Special - Part 2 BBC Wales Today


Special - Part 2

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They inspired a nation - now, Wales' footballers have arrived

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And they are ready to party. You're watching a special programme from

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BBC Wales. I hope you have taken the afternoon

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off because there is a party planned and you are all invited. Throughout

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the afternoon we will bring you all news of the Wales team arriving

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home. Let me show you some pictures now of the motorcade making its way,

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two buses, with the players and coaches in front, and the support

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staff behind. Release outriders guiding the Wales team through the

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streets of Cardiff. They left Cardiff airport earlier today, and

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they are making their way to the centre of Cardiff, where I can tell

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you there are thousands upon thousands of fans waiting to cheer

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them on, to say thank you for what they have done over the last few

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weeks. Well, it has been an eventful morning here at Cardiff airport.

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Many schoolchildren were waiting to welcome their heroes. Let's now have

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a recap of the days events so far. At 2.37 this afternoon, the jet

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touched down on Welsh soil after their epic French adventure. Players

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and managers emerged to be treated by a barrage of photographers. Once

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inside the terminal building, the volume turned up a notch. As the

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heroes emerged, they took time to chat with fans young and old,

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signing autographs and posing for photographs with adoring fans. I got

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my shoe and my book signed! They were very good, especially against

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Belgium, and we should have won but it does not matter because we got so

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far. Their success has captured the imagination of the nation. Today,

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everybody wanted to say Diolch. People would have thought, another

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politician talking nonsense, if I had said we would make it to the

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semis. The Belgium match, I was there and it was the best I have

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ever seen a Wales team play. We are the smallest country to have got

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that far in the Euros. We can take some pride in that. They left the

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airport with the cheers ringing in their ears, heading for Cardiff City

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centre, where even larger crowds were waiting. Let's talk now to Ron

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Jones, who I am delighted to say has joined us. He is the king of the

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commentary box. You have seen it all in your career. Did you ever think

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you would see scenes like this today? I certainly did not think at

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the start of my commentary career that I would see a Wales team

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perform in the way that they did in such a major championship. I am

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lucky enough to go all the way back to 1958, when we previously qualify

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for a major tournament. Then it was the World Cup in Sweden, and amazing

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occasion. Just have a look at these scenes now in the centre of Cardiff.

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We heard during the campaign that some of the players in 1958 arrived

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home and some people were not even aware that they had competed at a

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World Cup. That was the story at Swansea station, when three Swansea

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players arrived and they had cases with them, and someone asked them if

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they had been on their holidays. It is hard to comprehend. But these

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scenes which we are watching around the castle, where the parade will

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start. The team is on its way to the starting point. They are 20 deep.

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This tells us as much as anything the impression that the players and

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staff, the whole group have made, on the people of Wales. They really

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have been absolutely wonderful. They have indeed. And we covered the

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Olympic torch relay a few years ago, and the scenes across the country

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were quite amazing. I never thought that we would see something akin to

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that. Especially coming from the Wales football team. Many Wales fans

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have endured years, decades, of near misses and heartache. After almost

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30 years of working for the BBC, I covered five World Cups and I went

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with England, I went with Scotland, I went with the Republic of Ireland.

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Never once did I go to a major championship with Wales. Of course,

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the moment they qualify, I have come off the BBC staff and missed it!

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It is astonishing. The only players missing from the team coach, I

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understand, our Joe Ledley, who is getting married, and Neil Taylor,

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who is a guest at the wedding. So those two are missing from that fund

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coach. But all the other players, every single one of them deserves

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all the accolades. Ron Jones, thank you very much for the time being.

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The bus is slowly making its way to the centre. And with the fans for us

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is Kate Morgan. In the last half an hour, this place has become packed

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with fans waiting to see a glimpse of the team bus.

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The crowd stretches down St Mary's Street, up towards Queen's Street.

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There are people on the roof of the building on the corner, they are

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hanging out of the windows along Castle Street.

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All to get the best view. The coaches will be arriving here,

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getting off the coach, and then they can meet the fans. They have waited

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for hours to meet them. To say thank you. There are a few sign, one of

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them saying "well done" and that is what this sums up what they have

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come to say. Well done. Not only for Welsh football, for Welsh sport as a

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whole. There is a huge range of ages here. Lots of children and older

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people with the Welsh flag draped around their shoulders. This is

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really a feel day. The excitement is building. We will just have to wait

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a little longer until they arrive. . Well, the bus now is making its

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way to the centre of Cardiff. Just going through Maindypool. This is

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about five minutes' drive from the Principality Stadium. So two coaches

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weaving its way into Cardiff. It is lively in the city centre but it

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will be a crescendo when the buses approach the city centre and Cardiff

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Castle. I don't suppose there has been a

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footballing occasion, a return to home, if you like, since Cardiff

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City in 1927, when they won the FA Cup. They had a fantastic return to

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the city centre. They came back by train so all of that was centred

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around the Central Station. But this is very, very special indeed. I

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cannot remember a Welsh football team. We have had rugby occasions in

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the past, of course, when we have had great wins, performances,

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whatever but nothing match this in football terms. As we said earlier,

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in 1958, even though it was a World Cup, it was a much lower-key

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occasion. As it tended to be. Television was in its infancy, as

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such. So we did not have the comp we have.

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Here they are close to the City Hall, then they have an entrance

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into the back of the castle, then they go through the castle to the

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front where the official parade is to start.

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It seems that the campaign has touched so many people. Even people

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who are not football fans. When my mother e-mailed me, and giving her

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unique take on the football matches, when she has never watched a

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football match in her life! When you see the viewing figures,ed record

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audiences, more than 1.4 million, 2 million to watch a football game. We

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have come a long way. Eve no-one Chris Coleman's times as the

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manager, as he said himself, in his early days as a manager, there was

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no success at all. He had a vision as a team but playing in front of

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low attendances, to attend a Wales game was almost an imposition. You

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were not seeing anything special. About this group of players

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transcended all of that, and my goodness me, they deserve their

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rewards. So, the coaches are making their way

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now. Nearly there. The wait is nearly over for the

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fans. The fans want to see their heroes.

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Let's now go... The bus is now approaching the castle grounds.

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Diolch is emblazoned on the coaches. A squad who are grateful for the

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support and we are a grateful nation. We have achieved so much

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this summer. They have put us on the map. I was

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listening to a programme on BBC Radio, saying that so many people

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throughout the world think of Wales as part of England, well they know

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now it is different indeed in football terms and other terms as

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well. The spin-off of the success of our football team will be I normous.

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But today this is about them. And our thanks. And the buses are right,

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"Diolch" expresses the thanks for the excitement that they have given

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us over the last Fife weeks or so. And what of the Cardiff Castle

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there, and the sun making an appearance as well. Now, let's head

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down to the fans and our reporter, Caroline Evans.

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Well, done here in Wellington Street, the excitement is building.

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The fans are starting to arrive. This will be the last leg for the

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bus as it heads down to the stadium for the concert with the Manic

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Street Preachers playing. That is sold out. The tickets are gone. You

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don't need a ticket to come here to line the streets, that is what the

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fans are doing. If you are thinking of coming down, this is a good

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vantage point. A straight road down Wellington streeted. All of the fans

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can line up to get a great view of the bus. The council have told me

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that they turned this around in 36 hours. The tightest turn around that

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they have done. They are confident it will go well. And the fans now

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are beginning to arrive as you can see.

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Another sea of red to welcome the bus. We can only imagine what the

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players will be thinking as they drive here, a route that they have

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driven around many times, now welcomed home in this way. And of

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course the point of this is that you don't have to know that much about

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football, to understand the offside rule, do you? But to engage with the

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passion, the passion we have seen on that field, no brought home, our

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chance to say thank you, and to say well done. Caroline, don't worry, I

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can explain the offside rule. There are lovely shots of thester of

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Cardiff. -- the centre of Cardiff.

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We have seen the park and the cricket stadium. We really are a

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sporting nation. We are indeed. Rugby has grabbed the

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attention a little more, rightly so. But football is a world game. We

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have taken on the might of Europe, really. We reached the last four.

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All but reached the final. It would have been a remarkable achievement

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had we gone that step further but if we asked the players before the

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start of the tournament to get us to the last four, as close to the final

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as they can and they produced this, we would have thought it was

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fairytale. As it is, they have done it, produced it, given us huge

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pleasure and in amongst that they played wonderful football. They will

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now go up to the top 12 nations in the world in football. And also, and

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not to put too fine a point on it, above England as well.

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The thoughts of Ron Jones, the football commentator, a familiar

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voice to many of you. If you are watching, you are watching a BBC

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News Special. Watching the return of the Welsh football team. There are

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thousands upon thousands of fans lining the street. Ron, you were

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talking about the media coverage, and people like me, the Swede itch

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television, the Japanese TV but the star name is Gareth Bale. His

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professional is massive, it is Galactic. It is a huge boost to

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Wales? Of course, in the 1938 team, we had a huge star in the John

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Charles. He was playing Europe. There is a parallel with Gareth

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Bale. He was the star of our team at that time. Playing for Juventus in

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Italy, a wonderful player. Gareth Bale is similar in this respect. And

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of course with the extended coverage that we get now in terms of

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television, in terms of the written word, radio, whatever, Gareth Bale's

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star is in the ascendency. It was interesting up to the Portugal game,

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and we have to say that Ronaldo won the game for Portugal but those two

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have pretty well reached level status. I suspect over the next

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season or so Gareth will go beyond Ronaldo and he will be one of the

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two or three best players in the world.

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And he is the man that a lot of the media, especially outside of Wales

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want to talk to after the games. He is that magnet. He has the

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professional. We are looking at the scenes now in the centre of Cardiff.

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A stone's throw from the Principality Stadium and the main

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shopping area. The heart of the capital. Cardiff Castle ready to

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welcome Chris Coleman and his players. I guess we can stop talking

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now about waiting 58 years. I'm sick of saying it to be honest.

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What I hope, Thomas is that this does not become an end. It has been

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a wonderful achievement. It will be marked today here and in the weeks I

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hope it will be a starting point for football. We have a wonderful group

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of young players. We could do with a little extra strength in depth,

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maybe but we do have a wonderful group of young players who should be

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together now for a number of years. We have a starting season in

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September, a World Cup qualifying group.

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We have Serbia, Moldova, Austria, Republic of Ireland, and we have a

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great chance to qualify for the next World Cup in Russia. I hope we can

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go on and make qualifying for major tournaments, an auto mattic event.

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If we can do that, that will really build on what these guys have

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achieved. We have seen the police outriders

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squeezing through the space. I don't think that the coach can squeeze

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there. It is at a stand still at the moment. And just look at the crowds

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there. Many of them taking the time off

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work to be here. Many taking time off school to be there. Well,

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impressive crowds. And Kate Morgan is down there. What is the

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atmosphere like there, Kate. Thanks, Thomas, we are waiting for

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the castle doors to open. For the team to get out of here. There have

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been a few false alarms and a lot of security staff, there are so many

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fans here. There are thousands here. They got a huge cheer when some

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walked out but they were not the team. Here it is packed with the

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fans. There are people on the roofs of

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buildings. There are those up above the shops

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with the best views. A bit of a party atmosphere.

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Some of the fans I have spoken to, they have been in Paris, Toulouse.

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Here the police helicopter is circling above. So it must mean that

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they are very near. They could be in the castle. They have been following

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the route today. We are waiting for the moment. The flags are weighing.

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Everybody is getting excited. There is a sense of anticipation in the

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air building. That is because people want to say well done. To be a part

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of it. People who did not get out to go to France to share in that part

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of the journey, they are here today as they want to share in it. There

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is a real experience that the team belong to the fans and the fans are

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very much a part of the team. The people I have spoken to get that

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feeling. It is very loud. Noise you, young, old, we are all waiting. I'm

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sure it will not be much longer. But for now, it is back to Thomas.

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Kate, thank you very much, you will not have to wait long. They have

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left the bus now. This are walking through the grounds of Cardiff

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Castle. In the next few minutes the place will erupt when the fans will

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have a glimpse of their players, of their heroes.

