What a load of Tosh!

LAST weekend I was able to attend three games down in south Wales.
Representing the club I was able to watch a thoroughly entertaining game on Friday night between Wales U21 and England U21 at Cardiff City's Ninian Park.
In front of a sell out crowd who created a terrific atmosphere, the Welsh lads played some excellent football. Packed with energy and imagination, the first half performance was as good a performance I'd seen from a Wales side at any level for years.
Aaron Ramsey looked a class apart for an hour before tiring and Church up front was exceptional. If Ramsey continue's to catch the eye as he did on Friday then Sir Alex Ferguson may regret losing out on his signature this summer to Arsenal.
England had a strong side packed with Premiership experience but are well away from the level they think they are. Steven Taylor will always give opposing strikers a chance, Noble worked hard but flattered to deceive and Tom Huddlestone served as a perfect example of why Spurs are in the position they are in. With the game evenly contested and frantic in the middle of the field, he was nowhere then suddenly once the impressive Agbonlahor had put England ahead he wanted the ball, looking to spread passes all over the field. It's this type of player and attitude which will keep Spurs languishing near the bottom of the Premier League table.

On Saturday I had the pleasure of watching the Wales senior side from the press box where Wales beat Liechtenstein 2-0 thanks to goals from David Edwards and a deflected Ched Evans header.
But the result was overshadowed by the performance. It was sloppy at best.
You could hear the press pack around me hammering their laptop keys after every missed place pass and poor first touch. It was sad to watch the difference between the game the night before which was full of energy and commitment and Saturday's had instead Karl Fletcher and Carl Robinson.
You wonder about these periods of transition which Wales are supposed to be in. In my view it simply isn't working. We're now at a stage now where I believe we may as well have an overhaul and drop the 'deadwood' in the squad for young, hungry players who the supporters can get behind. Is there not a Welsh centre half in any Premiership academy or reserve side?
Forget this 'feeling them in' nonsense and just play them. If we lose, as we did the night before, it will be not through like of effort.
For this to happen, a fresh approach is needed in terms of the manager. As one of the 'perks' of the weekend I was able to sit in on John Toshack's pre and post match press conferences. They were boring. Talk of Paisley and Shankly when he should have been talking about Vokes and (Ched) Evans. This Liverpool old boys act needs to stop. In fairness to Saunders he may well be a future Wales manager. But why is Roy Evans there? Why is there a constant need for Toshack to refer to either Liverpool's past or what he's done in the game? I sat there after the game fuming that Wales had at times struggled on Saturday and the buck stops with the manager. Every question was fended away with a reference to the fact that Saturdays game and the Germany game will be very different. Well I never!
For Wales to move forwards there needs to be an energetic team on the field and a manager looking at future success, not a team with Fletcher and a manager blinkered by glories of decades gone by.