Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Paul Abbandonato

FAW to conduct standard review into what's gone wrong for Wales this summer as pressure mounts on Rob Page

Welsh football bosses will conduct a standard review into what has gone wrong with Rob Page's national team this summer as they look to get their Euro 2024 campaign back on track.

Abject defeats against Armenia and Turkey have led to a clamour for the head of Page, with many fans throughout Wales demanding he is replaced as manager.

Football writer Thomas Lewis from our sister title the Daily Post has already called for Page to go, suggesting an Osian Roberts-Patrick Vieira double act or ex-Luton and Southampton boss Nathan Jones as alternatives. You can read about that here

The FA of Wales hierarchy are unlikely to react in knee-jerk fashion and look likely to back their under-fire manager.

READ MORE: Wales can't carry on like this, Rob Page needs help and should bring Osian Roberts back

But they will have a full and thorough debrief into what happened in the last two games, something which is normal procedure after every international camp.

This will involve speaking to Page himself, the players, backroom staff and other interested parties.

The intention is to find out why things have suddenly hurtled backwards at an alarming rate and how to put Wales back on the upward trajectory again.

The FAW have made huge strides in recent times, with capacity crowds at Cardiff City Stadium despite a poor run of results showing the thirst is still there to watch Aaron Ramsey and his team. Wales' age-grade sides are doing well, participation in football across the country is on the rise, women's football is growing and Wales have a significant seat in the UEFA corridors of power these days.

But everything needs to be underpinned by success for the national team, which brings in large chunks of the revenue. As such the FAW will want to know how Page intends to turn things around for the remaining autumn Euro qualifiers with Croatia and Turkey at home and Latvia and Armenia away.

Much has been made of Page's four-year contract, which he was given just nine months ago, and how the FAW couldn't afford to pay him off should they choose to proceed down that route. However, our understanding is that wouldn't necessarily be an issue and that terms have been struck in the contract for a scenario like this.

However, the FAW's clear wish will be for Page to come through this crisis, achieve better results in the autumn and help Wales reach the Euros in Germany next year.

Even without Gareth Bale, Wales fully expected to qualify from a group containing a Croatian side perhaps past their best, a Turkey team which hasn't set the world on fire in recent times, plus football minnows Latvia and Armenia.

With two teams qualifying, it seems inconceivable a Wales side containing talents such as Ramsey, Harry Wilson, Brennan Johnson, Kieffer Moore and Neco Williams couldn't finish in the top two.

The FAW want the dust to settle a little, assess what's just happened properly and work out how to ensure they bounce back this autumn to seal an automatic qualifying spot.

With the next match not until September, Wales feel they have time on their side to reflect properly and conduct such a review by asking probing questions to the right people.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.