Bellamy’s dressing room stories, Euro heartache ... and proudest moment

CRAIG Bellamy has always been a straight talker. With him you get what you see. Thus it should come as no surprise that his autobiography, GoodFella, as a warts and everything account of a glittering playing career.

Bellamy produced his magic for some of the biggest clubs in the land – Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle United – as well, of course, as Wales, for whom he won 78 caps as his Welsh passion burned deep.

His memoirs, first published by Reach PLC Sport seven years ago, are available today on Kindle and may make a compelling read if you wish to pass the time in the current climate.

Here, we bring you a flavour of just some of the dressing room stories from a Wales and Bluebirds football idol...

GOULDEN TALES

BELLAMY was given his international debut by Bobby Gould, a man he felt a warmth towards, in a Ninian Park friendly against Jamaica. But the buildup was dominated by Gould’s infamous ‘wrestle’ with star striker John Hartson. This is Bellamy’s take of that amazing incident...

“When I first started playing for Wales, it often felt as if I had stumbled into a black comedy. I was incredibly proud to be involved, but when I joined up for the first time I spent most of the days leading up to the game in a state of wide-eyed bemusement.

“It was well-known that there was friction between Bobby Gould, and John Hartson, who I had got to know quite well from playing with the Wales Under-21s.

At my first training camp, Gould got everyone to form a big circle and then told us all that he and Harts were going to go in the centre and wrestle each other. He told Harts that he wanted him to use it to vent all his frustration, to rid himself of the resentment he was feeling by expressing himself in the wrestling.

“I suppose it was the equivalent of getting a youngster to hit a punchbag, except in this case the punchbag was the manager of the national team.

“Harts was reluctant. He felt awkward about it. For obvious reasons. But the rest of the players were urging him on and telling him he had to do it and that he couldn’t back down.

“So, in the end, Harts went to the middle of the circle. He’s a big bloke and after a few seconds of grappling, he gripped Bobby in a headlock and then flung him across the circle on to the floor.

“Everyone was roaring and shouting. I almost had to pinch myself that this was happening. It was a bizarre sight. When Gould got to his feet, he was holding his nose and looking aggrieved. Red was streaming out of it.

“He muttered to everyone that they should go for a jog, so we set off around the pitch.

“I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I came to understand that it wasn’t actually that unusual.”

SPEED’S BRUTAL PUT-DOWNS

THERE is no-one in football Bellamy had more time for than his old Wales skipper and manager Gary Speed. As he discovered after a 4-0 thumping in Tunisia, the Welsh captain was always ready to speak his mind for the good of his country.

“Tunisia gave us a hiding. We played one up front, with Harts, who was out of shape and was affected so much in the heat he could barely move. To make matters worse, we played in this garish green Lotto kit that has never been seen since.

“I don’t even know where it came from. It was a little bit too small for Harts. None of us looked good in it, but he looked worse.

“Harts and Dean Saunders were substituted midway through the second half and then I got subbed in the last 10 minutes.

“On the bench, Saunders started moaning about Gould. “What’s he doing, bringing us off? We were the best players,” he said.

“Gary Speed was the opposite. He would always do it in the open. I loved Speedo for moments like that. He wouldn’t bitch. He said his bit – and he was correct – and then he went quiet.

“After the game, Speedo went ballistic. He said we were a pub team, a disorganised rabble who hadn’t got a clue what we were doing. He turned on Gould, too, told him he had set us back years, that we had been a decent team and now we couldn’t even give sides like Tunisia a game.

“Gould was reeling. He said Tunisia were a decent team, but Speedo went into one.

“Then the black comedy started again. Gould looked at Chris Coleman.”

Gould said: “There are too many players in this dressing room who think they are better than they are.

“What are you looking at me for, Bob?” Chris said.

“I don’t mean you, I just mean in general,” Gould added.

“The balloon went up again then. All the players were annoyed now and everyone started having a go.

“Harts sensed an opportunity to salvage something from a pretty dire afternoon and had a go, too.

He said: “Why did you take me off, by the way?”

“Because you looked overweight, the sun was way too much for you and I thought I was doing you a big favour,” Gould said.

“Harts just looked at him. There wasn’t much of an answer to that and he knew it.”

Shortly afterwards Wales lost 4-0 again, this time to Italy in Bologna, and Gould, having appeared to lose the dressing room in the build-up to the game resigned – with Speed saying his piece once again.

“That was when the fun and games started again.

“It began to look as though the front line would be Giggs on the left, Hughes in the centre and me on the right. That meant Mark Pembridge, Saunders and Harts would miss out. All three of them had probably been expecting to play. They weren’t impressed and they weren’t shy about showing it.

“There was one full-scale training match where one or two disaffected players got the ball and then just booted it into touch. They spat their dummies, basically. I’m not judging them. It was just a way of showing their frustration. I wasn’t going to say anything because I was a 19-year-old, but I knew things were going to get interesting.

“Gould caved in. He moved things around to accommodate the established players and now it looked as if I was out. It didn’t bother me too much, but it upset a few other people. So now the ones who felt they were being discriminated against started not to try in training. Gould had had enough of it. So, he called everyone in.

“I tell you what, you lot can pick the team,” he said. “And when you’ve done it, come and let me know what it is.”

“You’re paid to pick the team, not us,” Speedo said.

“I’ve just picked it and nobody listened to me,” Gould said.

“People started laughing. Maybe Gould was trying to play a mind game, but it felt like we were in chaos.”

In the end, Bellamy did play, but in midfield and he could do nothing to stop Wales failing in a crucial European Championship qualifier.

“Lads,” Bobby Gould said in the dressing room after the match, “I think I have taken you as far as I can.”

“What?” Speedo said. “You mean as far down the world rankings as you can? We were 27th before you took over.”

CLUB v COUNTRY CONFLICT

BELLAMY’S Wales passion has always burned deep and, desperate to help his country reach Euro 2004, he missed key Newcastle United matches to rest two troublesome knees to ensure he could play in big qualifiers against Italy and Finland. But it caused friction on Tyneside, with Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd particularly vocal.

“I was so close to playing in the European Championships and I didn’t know if I’d get as good a chance to get Wales to a major tournament again. It meant I would be putting Newcastle second, which ate away at me.

“The crunch game against Italy was set for the San Siro in Milan. I knew that if I had any chance of being even close to my best for the Italy game, I couldn’t play again in the build-up to it.”