Former manager Bobby Gould has admitted he should never have taken the Wales job as he simply wasn’t good enough.
A full 26 years after he resigned following a defeat to Italy in 1999, Gould, now 78, has finally confirmed what many supporters felt during his often chaotic four-year spell in charge - that he was a man wading well out of his depth.
The revelation comes in a new book, “Cheers to 50 years...On The Sporting Frontline” by journalist Graham Nickless.
Gould - who had made his reputation managing Wimbledown during their “Crazy Gang” era - was a shock appointment when the FAW made him their successor to Mike Smith in 1995.
During his time in charge, the Coventry-born manager won seven out his 24 matches, with four draws and 13 defeats.
Looking back, Gould says he was ill-equipped to manage a team that contained successful players and strong characters such as Neville Southall, Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes, Ian Rush, Gary Speed and Chris Coleman.
“I was doing a lot of Sky work at the time,” recalls Gould.
“And I was in a situation where I was invited to be interviewed for the Wales job. I’ve got to say, I had never played at international level.
“And when I became the manager, I was not aware of the responsibilities of the management in dealing with players, media, and everything that went with it.
“And it didn’t bring the best out in me, to be honest.”
“I wasn’t good enough to be an international manager because I’d never played there. I didn’t understand it.
“I still look at the situation, and I’m really sorry. I let them down.
“Unless you go into that position and you’re full of international football knowledge, then you’re not on a sound footing. I was never on a sound footing.”
Often confrontational in his management style, Gould’s time in charge was notable for clashes with players such as John Hartson, Nathan Blake and Robbie Savage.
He suffered some embarrassing results and performances, such as a 7-1 defeat to the Netherlands in 1996, the same year he arranged a friendly against Leyton Orient, which somehow resulted in a humiliating 2-1 defeat.
But there were some notable results, too, such as a 2-1 victory away in Denmark, in a European Championships qualifier in 1998, where Gould launched the international career of a then 19-year-old Craig Bellamy.
The 7-1 thrashing against the Netherlands proved Gould’s heaviest defeat and he believes he still carries the scars.
“We played quite well for the first 15 minutes but the Dutch were something very special,” Gould recalls.
“I think there were a few discussions about managers, and captains, and everything else, before the game and after the game.
“And it was a sad evening. And when you cop a 7-1, it really hurts. And it never leaves you, it never, never, never, ever leaves you.”
The audiobook “Cheers to 50 years...On The Sporting Frontline” (available now on Amazon, Spotify and Audible and the ebook on Kindle) features exclusive interviews with many of the celebrity sports stars Graham Nickless has reported on over five decades - including Nigel Mansell, Eddie Howe, Kevin Keegan, Steve Davis, Jimmy White, Nathan Ake and Matt Le Tissier. The book is due out ahead of Father’s Day, Sunday, June 15.
