Are Wales better than us?

[mccaughey85]

3 hours ago, Bzzzz said:

I'd disagree entirely after watching them in the WC. There's nothing to fear from them. 

What do you mean theres nothing to fear from them?

No ones ever said there is. 

Lol i think the fact you watched them in the world cup while we went out to the team they beat should maybe give you some perspective on where the two teams are at. 

Wales had a poor world cup but so did plenty of nations, it happens. Doesnt suddenly make them poorer than a team who can hardly qualify for any major tournaments.

Jeez we give the english a hard time about arrogance. At least they have a slight reason to be arrogant. Our support suddenly think we are better than a team who actually qualified by directly beating the team that gave us a pumping.

 

[Bzzzz]

6 hours ago, mccaughey85 said:

What do you mean theres nothing to fear from them?

No ones ever said there is. 

Lol i think the fact you watched them in the world cup while we went out to the team they beat should maybe give you some perspective on where the two teams are at. 

Wales had a poor world cup but so did plenty of nations, it happens. Doesnt suddenly make them poorer than a team who can hardly qualify for any major tournaments.

Jeez we give the english a hard time about arrogance. At least they have a slight reason to be arrogant. Our support suddenly think we are better than a team who actually qualified by directly beating the team that gave us a pumping.

 

Nut, they're pish. 

[todd]

17 hours ago, mccaughey85 said:

What do you mean theres nothing to fear from them?

No ones ever said there is. 

Lol i think the fact you watched them in the world cup while we went out to the team they beat should maybe give you some perspective on where the two teams are at. 

Wales had a poor world cup but so did plenty of nations, it happens. Doesnt suddenly make them poorer than a team who can hardly qualify for any major tournaments.

Jeez we give the english a hard time about arrogance. At least they have a slight reason to be arrogant. Our support suddenly think we are better than a team who actually qualified by directly beating (the team that gave us a pumping).

 

The same team that we, more recently, gave an even bigger pumping!?

On one hand you're giving Wales leeway for having 3 bad games but giving us zero leeway for having 1 bad game? 🤔

Edited December 8, 2022 by todd

[Orraloon]

I don't think we can claim to be better than them yet. If we qualify for EURO24 and they don't, then I think it would be fair to say we had, at long last, overtaken them. If we both qualify, it would be good to get drawn in the same group. That would be the best test of our relative strengths.

[Caledonian Craig]

Wherever we stand against them now one thing is clear Wales are only going one way minus old hands that have been their crutch for so long in Bale and Ramsey. Joe Allen and Haughnessey are reaching the end of the road too. I cannot see our standing/form falling off as much theirs will. Therefore, at present, there is a debate as to who is better but the future months suggest there will be no debate.

[sjd1972]

Gareth Bale retires from all football.

[Tartan blood]

2 hours ago, sjd1972 said:

Gareth Bale retires from all football.

I think the answer to this thread is going to be answered definitively pretty soon now that their superstar is gone. 

Aaron Ramsay must be on the verge of calling it a day as well. 

Edited January 9, 2023 by Tartan blood

[scotlad]

2 hours ago, sjd1972 said:

Gareth Bale retires from all football.

I suspected he'd call time on his international career after the World Cup but I'm surprised he's retired from football altogether. Hadn't he signed for some MLS team not so long ago?

[csinclair]

13 hours ago, scotlad said:

I suspected he'd call time on his international career after the World Cup but I'm surprised he's retired from football altogether. Hadn't he signed for some MLS team not so long ago?

I think he was pretty much only there to keep up his fitness for the world cup. He only made 2 starts for LAFC, the rest of the time he was coming off the bench

[N4Footsoldier]

Off topic but fair play to Bale.

Retirement done right. No desire to go chasing extra millions playing in relative obscurity when his desire is almost certainly lost.

Won everything he realistically could multiple times, captained Wales to their first WC in 64 years, absolutely unstoppable at his best.

If he was English he would be getting talked about as one of the greatest of the last 30 years.

