Things can only get better for ‘big bad John’

JOHN TOSHACK defiantly calls himself “big bad John” for the way he has had to confront the problems he inherited when he took over as Wales manager last year.

He will go into the World Cup battle with Northern Ireland in Belfast, bottom of Group Six and without a win in the qualifiers as well as not having scored in five games, the worst run the country has had in 31 years.

When qualifying began 13 months ago under Mark Hughes, there was genuine belief in Wales that they could actually be playing in next summer's finals in Germany.