Rob Page faces an anxious wait to discover if he will remain as Wales’ boss after admitting: ‘The fans want me out.”
The Red Dragons’ chief felt the backlash from the travelling support in Slovakia after falling to a four-goal defeat against the Euro 2024 hopefuls.
Page went over to thank the fans after the final whistle but was greeted with a chorus of boos as a listless goalless draw against Gibraltar last Thursday was followed by a thumping in Trnava. Football Association of Wales big-wigs will now sit down to discuss if Page is to continue ahead of a Nations League campaign that starts in September.
Page said: “I’m low, disappointed - I’m human at the end of the day and no one wants to fail. The form coming into this has been all right but when you draw against Gibraltar and you get beat as we did against Slovakia, questions will be asked.
“I tried to tell the supporters at the end. I clapped them with the players and when they went I made a point of going up to the supporters and saying: ‘It’s on me.’ I apologise to them. Their backing has been immense. I tried to apologise to them at the end. I wanted to take it. Absolutely, I’ll take it.
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“I completely understand. I get it. I get their frustration. They want me out. But I’ve got to stay true to myself and focus on the job in hand.”
The pointers for Page aren’t good. Chief executive Noel Mooney made comments before last October's internationals which suggested that Page was under pressure.
He said: “We can’t keep losing matches. That’s really important. We’re focused on winning games. We’re very focused on qualifying for tournaments and that’s what we need to see in Wales. We’ve reached the top table of world football. We can’t keep going backwards.”
The Welsh squad have endured two nightmare results (2024 Getty Images)While Page kept his own counsel following those comments, his players were vocal in supporting the coach - and an uneasy truce followed. Now it appears that the head coach, who is halfway through a four-year deal, has his future very much in Mooney’s hands.
Page added: “After camp, we have conversation with Dave Adams, (technical director) Steve Williams (president) and Noel Mooney. (Chief executive) It’s a conversation for them. And of course, we’ll have those conversations. One way or another we’ll decide what’s right for Wales and we’ll move on.”
Wales failed to qualify for the Euros after Poland beat them in a penalty shoot-out three months ago. That answered any immediate suggestions as to whether Page was the man to lead his country forward. He believed there were mitigating circumstances as to the no-show during this double-header, saying: “I’m not making excuses. It’s been one month since some of our lads played.
“We had two training sessions before the game against Gibraltar. That isn’t an excuse, it’s a fact. We’ve had seven players out, we’ve tried to give minutes, games and caps to some of the younger players. It was an opportunity to look to the future. For example, Lewis Koumas has been an absolute positive. Without these two games we wouldn’t have seen his capabilities.”
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