One year on... against Giggs
RYAN Giggs’ first year in charge of Wales ended in dreadful fashion as the national side were beaten 1-0 by Albania at Elbasan Arena.
His impact so far has been heavily discussed during the course of 2018, particularly after the miserable friendly defeat on Tuesday night.
And it’s safe to say there are a number of perceptions about his style, while several accusations continue to be levelled at the 44-year-old ahead of Wales’ Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.
So, following his first year as boss, we took a closer look at Giggs’ time in charge so far to determine whether or not the claims and notions are fair or not.
THE PLAYERS WON’T/DON’T RESPECT HIM
THIS is a claim that was levelled at Giggs even before he took charge and has occasionally popped up at times on social media during his reign.
The theory is that Giggs’ lack of experience in management, allied with the fact he pulled out of so many Wales matches as a player, could adversely affect how this group view him.
When all is said and done, only the players can give you the real answer to this one.
But from the outside looking in, it certainly appears Giggs has the respect of his players who seem to be enjoying life under their current boss.
The training videos that saw the players performing ‘man-tag’ drills ahead of the clash with Denmark in Cardiff were a wonderful demonstration of the unity within the camp, something captain Ashley Williams alluded to in a press conference.
And former Wales international Craig Bellamy has revealed that the spirit and bond in the group has never been greater.
Speaking on Sky Sports Debate, Bellamy commented: “Ryan will have his own stamp. But the unit is unique. People always say groups of players are very close knit, and I see a lot of lip service, but you will not come across a group as close as this.
“I saw them when we were training with different age groups and as I went past, you stop and wait to talk to each other for a long time because we went through something that very few football teams and players have ever had to go through. That bond is co close.”
Gareth Bale has often spoken about his respect for Giggs, previously naming his current national team boss as his favourite ever teammate, ahead of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo.
And the young guns certainly appear to respect him given how much faith he’s shown them over the course of their fledgling careers.
HE HAS NO CHARISMA AND THIS IS A PROBLEM
GIGGS’ charisma has often been the source of debate among football fans in general, not just the Red Wall.
But Giggs himself has admitted on several occasions he’s learning about himself on the job while we’ve started to see more glimpses of his personality shining through.
His passion was evident in the 2-1 defeat to Denmark as he clashed with Danish boss Age Hareide following the incidents involving Ethan Ampadu and Kasper Dolberg.
He even roared on the crowd as Wales desperately went in search of an equaliser in that encounter, while Giggs is often seen pacing between the dugout and the touchline.
And it appears that the persona he exudes in public is somewhat different to that shown behind closed doors, as players revealed in the mixed zone after Wales’ 4-1 defeat to Spain at Principality Stadium.
Asked about if the Wales stars were given the Sir Alex Ferguson hairdryer treatment at half-time in the loss to the 2010 World Cup winners, Ben Davies replied: “Yes, of course.”
So, while he may not be as animated as Jurgen Klopp or as brash as say Jose Mourinho, we’re undoubtedly starting to see more of the real Giggs. But let’s be brutally honest about this one, if he delivers results, it’s something that people won’t give a moment’s thought about.
CHRIS COLEMAN’S WORK IS BEING UNDONE
CHRIS Coleman will always go down as one of his country’s greatest-ever managers having guided Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 against all odds.
But Coleman more than doubled his salary by moving to Sunderland and has since joined Hebei China Fortune where he is earning the kind of finances he was never going to be given by the FAW, or by most other clubs in Britain, in fact.
Wales were 90 minutes away from securing a play-off spot to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but an agonising defeat to Republic of Ireland ensured it wasn’t to be, and the time for change had come. (Some may argue things needed freshening up even at the beginning of that qualifying campaign, but that’s another issue entirely)
Let’s also not forget, Coleman’s own reign didn’t exactly start well. He took over in truly devastating circumstances following the tragic death of Gary Speed, and Wales lost their first five matches under Coleman, the fifth of which was a 6-1 hammering at the hands of Serbia in Novi Sad.
The same can be said about Speed – whose reign started with three