‘Vulnerable’ Wales chief Toshack refuses to ignore Savage truth

Wales 0 Czech Republic 0

Their best performance in the Euro 2008 group D campaign, in front of 30,000-plus fans in Cardiff who had come to pay tribute to skipper Giggs in his home city, will do nothing to make qualification a reality.

But stung once again by yet another scatter-gun tirade from Robbie Savage, Toshack was in no mood for taking prisoners.

Savage was axed almost three years ago. Toshack does not like his style of play, and there was almost certainly a personality clash. Savage rarely wastes the opportunity to stick the knife in, even if it was unforgivable to do so on the morning of Giggs’ special day.

So Toshack, halfway through his five-year reign, still finds himself having to defend the youth policy he has defiantly embarked upon, and that while Giggs was still waving his way out of the Millennium Stadium door.

And Tosh, 58, is not for turning. “It was very difficult to come into this job in the circumstances I did. So many (players) were finishing. People talk about keeping the public’s faith, but the way everyone is talking you would think Wales had qualified for the World Cup before I arrived.

“They had a golden year where they beat Azerbaijan twice, won in Finland and beat Italy. Before that they won one out of 14, and after that came two years without a competitive win.

“There are managers who would have done things differently, used older players, but I don’t see the point. If I’d had only a two or three-year agreement, yes, I would have played other players and steered clear of any of the problems I have had. But we hadn’t qualified for anything for years, and that is with far better players than we have now.

“They (previous regime) didn’t qualify last time when they had 12 points from four games. The way I see it, down the line somebody will see the benefit from what I have been doing.”

He added: “This is the way I see it and will continue to do the job. A lot of other managers wouldn’t have done it the way I have. But it is not about me, it is about this team one day qualifying for a major competition.

“It is a long-term plan, not something for a short-term success. Some people would say it is brave but I honestly believe it is for the long-term good. I don’t know what my players felt about what Robbie said. But it is not new, it is disappointing, but you wonder sometimes if he is doing someone else’s dirty work for them.

“I don’t know whether he’s daft enough, some others might be quite happy with what he said but not be brave enough to say it themselves.”

Toshack continued: “I hope when I do eventually go I will have left a legacy. We are not talking about a country that has qualified for finals regularly. We haven’t for years. And when you look at the players and teams we’ve had in the past you have to ask how the hell we haven’t qualified. So what do people expect me to do at the moment with what we have now? It is the harsh facts.”

Toshack added: “When I came into the job I took over a side that had gone two years and 10 competitive games without a win. Too many people don’t seem happy to talk about that. They were an ageing team and they had to go. Robbie was an integral part of that team.

“If I’d have gone 10 competitive games in two years without a win I think I’d be sitting in a corner with my mouth shut.

“Everybody wants to just talk about how they beat Italy. Nobody wants to talk about what followed before the previous regime left.”