A Ryan Shame!
Can Giggs lift Wales against Poland?
Last week Ryan Giggs went to Monte
Carlo for some poncey sport awards do and was giving a girl piggy
back rides at the party.
This must be true cos it was reported in that highly regarded
pornographer's publication - the Daily Star.
Now it's time for Ryan to give us a piggy back ride into contention
for next year's World Cup finals.
So far in this campaign he's done OK but he hasn't had an outstanding
game in a competitive match (Finland last year doesn't count)
since the first time we played in Belarus.
Just as it was about time Hartson started to fire on all cylinders
in March, it's time for Giggs to make a big difference to
this campaign.
Hartson's proved himself the best player in Britain over the last
three months, galvanising a drearily inept Premiership side through
sheer guts and ability. And he did pretty well for us too.
Imagine Hartson and Giggs on fire and that should be worth
a goal or two. The only question then is, as ever, how many
we let in.
Mark Hughes deserves a lot of credit for tightening the defence
and he should stick with the same back five as against the Ukraine
- with Barnard filling the problematic left back position.
Matthew Jones should start in midfield because without Robbie
Savage and the grievous absence of John Robinson someone's got
a lot of running around to do and I don't see anyone else capable
of doing it.
Speed, Pembridge and Robinson or Koumas could fill the other three
midfield slots and Giggs might play up front in Bellamy's absence.
Alternatively, Giggs, Speed, Jones and Robinson could play in
midfield and Blake could partner Hartson up front but I'm not
sure they complement each other.
As always, it's a must-win game and I take us to win it.
The Polish fans who contribute to the excellent website http://www.freecfm.com/p/polishsoccer/headlines/36.html
are much less bombastic in tone of late, when considering their
chances in Cardiff. And that's another reason why I
reckon we'll win it. We've made a lot of progress this year. Hughes
has made a lot of good choices and he's due a bit of luck. So,
over to you Ryan. I'll personally give you a piggy back home all
the way from Kiev if you score the winner.
Next week we'll do well to hold on for a draw in Kiev with maybe
our best chance of a goal coming from a Giggs counter-attack.
Realistically we've got to win four of the five games left and
I reckon we can do it. I'm banking on a few topsy-turvy results
this week which will throw the group wide open. I can see Norway
storming back with a good result especially if they play in-form
John Carew up front and I'm convinced Belarus are going to screw
up sooner rather than later. Watch this space for reports on both
internationals and the under-21 game in Kiev.
Finally, it was a sad day when Dean Saunders quite rightly decided
to pack in playing for Wales.
He was my favourite player of the Yorath era and he can quit in
the knowledge that no Welsh player will EVER do as much running
on the pitch as Deano did. Not even Johnny Robinson, and that's
saying something.
Deano's charges down the channels twanged many a defender's hamstrings
and opened up lots of lovely space for Rushie to terrorise centre-halves.
He did more running in one match alone for Wales than Eric Young
managed in 20.. He was also quite good at diving.
He's best-known for the winner against Brazil but my three favourite
goals were, in order:
1 v Belgium, 1991. The equaliser. Few of us on the terrace
actually saw this goal but we certainly sensed it. It sparked
the maddest goal celebration I've ever witnessed. It was like
being in the first ten rows of a Clash gig as everyone pogoed
frantically as though trying to jump on to the stage. One very
happy throng.
2 v Bulgaria, Sofia 1995. 3-0 down with the locals chucking
snowballs at Ryan Giggs and kids in the cafes outside strung out
on heroin, it was nice to have something to cheer. Giggs set it
up and Saunders struck sweetly for a completely useless goal that
the 60 or so Taffs there deserved, just for being there.
3 v Holland, Eindhoven 1996. They scored seven lucky goals,
we picked a Hollywood film star as skipper and at 4-0, Hartson
turned his marker wide on the right and put in a beautiful low
cross into the box. Saunders knew he had to hit it first time
with his left foot and did so. Another completely useless goal
of course but the only ray of sunshine on a night from hell.
Cheers butty.
adecolley@hotmail.com