19/10/2012 Sport Wales

Good evening. Stay with us for the next half hour as we reflect on the

fortunes of Chris Coleman's Wales in the 2014 World Cup double header.

There's plenty more besides on We've got football covered big

interviews with Joe Allen, Peter The daps are on as we look back at

the Cardiff half marathon and the I would not change anything.

Plus Gethin Jenkins shares his thoughts on his new life in Toulon

and the prospect of facing his old team mates at the Blues. It is

going to be a great experience. I cannot wait until I get back out on

the field. Well, it's been a week of mixed

fortunes for Chris Coleman's Wales in their World Cup qualifying

campaign. In a moment we'll hear from the manager on where next for

Wales and him personally. But first a reminder of the agony and the

Last Friday night in Cardiff and a They are back in this. Two minutes

Wales are right back on the World Cup trail. Monday afternoon and

renewed optimism in the air as Wales head of for Croatia hoping

for better fortune. Daunting maybe the word. Croatia have only lost

once in 46 games at home. A goal of their own making. Wales had lay

with price to thank for keeping the scoreline down. Wales could not

A much improved performance when you look at the Serbia game.

character and the team spirit were all working and fighting. A we did

not crumble like we did against Serbia. It was disappointing to

lose but we came out of there with our heads held high. I probably

should have a hooked it out. The ball just got stuck in the Med a

little bit. Croatia's headline act got the better. I wanted try and

keep doing my best and bring us forward. Hopefully, I will continue

to play well. The team return home with three points and three defeats

after their opening qualifiers. Back in Cardiff, we sat down with

Chris Coleman. Is it realistically all over now. It is out of our

hands. Belgium, Croatia. If we had qualified for the last couple of

World Cups and European championships and going into the

qualifying group on the back of that, OK. That has never happened.

Before the kick the ball, we were up against it in a very tough group.

Belgium and Croatia have to slip up. Do you write it off and look

forward to the next rung? We cannot. Football is a funny game. We never

ever write it off. They will be Twister and turns. If one of the

buys above us slip then we have a chance to put ourselves back in the

mix. Wales will need all the talent at their disposal. Will we ever see

Craig Bellamy in the red shirt again go stark I do not know.

You'll have to ask him that. I do not know if he is fit or not. I

will never go begging. I do not see why I should beg for any player to

come back. He is not getting any younger. We have not had him in any

of the games which is difficult because he is still a good player.

It is not something I want to talk about any more. If you want to come

and play for as and be involved, the door is open. He knows that.

That is not the issue any more. What people via is that there is no

Plan B if Gareth Bale is not available. Do you have a plan?

Gareth Bale out of any team will be a loss. He has been terrific for us.

Talking about his goals against Scotland. He is the only player to

have scored for Wales. You have to find golf. We have to start keeping

clean sheets as well. It will be nice to get a half-time put up we

are always chasing. Are you happy and confident that you add the man

to take us football forward? Probably more confident than a few

of you lot. If we had won every game so far. I would not walk away.

We have won one game and lost three. It is a tall order for us to

qualify. By contract is until the end of the qualifying games. I will

see that through. Would you accept that one good game against Scotland

has saved you? Maybe. But that is football. After the Scotland wing,

I said at the press conference that I was the same manager that there

was a touch of hours before. We have gone to Croatia, they were top

10 in the world. We lost. In terms of the players and their effort, it

was fantastic. I am the same One player who started both World

Cup qualifiers over the last week was midfielder Joe Allen who last

August followed his former manager Brendan Rodgers out of Swansea City

to Liverpool in a deal worth �15 million. 24 hours after returning

from Croatia Sport Wales went to Joe Allen returns to club action

this weekend after featuring for Wales in the World Cup

qualification game. A completely different feeling coming off the

pitch than when we played against Serbia. They were a good side. Many

have the likes of their players pulling the strings, it makes it

difficult. International duty over the summer for Great Britain in the

Olympics. That it is time to tournament football for the first

time. But all has not been running swiftly. There was a dramatic win

over Scotland. The Serbia the feed her to us in many ways. But the

victory over Scotland was a great winner to bounce back. The death of

Gary Speed has clearly affected this group of Welsh internationals.