I will never forget that those 2 late goals  to beat us in Cardiff, absolutely unreal.

[mccaughey85]

18 minutes ago, N4Footsoldier said:

Off topic but fair play to Bale.

Retirement done right. No desire to go chasing extra millions playing in relative obscurity when his desire is almost certainly lost.

Won everything he realistically could multiple times, captained Wales to their first WC in 64 years, absolutely unstoppable at his best.

If he was English he would be getting talked about as one of the greatest of the last 30 years.

I will never forget that those 2 late goals  to beat us in Cardiff, absolutely unreal.

Probably the greatest welsh player ever.

[scotlad]

For me, Bale is the best British player of his generation and a strong contender for one of the all-time best. Can't go the guy but if he was English they'd be talking about knighthoods and the like. He's had a fantastic career.

[mccaughey85]

11 hours ago, scotlad said:

For me, Bale is the best British player of his generation and a strong contender for one of the all-time best. Can't go the guy but if he was English they'd be talking about knighthoods and the like. He's had a fantastic career.

I think he must easily be a top 5 greatest british player ever. Whos better than him? Maybe best or dalglish? I think hes better than the likes of rooney, giggs and gascoigne. 

[Orraloon]

Can't be up to much if he never won a trophy in England.

[Tartan Chris]

Can see Ramsey retiring for them soon aswell.

Got a young defence but rest of side especially in midfield dosen't then look that amazing.

[Bzzzz]

In relation to the OP... 

"Are Wales better than us?"
"Not any fkin more they're no!" 🤣

[daviebee]

3 hours ago, mccaughey85 said:

I think he must easily be a top 5 greatest british player ever. Whos better than him? Maybe best or dalglish? I think hes better than the likes of rooney, giggs and gascoigne. 

Law, Best and Charlton from the great Man U team of the 60's for a start.  That's before you start talking about the likes of Johnstone, Dalglish and Baxter, etc.

As for Rooney, Giggs and Gascoigne, I'd want any of them in my team before Gareth Bale.  Great player though and he's had an amazing career.  Total respect for the way he's always trumpeted what playing for his country meant to him.  Probably in the top 3 greatest Welsh players ever alongside Giggs and Charles.

[scotlad]

3 hours ago, mccaughey85 said:

I think he must easily be a top 5 greatest british player ever. Whos better than him? Maybe best or dalglish? I think hes better than the likes of rooney, giggs and gascoigne. 

Bobby Charlton is up there too. Gascoigne could have been if he had been given and taken better career advice and hadn't been so self-destructive, but that's a subject for another thread.

19 minutes ago, daviebee said:

Law, Best and Charlton from the great Man U team of the 60's for a start.  That's before you start talking about the likes of Johnstone, Dalglish and Baxter, etc.

As for Rooney, Giggs and Gascoigne, I'd want any of them in my team before Gareth Bale.  Great player though and he's had an amazing career.  Total respect for the way he's always trumpeted what playing for his country meant to him.  Probably in the top 3 greatest Welsh players ever alongside Giggs and Charles.

Baxter was a wonderful talent but he wasn't better than Bale.

[mccaughey85]

5 minutes ago, daviebee said:

Law, Best and Charlton from the great Man U team of the 60's for a start.  That's before you start talking about the likes of Johnstone, Dalglish and Baxter, etc.

As for Rooney, Giggs and Gascoigne, I'd want any of them in my team before Gapreth Bale.  Great player though and he's had an amazing career.  Total respect for the way he's always trumpeted what playing for his country meant to him.  Probably in the top 3 greatest Welsh players ever alongside Giggs and Charles.

See i find that hard to understand. Why place rooney, giggs or gascoigne above him. Bale was an integral part of a real madrid side who won champs league several years on the trot. He was probably a top 5 player during his time at madrid and even the last season he was at tottenham. 

I think rooney was the only player who was a top 5 player and that was probably for a season or two. I dont think giggs or gascoigne were top 5 players ever in their career. Probably top10 for brief spells but not quite top5. 

