Toshack: Cyprus trip is not meaningless

Wales boss John Toshack believes British managers moan more about releasing players for internationals than their European counterparts.

Toshack named his squad for next Wednesday’s friendly in Cyprus having lost Simon Davies and Ryan Giggs before the names were even released, and immediately had Cardiff wanting to withdraw Jason Koumas and Joe Ledley from the party that travels to Limassol.

He has even had Everton boss David Moyes deriding the fixture and asking: “What is the point of the match?”

Former Liverpool star Toshack took the sting out of any confrontation by joking: “In my time with Liverpool I was brought up never to pay attention to anything an Everton managers says, and I’m not going to make an exception now!”

He added: “This game is not meaningless to me.

“We now do not have another game until March, so if we hadn’t decided to play in Cyprus it would have been almost six months between matches for us.

“I will now have the chance to look at maybe 26 or so players in two matches in Cyprus.

“I do understand how club managers feel, I was one myself once, but I am an international manager now and these games are important.”

Davies has a hamstring problem and Toshack continued: “I have spoken to Simon and he is due to have a scan. He is in some discomfort.

“But in the eight months I have been in charge, Simon has played seven matches and at times we have had to nurse him through a number of training sessions.

“There is nobody more behind our cause than Simon, so we do not have any worries on that score from him.

“These games may be meaningless to David Moyes, but they are vital to me.

“I want to take every opportunity I can for us to get together, although I can understand club managers being concerned when their players are away.”

Toshack revealed his surprise at the constant carping from British managers over players called up for international duty.

He said: “I have worked in six different countries, and sometimes I have had 15 players away at one time.

“But I have never known anywhere like this where managers complain so much.

“In Spain in a couple of weeks, Real Madrid play Barcelona and probably 80% of players from both sides will be away on international duty beforehand.

“It makes preparation hopeless until the Friday before the match, but it is generally accepted more there than it is here. People abroad just get on with it.”

Spain’s stars will be involved in the World Cup play-off matches with Slovakia on Saturday and next Wednesday before returning to play in a crunch La Liga match.

Wales will assess the fitness of Koumas and Ledley, with high-flying Cardiff keen for the players to rest until their Coca-Cola Championship fixtures resume against Preston and Brighton on November 19 and 22.

But neither player is expected to be involved in Cyprus, and Toshack will fly out a day earlier than his seniors so that he can take control of the U21s’ training session on Monday, to see who he could move up into the first-team squad.

The youngsters play Cyprus in Pathos on Tuesday, but the likes of David Cotterill and Andrew Crofts could again make the step up.

Toshack is keen to increase competition in his squad, adding: “We need to enlarge the squad to produce more competition for starting places.

“It is unhealthy if players do not feel they are under pressure.

“Our problem areas are up front and in goal, in the two penalty areas if you like.”

Cardiff’s Martyn Margetson has been named as the third goalkeeper, with Gillingham’s Jason Brown still out with a hand injury.

Ipswich youngster Lewis Price is expected to make his debut in goal, while Toshack only has fit-again Craig Bellamy, John Hartson and Robert Earnshaw for the striking duties.

The return of Bellamy has encouraged the Wales chief, who said: “Bellamy is a key figure for us. It is vital now that he keeps injury free and is available for the three friendlies we have in May.”

As expected, Toshack has omitted Manchester City’s full-back Ben Thatcher from the squad, following their very public falling out over the player’s fitness and availability for Wales’ final World Cup qualifiers. That decision signals the end of Thatcher’s international career.

For the U21 match the night before, boss Brian Flynn has named three uncapped youngsters, including both goalkeepers: Swansea’s 17-year-old Kyle Letheren, 17, and Bristol City’s Sam Pearce, who is in the squad for the first time.

The other newcomer is Bolton defender Rhys Powell, the 18-year-old younger brother of Leicester’s Liam, who is already capped at this level.