‘THE NEW BOSS MUST BE WELSH’
Coleman has his say on successor as he confirms switch to Sunderland
CHRIS Coleman has spoken for the first time since quitting his role as Wales manager, insisting his replacement must be a Welshman. The 47-year-old is due to be unveiled by struggling Championship club Sunderland after confirming his exit from the Dragons.
Asked if he had a message for Welsh football fans, Coleman said: “Just thank you. A huge thank you for everything you’ve given to me and the team for the last six years.
“You’ve been absolutely amazing. Diolch, thank you.”
Coleman, who revealed he intends to take charge of Sunderland at their game against Aston Villa on Tuesday, gave his thoughts on who should replace him, saying: “It needs to be a passionate Welshman for me. But I obviously don’t make that decision, that will be the powers that be.
“But it needs to be another Welshman, for sure.”
Coleman was last night making his first public appearance since news of his dramatic resignation broke as he switched on the Christmas lights in Newport.
Asked for a best memory from his time in charge, he said: “Definitely the final whistle out in Bosnia, I think. When we actually got over the line, and seeing their faces, and seeing grown men crying in the stadium, that had followed us for many, many years through thick and thin.
“That was a moment I’ll never ever forget.”
His departure is a huge blow for Wales, whose players and fans had made it clear they wanted him to remain in charge as he entered contract discussions with the FA of Wales.
It came as a surprise that he has opted for the side currently bottom of the Championship just days after admitting he had wanted to carry on in the national job he has held since 2012.
Coleman, who led the country to the semi-finals of the European Championship, had cited a desire to return to club management and had turned down previous approaches from Premier League clubs including Swansea and Leicester.
CHRIS Coleman has gone. Who is next for the Wales hot-seat?
The FA of Wales hierarchy are in no obvious hurry to appoint a new manager and will go through a stringent interviewing/selection process.
So how will it work? A seven-man panel will be set up to lead the hunt for the new man, the FAW inviting applications or head-hunting individuals. They will draw up a shortlist, probably of three candidates, and see where that takes them.
Chief executive Jonathan Ford will head up the process. He will be aided by the FAW’s four officers, led by president David Griffiths, who for years has been involved with Welsh League team Maesteg Park.
Griffiths is also a big Swansea City fan and a regular attendee in the directors’ box at the Liberty Stadium.
The other three officers are David Alun Jones, who oversees grassroots football in mid-Wales, Kieran O’Connor, who is on the Welsh League Board, and Steve Williams, who has helped run the Cymru Alliance.
Joining them will be International Committee chairman Chris Whitley, from north Wales, and his deputy Phil Woosnam, from mid-Wales.
Whitley’s speciality is youth football. He has helped develop the successful structure which has seen the likes of Ben Woodburn and Ethan Ampadu come on board with Wales.
You may question how on earth that lot are remotely qualified to make a professional appointment as hugely important as this one?
But to be fair to the FAW, they haven’t often got the choice of Wales manager wrong. Mike England, Terry Yorath, Mark Hughes, John Toshack, Gary Speed and Coleman himself each brought plenty to the party.
Over the last 30 years only Bobby Gould and Mike Smith, in his second spell, can be deemed major failures.
The seven-man panel will make their recommendation and put it to the 33-person full council for rubber- stamping. These are amongst the early candidates who will be considered...
RYAN GIGGS
THE bookies’ favourite for the post, he is the man the FAW have previously coveted. Giggs has been approached on more than one occasion, even offered the job part-time so he could carry on playing for Manchester United.
A section of Wales’ hard-core fans would be against the appointment. Fairly or unfairly, they question Giggs’ passion for his country after he missed so many friendly matches.
But the majority of fans also didn’t want Coleman, either. The FAW have to do what is right for the Wales team. And anyway, there are an awful lot of people who would love to see Giggs in charge.
PROSPECTS: 7/10
Giggs leads the betting for a reason and to many he is the obvious choice. Would salary be an issue? Coleman was initially on about £200,000 but the FAW were ready to more than double that in a bid to keep him. The question remains though, would he be up to the job?
TONY PULIS
WORD has it he is trying to rescue his job at West Brom. When that kind of speculation starts it becomes a question of when, rather than if, he goes.
The timing here could be uncannily perfect. In his 60th year Pulis, from Newport, might just fancy a crack at international management.
He won’t be short of job offers, of course, particularly from Premier League or Championship clubs who need rescuing from relegation.
However, there have to be concerns about his route one style of play. It is the antithesis of the pass and move Welsh Way that has been encouraged through the age-grades here and which so suits the likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen, Ben Woodburn and Ethan Ampadu.
PROSPECTS: 6/10
The timing will suit Pulis if he loses his West Brom job. There are two obvious handicaps. One is his lack of any international experience, the other is he is more accustomed to seven-figure Premier League salaries.
