WALES’ THREE-MAN SHORTLIST AS FAW BOSS FORD CLEARED OVER ‘DEFINITELY NOT ENGLISH’ REMARKS
AFTER the ‘definitely not English’ rumpus, it appears Wales have whittled down the candidates for the manager’s job to a three-man shortlist.
Ryan Giggs, Tony Pulis and Osian Roberts – in no particular order.
Foreign candidates, we are told, were discussed. It doesn’t seem as if there were any credible English contenders, anyway.
The FAW tend to favour their own, believing you need special Welsh passion to do the job properly – particularly with the salary on offer, which is way below what a Premier League manager could expect.
It looks at this stage like a straight fight between Giggs, Pulis and Roberts. Each have their strengths, each have their weaknesses.
We analyse the leading contenders and try to assess what the likely outcome will be…
ABBO’S VIEW OF THE WORLD OF WELSH FOOTBALL
RYAN GIGGS
PROS He has always been the man the FAW have coveted for manager above any other in recent times, but Manchester United commitments have always provided a significant obstacle.
However, in December 2017 Giggs is suddenly waiting and available. Those Old Trafford hurdles are there no more.
The ambitious mantra for FAW boss Jonathan Ford has been for the Wales crest to be upon the bedroom wall of every youngster up and down the land.
Having a true icon of the Welsh game like Giggs as figurehead of the national team would aid to that end. He would be the one most likely to wow the nation as a whole, although there is obviously a group of hard-core fans set against Giggs.
Given Giggs’ stature on the global stage, major advertisers and sponsors are likely to queue up to throw their financial weight behind Wales if he is chosen. The media interest in the Wales team right across the world would be huge and that is revenue and publicity the FAW can’t afford to turn down as they seek to bounce back from World Cup failure. Giggs is a proven winner and because of who he is, would command the instant respect of the dressing room. Gareth Bale is amongst those who used to idolise Giggs when first making a name in the game.
Wales need that winning mentality to take this group of hugely talented players to another level. As a bonus, Giggs would almost certainly keep Osian Roberts as No 2, important given his coaching and sports science methods are valued by the players.
A bandwagon has begun for Giggs with a plethora of former Wales stars calling for his appointment, including Mark Hughes, Brian Flynn, Robbie Savage and Mickey Thomas.
Flynn argues he is “head and shoulders above any other contender.”
It just seems this is his time. CONS There are two obvious ones. The first is the lack of managerial experience, the second is the angst towards Giggs from a section of the Welsh fan base.
Giggs has still not landed a manager’s job, having left Manchester United after four matches in charge as temporary boss.
Why? Maybe he has been holding out for Wales, who knows? But if the FAW want a been there, seen it, worn the t-shirt manager, then Pulis represents a better bet.
That said, they have a history down the years of appointing legends of the Welsh game as rookie managers and seeing them succeed. Mark Hughes, Gary Speed and Mike England fitted that bill, while Terry Yorath had limited experience.
The concern from travelling fans is a trickier issue. The hash-tag #anyonebutgiggs was widely being shared when his name was first put forward as the favoured candidate.
Again, though, the FAW will see through that and look to the wider population. They also know some of the reasons put forward by the anti-Giggs brigade – he played for Team GB, he commentates on England, he won’t turn up for friendlies – lack rationale.
As does the claim he lacks experience when some of the people putting that forward advocate Craig Bellamy or Thierry Henry!
Salary could be an issue for Giggs. He is accustomed to multi-million pound deals. The best he would get with Wales would be £500,000, plus bonuses.
But agreeing to that, I guess, would demonstrate commitment to the cause. VERDICT: It’s Giggs’ job to lose. He has big support within the sevenman FAW sub-committee choosing the new manager, but will need to interview better than he once did for the Swansea City job. Giggs needs to demonstrate his commitment to the role and that he could have an excellent working rapport with the FAW. Perhaps he needs to say just enough, rather than too much. CONS It is almost easier to make a case against Pulis, rather than for him, which is perhaps a little unfair.
However, he has always been associated with a direct, route one brand of football. Functional, as opposed to fluent.
That is the antithesis of the way Wales have attempted to play under Toshack, Gary Speed and Chris Coleman.