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October 2006 Archives

Denis is no menace

Posted by Andy Rose on October 27, 2006 3:56 PM

Football fans can sometimes have a painfully short memory.

Take Denis Smith's current predicament at Wrexham for instance.

Fans are now calling for his head after a dreadful run of form which has seen one of the club's best ever starts to a season degenerate into one of the worst.

Fan mail

Posted by Andy Rose on October 24, 2006 12:34 PM

It's always nice to get feedback from readers, even when it comes from someone like this who is clearly (and wrongly) disgruntled at a perceived bias on my part.

It's Pete's place now

Posted by Andy Rose on October 22, 2006 11:13 AM

The speed of the turn of events at Ninian Park in the past 48 hours caught most people out, perhaps including Sam Hammam himself.

No one could have foreseen that the man who rescued a struggling Cardiff City six years ago in the old third division would be left as a powerless club president with the Bluebirds seemingly on the eve of their finest hour.

Nighty Knight Leon

Posted by Andy Rose on October 21, 2006 8:24 AM

There now seems little doubt that whatever Leon Knight did to get up the nose of Swansea City manager Kenny Jackett and get his name on to the transfer list it was something pretty serious.

Jackett said on Friday that all will be revealed at a later date but that just begs more questions than he is willing to answer right now.

On the pitch Knight has been a stunning success with his goals but as Jackett reveals in this week's Wales on Sunday his antics off it have seriously damaged team spirit to the point where he could no longer be tolerated.

So was Knight really the bad apple in the cart? The players certainly seem to have closed ranks in recent days behind their manager and if results continue to pick up then Jackett will have proved again that, despite what his detractors say, he knows what he is doing and is not afraid to make the big decisions.

Wales need to get Savvy

Posted by Andy Rose on October 20, 2006 11:31 AM

So Robbie Savage is still good enough to help win a Uefa Cup tie in Europe but is deemed surplus to requirements for John Toshack's Wales.

Makes you think, doesn't it.

Speed dial

Posted by Andy Rose on October 13, 2006 10:28 AM

The clamour is growing for new England manager Steve McClaren to recall David Beckham at the same time that John Toshack is resisting appeals to recall former Wales skipper Gary Speed.

The difference is that Wales still need Speed. England don't need Beckham.

Speed stands comparison alongside any of the greats of Welsh football. Besides his undoubted ability, his professionalism and dedication are an example to all.

He is one of the greatest, most consistent performers of the Premiership age and Tosh's young guns would benefit immensely from having him as a guiding force inside the Wales camp.

Stand-in skipper Craig Bellamy even recently called him his "inspiration".

I appreciate that Tosh has no desire to take a step backwards and seek short-term solutions. But this move would have long-term benefits for everyone in the squad, except perhaps Speed himself.

Which is probably why the evergreen Bolton midfielder has steered clear of making himself available again.

England on the other hand should be embarrassed at the thought of recalling Beckham. Yes, like Speed he was once his country's captain courageous.

But surely England have more than enough supposedly world-class and experienced figures to prosper without the Real Madrid substitute?

Compare and contrast

Posted by Andy Rose on October 11, 2006 10:43 AM

A tale of two under fire managers:

Veteran manager John Toshack refuses to recall Gary Speed or Robbie Savage in the aftermath of Wales' 5-1 demolition by Slovakia.

Rookie boss Steve Staunton performs a u-turn and ends Lee Carsley's two-and-a-half-year international retirement following the Republic of Ireland's 5-2 drubbing by Cyprus.

Every cloud.......

Posted by Andy Rose on October 7, 2006 8:16 PM

Wales' humiliating 5-1 defeat to Slovakia was dire but may eventually turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

John Toshack is about to invite John Hartson out of international retirement during Wales' hour of need and he is also believed to be privately considering making the same call to former captain Gary Speed.

But come what may with those two, the harsh lesson dished out on Saturday to Tosh's youngsters will help turn boys into men in the long run.

The likes of Gareth Bale, Lewin Nyatanga and Richard Duffy won't forget that game in a hurry and it will help their footballing development beyond words.

At least I hope it does!


Bellar's PR coup

Posted by Andy Rose on October 6, 2006 10:58 AM

On Friday morning Craig Bellamy gave his first press conference as Wales captain.

He was eloquent, engaging and - dare I say it - charming throughout an impressive 20 minutes in the full glare of the cameras.

In fact I almost found myself feeling sorry him at one point and wondering why so many people have a problem with the guy.

That was until I remembered exactly why there has been so much controversy about his appointment in the first place.


Sepp's got a point

Posted by Andy Rose on October 4, 2006 1:15 PM

Fifa president Sepp Blatter is prone to getting his foot firmly wedged in his gob on just about every footballing issue he deems fit enough to comment on (which is basically everything that enters his mind).

It has ever been thus.

But for once though he had a point when he recently admitted in Wales on Sunday that the rules barring Cardiff City, Swansea City and Wrexham from European qualification were "not fair".

For whom the Bell tolls

Posted by Andy Rose on October 3, 2006 10:59 AM

Craig Bellamy being appointed Wales captain has added even more interest and intrigue to his upcoming court case.

The Liverpool striker will skipper the side against Slovakia on Saturday and - in theory - against Cyprus four days later in the absence of Ryan Giggs.

In between he will be suited and booted in a Cardiff courtroom defending himself against two charges of assault.

John Toshack has given his striker not just a confidence boost but the ultimate character reference and it will be fascinating to see what will happen next week should the magistrate find himself facing the prospect of jailing the Wales captain.

This page contains an archive of all entries posted to Rattling the bar in the October 2006. They are listed from oldest to newest.

November 2006 is the next archive.

Many more can be found on the home page or by looking through the archives.