Load of Tosh?

Load of Tosh?

The seemingly inevitable doom-mongering amongst the media and vast numbers of supporters following Fabio Capello’s first game in charge of the national team has reminded me just what it’s like to be an England fan. And more importantly, why I’m so glad I’m not one.

Fabio Capello has after all done his job. He has gone away in his first competitive game as manager and returned with three points... the maximum three points. Sadly for Capello, with the way the Premiership is hyped up a win is sometimes not enough. If these players are paid ludicrous sums to play in ‘the best league in the world’ then surely they should be winning by at least double figures against ‘a team of postmen and bank clerks’. International football doesn’t work like that. Points win prizes more often than style; as the international records of Germany and the Netherlands will testify.

That said, even as a fan of lowly Wales, it’s still possible to be frustrated in victory. I went to the Azerbaijan game on Saturday and in my newspaper on the train down to Cardiff there was a promotional booklet for Wales. “Its easy to act on impulse here,” it read. “Dylan Thomas only wrote when he was inspired. In bars. In parks. In his shed”. Had he been in the Millennium Stadium Dyalan Thomas would have written f*** all. Not only that, he’d have probably eaten his pen as well in sheer frustration

Yes a win is a win, but against a team who have never won away, surely the aim should be a little higher. Inside the opening half an hour it was already clear to those in the sparsely populated Millennium Stadium stands that Wales had the beating of their opponents out wide, and that a back four was at least one more defender than was needed against Azerbaijan’s increasingly lonely centre forward.

But despite boos at the end of a goalless first half and cat calls and yells for an extra forward Wales fans had to wait until the 72nd minute for John Toshack to deliver what had for so long seemed the obvious call. By which point the Azeri were already down to ten men, and had been for nigh on ten minutes. That 72nd minute sub was goalscorer Sam Vokes, on paper a tactical masterstroke, yet in the flesh a long overdue move. The game in this respect seemed to sum up vast parts of John Toshack’s reign; whilst he often makes the key decisions, he has a frustrating tendency to make them when its close to being too little too late.

The commitment and enthusiasm shown by Wales younger stars is the harbinger of hope for many Welsh fans. Wayne Henessey in goal, Chris Gunther and Gareth Bale at full-back, Joe Ledley and David Edwards in midfield, the introduction of Ched Evans and Sam Volkes up front. The crux of the squad is scarily young, but refreshingly happy to be playing for their nation. The future is certainly bright, its Toshack's misty present that just confuses issues. He gets the tactics right eventually, but for the sake of our nerves Tosh please do it sooner.