Coleman Had A Dream

Ruth and Dai return in the first of a series of mini specials. Euro 2020 has now become Euro 2021 after UEFA undoubtedly made the right (and expected) decision to postpone the tournament. We discuss whether from a football perspective if this is good for Wales, as Joe Allen will likely be available. We also look at the potential knock on effects for others in and out of Wales, including the Wales Women and their potential appearance at Euro 2021. Big thanks to Penny Miles who donated a lot of her time and effort to this portion of the conversation. After that, we start out Favourite Footballing Things series, and the opener is our favourite stadiums. St. James' Park, Elland Road, the Nou Camp, The Racecourse and Wrigley Field all get a mention, among others! Please get back to us with your favourite stadiums and why! New episodes coming each day......

Dai and Ruth are back, in slightly sombre circumstances! The initial plan was to do a mini pod regarding the Nations League and a debrief of the Wales Women's win over Estonia. Then the Joe Allen news broke..... As such we discuss the possible replacements and the impact of on the squad as a whole, as well as on Joe himself. From there we return to the aims of the pod. We talk through the opponents in Wales' Nations League group as well as the comprehensive and fairly dominant win for the Women. All in all, a lot of ground gets covered, and it's not always the cheeriest of conversations because of Joe!

Dai and Ruth return for a special 50th podcast episode to interview Wales' all time top goalscorer, Helen Ward. The trio talk through Wales' upcoming game against Estonia, the remainder of the qualifying campaign and the games the group have already played. Alongside that there's several interesting talking points including life as a pregnant footballer, the increase of ACL injuries in women and of course, Helen's life as a footballer for club and country. It is a fascinating conversation with someone who is undoubtedly a Welsh footballing legend.

Dai and Ruth are back to put the Welsh strikers in contention for European inclusion, through their paces. We talk through goal records, style of play, assists and whether or not their place on the plane to Baku may upset the Welsh apple cart and team spirit. We also have a chat about how much game time some of our players are getting, and what effect that may or may not have on their performance at the Euros. The results of our research may surprise you.... We finish by talk a little about the Wales women, and their current combination of injury worries, and the goalscoring form of a few of our number. As a side note, whilst this was being recorded Newcastle went to extra time in the FA Cup 4th round replay, and there may be some loud shouts and expletives as a consequence....apologies.

Ruth and Dai are reunited once more. This time, sat across from each other in the pub where the pod began - Costellos. In their time back at the pub, they discuss a selection of Welsh football news, and answer some of your questions from Twitter and Facebook. This includes Chester's return from injury, the friendlies for the men's and women's teams plus the return of the Wales C International. In the main part of the podcast, they talk through who they would take as midfielders to the euros. This in the light of Andy King moving to Huddersfield and Matt Smith looking likely to be recalled by Man City from QPR. Both things prompting social media debate. The chat finishes up with an impromptu discussion about; Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Wrexham and Merthyr. Plus the two Wales women players having their own goal of the season competition.

In the final podcast of 2019, Ruth and Dai hand out the Coleman Had A Dream awards for the second year running. From player of the year to goal of the year. Women's player of the decade to a men's team of the decade, all based get covered. There is also a check up on how the start of season predictions are working out and it's safe to say, it's a mixed bag...... Thanks to all for listening, and happy Christmas to all.

Dai and Ruth return once more to discuss the draw for Euro 2020. The opposition get discussed as do their qualifying campaigns and the route out of the group. Dai in particular demonstrates some very questionable maths skills, and has a now weekly rant - this time about UEFA and the staging of a Pan European tournament. As always Ruth makes some very valid points about how the condensed qualifying period hampered smaller nations and benefited the larger ones too. There's a quick round up of all things Wales too, such as injuries for Ben Davies, how Bale is coping in Madrid among other things. Finally the Women's 0-0 draw with Northern Ireland gets discussed and how opposition players and teams may be targeting certain weaknesses in the starting line up. The big question of the moment also get answered - who will make the Panini sticker album, but not make the plane to Baku......

Ruth and Dai are back to excitedly and euphorically discuss all things Wales, as we prepare for another exciting summer. The two games which sealed our qualification get discussed, including the outstanding performers, the goalscorers, the managers decisions and even some Ryan Giggs based humble pie gets eaten. Following that discussion, Ruth and Dai answer the many many questions which were sent in from you all and give some opinions on what the squad might look like in June, Rob Page's introduction to the squad and much much more.

Dai and Ruth are back for another chat - this time talking through the two most important games of Ryan Giggs' tenure in charge of Wales. There is a chat on the opposition, potential line ups, the dreaded predictions and if there is anyone we think Giggs should have included in the squad. After that we have some words on the news which broke yesterday (Monday) of Neil Warnock's departure as the Cardiff manager and who should take over. We also answer some of your questions as we approach these two massive games. We finish with a few thoughts on the Women's game against Northern Ireland in Belfast (Tuesday) and will be doing a full review of this game when we look back at what will hopefully be a glorious 10 days for Welsh football.