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They have exceeded all expect nations this summer. At the back,

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Gareth Bale, the delight to go, the most expensive player in the world.

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His Real Madrid team-mates got the better of Wales in the semifinals.

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But there were not many tears. Ron Jones is with me, football

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commentator. People were proud, despite defeat against Portugal?

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Disappointment, inevitably, stand fast, we wanted to get to the final.

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But I think the achievement was so great, the players had conducted

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themselves so well. And as we watch them walking through the grounds of

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the castle to the front of the castle, where the coach will pick

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them up to take them on their tour of the city and eventually back here

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to the Cardiff City Stadium. They are in their tracksuits, they look

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very relaxed, chatting amongst themselves. Gareth Bale towards the

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back, as you say. In some ways that is indicative of what he is all

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about as well. Very much part of the team. There is no big elders amongst

:21:29.:21:35.

this group of players. Aaron Ramsey -- no-bid star.

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-- with his new haircut, standing out. This is the modern footballer.

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Posing for photographs, with the castle keep behind them. We are so

:21:56.:22:00.

lucky, Tomos, that it is a lovely fine day here as well. This adds to

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the occasion. Great for the crowds, in their red shirts. I was amazed as

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I was coming down here this afternoon and many people were

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coming down on the trains on the buses - all in red shirts. And there

:22:13.:22:19.

is that wonderful group of players, in the castle grounds, having

:22:20.:22:23.

photographed together, looking so, so relaxed. It is a wonderful sight.

:22:24.:22:31.

All smiles from the players. We are joined by another broadcaster now.

:22:32.:22:38.

It is amazing. It is incredible, we have created this wonderful

:22:39.:22:45.

community today. It is wonderful. What does this do for brand Wales?

:22:46.:22:50.

Wales playing on the world stage? I think it is branding in three ways.

:22:51.:22:55.

Within Wales, we start to think differently about ourselves as a

:22:56.:22:59.

nation. In Britain as a whole, we have had the Daily Telegraph putting

:23:00.:23:03.

Welsh on the front page. This morning we have had Phil and Holly

:23:04.:23:09.

speaking Welsh. And internationally, football is the only global sport.

:23:10.:23:14.

You achieve in football and you capture the imagination of millions,

:23:15.:23:18.

maybe billions of people. And they have done it beautifully. This was

:23:19.:23:23.

after the photocall, the players slowly making their way. Any second

:23:24.:23:27.

now we will hear the crowd. We will know when they will be close. What

:23:28.:23:31.

have you made of the tournament? It has been an amazing four or five

:23:32.:23:37.

weeks? It has been incredible. I did actually predict on BBC radio Wales

:23:38.:23:41.

that we would get to the semifinals. But I think we have exceeded all of

:23:42.:23:47.

our wildest dreams. Not just from a sporting pass if, but the way they

:23:48.:23:52.

have conducted themselves. The fans have been a joy to watch. --

:23:53.:23:59.

sporting. There had been some trouble, and suddenly, Wales

:24:00.:24:07.

arrived, and it was all joy. I think the Diolch - Together We Are

:24:08.:24:09.

Stronger Motol has been fantastic for all of us. Yes, the praise for

:24:10.:24:22.

the Wales fans, many of them were teaching fans from other nations

:24:23.:24:29.

their songs. I heard Don't Take Me Home in other language, many weeks

:24:30.:24:33.

ago. Just fill in the blanks for us. I was in France for five weeks -

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what was the reaction of fans like back home when Wales were

:24:40.:24:42.

progressing through the tournament? It was incredible. In the early

:24:43.:24:46.

games we were trying to catch it during working hours. The pubs were

:24:47.:24:52.

selling out, however! And looking at your social media feed in the

:24:53.:25:02.

morning, it was friends and relatives over there, the media,

:25:03.:25:07.

wall-to-wall coverage, personalities have spoken about their reaction to

:25:08.:25:10.

it. Just everybody has spoken about it. We have all been totally

:25:11.:25:17.

expressed for five weeks. Normally I am an egg chaser but I really

:25:18.:25:23.

appreciate the round ball now! Even David Hasselhoff got involved,

:25:24.:25:26.

wishing Gareth Bale and the boys would look. So, the fans outside

:25:27.:25:32.

Cardiff Castle, waiting patiently. They have been waiting there for any

:25:33.:25:37.

many hours now, waiting for the moment to come when Chris, will lead

:25:38.:25:43.

out his players. Fair play to the players, they have been away from

:25:44.:25:46.

home for five weeks, they have seen their families for a day or so

:25:47.:25:50.

during that. I'm sure they have got holidays to go to. Pre-season starts

:25:51.:25:56.

pretty soon! Some of them are even getting married. I would love to see

:25:57.:26:01.

Joe Ledley's first dance! They have made incredible sacrifices. They

:26:02.:26:06.

have been together as a group intensive leave any weeks. Weddings

:26:07.:26:10.

have not been attended, Beyonce concerts...! What a tragedy that is!

:26:11.:26:22.

A disappointed Neil Taylor! It is looking quite biblical now, isn't

:26:23.:26:28.

it? Incredible! Ron Jones, what do you make of social media? The

:26:29.:26:33.

players of 1958 did not have such things? Do you think it helps, to

:26:34.:26:36.

maintain that connection? You cannot compare the two. I

:26:37.:26:56.

suspect the players in 1958 in Sweden, if they wanted to

:26:57.:26:59.

communicate home, they probably had to write a letter. It arrived about

:27:00.:27:03.

five days later. You cannot compare the two. We are seeing pictures of

:27:04.:27:08.

the crowds, hundreds, thousands, waiting. We saw the videos of when

:27:09.:27:18.

Iceland beat England, Wales squad celebrating. Why so much fuss over

:27:19.:27:27.

nothing? It is a natural reaction, as Welsh fan. I did wonder whether

:27:28.:27:31.

it should have been released at the time. But actually, with the banter,

:27:32.:27:37.

it was taken in the spirit in which it was intended. Did you catch the

:27:38.:27:44.

video last night, semi naked players, doing the hakka? Those

:27:45.:27:53.

lovely white bodies! What I liked was that they were celebrating the

:27:54.:27:59.

Iceland win, rather than the England defeat. I think the marketing has

:28:00.:28:08.

been outstanding. Something like Diolch - Together, Stronger, it has

:28:09.:28:11.

been organic, not contrived or corporate. It has just grown into

:28:12.:28:21.

something wonderful. The fans cheering, as the police outriders

:28:22.:28:24.

come out onto the road. The players cannot be too far behind. They have

:28:25.:28:37.

been very patient, Tomos, but they have waited this long, they can wait

:28:38.:28:42.

another ten minutes. Read is obviously the predominant colour. --

:28:43.:28:50.

red. I cannot imagine how sales of football kit has gone over the last

:28:51.:28:54.

few weeks. Almost everybody now has got a red football shirt. Even on

:28:55.:29:00.

the way here, there were some merchandisers en route! Put this

:29:01.:29:06.

into context for us - compared with other sports, how big a deal is this

:29:07.:29:10.

in the context of Welsh sport? Is massive. Obviously, we saw the Welsh

:29:11.:29:14.

road B-team getting to the semifinals of the World Cup, and how

:29:15.:29:21.

wonderful that was. But as I said earlier, football is the global

:29:22.:29:25.

game. If you achieve on that stage, everybody knows about it. People

:29:26.:29:29.

will know about Wales for the first time. I was speaking to me visit

:29:30.:29:35.

Wales, and they said searches have gone up tenfold. No advertising

:29:36.:29:41.

campaign or PR strategy could possibly achieve this. It is just

:29:42.:29:47.

down to a squad of talented footballers. The fans are cheering.

:29:48.:29:55.

Aaron Ramsey is on the top of the wall there. Crowd, responding. And

:29:56.:30:05.

Chris Gunter is with him, taking selfies. Close friends from Cardiff

:30:06.:30:14.

City many years ago. They have both moved on to different clubs now. You

:30:15.:30:19.

see pictures on social media, they are always together, close friends

:30:20.:30:24.

within the Wales camp. It is a day the players will never forget. They

:30:25.:30:31.

certainly won't. They have conducted themselves so well. This is another

:30:32.:30:36.

thing which has always impressed me. We have spoken about Gareth Bale's

:30:37.:30:39.

qualities as a footballer. I think he has grown as a man over the last

:30:40.:30:43.

few weeks, the way he has fronted up for interviews, no matter whether

:30:44.:30:47.

they have won or lost, and in between as well. He has had a bit of

:30:48.:30:52.

mischief about in, which I quite like. I have really enjoyed that bit

:30:53.:30:58.

of mischief from him. But nonetheless, every single player,

:30:59.:31:02.

every single official with the team, Chris Coleman himself, they have all

:31:03.:31:07.

conducted themselves impeccably. It sounds a bit of a cliche about them

:31:08.:31:14.

enjoying themselves, but they really do seem to have enjoyed every single

:31:15.:31:18.

moment of the tournament. The word people keep using in relation to

:31:19.:31:22.

this campaign for Wales, is joy. It is the team ethic as well. The focus

:31:23.:31:28.

was all on Gareth Bale initially, and he made sure everybody took

:31:29.:31:32.

credit. And here we go. The support staff are coming out, filming it on

:31:33.:31:40.

their mobile phones. And these are the people you do not necessarily

:31:41.:31:44.

recognise, the support staff, the backroom staff. The

:31:45.:31:52.

physiotherapists. It is a big operation these days, Tomos. A

:31:53.:31:58.

massive crescendo written squad makes it sway onto the street, at

:31:59.:32:08.

Cardiff gate. The backroom staff have just walked out to the biggest

:32:09.:32:11.

round of applause. There's quite a few of them. I think the crowd knows

:32:12.:32:16.

exactly what their role has been. They are of course waiting for the

:32:17.:32:21.

team. We spotted them on top of the Castle Ward earlier. They are now

:32:22.:32:27.

waiting for the team. We must be moments away. -- the castle wall.

:32:28.:32:34.

Just down St Mary's streak is where they will board their buses. First

:32:35.:32:37.

of all, they will get a huge welcome. The flags waving. I think

:32:38.:32:44.

people have got eyes everywhere. That is after seeing them up on the

:32:45.:32:48.

turret! The anticipation is almost too much for a lot of the fans.

:32:49.:32:54.

Everyone is having a good time. All eyes are on those castle gates at

:32:55.:32:57.

the moment. We're just waiting and waiting. There was a huge applause

:32:58.:33:02.

for some photographers who worked out first of all. I cannot even

:33:03.:33:06.

begin to imagine... The noise is starting to build so that it may be

:33:07.:33:11.

any moment now. The helicopters are still circling. There are two of

:33:12.:33:16.

them. The people across the road have probably got the best view, in

:33:17.:33:26.

their windows. We are just waiting. There are two Roman centurions as a

:33:27.:33:36.

sort of guard of honour outside. We are still waiting. The excitement is

:33:37.:33:40.

building. Most of the fans here today have been here for a good

:33:41.:33:46.

hour. Some of them, for three hours. So they have waited a little while.

:33:47.:33:51.

But I don't think there is anybody who would complain about that. They

:33:52.:33:55.

have all got massive smiles on their faces. Tomos, back to you. Kate

:33:56.:34:01.

Morgan, thank you very much. Enjoy it. Incredible scenes? It is

:34:02.:34:07.

wonderful. I love seeing the players on the turret of the castle.

:34:08.:34:15.

Fabulous! What about the way the FAW has managed things over the last

:34:16.:34:18.

weeks and months. Are there lessons to be learned for other institutions

:34:19.:34:24.

in Wales? Very much so vastly the use of Welsh, I think that has been

:34:25.:34:28.

a huge plus. It has been integral to the campaign, and other people have

:34:29.:34:35.

pick up on it in the media. We saw them with T-shirts at the end of the

:34:36.:34:40.

