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Post by hooky on Mar 23, 2024 13:54:51 GMT
Hopefully we get ahead and control things
We all want Page to make a big coaching breakthrough. The problem is we have never seen him turnaround a big game going against us with a signature tactical tweak that has clearly worked out, while the limp WC performance and unacceptable humiliation at home to Armenia raised massive questions against him. We are lucky to have this chance - we came third in our group for goodness sake - under Giggs we came second and he achieved that while we were in transition after Coleman, with us basically needing to get something against Croatia at home and winning every other game in the run in. That performance against Hungary was close to perfection and in that run in Giggs massively changed the way we played by introducing Moore, which no one would have seen coming.
On the Finland match - I assume when we sat back after the first goal that it was deliberate, with the intension to catch them on the break? It did not look convincing and I think Poland can do more damage if we sit back so much again. I really hope it was not due to the mindset we had against Turkey away to be defensive. Thankfully our players were extremely clinical in front of goal on the night and the third decisive goal had an element of luck.
I hope we see a tactical masterclass against Poland and/or that Page makes successful tactical tweaks if needed. If we win then he deserves credit, even if we have doubts and do not play particularly well. However, if we have anything like what we had in that effective nations league play off against Poland where they totally owned us in Cardiff then he is clearly not the right man. Poland may as a team be better than us but this match is in our stadium, there is not a big gulf between the two teams and its the kind of game where a coach can make a big difference. I hope he delivers. Page is a lovely, passionate man but I want to see that he is learning and is developing into a good coach and makes a difference.
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Post by hooky on Mar 23, 2024 14:09:09 GMT
and whatever we think of his coaching credentials and how we have performed, if he gets us to Germany, the history books will see him as our most successful coach ever - a team that reached one WC only (albeit the 70s European Championship saw us get down to the last 8!) - he will have got us qualified for 1 WC and 1 EC, while getting us to the 2nd round of another EC.
Really hope we can do it. Whatever happens, isn't it great to consistently be in the qualifying campaigns down to the last game! Going through so much of my life with us being out of it half way through the campaign then I guess we need to appreciate the current period as very special. I hope its sustainable but if not then we will remember the last decade as the golden period of Welsh football!
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Post by njdragon on Mar 23, 2024 14:17:54 GMT
Hopefully we get ahead and control things We all want Page to make a big coaching breakthrough. The problem is we have never seen him turnaround a big game going against us with a signature tactical tweak that has clearly worked out, while the limp WC performance and unacceptable humiliation at home to Armenia raised massive questions against him. We are lucky to have this chance - we came third in our group for goodness sake - under Giggs we came second and he achieved that while we were in transition after Coleman, with us basically needing to get something against Croatia at home and winning every other game in the run in. That performance against Hungary was close to perfection and in that run in Giggs massively changed the way we played by introducing Moore, which no one would have seen coming. On the Finland match - I assume when we sat back after the first goal that it was deliberate, with the intension to catch them on the break? It did not look convincing and I think Poland can do more damage if we sit back so much again. I really hope it was not due to the mindset we had against Turkey away to be defensive. Thankfully our players were extremely clinical in front of goal on the night and the third decisive goal had an element of luck. I hope we see a tactical masterclass against Poland and/or that Page makes successful tactical tweaks if needed. If we win then he deserves credit, even if we have doubts and do not play particularly well. However, if we have anything like what we had in that effective nations league play off against Poland where they totally owned us in Cardiff then he is clearly not the right man. Poland may as a team be better than us but this match is in our stadium, there is not a big gulf between the two teams and its the kind of game where a coach can make a big difference. I hope he delivers. Page is a lovely, passionate man but I want to see that he is learning and is developing into a good coach and makes a difference. We won 4-1 with a side none of us predicted. I saw that we allowed Finland some possession but we controlled that game. They struggled to cut through us like we did them All I want is us to qualify I don’t think we can compare the nations league it was written off for the sake of the word cup and rightly so. |
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Post by njdragon on Mar 23, 2024 14:18:36 GMT
and whatever we think of his coaching credentials and how we have performed, if he gets us to Germany, the history books will see him as our most successful coach ever - a team that reached one WC only (albeit the 70s European Championship saw us get down to the last 8!) - he will have got us qualified for 1 WC and 1 EC, while getting us to the 2nd round of another EC. Really hope we can do it. Whatever happens, isn't it great to consistently be in the qualifying campaigns down to the last game! Going through so much of my life with us being out of it half way through the campaign then I guess we need to appreciate the current period as very special. I hope its sustainable but if not then we will remember the last decade as the golden period of Welsh football! Exactly 👍 |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 23, 2024 16:28:18 GMT
Kuba Piotrowski is one to keep an eye on. Plays for Ludogorets in Bulgaria as a defensive mid but has 9 goals and 4 assists from 22 appearances this season. Scored a superb long range effort against Estonia. Our defensive mids will need to be on their toes.