Ruth and Dai are back together again, this time taking on the topic of racism in football. They are joined by a guest to have this conversation too: Stewart Owadally. It is something which has reared it's ugly head again of late, not just in Europe but also in the UK too. This conversation centers around personal examples of things, recent issues and also what we would like to see happen to improve sanctions and education in regards to racism in football. Ruth does some great research on what other countries do (both in and our of football) and Stewart gives some great insight having attended sessions led by groups such as Kick It Out and Give Racism The Red Card, and having been involved in discussions with ex pros such as Paul Parker and Ken Monkou. Whilst this is something a little different, it is still a very important topic which we felt needed to be covered. Thanks for listening.

Dai and Ruth are back again, to discuss the Wales double header against Croatia and Slovakia. The games, the lineups, the style of play and the consequences of these performances all get mentioned. We are joined this week by a guest, Owain Porter, who was at the Croatia game. He offers interesting insight to the game including his view on the crowd and atmosphere, as well as what he saw regarding our tactical set up from the stands. All in all, an interesting in depth look at two vital games.

Dai and Ruth are back for an impromptu preview of the Wales Men's double header, against Slovakia and Croatia. Through the pod they discuss: Tom Lawrence, and will he play, injury news on Ramsey and Bale, the famed predictions section plus some chatter on the way we will play against the two sides in a crucial period in the qualifying campaign. It's another quick listen due to time constraints, but a full review of the two games will follow.

Dai and Ruth are reunited (briefly!) to discuss some key issues ahead of the upcoming games for both the men and women. The women play Belarus on Tuesday (away) and we wish them well as well as talk about who will replace Sophie Ingle and will the libero role she has been carrying out be sidelined. We also mention Rachel Rowe's return to the squad. We then move on to the men, and their double header against Slovakia and Croatia. The main talking points revolve around Tom Lawrence, racism in Slovakia and who will replace Chris Mepham in the heart of the Welsh defense as he dropped out of the squad injured. All in all a lot of ground covered in a 30 minute chat!

Dai and Ruth are back again, and talk through an intriguing round of fixtures. The context added to the 2-1 victory over Azerbaijan, after their 1-1 draw with Croatia forming a big part of the discussion. The teams performance gets talked about, as does Giggs' various tactical switches during his time as manager. The pod was recorded immediately after the win against Belarus, and that gets discussed too.

In the latest pod, Dai and Ruth discuss the upcoming games - against Azerbaijan and Belarus. They talk tactics, formations and who should play in different positions. They go to discuss the departure of Osian Roberts and how the FAW have handled his loss, as well as the promotions that have occurred as a consequence, such as Rob Page leaving the U21 role to assist with the main squad. Finally, ahead of the main pod on the Women's qualifiers, Dai and Ruth briefly discuss the win against the Faroe Islands, and the disappointing draw with Northern Ireland.

Part 2 of the pod is here, and it is an interview with Wales Women and Liverpool LFC defender and midfielder, Rhiannon Roberts. Rhiannon talked through her career so far, how she ended up getting into football and initially being picked up by England at U23 level. She discusses the moves in her career which have led her to being a Liverpool player. After that the focus is on the important stuff - Wales! Rhiannon talks through the last campaign, THAT England game and the disappointment of missing out. Dai and Ruth then chat through the upcoming games, and the campaign as a whole. Rhiannon gives plenty of insight and reveals the targets, goals and aspirations of the squad, as well as the future of women's football in Wales, through the new Huddle campaign, of which she is an ambassador. You can find more out about this here: https://www.faw.cymru/en/news/fa-wales-launch-new-campaign-women-and-girls-game/

Part one of this weeks pod sees Dai and Ruth together again. This part of the recording seems them discuss how: Swansea, Cardiff, Newport, Wrexham and Merthyr have got on in their seasons so far, and assessing their prospects. Following that they then talk through the announcement of the latest Wales squad and give their thoughts on the big name inclusions and omissions. Tomorrow's pod, is an interview with Rhiannon Roberts and a full preview of the Wales Women qualifiers against Faroe Islands and Northern Ireland. This will be released on Tuesday.

As the season looks to start up again for some clubs, and finish for some international players, Dai and Ruth do a roundup of everything which has happened in the last few weeks. The start is based around the WPL teams and their foray into European competition. They then go on to talk about: Cardiff's new signings, Wrexham's new players and their pre season games, the number of new contracts plus training ground improvements for Newport, and a fairly lengthy conversation on Swansea's new manager and the situation he finds himself in. After that, VAR's performance at the Women's World Cup gets scrutinized as does the tournament which was hugely enjoyable. As a consequence, they talk through Norway's performances at the tournament given they are in Wales' qualifying group for the Euros, plus the loss of Jess Fishlock to Wales' campaign. Also discussed are Welsh player transfers, answer some questions from listeners and much more besides.

In the second half of this review podcast, Dai and Ruth talk about the general points arising from Wales' disappointing defeats against Hungary and Croatia, but revel in the glory of Wales Women's brilliant 1-0 victory over New Zealand. That follows into an in depth conversation about women's football in general, the Women's World Cup, how great Ada Hegerberg is and how much of a moron Alexi Lalas is.

Ruth and Dai are back in the pub to talk through the two big qualifiers which Wales sadly lost. There's a run down of the game, the key moments and our opinions on it all. This is part one. Part two covers the Wales Women's game against New Zealand alongside many wider issues in women's football and the aftermath of the two defeats we've just witnessed.