Paul Jewell Portugal game with Diolch - Together, Stronger

:34:41.:34:46.

T-shirts. -- of the Portugal game. And Chris Coleman talking about,

:34:47.:34:49.

don't give up on your dreams. One teacher from a primary school work

:34:50.:34:54.

to me to say that he had used Chris Coleman's quotes to inspire his

:34:55.:35:03.

pupils. To show that success comes with failure on the way, sometimes.

:35:04.:35:06.

You would not mess with those Roman guards! Security is very tight in

:35:07.:35:15.

Cardiff today! The players now are going to make the grand entrance.

:35:16.:35:26.

And eventually they will be going on to weave their way through the

:35:27.:35:30.

streets of Cardiff on the open-top bus parade. And then there will be a

:35:31.:35:36.

special show, with the Manic Street Preachers headlining a concert for

:35:37.:35:39.

the fans, 33,000, at the Cardiff City Stadium.

:35:40.:35:47.

Ron, you have covered football for decades... Give us an idea of the

:35:48.:36:03.

near-misses, the failures? Oh, gosh. Too much pain. I did say earlier,

:36:04.:36:08.

awaited throughout my broadcasting core to cover Wales in an important

:36:09.:36:14.

match but I think that the one that I remember the most of all... Sorry,

:36:15.:36:21.

Ron, Chris Coleman. The man who led the nation to this success.

:36:22.:36:27.

Remarkable, really, when you think he contemplated quitting after a few

:36:28.:36:32.

games. Heavy defeats. Heavy defeats in Serbia. 6-1

:36:33.:36:38.

defeats. But look at him now, leading the squad out after making

:36:39.:36:42.

it so far in the European Championships.

:36:43.:36:46.

The players in red, clapping, applauding the fans.

:36:47.:36:55.

There are fans waving, the flags waving. They have waited many, many

:36:56.:37:04.

hours for this moment. And the players themselves, they

:37:05.:37:08.

wouldn't have had any #yd, really, what was happening at home.

:37:09.:37:13.

They had during the match days, and in the build up to the match, thank

:37:14.:37:19.

you very much very much aware of this huge band of followers, of the

:37:20.:37:25.

wall of red, as they dallied, the supporters in the stadiums. They

:37:26.:37:29.

would have had some indication that they were hugely supported back

:37:30.:37:32.

home. That there was great excitement at home at their

:37:33.:37:37.

achievement but it is probably only now it is brought home to them just

:37:38.:37:42.

what all of this has meant to everyone who supported them and to

:37:43.:37:45.

them themselves. They themselves now can feel a part of this with all of

:37:46.:37:51.

the supporters at home. It is overwhelming.

:37:52.:37:59.

It must be. Something, they have said that they

:38:00.:38:03.

will remember this for all of their lives. No matter what else they do

:38:04.:38:09.

in football, or in anything in their lives, they will be special. Gareth

:38:10.:38:13.

Bale a truly great player, playing on the world stage all of the time,

:38:14.:38:19.

not all of the players can say that but he can with Real Madrid. He does

:38:20.:38:24.

not get a single moment in a single day where he is peacefully left

:38:25.:38:29.

alone, he is a real star of the football stage. But he integrated

:38:30.:38:33.

himself into the team. Part of the team. Just another player, albeit a

:38:34.:38:44.

great one but even he, I think, will beally overwhelmed by what is

:38:45.:38:47.

happening. It is pretty special, to say the least.

:38:48.:38:53.

Great scenes here in Cardiff. And these pictures will go across

:38:54.:38:59.

the world in the same way that the country of Iceland welcomed their

:39:00.:39:03.

boys home. People will see Cardiff, the wonderful place it is, the

:39:04.:39:09.

castle in the background and these scenes.

:39:10.:39:12.

There he is, walking up the High Street.

:39:13.:39:15.

On to the buses. And a word about that man, Chris

:39:16.:39:21.

Coleman. He signed a new contract. The importance of continue youity?

:39:22.:39:25.

Paramount importance to continue youity. You mentioned the fact he

:39:26.:39:30.

had a difficult start to his career. Of course he did. He took over from

:39:31.:39:36.

Gary Speed, that was not easy. That period when they were losing

:39:37.:39:40.

matches, that was difficult. We did not have crowds in the stadium. But

:39:41.:39:45.

he lifted us. He showed us the vision of what could be achieved

:39:46.:39:51.

with the players he has. And others involved Brian Finn who managed to

:39:52.:39:54.

recruit the players, when they were younger than they are now, who

:39:55.:39:59.

brought them into the fold and now is paying dividends. But we need

:40:00.:40:04.

Chris Coleman to take us on to the next level.

:40:05.:40:10.

And the building blocks were put in place with John Toshack.

:40:11.:40:17.

We owe a lot to him. There was a sense of journey, a climax to the

:40:18.:40:21.

semi-finals, and there has been that from the beginning. What impressed

:40:22.:40:26.

me with Chris Coleman, there is often mind games, messing with the

:40:27.:40:31.

press, the players' minds but he is straightforward, down to earth,

:40:32.:40:34.

honest and transparent. It is refreshing.

:40:35.:40:44.

The thoughts of Karen and Ron Jones. You are watching the special

:40:45.:40:51.

coverage by the BBC of the homecoming of the weal football team

:40:52.:40:55.

after a long month in France. It started in Bordeaux many, many weeks

:40:56.:41:00.

ago. Take us back, how special was it to hear the National Anthem for

:41:01.:41:04.

the first time ever at a major tournament? We had arrived? 58 years

:41:05.:41:11.

later, we were there. And then who could have imagined where we would

:41:12.:41:16.

end up? We are were just glad to be there. This was the first match.

:41:17.:41:20.

Talking about the National Anthem, I have never seen so many players sing

:41:21.:41:27.

the anthem and sing it correctly. That was superb to see.

:41:28.:41:32.

And to hear it spontaneously. I would love to hear it in a rugby

:41:33.:41:36.

match. You might now.

:41:37.:41:45.

And now the players are on the bus. Jason Mohammed's father is

:41:46.:41:47.

apparently the bus driver! A great touch.

:41:48.:41:58.

No producer! -- no pressure. And any moment now I think that the

:41:59.:42:02.

bus is to start to make its way through the streets of Cardiff. The

:42:03.:42:06.

destination is the Cardiff City Stadium. They are passing the

:42:07.:42:22.

Principality Stadium. Chris Coleman said there were options to see games

:42:23.:42:28.

played. Where would you like to see the games played? I can see where

:42:29.:42:33.

Wales are coming from, they have seen a tradition here. With the fans

:42:34.:42:40.

coming through as they are, I can see where they are coming from. If

:42:41.:42:47.

the demand is such that you can fill the Principality Stadium, from a

:42:48.:42:52.

cultural, a spiritual point of view, it will be the right decision to

:42:53.:42:56.

stay near. They have done it in the past were

:42:57.:43:01.

playing Italy, Germany in qualifying matches. It can be done. It will be

:43:02.:43:05.

a temptation. We have the Republic of Ireland to

:43:06.:43:08.

play in the qualifying group for the World Cup. They will be bringing in

:43:09.:43:16.

supporters from Ireland. There will be the temptation there to maybe go

:43:17.:43:20.

to the Principality Stadium. Thank you.

:43:21.:43:28.

Now let's head down as the bus is starting to move, the two buses

:43:29.:43:32.

slowly making their way through the streets. Let's hand now to Kate

:43:33.:43:41.

Morgan on the ground. Hiya Kate? Yes, Thomas, thank you. Well the

:43:42.:43:45.

team have not long come from the castle. They are on the bus, heading

:43:46.:43:54.

down St Mary's Street. A really special moment, huge numbers of fans

:43:55.:44:00.

cheering, applauding. This is a fan who has come here today. What was it

:44:01.:44:05.

like to see the team a few moments ago? Fantastic. A big thank you,

:44:06.:44:12.

amazing, really good. You were saying you have been a

:44:13.:44:16.

football fan since being a little girl. Did you ever think there would

:44:17.:44:20.

be a day like this? Never in a million years did I think we would

:44:21.:44:24.

be in the semi-finals of the Euros. I think it is absolutely amazing. I

:44:25.:44:28.

think that they have done a wonderful job for Wales. Great

:44:29.:44:31.

ambassadors. Everyone that was out there had a wonderful time

:44:32.:44:35.

supporting them. Marvellous. What does it mean to you, you have

:44:36.:44:41.

travelled out to France, you have come back, your euro 2016 is over,

:44:42.:44:46.

how are you feeling? I know. We are so proud of them. We would have

:44:47.:44:50.

loved them to have gone all the way. They nearly did it. They did us

:44:51.:44:56.

proud. We tlorl enjoyed the journey with them. They have been great

:44:57.:45:03.

ambassadors. Very friendly. Friendly to the fans to the supporters and

:45:04.:45:09.

everybody out there was awesome. Amazing. We were so glad we went to

:45:10.:45:14.

Paris. We went to Toulouse, we enjoyed it so much. We stayed on, we

:45:15.:45:19.

went to Paris. It was just fantastic. If we could have, we

:45:20.:45:24.

would have stayed longer. I'm sure you would have! And together we are

:45:25.:45:31.

stronger, you feel a very much a part of this with the team?

:45:32.:45:37.

Definitely. We were out there. So were thousands of fans. I don't

:45:38.:45:41.

think there was anybody left in Wales. You felt that everybody was

:45:42.:45:45.

together. It did not matter what part of Wales you came from, north,

:45:46.:45:51.

south, Mid Wales, or even Welsh and lived in England. Some other

:45:52.:45:56.

country, it did not matter. We were all together.

:45:57.:46:00.

They are moving on now but seeing so many football fans, are you pleased

:46:01.:46:06.

to see so many out in the sport, and the support that it previous has not

:46:07.:46:13.

had? Yes. Even rugby, them supporting Wales, they have enjoyed

:46:14.:46:17.

it so much and now the supporters feel that they have a football team

:46:18.:46:22.

as well as a rugby team. I am glad to see football doing that as well

:46:23.:46:27.

as rugby. Really happy about that. And the Welsh football fans, are

:46:28.:46:32.

they going to head on more foreign trips? Yes.

:46:33.:46:37.

That will be amazing. We'll be there all the way.

:46:38.:46:45.

So this has been a lovely day to finish off a wonderful year and 2016

:46:46.:46:50.

Brilliant. Brilliant.

:46:51.:46:56.

It's been lovely go to the stadium. Brilliant, I will not keep you.

:46:57.:47:00.

You have to warm up to join the party. Enjoy it. Thank you very

:47:01.:47:02.

much. Thank you. I think that most of the

:47:03.:47:06.

fans are maybing their way as well. As soon as they come out, some of

:47:07.:47:10.

the fans made their way down the street. What they wanted to do was

:47:11.:47:16.

to get another place along the route to get another glimpse of the team.

:47:17.:47:20.

That is how popular they are. There is lots of chanting of Wales. Lots

:47:21.:47:26.

of singing Don't Take Me Home but no-one is sad. They are making the

:47:27.:47:31.

most of the party. They are enjoying themselves. This is a huge occasion.

:47:32.:47:35.

Four weeks ago, would have thought that they would be here celebrating

:47:36.:47:41.

this semi-final. Everyone is clearing. The sun is out in Cardiff

:47:42.:47:48.

City centre. It really is a wonderful party atmosphere. The

:47:49.:47:50.

sense from speaking to the fans is how much it means to them. How

:47:51.:47:56.

everybody is in this together. The backroom staff came out first, then

:47:57.:48:00.

the management came out and then the players. I get the sense that

:48:01.:48:03.

everybody is in this together. Nobody wants it to be over, they are

:48:04.:48:08.

making their way to the next part of the party, where you are, Thomas.

:48:09.:48:15.

Kate, thank you very much indeed. Well, the sun is breaking through.

:48:16.:48:20.