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 23, 2024 16:41:17 GMT
Matty Cash is definitely out of the playoff final. Frankowski may be able to play:
"Przemek Frankowski suffered a severe contusion of the quadriceps femoris muscle. The injury is very painful, but there is a good chance that he will be able to recover fully. Przemek stays with us and we implement the treatment process."
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 23, 2024 16:53:14 GMT
Hopefully we get ahead and control things We all want Page to make a big coaching breakthrough. The problem is we have never seen him turnaround a big game going against us with a signature tactical tweak that has clearly worked out, while the limp WC performance and unacceptable humiliation at home to Armenia raised massive questions against him. We are lucky to have this chance - we came third in our group for goodness sake - under Giggs we came second and he achieved that while we were in transition after Coleman, with us basically needing to get something against Croatia at home and winning every other game in the run in. That performance against Hungary was close to perfection and in that run in Giggs massively changed the way we played by introducing Moore, which no one would have seen coming. On the Finland match - I assume when we sat back after the first goal that it was deliberate, with the intension to catch them on the break? It did not look convincing and I think Poland can do more damage if we sit back so much again. I really hope it was not due to the mindset we had against Turkey away to be defensive. Thankfully our players were extremely clinical in front of goal on the night and the third decisive goal had an element of luck. I hope we see a tactical masterclass against Poland and/or that Page makes successful tactical tweaks if needed. If we win then he deserves credit, even if we have doubts and do not play particularly well. However, if we have anything like what we had in that effective nations league play off against Poland where they totally owned us in Cardiff then he is clearly not the right man. Poland may as a team be better than us but this match is in our stadium, there is not a big gulf between the two teams and its the kind of game where a coach can make a big difference. I hope he delivers. Page is a lovely, passionate man but I want to see that he is learning and is developing into a good coach and makes a difference. Agree with most of that other than them owning us at home in the Nations League. It was a close encounter that they shaded thanks to a moment of brilliance from Lewandowski. We had 13 shots to their 6. We also had more possession. And this with a midfield of Morrell and Levitt, and Cabango and Norrington-Davies at centre back. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/59826881I predict a tight nervy affair. A similar approach to the Croatia game could be profitable, although Poland favour a 3-5-2 formation, so that will require adjustment to our plan. |
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Post by andybell84 on Mar 23, 2024 19:26:09 GMT
Appreciate this, but he was truly shaken by events on Thursday. He has now sold his ticket to a Polish neighbour. Sorry to hear this, some idiots around. Why not just wear a different top Tuesday? Shame to miss out. I saw someone outside the ground with the 80’s Wales rugby top. I thought it was strange but would never call someone for that never mind push them! Why sell the ticket? Don’t let the clowns win. |
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Post by bobbyghoul on Mar 23, 2024 19:40:38 GMT
Appreciate this, but he was truly shaken by events on Thursday. He has now sold his ticket to a Polish neighbour. I saw someone outside the ground with the 80’s Wales rugby top. I thought it was strange but would never call someone for that never mind push them! Why sell the ticket? Don’t let the clowns win. He's done what? I'm sorry he had a bad experience but selling it to a Pole could actually see an even worse situation develop. Between the rugby shirt and the ticket sale, I'm thinking that your friend is a bit twp. |
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Post by manulike on Mar 23, 2024 20:12:59 GMT
Matty Cash is definitely out of the playoff final. Frankowski may be able to play: "Przemek Frankowski suffered a severe contusion of the quadriceps femoris muscle. The injury is very painful, but there is a good chance that he will be able to recover fully. Przemek stays with us and we implement the treatment process." Thanks for that. Are Cash and Przemek Frankowski first team regulars / a big miss for them?