The impact he had on his profession should not be underestimated.

was a massive influence over me. He gave me a fantastic opportunity to

play for my country. I was privileged to have that chance and

it is all down to him. He was a great man. Outside of football, he

was someone you looked up to and was inspiring. He was someone you

really did admire and was the kind of person he would like to grow up

to be. Having been raised in West Wales and having played for Tenby,

he became part of the Swansea City set up. He moved away from Wales to

join Liverpool at the end of this summer. It was an hour up the road

to Swansea City. I spent many years Many have been somewhere for so

long, it is a difficult decision. You are sorry to leave in some ways

but I saw it as a fresh challenge for myself and I had always do

dreamed of doing it. I left on great terms. Having the chance to

join was exciting. To play in front of the crowd at Anfield was an

experience you do not get in many places in the world. It is early

days in terms of my career here but my only aim and focus is purely on

going out there and doing my job for the team. As long as I can

focus on that and become a better player, and my career will continue

to go on. At Anfield he has linked The last couple of years were a

great time for me personally at Swansea City and for Swansea City

as a club. They are heading in a great direction. That is a very

successful period. It was great to be part of that with him there as

manager. In terms of bedding in here, it has made it easier. It has

been a poor start for for the season for a young Liverpool side.

But the Welshman expects the club to stick with the style of football

for some time to come. You need people to show faith and have

confidence in your ability and confidence that you can add

something to the team. There are some world-class players here and

that style of play will only enhance Liverpool Football Club. I

am looking forward to seeing how the season pans out and getting

Well we're turn our attention to rugby now and the Cardiff Blues are

desperate to get their Heineken Cup campaign back on track this weekend.

But it won't be an easy task. While the Blues, like the other Welsh

regions, have been tightening their purse strings, Sunday's opponents

Toulon have been splashing the cash and are top of the French league.

One of their many international stars, Gethin Jenkins, is a former

Blue and is relishing the chance to Six years ago, Toulon were a mid-

season -- in mid-table club. It is a very different story today. They

are tipped for a European and domestic double. Millions of pounds

have been pumped in and a galaxy of international superstars have been

assembled. Gethin Jenkins is the When I first came here I was a bit

weary. I had not really spoken to some of the players here. I have

been here for two or three months and I get on really well with them.

There are boys from South Africa and New Zealand and some from

England and Australia. It is a good environment and we all get on very

well. Playing against Botha over the years, you think he is a bit of

a stubborn bloke to get on with. But he is hilarious. He keeps the

squad going. He is a great player and it is great to be in the same

team as people like him. You have spoken of your frustration this

season. Once that so far and you are up against Andrew Sheridan put

up how frustrating is it for you to come out here and Spencer much time

On the positive side, the team has gone it really well. I have been

involved in 12 games. So, whereas it is not the same as starting, I

have had some at rugby under the belt. Definite will start this

weekend when his new team faces of old team. And there is history

between the two. The last time they met, Gethin Jenkins led them to a

victory. A strange experience for me. Keeping a good diet on the

Blues this year. It will be a great experience. Hopefully, I am short

there will be a bit of banter being thrown about. It will be a tough

game. A great encounter. Toulon it remains a big concern for Welsh

rugby. The regions are desperate to stop other big stars following in

Gethin Jenkins's footsteps. The Union's chief executive has claimed

to the offer of contracts has been rejected by the regions. Gethin

Jenkins has now seen both sides of the coin. From a player's point of

view, 80 or 10 years, I was based in Wales. It does not make a

massive difference. You get looked after in training because, at the

end of the day, the main goal is to get the national team as good as

possible. The these players coming out, they do need to be playing in

Wales. No idea how old you go about it. The money being offered in

France is significantly higher, but I do think we need to keep our

Welsh players in Wales. There are some concerns you may well miss the

game in the autumn, and potentially the first game in the Lions tour.

Have you done anything to address that? Firstly, with the Lions

situation, I am not even thinking about that. A lot of things can

happen. With the Australia game, I really want to play that game.

Country always comes first. If it came down to read, and to none said

you can play for Wales and the Australian game, it would you take

that? Definitely. You don't want to miss one of the games again. It is

a case of me and my agent going in and negotiating with the club.

And you can listen to all the European action on Radio Wales and

Radio Cymru. Last Sunday, more than 18,000 people took to the streets

of Cardiff for the city's annual Half Marathon, cheered on by one of

the true greats of British distance running. A Welsh legend was in town

to raise the profile of the event and help inspire a new generation

of runners. Sport Wales went to He was a humble RAF technician

whose achievements were anything but a modest. In the '80s, he was

the man to catch, winning a marathon some breaking records. But

he lacked an ego. His superstar runner but a super shy man. I am

comfortable in my own environment. This is not comfortable. I am a bit

fidgety. It was hard to come to terms with. But it has been great.