It is perfect timing. We saw the office work ears there at the

:48:21.:48:26.

windows. A good vantage point as the bus went past. The chanting, that

:48:27.:48:32.

song, Don't Take Me Home. The fans pleaded with the team, don't take me

:48:33.:48:37.

home, they wanted to stay in France as long as possible.

:48:38.:48:45.

The players there are with their cameras, they are taking selfies, a

:48:46.:48:48.

moment that they will acrish forever.

:48:49.:48:51.

Something to share with the family when they finally get home after

:48:52.:48:57.

this long summer month. This eventful summer. This footballing

:48:58.:49:02.

fairytale. Which no-one saw it coming, let's be honest.

:49:03.:49:05.

No-one predicted that Wales would reach the last four of a major

:49:06.:49:10.

tournament. Frankly, I never thought we would qualify.

:49:11.:49:20.

Wales finally performed on the big stage.

:49:21.:49:25.

Yea of little faith, Thomas. This is something that we learned. Often we

:49:26.:49:31.

lack confidence and self-belief. We didn't even have a fan zone.

:49:32.:49:36.

Suddenly there are tens of thousands of people piling in to watch the

:49:37.:49:40.

games. Sometimes you have to have more belief as a nation and as our

:49:41.:49:46.

team have shown us. The scenes when a goal was scored at

:49:47.:49:52.

the fan zones and gallons of beer... Beer showers. My brother was out in

:49:53.:50:01.

Lille when Ashley Williams put that goal in, he jumped so high he put

:50:02.:50:10.

his back into a spasm. It was the quality of of the

:50:11.:50:18.

football we played as well. We have managed to beat teams like

:50:19.:50:25.

Germany, Italy, we really can defend.

:50:26.:50:25.

Thank you very much. How much will this day in your mind

:50:26.:50:52.

now? Oh, for ever. The whole experience from the start of

:50:53.:51:14.

qualifying, to achieve it for the first time in 58 years we thought

:51:15.:51:18.

was special, but to do what we have done and reach the semis, we would

:51:19.:51:21.

not even have dreamt of that. We are trying to soak it in as much as

:51:22.:51:24.

possible and remember it for the rest of our lives. You have got a

:51:25.:51:27.

World Cup campaign coming up? Gap I think we deserve a few days to

:51:28.:51:30.

recover from this first before we start to think about that! Yes, as

:51:31.:51:32.

disappointing as it was the other night, we know that this is only the

:51:33.:51:35.

beginning. We are all of a really good age, and hopefully this will be

:51:36.:51:38.

a regular occurrence now. I do not want to embarrass you, but generally

:51:39.:51:40.

speaking, you were one of the stars of Euro 2016 for Wales- what kind of

:51:41.:51:43.

plaudits have you been getting? Yes, it is is always nice. I have always

:51:44.:51:47.

been confident in my ability, but to play at the highest level, like I

:51:48.:51:50.

have done, and to experience it for the first time, it is great. I have

:51:51.:51:54.

been pleased with how I have performed personally. More

:51:55.:51:58.

importantly, we are pleased that we have gone there as a squad and shown

:51:59.:52:04.

the identity of Welsh football and performed how we can. They say,

:52:05.:52:09.

don't take me home, you might have to go home soon? Yes. It is a shame

:52:10.:52:13.

at the moment. We have all thoroughly enjoyed the experience

:52:14.:52:17.

and the time we have spent with each other. We will probably get used to

:52:18.:52:22.

a couple of weeks of not seeing the lads. All the best. Enjoy. Thank

:52:23.:52:32.

you. That was James Chester. And Rob Phillips doing the interview. Rob

:52:33.:52:35.

has the best job this afternoon, mingling with a multimillionaire

:52:36.:52:40.

footballers on top of that bus. And we will be hearing more from them

:52:41.:52:47.

throughout the afternoon. Well, the crowds are pretty impressive, not

:52:48.:52:49.

only congregating in front of the castle, but all the way through the

:52:50.:53:02.

city of Cardiff here. Ashley Williams, Gareth Bale... Ashley

:53:03.:53:10.

Williams' performances during the campaign, a real captain. He was not

:53:11.:53:15.

going to be taken off in that game against Northern Ireland. He

:53:16.:53:19.

pleaded, I am OK, bass, don't take me off! It had been thought his

:53:20.:53:24.

tournament might be over after that shoulder injury. A real captain for

:53:25.:53:31.

Wales. Absolutely. And we never thought Joe Ledley would make it on

:53:32.:53:34.

time for the tournament. It is mind over muscle. Let's head now back to

:53:35.:53:45.

the centre of Cardiff, and in fact we can speak to Joe Allen on the

:53:46.:54:06.

bus. They Speak In Welsh. Let's head to Caroline Evans, who is on the

:54:07.:54:10.

ground. I have to say, I can hardly hear you down here. The atmosphere

:54:11.:54:18.

is buzzing. Just take a look around. Hundreds and hundreds of people now

:54:19.:54:24.

packing the scene. The reason they have come down here is because we

:54:25.:54:28.

have got this long, straight route. They are hoping for a really good

:54:29.:54:32.

view of the bus as it travels down through Cardiff. The last leg of the

:54:33.:54:37.

tour, it is going to come down this road, around the corner and onto the

:54:38.:54:41.

stadium. Just look of people lining the road. This is a real family

:54:42.:54:46.

affair down here. We have got the very young to the not so young, all

:54:47.:54:51.

joined together, sitting out in the sun and already cheering and making

:54:52.:54:55.

a noise. And the bus is not even close yet! Let's have a word with

:54:56.:55:00.

some of the fans. I hope you can hear them, because it is quite

:55:01.:55:05.

difficult for us to hear. Are you a football fan or have you just been

:55:06.:55:08.

caught up? No, I always love the football. But this has blown me

:55:09.:55:15.

away, it really has. It is stupid but I have got my house decorated

:55:16.:55:19.

and everything. It's not coming down until Monday, I don't care! We have

:55:20.:55:23.

really enjoyed it. That is the spirit of the event. And you, are

:55:24.:55:28.

you a football fan or are you caught up in the moment? No, I am a

:55:29.:55:33.

football fan as well. I was lucky enough to be out in Bordeaux for the

:55:34.:55:36.

opening game. The atmosphere was reminiscent of this, it was

:55:37.:55:40.

wall-to-wall Welsh and a great atmosphere. What was it like for

:55:41.:55:45.

you, that journey with the team, because of course they have been

:55:46.:55:50.

through thin times? Yes, but this is the time to enjoy the good times and

:55:51.:55:55.

make the most of it will stop you so proud of the players, they are

:55:56.:55:58.

brilliant ambassadors for our country and we are here to show our

:55:59.:56:03.

appreciation, really. Are you a football fan? Very much so. I

:56:04.:56:11.

remember 1958. There was nothing like this. Although we got to the

:56:12.:56:16.

quarterfinals in 1958, but there was no television coverage, as such. So,

:56:17.:56:22.

a golden moment to be enjoyed. Yes. I will hand you back now. This is a

:56:23.:56:32.

bit crazy, isn't it? It is, it shows how much it means to everyone in the

:56:33.:56:36.

whole country. We have had the backing of everyone. I would just

:56:37.:56:41.

like to say, this is a great opportunity for us to save thanks to

:56:42.:56:45.

the fans, because they have been with us from the start of the

:56:46.:56:48.

tournament. When you were a young boy dreaming of representing your

:56:49.:56:52.

country, was this how you imagined it would be? Yes, this is what you

:56:53.:56:57.

dream of as a kid. To do it in a major tournament and get to the

:56:58.:57:00.

semifinals, I think it has surpassed all expectations that the lads would

:57:01.:57:05.

have had. I think we are all very, very proud of what we have done, and

:57:06.:57:10.

we are hoping that this will be the benchmark for the future and we can

:57:11.:57:13.

look forward to more success. Now that you have had a taste of it, you

:57:14.:57:18.

want some more? Yes, of course. The beauty of this squad is, we are

:57:19.:57:22.

still relatively young and we have got the World Cup campaign to look

:57:23.:57:25.

forward to just around the corner. Hopefully we can keep the moment

:57:26.:57:29.

going which we have built up over the last couple of years. Go and

:57:30.:57:33.

enjoy yourself, go and meet your fans, you deserve it. Joe Allen, the

:57:34.:57:46.

metronome in the Wales midfield. Joe Allen keep things ticking over

:57:47.:57:49.

pretty nicely in that midfield, doesn't he? Very much so. Talking

:57:50.:57:54.

about the spirit of a club within an international side. Look at some of

:57:55.:57:59.

the great international sides in history, in any sport,m Edwards

:58:00.:58:03.

always said, felt like a club, not an international side. This is what

:58:04.:58:09.

Wales has. -- Gareth Edwards. Joe Allen, unloved by Liverpool? Not

:58:10.:58:14.

unloved, certainly not. Has not been able to break into the side as a

:58:15.:58:21.

regular starter. He got a few starts towards the end of the season.

:58:22.:58:30.

Simon, it is extraordinary, given what has happened in Welsh football?

:58:31.:58:35.

Exactly. Credit to everyone for coming out and supporting us. We

:58:36.:58:38.

could not have dreamed of something like this a couple of years ago.

:58:39.:58:42.

Credit to the manager and the team and the country for putting it

:58:43.:58:44.

together and achieving something like this. You watch this guy in

:58:45.:58:50.

training - how good was that goal he scored? Which one are you on about?

:58:51.:58:55.

Let's go for the second one! Brilliant, obviously he has done

:58:56.:58:58.

fantastic in this tournament. As we all have. He has really taken his

:58:59.:59:03.

moment, and that goal was very important for us. Hal Robson-Kanu,

:59:04.:59:09.

you have heard him singing your song? Yes, the support is

:59:10.:59:14.

unbelievable. There is a couple of hundred thousand people here, and

:59:15.:59:19.

obviously, it will be a pact stadium as well. I take it you are all big

:59:20.:59:30.

fans of the Manic Street Preachers? Yes, massive fans. You have both

:59:31.:59:34.

gone into this tournament sort of in the shop window, so what happens

:59:35.:59:39.

now? We have got to enjoy this moment and spend some time with our

:59:40.:59:42.

families, as we have not seen them for a while, take it all in and then

:59:43.:59:46.

I think we will go from there. I know it is not the time, but the

:59:47.:59:52.

offers have been pouring in - any thoughts on what next? Not at all.

:59:53.:59:57.

Once we have had a bit of a holiday, we will make a decision. I think you

:59:58.:00:02.

have both sorted yourselves out, though, haven't you? No, it is what

:00:03.:00:09.

it is. Like I said, we are just enjoying this moment. Have a great

:00:10.:00:17.

time. That was Simon Church, with Hal Robson-Kanu. Hal Robson-Kanu

:00:18.:00:23.

does not have a club at the moment. I think he will have one now! Can we

:00:24.:00:30.

assess his performance during the campaign, and that amazing goal...?

:00:31.:00:41.

With out much Jim, and all the more surprising I think because it came

:00:42.:00:44.

from him, of course. Wonderful goal. So, the bus is slowly making its way

:00:45.:01:02.

through the streets of Cardiff. Just getting your thoughts, Ron Jones, we

:01:03.:01:06.

were speaking earlier about past disappointments. We went past the

:01:07.:01:11.

Principality Stadium, the scene of heartache in 2003. I bet there are a

:01:12.:01:17.

lot of former players pleased but pretty gutted they were not given

:01:18.:01:19.

the opportunity to play on the biggest stage internationally? No

:01:20.:01:25.

doubt about it. We had great players over the years who have never got

:01:26.:01:28.

that opportunity. We spoke earlier about John Charles, Cliff Jones, the

:01:29.:01:36.

1958 team. But they did get there opportunity. There were other

:01:37.:01:39.

players in between those times - Ian Rush, wonderful, wonderful striker,

:01:40.:01:44.

probably the best in Europe of his time. Neville Southall, certainly

:01:45.:01:49.

for a period possibly the greatest goalkeeper in the world. Mark

:01:50.:01:55.

Hughes, Dean Saunders, Terry Yorath, you know, there are endless lists of

:01:56.:02:02.