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Post by manulike on Mar 23, 2024 20:31:10 GMT
Had a quick look at the referees we had against them The 2-1 in Wroclaw it was the Slovenian Rade Obrenovič. The 0-1 in Cardiff was the Latvian Andris Treimanis. Would like to think that we can get a German / Scandinavian ref this time - PLEASE ;-)
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 23, 2024 20:32:28 GMT
Przemek Frankowski started ahead of Cash, so two players (potentially) injured in the same position must number a setback.
Cash has copped a lot of flak for posting about his injury on Instagram in English only.
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Post by allezlesrouges on Mar 23, 2024 20:33:34 GMT
Bodes well given wide left is an area of strength for us
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Post by fireboy0610 on Mar 23, 2024 21:43:16 GMT
Appreciate this, but he was truly shaken by events on Thursday. He has now sold his ticket to a Polish neighbour. He's done what? I'm sorry he had a bad experience but selling it to a Pole could actually see an even worse situation develop. Between the rugby shirt and the ticket sale, I'm thinking that your friend is a bit twp. Yes its a bit silly, I hope that they don't score and he celebrates as he might get a cuff or two. |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 23, 2024 21:43:17 GMT
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 23, 2024 21:51:03 GMT
Having watched the Finland game back the difference between the two halves was primarily one simple thing, in the first half we stood off the player in possession, second half we consistently challenged the man in possession. Unsurprisingly the Finns made a lot more wayward passes.
The thing I really love about the Dan James' goal is he started to sprint to engage the defender 20 yards away. He had no right to win that ball, but it was as if the defender was caught in a hypnotic trance. He just had to present that ball to Dan. I really think he should start on Tuesday.
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 23, 2024 22:26:42 GMT
Just watched the highlights again, having wondered if I'd exaggerated the 20 yards away bit. It was actually more like 30 yards away that James started his sprint. Talk about chasing lost causes. Phenomenal.
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Post by jbt95 on Mar 23, 2024 22:56:04 GMT
Appreciate this, but he was truly shaken by events on Thursday. He has now sold his ticket to a Polish neighbour. I saw someone outside the ground with the 80’s Wales rugby top. I thought it was strange but would never call someone for that never mind push them! Why sell the ticket? Don’t let the clowns win. WTF?! |
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Post by jbt95 on Mar 23, 2024 22:59:08 GMT
However, if we have anything like what we had in that effective nations league play off against Poland where they totally owned us in Cardiff then he is clearly not the right man. The big difference this time is that it’s an actual knockout game. 18 months ago a draw was enough for Poland to stay in League A. We had to win, they only needed to avoid defeat. |
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Post by allezlesrouges on Mar 24, 2024 0:01:14 GMT
However, if we have anything like what we had in that effective nations league play off against Poland where they totally owned us in Cardiff then he is clearly not the right man. The big difference this time is that it’s an actual knockout game. 18 months ago a draw was enough for Poland to stay in League A. We had to win, they only needed to avoid defeat. Very good point. They played to kill the game then very clinically took their only chance. I think they have to play to win (at least more so than before), and we did field a weakened XI back then too They are certainly not the level of opponent that we should fear or be down about facing. They can play a bit and have a clinical striker, sure, but so do most teams at this level. I think we should go out there with the aim of scoring more than once. I think they will score at some point, I don't think 1 will win us the game |
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Post by jbt95 on Mar 24, 2024 9:18:30 GMT
The big difference this time is that it’s an actual knockout game. 18 months ago a draw was enough for Poland to stay in League A. We had to win, they only needed to avoid defeat. Very good point. They played to kill the game then very clinically took their only chance. I think they have to play to win (at least more so than before), and we did field a weakened XI back then too They are certainly not the level of opponent that we should fear or be down about facing. They can play a bit and have a clinical striker, sure, but so do most teams at this level. I think we should go out there with the aim of scoring more than once. I think they will score at some point, I don't think 1 will win us the game Yes I agree 1 won’t be enough for us, we don’t keep enough clean sheets. |
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Post by hooky on Mar 24, 2024 9:46:49 GMT