Sometimes, I say to myself, I wish I could not break a world record,

but I would not change anything. And turn still riding on the crest

of a wave. In 1984, and broke the world record, that was the first

full marathon you completed. I knew something was happening. The race

director leaned over, and I was a minute and a half in front of him,

and he shouts up, Steve! A couple more miles and you will get the

record. I still did not know what to world record was until I crossed

the line and everybody were shouting about it. Jones, looks to

me as if he is feeling the pain. stomach problem meant that Jones

had to relieve himself at the roadside! But he still managed to

beat his great rival. I said to Charlie, stop. You did a Paula

Radcliffe? Yes! I stopped, and Charlie thought he had got it. All

of a sudden, I was not there. But within another 150 yards, I got it.

The fastest marathon ever runner in this country! And the same year,

you go back into the Chicago Marathon and set another record for

a British runner. I missed the world record by one second. What

does it say that 27 years on, you are still a British record holder?

It is a good record! Some people like to bring in garlands and

therapists and chiropractors and physical therapist some dieticians

and everything, but really, all you need to do is put your running

shoes on and go for a run. Simple as that. Jones now coaches young

athletes, but is back in Wales to turn the Cardiff half in up to one

of the UK's top three marathons and encourage fresh running Tarrant --

talent. I am not quite sure where to go. When they see a great event

on their doorstep, that is great for Wales. There is known run for

old time's sake but Steve Jones - he has got a hamstring problem. But

he is here to see off the 18,000 runners. And you never know, there

might just be a start in the future to follow in his tracks. The 30

mile race was won by a Kenyan. He came in at 62 minutes 21. For Carol

Jones, and the best Welsh Male, the prize at - or a week's training as

Steve Jones's Colorado training camp. One of those guys whose

distance running was a good thing in Britain. It was great. I said, I

am sure I will learn something. It is an incentive to keep pushing on.

He was such an inspiration. He was fantastic in his time. If he does

not inspire, nothing will. philosophy and how my group trains,

the kind of group spirit we have, and hopefully some of it rubs off

on you. That desire and ambition to become great. We have got to get

good, quality races in Wales for Welsh athletes. And ask for a

better ambassador to. Very emotional, to see so many people

enjoying themselves. What a shame they could not see a legend that

there with your hamstring injury. Maybe they will next year. It

inspires me as well. It just brings it back to me.

Back to football now and this Saturday, Cardiff City face a trip

to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest with the

Bluebirds bidding for a fourth win in a row. Lisa Rogers has been to

meet two of the players involved in The championship season at this 10

games old, and Cardiff City are at You have a kind of here it -- been

here before. How does it feel this time? It is nice to be at the top

because you know you are doing something right. It is one of those

that is the championship. It will be tough, but we relish it. Doing

well, top of the league and winning games. Just got to continue. Craig

Noone signed for �1 million from Brighton Hove Albion, and it seems

he has revelled in it rather well. The first day he came in, he had an

interview where he sank a mysterious girl! He got quite

embarrassed. Rightly so, to be honest. He is a great lad and done

poorly in a for us. He is something we have not really got. He is very

direct. It gets us up the pitch. Slowed people like me can try and

I wasn't particularly worried because I knew I would score at

some point. Peter Whittingham, on the other hand, has been smashing

the girls end. -- the goals end. am just happy about how I am

contributing to the team. He always wants me to improve. It is going

well, but we cannot rest on our laurels. In my first game, but I

scored. He was just relaxed and not bothered. The issuers - can they

stay at top? The last time Carbeth it up after 10 games, they ended up

finishing 13th. We were still going through the transitional phase. But

now, things have settled. The new gaffer has come then, with his own

way of thinking. The takeover has changed things as well, but now, it

is starting to settle down. It will be hard for everybody to gel, but

at the minute, we have gelled OK. want to be here. Even before that,

I knew Cardiff as the team always up there. The first thing I thought

about was I have got to get a goal in at some point. We do not really

want the whole play-off thing again, especially with me. People say it

is the best way to go while. Forest on Saturday. It will be a tough

game. We have played Forest that many times again. They are quite

solid at home, but the way we are feeling at the minute, we are happy

to be playing games. But we were ready to pick up and go again.

That's it for this evening, but just a reminder, do you know

someone who deserves to be our BBC Cymru Wales Sports Unsung Hero this

year? They have to be unpaid and over 16-years-old. All the details

are at www.bbc.co.uk/sportwales and the closing date to nominate