Welsh players who were just not fortunate enough to play in the

:02:03.:02:05.

right team at the right time. And you can add to that elements of bad

:02:06.:02:09.

luck at times. Should have beaten Romania when we have that Doherty

:02:10.:02:15.

which struck the bar. It was the only penalty Paul ever missed in his

:02:16.:02:18.

life. Scored everyone before that and after that. It was the one

:02:19.:02:22.

penalty which he missed and we did not qualify. You have been away from

:02:23.:02:35.

the limelight, five weeks in Dinard, a very quiet place - did you ever

:02:36.:02:38.

expect that you would be grabbing the nation's attention in this way?

:02:39.:02:42.

No, we heard how much attention it was but not being able to see it,

:02:43.:02:47.

this is something we could not even have imagined. It's amazing to see

:02:48.:02:51.

so many people out here supporting us today. Is it a bit emotional as

:02:52.:02:57.

well? Yes, it is. Something we did probably not see Welsh football

:02:58.:03:01.

having for a while. But we are here now and we hope we can stay for a

:03:02.:03:05.

few years to come. Obviously, there was disappointment after the game

:03:06.:03:09.

against Portugal - but when you come back and see scenes like this, does

:03:10.:03:12.

it change you up a bit? Yes, of course it does. The disappointment

:03:13.:03:19.

of the Portugal game was there, but even the next morning we realised

:03:20.:03:24.

that we had something special. To be disappointed at losing in the

:03:25.:03:26.

semifinal shows how far we have come. Just seeing all the young

:03:27.:03:33.

children around the place, are you hoping that you will inspire the

:03:34.:03:39.

next generation? Yes, we hope so. Living in Wales, sometimes we have

:03:40.:03:42.

not had the players coming through, but I think now we have inspired a

:03:43.:03:47.

generation. You have got a party to enjoy - I will let you get on. That

:03:48.:03:57.

was Ben Davies. And a word about Ben Davies - in that first game against

:03:58.:04:01.

Slovakia, the opening couple of minutes, he did an amazing goal-line

:04:02.:04:04.

clearance, and things could have been different had that gone into

:04:05.:04:10.

the net? Very different indeed, Tomos. We could have been out of the

:04:11.:04:15.

tournament before we even started. But somehow or other, his

:04:16.:04:18.

anticipation was fantastic. Our goalkeeper was beaten. The ball

:04:19.:04:24.

seemed to be going into the net, and then apparently out of nowhere, Ben

:04:25.:04:28.

Davies disappeared and cleared it. We survived that and went on to win

:04:29.:04:33.

the game. As you rightly say, it could have been very, very

:04:34.:04:35.

different. Back to the bus, and Chris Coleman. They have been

:04:36.:04:42.

absolutely outstanding, they have been a credit. We never imagined it

:04:43.:04:45.

would be anything like this. Obviously, it makes us incredibly

:04:46.:04:50.

proud. You said when we were in France, you didn't realise, you were

:04:51.:04:54.

in a bubble - did you think it would be this sort of impact? No. We

:04:55.:05:00.

expected a nice welcome, but I think even when we came out of the

:05:01.:05:03.

airport, Cardiff airport, all away along the streets, it was amazing,

:05:04.:05:15.

incredible. We are very proud as a nation, and when we see these people

:05:16.:05:18.

and give them something to shout about, they want to shout. With your

:05:19.:05:22.

new contract, this is now going to be something to build on? Yes. No

:05:23.:05:27.

pressure, there! We have got to keep marching on. The one thing with this

:05:28.:05:33.

bunch of people that I am lucky enough to work with, is, they want

:05:34.:05:37.

to keep going forward. We can enjoy what we have achieved, but like the

:05:38.:05:42.

tournament, it was great that we got there in the first place, but

:05:43.:05:47.

quickly we forgot about that and it was all about concentrating on the

:05:48.:05:50.

next challenge. These boys are very good at doing that. Will Welsh

:05:51.:05:56.

football ever be the same again? Well, it is our job to make sure

:05:57.:06:00.

that it won't. It is our, who is whoever comes after me, to build on

:06:01.:06:04.

this. We have got a World Cup campaign, and it's all about that.

:06:05.:06:09.

We have just got to go into that with the same hunger and desire. We

:06:10.:06:14.

do that and we will be OK. 30,000 at the Cardiff City Stadium, thousands

:06:15.:06:18.

around the streets, just to watch a bus? Yes, I don't know where all of

:06:19.:06:24.

these people come from, to be honest. We are going into the

:06:25.:06:30.

stadium now. And the Manic Street Preachers are waiting for us, my

:06:31.:06:33.

favourite band. They have been great as well, we met. We are looking

:06:34.:06:38.

forward to seeing them. Our families are waiting for us. 30,000 screaming

:06:39.:06:43.

Welsh men and women and children - it does not get better than that.

:06:44.:06:46.

And you have got something big to look forward to, another one on the

:06:47.:06:51.

way, but this will leave with you for ever. Will you have some down

:06:52.:06:57.

time before Moldova? I'm not sure, Moldova will come around quickly. We

:06:58.:07:03.

have got August to prepare for the September one. But we have got a new

:07:04.:07:09.

addition to the family as well. Yet there is a lot of work for me to do

:07:10.:07:14.

in the summer. I am not really a lap top type of fella. But there will be

:07:15.:07:21.

some nappies, yes. Enjoy every second of it. You have brought

:07:22.:07:28.

delight to them. They have brought delight to us as well. I think our

:07:29.:07:32.

team brought something to the tournament. The way they conducted

:07:33.:07:38.

themselves, absolute credit. Thank you. Chris Coleman there, speaking

:07:39.:07:43.

to Rob Phillips. All the best with changing those nappies!

:07:44.:08:02.

Joining me now is Iwan Griffiths, the sports reporter for BBC Wales.

:08:03.:08:10.

What about the welcome the Wales players saved? Yes, the

:08:11.:08:14.

anticipation, the crowd... Ashley Williams on the bus.

:08:15.:08:30.

Could you ever have thought you would create such an impression on

:08:31.:08:37.

the bus? No, I don't think so. We obviously heard thing, saw a few

:08:38.:08:41.

videos but did not realise that everyone was so into it. It is just

:08:42.:08:47.

nice now to say thank you. What is your overriding feeling now?

:08:48.:08:52.

Your emotion? It emotional. One of pride, really. What the lads, what

:08:53.:08:56.

the staff have a achieved. To celebrate it with the fans like

:08:57.:09:01.

this, it makes me feel proud. And you are going to split up soon?

:09:02.:09:06.

I know, it will be weird. Like a divorce. But not too long. That's

:09:07.:09:12.

the good thing. Moldova is 60 days away? That's the boosy of it. It has

:09:13.:09:19.

been long time. Enjoyed it all. It was like a long school trip. We will

:09:20.:09:24.

be happy to see each other in a few weeks' time. Then again for the

:09:25.:09:28.

World Cup. How important is it to build on what you are seen here

:09:29.:09:35.

today? Massively important. We need to use the experience of this

:09:36.:09:38.

tournament and try to take it to the next campaign.

:09:39.:09:43.

Imagine if you had won it? We just said that

:09:44.:09:47.

Something for Russia? Hopefully another one of these.

:09:48.:09:51.

With the trophy would be nice. On a personal note, you have to have

:09:52.:09:56.

a break ready for a big season ahead again? Yeah, yeah, a little break.

:09:57.:10:04.

The gaffer has been texting me to tell us the date when we are back

:10:05.:10:09.

in. So some down time and recharge the batteries and then go again.

:10:10.:10:13.

And finally, how to sum up what happened in the last six, seven,

:10:14.:10:19.

eight weeks? It's hard to put it into words. It has been a whirlwind.

:10:20.:10:24.

Something that we are immensely proud of. Enjoyed every minute of

:10:25.:10:28.

it. Something that we will remember for all of our lives.

:10:29.:10:32.

All the best. Thank you.

:10:33.:10:37.

Ashley Williams, the captain of Wales, comparing this to a school

:10:38.:10:42.

trip! The best school trip ever. If you ask me. How is this, Gareth?

:10:43.:10:49.

Very special. Seeing what it means to the whole

:10:50.:10:53.

country. Obviously it is nice to say a little thank you for supporting

:10:54.:10:56.

us, being there with us for the journey. Amazing scenes. One we will

:10:57.:11:02.

never forget. When you were growing up as a

:11:03.:11:06.

youngster, did you ever think Welsh football would do this? Maybe not.

:11:07.:11:10.

It was obviously the dream, the dream of many but yeah, we have

:11:11.:11:14.

definitely fulfilled our potential. I still believe we have more to give

:11:15.:11:17.

as well. Is that right? I mean that is the

:11:18.:11:20.

important thing now? Yeah, definitely. We are a young team,

:11:21.:11:25.

reasonable. We have our primes to come. Hopefully keep the confidence

:11:26.:11:31.

up, keep going as a team, there is no reason not to achieve more.

:11:32.:11:37.

To go out at the semi-final was it a bit of a disappointment? Definitely.

:11:38.:11:42.

Especially after the games, so close to the final, so close to the

:11:43.:11:45.

trophy. It is obviously disappointing. But looking back on

:11:46.:11:50.

it, reflecting on the defeat, you see what you achieved as a country,

:11:51.:11:53.

as a nation. Yes, you see what it means to the

:11:54.:11:57.

fans. Eve within everything you have done

:11:58.:12:01.

in the game, these sorts of events, this event will forever live in the

:12:02.:12:07.

memory? Yeah, definitely. . Especially to be the Welsh National

:12:08.:12:11.

team, in Wales, it is an incredible feeling. No prouder honour.

:12:12.:12:16.

Putting on the red T-shirt for Wales, to share it with the fans

:12:17.:12:19.

today it is incredible. You have brought a lot of pleasure

:12:20.:12:22.

to a lot of people. I try to do my best. The same as all

:12:23.:12:27.

of us. We work together as a team. We do whatever we can to help each

:12:28.:12:31.

other. Yeah, that is including the fans.

:12:32.:12:35.

Now, tell me, what is the secret, and what does that guy next to you,

:12:36.:12:41.

Ashley Williams, say to you before each game? He just gives that great

:12:42.:12:50.

motivation, that speech we need to calm the nerves, to calm the nerves,

:12:51.:12:54.

an incredible leader. Incredible to have him on our team. Gareth Bale,

:12:55.:13:00.

no prouder honour than wearing the Welsh T-shirt. No doubting his

:13:01.:13:06.

passion. But we have been interrupted twice, third time lucky.

:13:07.:13:11.

Or maybe not... A quick word with Aaron Ramsey.

:13:12.:13:15.

Long time mates but this is special, isn't it? Of course, we have had

:13:16.:13:22.

down days. But this team has been through a lot.

:13:23.:13:26.

We have shown what we are capable of doing. We are proud to be Welsh. You

:13:27.:13:30.

can see the support, it is phenomenal.

:13:31.:13:34.

Chris, you you are good with words, sum it up for me? It has been hard.

:13:35.:13:39.

It will take a while to settle in. We have been in a bubble for the

:13:40.:13:47.

last six weeks or so. I think over today, tonight, over the next week

:13:48.:13:51.

or so, it will soon settle in. But it is hard to.

:13:52.:13:56.

We have worked so hard for this. Firstly to qualify for the

:13:57.:13:59.

tournament. Then to go there and make the mark that we did.

:14:00.:14:05.

It is down to so many people it is nice to say thank you. But it means

:14:06.:14:11.

the world to does. I'm amazed speaking to a few of you,

:14:12.:14:15.

you are taken aback at the impact it has made? Yeah, as we have been

:14:16.:14:20.

away, we have not seen the impact back here, we have not experienced

:14:21.:14:26.

it back here. We have heard from families, the atmosphere, and

:14:27.:14:29.

everybody has been pen foamal but to experience it like this. It is

:14:30.:14:33.

pretty special. Are you over missing the semi-final?