MARK HUGHES
HE has done the job before, of course, although with mixed results as far as the FAW are concerned.
Sparky stabilised the ship postBobby Gould, took Wales to within a play-off of Euro 2004 – but then left an ageing, losing team who went two years and 10 competitive matches without a victory.
Hence the youth revolution implemented by his successor John Toshack.
With Stoke, there are question marks in the Potteries about his future, too.
PROSPECTS: 4/10
Hughes probably won’t want to do the Wales job again and it’s questionable whether the FAW would want him. His assistants, Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki, would also have to come on board, making it an expensive package.
ROBERT PAGE PROSPECTS: 4/10
As he’s on the inside you can’t rule him out. Would be a cheap option for the FAW, but hardly a name to wow the fans.
CRAIG BELLAMY
THE opposite of Page, he does have X-Factor appeal. Bellamy ticks a lot of boxes for the FAW and the fans – passionate Welshman, desperate for his country to achieve success, young and hungry.
He lacks management experience, of course, but so too did Mike England, Mark Hughes and Gary Speed when Wales appointed them. The FAW have never been afraid to take this sort of gamble for the right man.
Is Bellamy that right man? Like Giggs we just don’t know, but don’t be fooled by his so-called notorious reputation.
Bellamy eats and sleeps football, is a deep thinker on the game and has tremendous knowledge which he could pass on.
PROSPECTS: 6/10
He isn’t as high on the FAW radar as Giggs, but could come up on the rails and surprise a few. Do not rule out this one by any stretch of the imagination.
CARLO ANCELOTTI
THIS is a name many Welsh fans covet, given his vast experience at some of the bigegst clubs on the planet. HASN’T yet tasted international football, but likely to get the opportunity with his own country Italy.
PROSPECTS: A half out of 10
Sadly. Wales can’t afford him
THIERRY HENRY
THIS is an interesting one. On the face of it, why would the France and Arsenal legend be remotely interested in Wales?
Answer. Because he has a close affinity to Welsh football, having taking his coaching badges here and helped the Wales team during Euro 2016.
Henry is friendly with Coleman’s No2 Osian Roberts, who also heads
up the development game in Wales.
It seems an unlikely connection, but there is a strong bond there.
Whether Wales could afford him is another matter, but Henry may feel this is the perfect opportunity to step into management and that he could do something tangible with this crop of gifted welsh players.
PROSPECTS: 6/10
Henry is assistant manager to Belgium and Wales wouldn’t be able to get him until after the World Cup. But his appointment would really enthuse the players and the fans. Working in tandem with Roberts might be a dream team scenario that appeals to the FAW.
PATRICK VIEIRA
SEE the above. Another French/ Gunners legend who owes a debt to Roberts and Wales after taking his coaching badges here.
Having spent two years with Manchester City reserves - and that’s not just any old reserve team! - Viera is in charge of New York City.
His current salary is probably three times that Wales could offer, but this is not just about money.
There are only so many international football jobs available in the world - and only so many that would appeal because of the age-range and quality of players available.
Wales is one of those.
PROSPECTS: 5/10 Place this one in the unlikely, but don’t totally rule out bracket. MIKEL ARTETA
A THIRD left-field candidate who comes into the above category. Like Henry and Vieira he has done his coaching badges here, has a lot of time for Roberts and Wales and might fancy a crack at international management.
Assistant coach to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, he is certain to be on enormous bucks, of course.
PROSPECTS: 4-10
Would the salary on offer be a stumbling block to his inclusion? LARS LAGERBACK AT 69 he’s a year younger than Redknapp and has had success at international level.
Mastermind behind Iceland’s own Euro 2016 faiytale when they knocked out England and reached the quarter-finals.
In charge of Norway, he has been in for the Wales job before but wanted to bring his entourage with him and it was deemed too costly.
PROSPECTS: 3/10
Proven record appeals, but again the FAW would be more inclined to go Welsh than him.
OSIAN ROBERTS
NUMBER two to Gary Speed and then Coleman, why shouldn’t he be considered for the main job?
Brilliant coach, the Welsh players love his modern-day approach. The problem is Roberts is too valuable in his other role as Techncial Director of the FAW Trust, overseeing youth football.
It is his structure and set-up that has enabled Wales to snatch dual-qualified teen talents such as Woodburn and Ampadu from under England’s noses.
PROSPECTS: 6/7 out of 10
Roberts would impress more than most at an interview, but him remaining as No2 next to a Giggs or Henry could also be a dream team package for the FAW.
CARL ROBINSON
THIS is a left-field name that keeps cropping up. Aged 41, capped 52 times during the Hughes-Toshack era, Robbo has managed Vancouver Whitecaps in the Major Soccer League since 2013.
PROSPECTS: 5/10.
Ticks the young and hungry box, could be a thinking man’s choice. But doubtful he would command the respect of the big-name Welsh players like a Giggs or Henry automatically would.