you perform like that you have to take responsibility as a manager.
"I will be ready for the next game against Scotland next month and I will make sure the players are.
"International management is very different to club management. I don't have 30 or 40 games to be building this or that, the aim is to qualify for Brazil in 2014.
"We are always told we have not done it for so long, and I have been told this is a golden generation, so let's see it then."
Wales now sit at the bottom of Group A, four points adrift of the sides at the top.
But Coleman believes the draws played out between Belgium and Croatia and Scotland and Macedonia, while his side were being thumped in Serbia, at least give Wales some crumbs of comfort.
"We have to look at the bigger picture," he said. "I think we have been given a gift in that the other sides in the group have drawn.
"We cannot say we have got away with it, we cannot hide behind that poor performance, but rather than being six points behind the team at the top of the group, it's just four.
"We can only go one way from the bottom of the group. In sport it is you against them, as a player you battle against your individual opponent and I have my battle against the other manager.
"I haven't always won those battles down the years, but I won't turn this down.
"I have got a big battle on my hands to try to somehow get a result against Scotland after such a poor performance, but I am well up for that challenge.
"We begin again in two weeks.
"We can only go one way and that is forward and that next game cannot come quick enough, it would be a step forward to get to half-time still in the game if you look at the last four games."
Comments
by Valeboy
Thursday, September 13 2012, 10:11PM
“'It would be a step forward to get to half-time (against Scotland) still in the game' Coleman and the FAW are totally clueless!”
by dragonphill
Thursday, September 13 2012, 4:17PM
“Well what can you say! When the FAW in it's unfathomable wisdom appoints Coleman, what do you expect, he has never been a good manager, and is now completely out of his depth, and clueless. talk about shooting ourselves in the foot, I defy anyone to tell me what on earth our tactics and formation was against Serbia, complete and utter disgrace, which the FAW and Coleman are responsible for, so much for what Speed had achieved!”
by hacker_jack
Thursday, September 13 2012, 8:11AM
“Golden generation? What utter media-derived BS.
How can we have a golden generation where half of our players are not even playing in the top division?
To say this team is our best chance sine 1958 is a damning insult to previous teams. Remember the one that contained Southall, Speed, Rush, Giggs, Hughes and Saunders? The poor players in that team were the likes of Coleman himself who were still top division players. Today's team has nowhere near that quality especially in depth and the quality of opposing teams is stronger as well.
Finishing fourth in this group is realistic and even that means beating out the Scots, third or above would have always been a massive upset.”
by abertawejack
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 7:13PM
“Absolutely embarrassing to say the last, our players have knocked a third off their value, on the football league transfers list. our Goalie! and defence needs to be changed sooner than later.”