:14:34.:14:38.

Obviously I'm really gutted but it weren't meant to be. But we had a

:14:39.:14:42.

fantastic tournament. We can be proud of what we achieved.

:14:43.:14:46.

Tell me about the World Cup campaign now? Before we know it we will be

:14:47.:14:51.

meeting back up. There will be another campaign to get through. But

:14:52.:14:56.

I don't think there is any way we will let this go and not use it and

:14:57.:15:02.

build on it. These are now the foundations for what we want to do

:15:03.:15:06.

over the next number of years. We won't be able to not use this

:15:07.:15:12.

experience and this momentum that we will now have.

:15:13.:15:16.

It is important to start well. Soon this will be in the distant

:15:17.:15:21.

past so it is important to enjoy it whilst we're in it.

:15:22.:15:24.

The World Cup campaign? Yeah, very much looking forward to it now. We

:15:25.:15:28.

have had a great campaign. We have to build on this. To be successful.

:15:29.:15:33.

To keep repeating that now. So it will be important to get off to a

:15:34.:15:37.

good start. But we are going to enjoy moments like this today. They

:15:38.:15:41.

don't come along often in your career. We are taking this in but

:15:42.:15:45.

looking forward to the World Cup campaign.

:15:46.:15:51.

That hiccup worked out well, didn't it? I -- That haircut worked out

:15:52.:16:02.

well? Yes, well, I'm sorry to some of the parents, I have heard it has

:16:03.:16:11.

meant a few changes. That sham pew. It cost thousands!

:16:12.:16:20.

And the last one, Joe Ledley, otherwise engaged? Yeah, Joe Ledley,

:16:21.:16:26.

he can't be here. He is a massive fan. We've been texting him. It is a

:16:27.:16:31.

shame we can't get to see his dancing skills.

:16:32.:16:40.

Who is stepping in ah? I think that the gaffer is doing a little dance

:16:41.:16:43.

tonight. Terrific guys, thanks.

:16:44.:16:49.

Aaron Ramsey and Chris Gunter. Aaron Ramsey oblivious to the support back

:16:50.:16:54.

home until today. I don't know about you but I suspect there will be a

:16:55.:17:01.

shampoo advert around the corner for Aaron Ramsey! Here are the scenes

:17:02.:17:05.

now. The support is still there on the streets.

:17:06.:17:15.

With the words "Diolch" and "together we are stronger."

:17:16.:17:25.

Well, what a remarkable afternoon for the Wales players and the fans.

:17:26.:17:33.

Let's head to Caroline Evans. Hi, Caroline.

:17:34.:17:39.

Well, they said it was a party to which all were invited. I think that

:17:40.:17:46.

everyone has come! We have been watching as the fans have been

:17:47.:17:51.

pouring down the street. Walking ahead of the bus, heading to the

:17:52.:17:55.

stadium. Not willing to be left behind. Wanting to stay with the

:17:56.:17:59.

moment. We think that they are parting. We can just see the bus in

:18:00.:18:04.

the distance. It's a long road this. This is why so many have gathered,

:18:05.:18:08.

to give themselves the best chance of being able to grab that moment.

:18:09.:18:12.

That selfie, or just absorb the golden moment. Have a look now. I

:18:13.:18:17.

think you may be able to see in the distance... The top of the bus

:18:18.:18:25.

coming down. And the crowd, the crowd they can see it. As you can

:18:26.:18:32.

hear, they are coming out with the chants. Here it comes. There is an

:18:33.:18:38.

outrider ahead of it. A white Land Rover. The crowds being moved to the

:18:39.:18:42.

side of the road to make room for the bus. Let's have a word with

:18:43.:18:47.

someone here. To see what you are waiting for, who are you hoping to

:18:48.:18:52.

see? I'm hoping to see Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Ashley Williams.

:18:53.:18:56.

OK. Well a special moment for you. I know that you are a football fan?

:18:57.:19:03.

The first game of watching Wales was in 1986. Then Wales v Brazil. And

:19:04.:19:12.

Kelly made had is debut. So I go back a long, long way.

:19:13.:19:16.

This must be so special? Very special. So many ups and downs, and

:19:17.:19:23.

disappointments in the as and the '90s. Now, this is incredible. A

:19:24.:19:27.

wonderful achievement. Who are you hoping to see on the

:19:28.:19:32.

bus? Everyone! They have all been incredible. We have said it is a

:19:33.:19:36.

team and they have about. There are some who stick out a little bit but

:19:37.:19:41.

nearly the team effort has been superb.

:19:42.:19:45.

That is it, really. It has been a huge team effort. And Wales has

:19:46.:19:49.

turned out for this party. It is creeping closer. The crowd behind me

:19:50.:19:54.

breaking into song. They are so excited. Go on, then, lads. Give us

:19:55.:19:58.

a song. # Mae hen wlad fy nhadau

:19:59.:20:15.

yn annwyl i mi # Gwlad beirdd a chantorion,

:20:16.:20:18.

enwogion o fri # Ei gwrol ryfelwyr,

:20:19.:20:20.

gwladgarwyr tra mad Here, there are the people behind

:20:21.:20:36.

us. All waiting. Creeping forward as far as the police will allow them.

:20:37.:20:40.

Everybody is dying to catch that glimpse of the bus. They seemed to

:20:41.:20:44.

have paused a minute. Let's go in the other direction to take a look.

:20:45.:20:51.

I think that they must be pausing for more selfies. Perhaps we will

:20:52.:20:52.

come back to you as it gets closer. What a beautiful rendition. The sun

:20:53.:21:14.

is now out to welcome the Wales team. What a welcome at the airport

:21:15.:21:26.

earlier. It was wonderful. The FAW, they have choreographed every single

:21:27.:21:31.

moment of today, starting from the airport and the rifle. Just

:21:32.:21:37.

interrupt you again, we can go back to the bus. The preparation and the

:21:38.:21:48.

hard work, the spirit has meant that they had a number leave double

:21:49.:21:53.

campaign. They captured the hearts of many a nation and people

:21:54.:21:58.

worldwide. We are really proud of what they have achieved. This is

:21:59.:22:03.

something special and everybody is enjoying the moment. Did you ever

:22:04.:22:08.

think you would see this day? Not really. Not really. But we believed

:22:09.:22:14.

in the players and believed they could do well. But they have

:22:15.:22:18.

surpassed any expectations that most people had for this group, but we

:22:19.:22:23.

knew what they were capable of and they are capable of more. Hopefully

:22:24.:22:28.

it's the first of many. The support we've had in France and back home

:22:29.:22:33.

has been amazing. We were in France in a bubble and we were not really

:22:34.:22:36.

aware of what was happening. But this brings it home. This bus driver

:22:37.:22:43.

is really enjoying the brake! We will have to be careful, but it will

:22:44.:22:48.

not spoil the enjoyment. We look forward to getting to the stadium.

:22:49.:22:54.

Tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands here today. What about all

:22:55.:22:58.

the others around Wales who have been supporting you. It's been

:22:59.:23:03.

remarkable, the support here, and across the nation, all areas of

:23:04.:23:08.

Wales and the support in France has been fantastic and something we will

:23:09.:23:12.

always treasure. We went on a journey together. The staff have

:23:13.:23:19.

worked so hard behind the scenes, the players, and then the supporters

:23:20.:23:23.

who got to friends, and also those who didn't make it have supported

:23:24.:23:27.

wholeheartedly back in Wales. We have appreciated that

:23:28.:23:33.

wholeheartedly. Hopefully it means the next generation of young

:23:34.:23:36.

children will be ready to do this and repeat this for Wales for many

:23:37.:23:41.

years. Enjoy the party. Keep an eye on Wayne Hennessey, he might be

:23:42.:23:45.

falling off, this driver really likes the brakes!

:23:46.:23:56.

Speaking there to Chris Coleman's assistant, Mr Roberts, he doesn't

:23:57.:24:02.

get much limelight, Chris Coleman gets most of it, but he was an

:24:03.:24:07.

important part of the backroom team. He was brought in during the reign

:24:08.:24:11.

of Gary Speed. Chris Coleman knew what he was capable of and was keen

:24:12.:24:21.

to keep hold of Roberts, not only the first team with this bunch of

:24:22.:24:26.

stars, but he also does the hard work behind the scenes with the

:24:27.:24:30.

children, bringing them through as well, which will be crucial as we

:24:31.:24:36.

move on and develop in the future and working towards 2018. He also

:24:37.:24:44.

does wonderful work with coaches down at the centre of excellent in

:24:45.:24:50.

Newport. They are bringing new cultures through and also working

:24:51.:24:59.

with a host of stars. Wales is now seen as a centre of excellence when

:25:00.:25:02.

it comes to getting these managers through. We have seen Aaron Ramsey

:25:03.:25:06.

and Chris Gunter they're talking about it. We can chat with Wayne

:25:07.:25:15.

Hennessey, the goalkeeper. He's away with his wedding, that's much more

:25:16.:25:19.

important. We can't hear from him, but how good is that? It's

:25:20.:25:25.

fantastic. I promised I would Face time him for the supporters. There

:25:26.:25:38.

is Joe Ledley! What the little one called, do you know? It's Layla. You

:25:39.:25:51.

couldn't leave him out of this party. He is sadly missed at the

:25:52.:25:56.

moment by the boys and the supporters. The best we can do is

:25:57.:26:06.

Facetime him and share this. We can only thank all the supporters for

:26:07.:26:10.

being here and supporting us all the way. We are all looking forward for

:26:11.:26:17.

a few weeks' time, joining up, being with the squad and staff. We have

:26:18.:26:22.

some fantastic times to come and hopefully we are on the way up. Have

:26:23.:26:25.

a fantastic night. Wayne Hennessey there. And Joe

:26:26.:26:38.

Ledley, but I suspect Layla stole the show. In Ibiza, ready for an

:26:39.:26:49.

important day, his wedding. People have sacrificed so much, given their

:26:50.:26:55.

all for this Wales campaign. We saw a few months ago from the eye in the

:26:56.:27:03.

sky in the helicopter, the coaches are not too far from the Cardiff

:27:04.:27:06.

City Stadium. The crowds are building. We can head back to the

:27:07.:27:22.

bus. In fact... Let's talk to Mr Jones. Remarkable scenes behind you,

:27:23.:27:28.

the crowds gathering already. I just whispered to Carolyn that there are

:27:29.:27:32.

more people here now than actually used a watch them play. That's how

:27:33.:27:37.

far they have come in the last few years. What we really have to do, as

:27:38.:27:44.

some of the players and officials have said, this has to be a starting

:27:45.:27:50.

point. It's not the end. We have done so well. It's been great, could

:27:51.:27:54.

have possibly done with one more match may be! But this has to be the

:27:55.:28:00.

starting point for World Cup qualification, for another European

:28:01.:28:03.

Championships, so it becomes almost automatic. And also a starting point

:28:04.:28:09.

for the fans. They are here today and need to be here on the 5th of

:28:10.:28:13.

September when Moldova play. It would be great if

:28:14.:28:24.

they travelled to Austria as well. But the home games at this stadium,

:28:25.:28:29.

and they are keen to stay at the Cardiff City Stadium, Chris Coleman

:28:30.:28:31.

said it at the press conference this morning in Dinard, it's their home

:28:32.:28:34.

and they need to pack it out. You talk about the future of football

:28:35.:28:38.

but little ones here will have only seen the success and achievement.

:28:39.:28:42.

Imagine how that will inspire them. When they go to kick a ball in the

:28:43.:28:47.

park or go to school on Monday. They will want to be Bale and Ramsey.

:28:48.:28:52.

That's how we all learned to play, that's what captured our

:28:53.:28:56.

imagination. Development from a young age is important. We saw Chris

:28:57.:29:02.

Gunter and Aaron Ramsey and they played together at Cardiff, Joe

:29:03.:29:06.