Just watched the highlights again, having wondered if I'd exaggerated the 20 yards away bit. It was actually more like 30 yards away that James started his sprint. Talk about chasing lost causes. Phenomenal. It really was extraordinary. He covered the ground unnaturally quickly. It was a big mistake but it was not a totally reckless mistake as there was no danger and it all seemed to happen in a second - the defender looked right and could hear, sense or see James was somehow all of a sudden quite close but not 'that close', he moved the ball right but James had anticipated it and just cleanly took the ball. The speed, intelligence, work ethic and sixth sense from James was extraordinary and then he finishes with such composure. Composure was the one thing we sometimes noted as a weakness but he took absolute control of the situation with the goalkeeper The guy when he is on fire and not overthinking can really be top, top class. He is in the form of his life and seems to be totally believing in himself. Really happy for him firstly as he seems a top class guy and I challenge anyone to tell me of another Wales player that has consistently given so much for Wales and consistently made so many decisive moments with us over the last 5 years be it via goals, assists, key moments or his pace, movement or commitment to the defensive side of the game. It is a hard one as Brooks, who we all love, was decent and got that important goal but gave the ball away a few times. I would consider bringing Dan in for him and having Wilson more central and James on the wing. Does anyone know much about the pace in Poland's side, especially the defensive / full back positions? We obviously know Poland potentially have an injury concern down the side where Cash plays - is that a potential area James could exploit? |
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Post by welshlad on Mar 24, 2024 11:17:34 GMT
Referee
Daniele Orsato ITA
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Post by morg on Mar 24, 2024 12:15:15 GMT
Referee Daniele Orsato ITA Seems to be a mixed bag as far as I can see. Has done a CL Final and a WC semi final so obviously well thought of by FIFA/UEFA. |
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Post by cogancoronation31 on Mar 24, 2024 13:48:12 GMT
A senior referee, fair and firm - and well used to the 'big occasion' type game.
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Post by jimbo82 on Mar 24, 2024 13:56:40 GMT
Appreciate this, but he was truly shaken by events on Thursday. He has now sold his ticket to a Polish neighbour. He's done what? I'm sorry he had a bad experience but selling it to a Pole could actually see an even worse situation develop. Between the rugby shirt and the ticket sale, I'm thinking that your friend is a bit twp. If you're aware of someone selling a ticket for the home end to a Pole, then I'd say you should first of all tell him not to, or to get the ticket back; and if this isn't possible you should report him to the FAW as soon as possible so they can cancel the ticket. The last thing we want is away fans in the home end, even if they aren't setting out to cause trouble they could out themselves and others at risk, especially in such a crucial match as this. |
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Post by morg on Mar 24, 2024 14:36:01 GMT
Hmmmm.... Horrible atmosphere, 'someone' wearing a Dragons' top who the writer then seems to have more than a passing knowledge of. Selling to a neighbour who happens to be Polish....
Do you know what if this hadn't been written by a long standing contributor of 2 weeks who thinks Will Vaulks should be in the squad, I might have been suspicious.
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Post by marsvolta on Mar 24, 2024 15:52:16 GMT
Hmmmm.... Horrible atmosphere, 'someone' wearing a Dragons' top who the writer then seems to have more than a passing knowledge of. Selling to a neighbour who happens to be Polish.... Do you know what if this hadn't been written by a long standing contributor of 2 weeks who thinks Will Vaulks should be in the squad, I might have been suspicious. I did like that instead of not wearing club colours he decided ‘not happy with the potential of trouble so sold his ticket to a Polish fan’ haha. |
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Post by hooky on Mar 24, 2024 16:06:57 GMT
Not everyone is someone who wants / is confident when facing conflict and feels safe.
People attacking or intimidating anyone, let alone one of their own fans are complete scum bags. Why we are ridiculing the victim I have no idea.
Agree its dangerous for the Pole buying the ticket. I would never take my 15 year old son to the away end of a game where his team are playing. You just can't trust fans at football matches not to overreact.
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Post by CrackityJones on Mar 24, 2024 16:17:19 GMT
Why are some of you believing this?
Just a poor wind up as far as I can see. Move on
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