If Ukraine are seen off Graham’s hoping Bale won’t leave us in tears
Graham Alexander was once reduced to tears by Gareth Bale. He has no wish for
the Welsh talisman to trigger a repeat outpouring a fortnight today.
The Motherwell manager entertains high hopes for Scotland negotiating the fraught path to the World Cup in Qatar.
Even if Steve Clarke’s side defeat ultra- motivated Ukraine then Alexander foresees one major problem at the final hurdle in Cardiff.
Alexander has considerable previous with Bale from his Preston and Burnley playing days.
No occasion was more harrowing than the 2009 League Cup semi- final when Bale showed signs of his devastating world-class talent.
On the night of Wednesday, January 21, a few of those glimpses left Alexander gutted.
Bale, then 19, helped Harry Redknapp’s Spurs to a 4- 1 first leg victory over Championship opponents.
Yet, with Bale starting on the bench at Turf Moor two weeks later, Owen Coyle’s Burnley threatened an amazing comeback.
A 3- 0 home win took the contest to extra- time but class told at the bitter, Bale-inspired end.
He was one of the subs to make a difference as goals in the 118th and 120th minutes from Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe destroyed Alexander’s Wembley dreams.
“It was the maddest time ever,” recalled Alexander. “We’d so much confidence in ourselves, at Turf Moor particularly.
“In that second leg we had to win 3- 0. And every player in o ur squad KNEW we’d win 3-0.
“We’d already knoc ked out Chelsea, Fulham annd Arsenal. If it had been onn away goals, at 3- 0 we’dd be through to the final against Man United.
“I played right back and Bale came on the left. It only really got away from us in the lastt two minutes and he had a part in the goals.
“I was 37 and never plaayed in a major cup final. I shed a couple of tears becausee we weren’twerent going to Wembley.
“I remember, vividly, sitting in the ice bath at Turf Moor feeling really down.
“Owen Coyle tapped me on my feet and said: ‘ We’ll need to get there in the league’.
“And we did. We got promoted via the play-off final so we played Spurs a couple of times the following season too.”
Alexander first clashed with Bale in 2006/ 07, just 21 days after the then Southampton kid’s 17th birthday.
Fifteen years on Bale carries Wales hopes of ending a World Cup exile, stretching back to 1958, squarely on his shoulders.
Despite only playing 20 minutes for Real Madrid since a sensational double beat Austria in March, he’ll transform himself into Bale The Unbeatable for
the nation. Alexander said: “Playing against him ffor Preston, he was quuick and mobile but youu’d never have thought: He’ll win four Champions Leaguess!
“Even in hhis first Championship year, though, he had this thing with free-kicks.
“His free- kicks now? You run out of words. No matter what I tried in training, I could just never get it like his knuckle ball – straight and over the wall.
“He’s got it down to a tee. Even the second goal in their play- off, his first touch is like he gets to play for Wales, this cape comes on and he’s Superman. “Everything in his body language tells you how much playing for Wales means to him and how much he means to them.
“If we get through against Ukraine, he’s obviously our biggest problem.”
A l e x ander, capped 40 times by Scotland, believes it will take a total team effort to tame the Welsh.
The Fir Park boss likes what he sees on that front. He reckons there’s a spirit in the camp akin to the one he experienced in Walter Smith’s tenure – plus even more quality.
Alexander said: “Under Walter, we had experienced players with the know- how to win and manage games.
“This is the strongest squad since, although I don’t think we had the natural depth of talent that’s there now.
“We had standouts like Ja m e s Mcfadden. But now it’s John Mcginn, Billy Gilmour, Callum Mcgregor, Andy Robertson – it’s brilliant.
“The midfield options are superb. There’s a good blend of attacking players with strength and power in Lyndon Dykes and the pace of Che Adams.
“There’s a lot of different attributes from top Premier League players.
“I see the team ethic of Walter’s side – but more talent. I see, not an arrogance, but a confidence in the way they play and that they like playing with each other.
“There’s that club feel, that togetherness. We had that under Walter and that goes a long way for Scotland.”