Ledley as well. They are friends and that comes over on the pitch, they

:29:07.:29:10.

genuinely enjoy each other's company. If things go wrong it's

:29:11.:29:16.

easier to get together. It's happening again, just interrupt you

:29:17.:29:24.

and go to Caroline Evans. What excitement down here you can see I

:29:25.:29:29.

am surrounded by the fans as they are flooding past. The noise as the

:29:30.:29:35.

bus went past was incredible. The chanting and singing, just such an

:29:36.:29:41.

atmosphere. You can see they don't want it to end. They are all making

:29:42.:29:52.

their way to the stadium. Many of them have walked from town, they

:29:53.:29:59.

don't want this to be over. Above us, the helicopter is flying. The

:30:00.:30:03.

bus is now just leaving our vision and going into the underpass. The

:30:04.:30:12.

players are on top of the bus, the teams who have worked with them, and

:30:13.:30:18.

the crowds are just following them. The end of the journey, but not,

:30:19.:30:24.

they say, the end. Because this will go on. They said it was a party to

:30:25.:30:29.

which everyone was invited and clearly we have all turned out to

:30:30.:30:34.

welcome them home. And the fun goes on down at the stadium now, just

:30:35.:30:40.

down the road. Even if they haven't got tickets, everybody heading that

:30:41.:30:46.

way. Not long to go now. In a few minutes we will see the bus entering

:30:47.:30:54.

the Cardiff City Stadium. Some amazing scenes. Who would have

:30:55.:30:59.

guessed when you left for Dinard and spent five weeks at their training

:31:00.:31:03.

base that they would leave as heroes and come so close to winning the

:31:04.:31:08.

whole thing. Apparently Gareth Bale new, didn't he? He didn't put

:31:09.:31:11.

anything until After the Final Whistle. The majority thought that

:31:12.:31:21.

with that group they could get to a quarterfinal. That in itself would

:31:22.:31:25.

have been an achievement. Similar scenes to these would have been

:31:26.:31:29.

seen. Time to speak to James Collins. 49 caps now. I thought it

:31:30.:31:43.

was 50 to be honest. But we have big games ahead so hopefully I can hit

:31:44.:31:53.

50. You want 50, no thought in your mind of not retiring, but you know

:31:54.:31:58.

what I mean. I have never thought of retiring. I want to get to 50 caps,

:31:59.:32:07.

it would be a huge achievement. It's been an unbelievable journey.

:32:08.:32:16.

James Collins, he certainly enjoyed himself after the semifinal,

:32:17.:32:22.

pictured walking out of the team hotel in Lyon with a pint glass the

:32:23.:32:29.

morning after the night before. The stewards are ready. Fans are waiting

:32:30.:32:34.

patiently here. Some arrived a few hours ago to get a decent vantage

:32:35.:32:38.

point of the players. Throughout the day we have seen cars with flags

:32:39.:32:45.

around the city centre. We can head back to the bus and try again with

:32:46.:32:51.

James Collins. It's a special team and a special squad, to be part of

:32:52.:32:57.

it is to be part of something special. We have had a lot of dark

:32:58.:33:02.

days with Wales. Hardly any fans, so this is great to enjoy this. Your

:33:03.:33:07.

club manager Slaven Bilic was full of praise when you qualified. I have

:33:08.:33:12.

spoke to the boss, he has managed internationals so he knows what it

:33:13.:33:16.

means to us. He's delighted for us. To have one of his players do this

:33:17.:33:21.

with the national team is great. He has been spot on. See you next

:33:22.:33:24.

season in a Wales shirt. 100%. Some real noise here, the helicopter

:33:25.:33:37.

in the sky giving some great pictures. We now know that the bus

:33:38.:33:46.

is not too far. We can head back to the bus. Sam Vokes. We were in a bit

:33:47.:33:52.

of a bubble but coming back, you see what it means to the people here.

:33:53.:33:58.

Did you have any inkling what was happening back in Wales? You get

:33:59.:34:01.

messages and see photos, but until you get here and see the streets

:34:02.:34:05.

lined with people, it's amazing. Great to see the nation come

:34:06.:34:10.

together. So many children as well. Do you think you have inspired these

:34:11.:34:16.

kids, girls and boys, to start playing football with their friends?

:34:17.:34:20.

Of course. That's a massive thing. The next generation coming through.

:34:21.:34:25.

We have inspired these kids and they could go on to bigger things. That

:34:26.:34:30.

stadium on the 5th of September when you face Moldova, it will be rammed

:34:31.:34:34.

once again. Of course. We have seen in past campaigns when we haven't

:34:35.:34:40.

had fans in the ground, but seeing this today, I'm sure they will be

:34:41.:34:46.

there to watch us. It's not just this, 33,000 fans are waiting for

:34:47.:34:51.

you in your home, Cardiff City Stadium. It's amazing. The lads

:34:52.:34:56.

can't wait to get in there and see what it's like. It's a brilliant

:34:57.:35:00.

day. We have seen some interesting videos in the last few weeks. The

:35:01.:35:05.

most interesting recently is a half naked Haka from the boys. Any

:35:06.:35:09.

similar antics this evening? It could be anything, you never know.

:35:10.:35:14.

It's been a fantastic trip and a great squad to be part of. Enjoy in

:35:15.:35:19.

this, something to savour for the rest of your life? Of course,

:35:20.:35:27.

special memories and moments. Is it starting to sink in what you have

:35:28.:35:32.

really achieved? It is now. When you are out there you are involved in

:35:33.:35:37.

the games. It's very con fined, but to come back and start to reflect

:35:38.:35:41.

and it has been a great trip. We have had a great trip with you as

:35:42.:35:45.

well. Our behalf of everyone, Diolch.

:35:46.:35:50.

# This is a BBC Wales special, bringing you coverage of homecoming

:35:51.:35:57.

of the Wales football team after the successes of euro 2016.

:35:58.:36:04.

Jonathan Ford, the chief executive of the FAW is talking to Rob

:36:05.:36:08.

Phillips. The fans have demonstrated it was

:36:09.:36:12.

all worth it. Unbelievable scenes in Cardiff. Tens of thousands of people

:36:13.:36:17.

on the street. A great party it will be. What a

:36:18.:36:21.

fantastic celebration of our success at the European Championships.

:36:22.:36:25.

How much pressure is there on you now to build on this?

:36:26.:36:29.

PROBLEM WITH SOUND.

:36:30.:36:39.

Well, we have lost Jonathan Ford there. Probably the cameras hit some

:36:40.:36:45.

branches. He did well to duck there! He will have a real onon his hands.

:36:46.:36:52.

Things have to be can tallised on this? Very much so. And kids need

:36:53.:37:00.

heroes. Maybe they have too many celebrity heroes but sporting heros

:37:01.:37:05.

are the best. If you switch on to the benefits of sport, the fitness,

:37:06.:37:10.

well being and the ethical values, the importance of working in a team.

:37:11.:37:17.

The values that we learn from that. This is what teamwork is about. Get

:37:18.:37:24.

out there kids, get into the park, kick aball around, you are our

:37:25.:37:28.

future. Can sport bring human nature

:37:29.:37:32.

together? Absolutely. We have seen how diverse and divided we are.

:37:33.:37:36.

Jonathan Ford is back on the bus. . The passion with the stadium and

:37:37.:37:43.

with other events, we will see how it goes.

:37:44.:37:46.

Do you have to play a game there before the Champions League final?

:37:47.:37:52.

We would like to play a game there and set the stadium up in a

:37:53.:37:55.

footballing environment. We will definitely do one match there. But

:37:56.:37:59.

it does not have to be a World Cup qualifier? No, it doesn't. It could

:38:00.:38:03.

be a friendly. Sum up your emotions sitting here on

:38:04.:38:07.

top of the bus in the lovely sunshine in the centre of Cardiff

:38:08.:38:12.

with all of these people around you? It made the hard work worthwhile. I

:38:13.:38:17.

will relax. Heading back to Paris to see the final. All of the games have

:38:18.:38:24.

been unbelievable. What a run. What a fantastic tournament, a fantastic

:38:25.:38:28.

year. Next year, world Champions League final! All the best.

:38:29.:38:32.

Thank you. There we go. The Cardiff City

:38:33.:38:36.

Stadium is bathed in summer sunshine.

:38:37.:38:41.

Any moment now that bus will make its journey there.

:38:42.:38:45.

You can see the fans there. They are waiting to greet their

:38:46.:38:50.

heroes. Carolyn, we were talking about the job that Jonathan Ford has

:38:51.:38:53.

on his hands to capitalise on the success. This is not a one-off?

:38:54.:38:58.

There has to be a legacy. In many way it is is the attitude that the

:38:59.:39:04.

team have shown that we can take something from, whatever era in

:39:05.:39:08.

life, politic ticks, meetafter, education. You look at the team, you

:39:09.:39:13.

see the belief, the organisation, the wreck nation of what the

:39:14.:39:17.

identity and the culture of theirs means to them. You were talking

:39:18.:39:24.

about the attitudes as well. Being in Dinard... Sorry, let's go

:39:25.:39:28.

back to the bus. We have been in a bubble for a few

:39:29.:39:32.

weeks. It is nice to celebrate properly with the fans. They have

:39:33.:39:36.

been fantastic all the way through. A special moment for us.

:39:37.:39:42.

We all mention the bubble in Dinard but social media kept you in touch.

:39:43.:39:47.

Did you have any idea you would get this reception? Thousands upon

:39:48.:39:51.

thousands of people lining the streets? No, I don't think any of us

:39:52.:39:56.

did, to be honest. God knows what would have happened if we had won

:39:57.:40:03.

it. The fannens have been amazing. I can't thank them enough for their

:40:04.:40:07.

support. When we were out in France it really helped. Being together as

:40:08.:40:11.

a team, as a nation, it has been extra special. To be home and to

:40:12.:40:15.

celebrate it is amazing. It is odd when five years ago less

:40:16.:40:20.

than 10,000 people were coming to watch Wales. I think if you could

:40:21.:40:29.

find tickets, it may be a problem now? Yeah, the manager, the back

:40:30.:40:35.

room guys, they have to take full credit for what they have done. It's

:40:36.:40:43.

a perfect blend. A great team. We have deserved, let's hope we can

:40:44.:40:46.

enjoy it. Talk us through that, it is not just

:40:47.:40:52.

the men on the pitch? No. The gaffer has done an amazing job to carry us

:40:53.:40:57.

through. It is a special group. Hopefully we can stay together for a

:40:58.:41:01.

few more groups. I'm glad you are being nice about

:41:02.:41:06.

Chris Coleman, he is standing behind you! It is a momentous night and

:41:07.:41:11.

lots of celebrating to be done. Yes. It's been a long time since

:41:12.:41:17.

identify been home. We have looked forward to the moment. We have

:41:18.:41:21.

worked hard to get to the finals of a major championship. We have done

:41:22.:41:24.

that. We were disappointed to lose in the

:41:25.:41:30.

end but yeah... What can I say. One word to describe this? Oh...

:41:31.:41:37.

Fantastic! Amazing. Enjoy the celebrations, you all

:41:38.:41:42.

deserve it. Johnny Williams. We saw the red

:41:43.:41:49.

carpet out on the pitch. Later on tonight a treat for you.

:41:50.:41:54.

We have seen the fans, the players and the presenters, Gethin Jones,

:41:55.:41:58.

what can we expect? It is a celebration going on behind us.

:41:59.:42:03.

Phenomenon alto see the red wail, as the players call it.

:42:04.:42:09.

It has probably been the slowest journey to the Cardiff City Stadium

:42:10.:42:14.

but they are milking the moments and so they should be. Tonight a

:42:15.:42:23.

concert, the Manic Street Preachers are performing. So one big party

:42:24.:42:28.

tonight, for sure. Ant great scenes, Gethin. The bus is

:42:29.:42:33.

slowly approaching the stadium. You have been a football fan for many

:42:34.:42:36.

years, this is special? It is incredible. What the boys have done

:42:37.:42:41.

is sensational. They have been brilliant on and off the pitch. I

:42:42.:42:44.

was lucky enough to be out in France. The way that they were, the

:42:45.:42:49.

relationship with the fans, it has been brilliant for the Welsh

:42:50.:42:53.

language, incredible for the younger generation of footballers and

:42:54.:42:56.

sportsmen who want to play for their country.

