When Craig Bellamy was unveiled as Wales' new head coach in the summer of 2024 he had an overriding mission - not just his personal ambition, but one his new employer really wants and needs. Lead Wales to the 2026 World Cup finals.

Hope and expectation are now more aligned than ever. Merely hoping to qualify for major tournaments has been tempered somewhat because Wales have been part of three World Cup or Euros tournaments over the past nine years.

The standard has been raised markedly on and off the pitch. Rewind a decade and Wales had one of the world's great players in Gareth Bale tormenting oppositions. The success came, so did the money, so did the investment and now a Wales squad with significant resources spread around the Premier League.

Yes there's no Bale, but an argument or

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