Also i think nostalgia plays a big part in ppl rating guys like law, johnstone and baxter etc. What achievements have those guys got that put them above bale. Obviously law won the ballon dor but it was only european players when he won it. Even if you go by ability and what they could do on a football pitch as opposed to achievements bale still stands up to that measurement. He is unstoppable on his day and genuinely up there with messi and c ronaldo when hes on form. He also got 40plus goals in 110 games for wales. Thats a great record for a guy who is a winger/forward.

It seems like loads of ppl seem to want to knock gareth bale when it comes to placing him up there with the best ever from britain but i find it strange going by both watching the guy and his achievements. Its very rare britain produces a top5 player in the world and bale for a good few seasons was easily that.

[mccaughey85]

Just now, scotlad said:

Bobby Charlton is up there too. Gascoigne could have been if he had been given and taken better career advice and hadn't been so self-destructive, but that's a subject for another thread.

Baxter was a wonderful talent but he wasn't better than Bale.

Nostalgia puts these guys ahead of bale and i aint necessarily talking about your nostalgia. Its the nostalgia of the old guys who claim ppl like charlton or law were the best cos they played on shit pitches and got kicked around alot. Just look and compare the achievements of guys like law and charlton with bale. Bale wipes the floor in terms of achievements and honours. He also is unstoppable as a player in an era where the best players from around the world play each other. The 60s guys like charlton and best were mostly up against guys from the uk every week. Nowadays the best of the world play in the like of la liga and the epl.

Fair enough guys like law and johnstone were great players but this idea they are necessarily better than someone like bale is wrong imo. Bale was a top5 player for several seasons. 

Law was maybe a top 5 player the season he won the ballon dor but guys like charlton, johnstone, baxter werent top5 players in the world. Maybe top 10 for brief spells but never top5 imo. 

[mccaughey85]

1 hour ago, daviebee said:

Law, Best and Charlton from the great Man U team of the 60's for a start.  That's before you start talking about the likes of Johnstone, Dalglish and Baxter, etc.

As for Rooney, Giggs and Gascoigne, I'd want any of them in my team before Gareth Bale.  Great player though and he's had an amazing career.  Total respect for the way he's always trumpeted what playing for his country meant to him.  Probably in the top 3 greatest Welsh players ever alongside Giggs and Charles.

Actually bobby charlton might have been top5 player for a few years. Going by the ballon dor rankings he was certainly well thought of in terms of world football. Obviously the ballon dor was only for europeans back then so that has to be taken into account as well. Bound to have been some brilliant south american players and not just pele who could have been considered in the top 10 players in the world.

[Clyde1998]

Joe Allen's retired for them now: link.

[Ally Bongo]

Wales draw in Croatia thanks to a 93rd minute equaliser by .....Nathan Broadhead of Ipswich

No Bale

No Allen

Croatia at full strength - Modric, Kovacic, Kramaric & Perisic all played

Think we can assume that Croatia's golden age about to come to an end after lasting long enough to gub us 

[todd]

10 minutes ago, Ally Bongo said:

Wales draw in Croatia thanks to a 93rd minute equaliser by .....Nathan Broadhead of Ipswich

No Bale

No Allen

Croatia at full strength - Modric, Kovacic, Kramaric & Perisic all played

Think we can assume that Croatia's golden age about to come to an end after lasting long enough to gub us 

Let's just hope Wales' spawny age comes to an end soon too!  God, I hate them

Edited March 25, 2023 by todd

[Caledonian Craig]

10 hours ago, Ally Bongo said:

Wales draw in Croatia thanks to a 93rd minute equaliser by .....Nathan Broadhead of Ipswich

No Bale

No Allen

Croatia at full strength - Modric, Kovacic, Kramaric & Perisic all played

Think we can assume that Croatia's golden age about to come to an end after lasting long enough to gub us 

Take the match into context eh.

Match stats say it all about how much Croatia dominated the match in every department. Wales equalised with the last kick of the game in what was a classic smash and grab raid. Hardly, a case of Wales matching Croatia in every department (far from it).