:42:57.:43:05.

We have seen the words, "Diolch" and "together we are stronger" it is

:43:06.:43:10.

more than just a buzzword it is a phrase? They have all bought into

:43:11.:43:15.

that. And Gareth Bale, he knows that. They

:43:16.:43:23.

have packed a punch. We can be incredibly proud of them.

:43:24.:43:29.

To see them out there, do this. And I tell you, we genuinely looked

:43:30.:43:34.

disappointed after losing in the semi-final. That shows how far we

:43:35.:43:40.

have come. And the police outriders are there?

:43:41.:43:44.

Am I late? Get on with it. Nice to see you.

:43:45.:43:50.

So, the police outriders have stopped. The coaches are now just

:43:51.:43:55.

metres away from the Cardiff City Stadium.

:43:56.:44:04.

We hear the fans chanting "Wales, Wales, don't take me home" on the

:44:05.:44:16.

pitch a giant red stripe and the Menorah of the show, the Wales

:44:17.:44:20.

football tale. One of the things that strikes me

:44:21.:44:25.

now, I wonder what the players think of this. They might have had an idea

:44:26.:44:30.

of what the support is like and their reaction was like here at home

:44:31.:44:34.

but this really now, it has brought it home to them with a vengeance

:44:35.:44:40.

hasn't it? Yes, and the crowds responding as they approach. I have

:44:41.:44:44.

a tear in my eye. It is really emotional to finally see them within

:44:45.:44:48.

touching distance and look at the reaction that they are getting. This

:44:49.:44:50.

is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. There are the police on horseback

:44:51.:45:13.

leading the way, clearing the route. The players are responding to the

:45:14.:45:25.

applause from the crowds. Many starved of success for years

:45:26.:45:31.

and years. Decades of despair. Years of near-misses but finally,

:45:32.:45:35.

the summer of 2016 will be remembered as the football

:45:36.:45:38.

fairytale. Ewan, you have been following the

:45:39.:45:42.

team for many weeks now. This means a lot? This comes down to the way

:45:43.:45:49.

that the FAW have been in touch with crowds at home as well.

:45:50.:45:54.

How they have punt the Reiches of Gareth Bale in the press conferences

:45:55.:45:57.

on the weekly basis and we have heard from the stars. That is the

:45:58.:46:03.

only way that the fans then can get to know the players. The way that

:46:04.:46:09.

they conduct themselves. We have been talking about role models, Neil

:46:10.:46:15.

Taylor and Chris Gunter, how they came out in one press conference,

:46:16.:46:20.

they are so eloquent. That in itself is something that people have seen

:46:21.:46:25.

over the last few weeks. The supporters are really getting in

:46:26.:46:29.

touch to respond to that, not just as footballers but to these menace

:46:30.:46:31.

individuals. -- But to these men as individuals.

:46:32.:46:50.

And there Aaron Ramsey is waving at the crowds. The coach is at a stand

:46:51.:46:55.

still at the moment. They are to head into the stadium.

:46:56.:46:59.

And the stadium is absolutely packed. Everybody with cameras

:47:00.:47:04.

phones. There will be a moment for the players to meet up with their

:47:05.:47:07.

families inside before tonight's concert. A special party that starts

:47:08.:47:13.

at 6.30pm live here on BBC One Wales.

:47:14.:47:22.

The Manic Street Preachers. One of the acts, and of course they

:47:23.:47:27.

sang the official anthem to the campaign.

:47:28.:47:31.

They did indeed. The players are starting to get off the bus. One by

:47:32.:47:36.

one, as they come out, etch 50 will get his own individual cheer.

:47:37.:47:41.

Doesn't that make your proud. We will pause for the Icelandic

:47:42.:47:43.

clap. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE.

:47:44.:48:09.

Remarkable. The players and the fans, as one.

:48:10.:48:16.

United. Replicating the Icelandic

:48:17.:48:19.

celebration. We have seen the scenes after the Iceland team returned home

:48:20.:48:23.

after their successes during euro 2016.

:48:24.:48:28.

And these young men know how to communicate with the crowds. The

:48:29.:48:32.

likes of Gareth Bale, as I was saying, they are so comfortable in

:48:33.:48:35.

the press conferences. They know what to say. When Gareth Bale turns

:48:36.:48:41.

to the press and says "I don't need any more inspiration than this

:48:42.:48:47.

dragon on my chest", fantastic. Join in at home if you want to.

:48:48.:49:10.

# I just don't want to go home I wanna stay here

:49:11.:49:16.

# Please don't, please don't take me home.#

:49:17.:49:24.

That will be in my dreams. And most of the fans here now, of

:49:25.:49:31.

course, they were unable to get to France it is their first opportunity

:49:32.:49:35.

to say thank you to the players. Those who were in France, they were

:49:36.:49:40.

able to do that at the end of the tournament, the end of the

:49:41.:49:43.

semi-final. But this is their first opportunity for the fans at home to

:49:44.:49:47.

say thank you to the players. It is great. A remarkable effort

:49:48.:49:54.

from the fans. If you are a super fan and stayed

:49:55.:50:01.

for the entire duration, you would have drove 3,000 miles across France

:50:02.:50:08.

and spend ?4500,000. Life savings used up. Dairies

:50:09.:50:12.

cleared for the special moment. Now we wait for the players to leave the

:50:13.:50:14.

bus. George Williams, the youngest member

:50:15.:50:32.

of the squad walking off the bus. I bumped into him with his girlfriend

:50:33.:50:36.

in the centre of Paris on a day off. You would never have guessed he was

:50:37.:50:41.

a football star, on his own just enjoying Paris and that has the

:50:42.:50:47.

relaxed nature of this Wales setup. Chris Coleman, his smile says it

:50:48.:50:48.

all. The players making their way into

:50:49.:51:17.

the Cardiff City Stadium. The fans, some of them dispersing, someone

:51:18.:51:20.

team to go into the stadium and many have tickets for tonight's show,

:51:21.:51:27.

starting in around 40 minutes live on BBC One Wales. Quite a lot of the

:51:28.:51:34.

fans have walked the route with the bus comedy two buses which have come

:51:35.:51:45.

along. -- with the seam, the two buses.

:51:46.:51:51.

We were told about these fans possibly not able to make the trip

:51:52.:52:01.

to France. That bit at the end of the game, the special bit when the

:52:02.:52:08.

fans went ... The players went over to the fans. Those were the memories

:52:09.:52:15.

that will stay with many of the fans for years to come, especially after

:52:16.:52:19.

the disappointment of the semifinal, they will still remember those final

:52:20.:52:24.

scenes when the players for the final time in Paris said, Diolch,

:52:25.:52:36.

Merci, fantastic. It's been a fantastic time for all the people.

:52:37.:52:45.

The fans moving, getting to the stadium to find their seat. A

:52:46.:52:47.

remarkable day. Take us back to Dinard. I promise I

:52:48.:53:04.

will not interrupt you this time. Behind-the-scenes in the Wales camp.

:53:05.:53:10.

I think the word to use is professional, everything. To begin

:53:11.:53:16.

with, choosing Dinard as the spot, an idyllic quiet location. The

:53:17.:53:22.

transport was perfect, within ten minutes they could get on the bus to

:53:23.:53:28.

the airport and were able to fly very easily from city to city. We

:53:29.:53:33.

were driving and it took six hours to get to Bordeaux and they were in

:53:34.:53:38.

the air for 30 minutes. That was important. And after the loss

:53:39.:53:41.

against England they could come back and regroup in a quiet place.

:53:42.:53:48.

Generally the fans didn't go near Dinard. They were able to relax and

:53:49.:53:53.

recuperate and enjoyed their time. Choosing Dinard was especially

:53:54.:54:01.

perfect, but they have just been professional in everything they have

:54:02.:54:06.

done. They have dealt with the press as well, the setup in Dinard at the

:54:07.:54:11.

training centre. We had a press conference at 2:30pm every day, and

:54:12.:54:16.

we were given access to the players as well, that was great. We got to

:54:17.:54:21.

know them. If the media get to know them, the people at home do as well.

:54:22.:54:28.

Sometimes when the video of whales celebrating got out, they dealt with

:54:29.:54:33.

that really well. I was talking about Neil Taylor talking to the

:54:34.:54:37.

press, and he was so comfortable talking about it. They dealt with

:54:38.:54:42.

it, moved on, and all of a sudden he came out with a line, he said, I'm

:54:43.:54:49.

missing Beyonce! The media forgot about the video and were writing

:54:50.:54:53.

lines about Beyonce. The way they dealt with the press was very

:54:54.:54:59.

professional. The younger generation there. Sam Vokes talked about

:55:00.:55:11.

inspiring the next generation. I guess if Wales qualify for the World

:55:12.:55:15.

Cup in Russia, it will not be the same. We have waited so long for

:55:16.:55:22.

this one. We will just expect it to! That's partly true. I think the

:55:23.:55:26.

players and management realise that and they have made a point of

:55:27.:55:31.

enjoying this. In every press conference, Chris Coleman was saying

:55:32.:55:34.

to go out and enjoy the experience and I think that's what these

:55:35.:55:39.

players have been able to do, and it shows on the pitch and in the

:55:40.:55:45.

results. They have laptop every second. Inevitably the expectation

:55:46.:55:51.

will be higher now. They have moved up to 11th in the world, or whatever

:55:52.:55:57.

it is, which brings expectations. The sort of performances we produced

:55:58.:56:03.

in France set the benchmark. What they did against Belgium and Russia,

:56:04.:56:07.

that sets the standards for the teams to come and the players to

:56:08.:56:11.

continue with. If anything they need to take it on a step from there.

:56:12.:56:15.

There comes more challenges because the opposition will set up in a

:56:16.:56:19.

different way because they will know the threat of Aaron Ramsey, Gareth

:56:20.:56:23.

Bale. They are good challenges, these are the sorts of challenges

:56:24.:56:28.

you want. You want to feel that confidence. You do not want to feel

:56:29.:56:33.

last but one all last in the group. Now you expect to win the group, as

:56:34.:56:38.

we did here. Chris Coleman said before nearly every game that Wales

:56:39.:56:42.

were underdogs and were enjoying that tag. The pressure was off,

:56:43.:56:48.

let's go and win. Who was the main man of the tournament for you? Chris

:56:49.:56:53.

Coleman has been saying that Aaron Ramsey has been one of the players

:56:54.:56:58.

of the tournament for him. He really got things ticking. Who knows what

:56:59.:57:02.

would have happened against Portugal if Aaron Ramsey was there. You

:57:03.:57:07.

wonder how crucial that loss was. As you have said today, Joe Allen was

:57:08.:57:13.

the metronome, getting things ticking. Aaron Ramsey added to that

:57:14.:57:18.

and was also able to push forward and was a genuine attacking threat.

:57:19.:57:23.

If people have eyes on Aaron Ramsey, they don't have as many eyes on

:57:24.:57:29.

Gareth Bale and that opens up space. Thank you very much for your company

:57:30.:57:34.

this afternoon. It has been a remarkable after noon. There is live

:57:35.:57:38.

coverage of the special concert here at the Cardiff City Stadium at

:57:39.:57:44.

6:30pm on BBC One Wales. Because of that there is no Wales Today

:57:45.:57:50.

tonight, but there will be an extended news after the BBC One News

:57:51.:57:55.

at 10pm. The Wales team have achieved so much this summer,

:57:56.:57:58.

excited and delighted a proud nation. From all of us here, good

:57:59.:58:03.

evening. I don't think we ever thought we

:58:04.:58:46.

would see this in our lifetime. So proud and honoured, putting on the

:58:47.:58:53.

red shirt for Wales, to share it with all these fans today is

:58:54.:58:56.

incredible. There's Joe Ledley!

:58:57.:59:00.

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