Inside Wales: Why making a real song and dance is key to camp spirit for Page and Co
THIS week, a special few Welshmen jet off to Qatar to play on football’s biggest stage.
It is something millions of people in Wales, across generations of families, have waited 64 years to see. Now, Wales beams with pride as they bid adieu to Rob Page and his 26-strong company ahead of football’s showpiece event.
Fans in Wales are experiencing a golden generation of talent, positively spoiled as they prepare to watch their nation take part in their third major tournament in six years, but what do we know of those who have been selected to represent this plucky and proud country in the Middle East?
Fortunately, we sat down with Wales boss Rob Page, who took us inside the camp and gave Welsh fans a greater insight into the makeup of his squad and the vibrant culture which it has engendered.
“As a group and as individuals, I’ve got a lot of time for them,” Page says.
“Jonny Williams is incredible in the changing room and within the environment. He doesn’t stop smiling. He sees the goodness in everything. He is first class and that comes out in his football.
“The supporters love him because when he comes on he can change a game. For what he has done for Welsh football is incredible. He is a big part of the squad.
“Chris Gunter is the most competitive person you’ll ever see. A coach’s nightmare when you do small-sided games and you want to referee it - because he challenges every decision! But that’s the good in him, he is so competitive and wants to win.
“You’ve got Ben Davies and Joe Allen, who I would potentially see as coaches (in the future). Because they are thinkers about the game. They want to win every session.
“Joe Rodon is another who can have a sulk if he loses!
Little things like that, traits like that, which supporters probably wouldn’t see in a game. When I say Joe has a sulk, I mean it in a good way, he will have a whinge, dig people out, but I love that about him.”
It takes all sorts to make a world, as they say. And this Welsh group has it all.
One of the great hallmarks of this squad, as has been the case of a decade or so now and has been highlighted in the excellent BBC documentary Together Stronger, this Wales squad is reflective of its supporters. Proud, fiercely passionate, together. Page says that just two days with Chris Coleman, when he was in charge, put all that into perspective for him.
“The players deserve an enormous amount of credit for that,” he continues. “I witnessed it when Chris Coleman was manager. I went in and shadowed him for two days and I was blown away by it.
“I said to Chris at the end of the two days that it was like a club environment. Now, to do that at a club is easy, because you have an influence on them every day for the full season. International football, it’s not that. It’s sporadic moments throughout a calendar year. To get that environment is quite hard and the players deserve an enormous amount of credit for that. “A big part of that is a number of them have grown up together and played through the age-groups together.
That helps with the friendships. It’s a genuine friendship they’ve got there. The new lads coming in see that. If they (young players) fall below the standards the senior boys will click their heels.”
He pauses, then makes a salient point. “It’s a great environment, but you have to win games of football.
“We are not happy with the lads turning up happy to lose games of football. They have got the balance right.
“They are competitive, they are winners and have that winning mentality in the changing room.
“If you get both sides of it right then you have a winning combination, thankfully we have that.”
One challenge over the last couple of years has been trying to introduce the next crop of talented youngsters into the squad, given the established names have been such a constant for so long.
But we have seen the likes of Neco Williams, Brennan Johnson, Rubin Colwill and Mark Harris come into the fold and flourish. The same will no doubt be said for travelling reserves Ollie Cooper and Jordan James in the not-sodistant future.
Importantly for Page, the environment is such that his senior heads keep a steady hand on the tiller.
“Rubin, I took him to the last Euros as a wildcard, really,” he adds. “I wanted to expose him to the environment, the pressure of a major tournament. It’s been a frustrating year for him and for whatever reason he hasn’t played for Cardiff as much as he would have liked. “When he comes away on camp, he is back in that environment. But we will marshal it. If there are any rules that need to be checked, the senior players will do
it. If they fall below the standards they will be punished by the committee - which is ultimately the captain, Gareth Bale. And if he taps the glass, if one of them has been late, then they will end up singing a song!
“They all have to adhere to the rules when they arrive to camp, which they have done and they have all been brilliant.
“They are part of that culture as well now. It’s important. You need that transition of evolving the squad and making sure it happens as smoothly as possible.”
And, yes, all newbies have to sing a song upon arrival. It’s tradition.
“Every member of staff who comes in has to do one,” Page says. “That has to go down to our travel company guy Stuart, who put on a sombrero and used maracas and started dancing for five minutes. He got booed off!” Page’s song of choice, for those wondering, was Green, Green Grass of Home by Tom Jones. “Cheesy!” he says. “So cheesy!”
It’s a serious business, winning football matches and carrying the weight of a nation. No one is suggesting anything to the contrary. But while all supporters tend to see is the stuff on the pitch, although the FAW are very good at giving fans a peek behind the curtain, it’s important to see the light from the shade.
One moment in particular which brought some levity, Page recalls, was when he had to hastily recall Tom Lockyer to the squad for the last Euros campaign, having narrowly been pipped by James Lawrence ahead of the tournament.
Page takes up the story. “There have been quite a few funny stories, actually, one sticks out. Tom Lockyer has made the squad for the World Cup, which I am really pleased with.
“I spoke about difficult conversations with players and he was one I had to have for the Euros when we went to Baku. I had to sit Tom down and explain he wasn’t going to be in the 26 and, as you can imagine, he was devastated.
“He left the hotel, met up with his pals straight away and tried to drown his sorrows. Within a couple of hours, James Lawrence had an injury and I was back on the phone to Locks, telling him he was actually back in the squad because there was an injury to James Lawrence. I think he must have had eight coffees down him straight away and ended up coming back to the hotel as a proud member of the squad. That was funny to see!
“It’s a shame for Rhys NorringtonDavies, but what that means is it opens up a position for someone like Locks, who has been outstanding in the Championship this season and deserves that opportunity to play again.” Of course, fans and indeed the players have to enjoy the next four weeks. World Cups don’t come along often for countries like Wales, just ask some of their long-suffering fans. What Page is hopeful of, however, is that these players, the ones who will wear that Welsh crest on their shirts during the World Cup, prove an inspiration for the next generation coming through. This cannot be an end point, it must be the catalyst to build.
It is a message Page is keen to promote while at a McDonald’s football session for primary school kids, with the FAW keen to set lofty targets for the years to come.
“It’s great to see what McDonald’s are doing and to be part of it, we are proud of that as an association,” he says. “We want to get a million kids playing football within the next four years.
“It’s a free football session for them to come down and enjoy. I’ve been a part of it today and it’s been incredible, seeing all these kids running around with smiles on their faces, keeping fit, it’s good for your mental health.
“It’s something we are passionate about. I went to Treorchy last week and opened up a new 3G pitch there, which enables the kids to play through the winter. They can still get out and have a kickabout with their mates. That’s important. That is the next generation.”
Rob Page was speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football session in Cardiff. McDonald’s Fun Football sessions, provide free football coaching for 5-11-year-olds across Wales and the UK. Find a Fun Football session local to you at: www. mcdonalds.co.uk/football