TURNING THE PAGE
While the current international break could scarcely be more “meh” for fans of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, for the good people of Wales excitement is high. On Thursday evening, Tom Jones, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Shirley Bassey, assorted members of Goldie Lookin’ Chain, Michael Sheen, Gareth Edwards and Geraint Thomas will stop whatever it is they’re doing as their football team sets about booking themselves one of the three remaining places at Euro 2024, specifically the one in Group D currently allocated to “Play-off Winner A”. To earn the right to go to Germany and try to beat Austria into third place behind France and the Netherlands, Wales must first win two successive games. Should they see off Finland, a do-or-die eliminator against Poland or Estonia awaits. Rob Page’s men will fancy their chances seeing as both games – assuming they’re in them – will be played at the Cardiff City Stadium, which is famously their Happy Place.
Having failed to qualify for any major tournaments for 58 years before Euro 2016, Wales have become a comparatively staple fixture in various Uefa and Fifa-organised jamborees since. In the past eight years they have been at two Euros and, more recently, one World Cup, although the less said about their frustratingly inadequate efforts in Qatar the better. Over the course of a week, Wales have a chance to put the crushing disappointment of Doha firmly behind them and get their famous Red Wall buzzing again.
While they can no longer rely on the last-gasp heroics of Gareth Bale to get them out of on-field pickles, Aaron Ramsey remains an integral part of the Wales squad. So integral, in fact, that the 33-year-old was picked for the upcoming fixtures despite being restricted through knack to just 90 minutes of football for Cardiff since September and there’s no guarantee that he’ll actually play. “What I’m concerned about is getting Aaron fit and involved in the squad,” said Page. “Doesn’t matter if he starts a game or comes in for the last 15 minutes.”
Between them, the squad’s four goalkeepers, Danny Ward, Wayne Hennessey, Tom King and Adam Davies have also played just 90 minutes for their clubs this season, in a situation that is less than ideal. Now third choice at Leicester City, Ward will probably get the nod, even if the clean sheet Davies kept for Sheffield United against Lincoln City in the Milk Cup back in August makes him the standout choice on current form. In stark contrast, Finland goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky is firmly on course to win the Bundesliga, having been ever present for as yet unbeaten league-leaders Leverkusen.
The last time Wales blew any chance they had of qualifying for a major tournament at home against Finland was in a 2009 World Cup qualifier during the John Toshack era. It was a game in which a 38-year-old Jari Litmanen barely broke a sweat in midfield for the visitors as he famously “walked Wales ragged”, prompting Craig Bellamy to go off on one about how awful both teams had been. With no players of such comparable genius in their current squad, the Finns will be reliant on the likes of Hradecky, Glen Kamara and Teemu Pukki to get a difficult job done. Currently banging them in for Minnesota United in the MLS, old Teemu is fast approaching the end of his career and can genuinely lay claim to being the greatest of all time, as his surname translated into English is “goat”.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Winning a championship at the Morumbi Stadium or at the Maracanã is priceless, but to make my debut for the Brazilian national team at Wembley is something unique. What more could I want from life? God has been more than perfect for me. He has a lot of special things in store for me” – Brazil boss Dorival Júnior gets his enthusiastic chat on with Thiago Rabelo and makes us feel guilty for ever doubting the worth and meaning of international friendlies. Only a bit, mind.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
I was in Germany last summer to see a game and not only were darts flights seemingly a popular club merch item, but Eintracht Frankfurt had their own book of BBQ grilling recipes. Perhaps English clubs could follow suit? We could see ‘Mastering the Carvery with James Maddison’ or ‘Four And Twenty Magpies – Medieval Banqueting with Eddie Howe’ on the shelves” – Gillian Kirby.
Former Nottingham Forest chief suit Paul Faulkner alluding to the Premier League season finale coming with an asterisk attached (yesterday’s Quote of the Day). Given that his former team’s badge already contains what looks like two of them, he has every reason to be worried. Similarly, on the international front, Brazil and Germany must clearly be up to no good at all; England have been a little bit naughty … but the other home nations are paragons of virtue, for now at least” – Allastair McGillivray.
Re: yesterday’s Memory Lane (full email edition). Kevin Sheedy was clearly despatching a Mitre Delta into the net, which has shaken my belief in a piece of trivia I always took for granted. Many years ago I played five-a-side with someone who never tired of saying: ‘Ah, the Mitre Delta. Classic ball. Introduced in 1986.’ Clearly that was wrong and it was actually 1985, but wait … extensive research (10 minutes on Google) shows it being used in April 1984 in the FA Cup semi-finals. Can the intellectual weight of Football Daily’s reader put this one to bed, please? Can we confirm that we really are approaching the 40th anniversary of the Mitre Delta?” – John Gregory.
Re: yesterday’s last line (full email edition). 90,000? Is that the number of editions created since the last funny joke appeared in it?” – Steve Mintz.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our letter o’ the day is … John Gregory, who gets a copy of Too Good to be Forgotten, published by Pitch Publishing. Visit their book store here.
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