Toshack's praise for Bellamy

Last updated : 12 October 2006 By Wales Reporter

Bellamy scored his first goal for his country in 20 months to add to earlier strikes from Jason Koumas and Robert Earnshaw.

Toshack said: "Craig produced an outstanding performance. Everything he did was outstanding and it proves it was the right decision to make him captain."

Bellamy was due in court between the two Cardiff internationals to answer an assault charge, but the adjournment of the case allowed him to concentrate fully on his football.

Toshack said: "Craig has been excellent. He has grown into the job since he has been with us, he has understood the extra responsibilities and it showed on the pitch.

"You could see the positions he was taking up, dropping into different areas so he could link up better with people. That showed he was concerned about others and showing the right response to things that were going on for other players."

Toshack took the chance to slam critics who have dragged up the issue of players who have retired like Gary Speed and Robbie Savage coming back into the squad.

Toshack said: "They really did climb out of the woodwork. We haven't heard anything from them for 12 months. We have won a couple of World Cup qualifiers, then we won a couple more and then did OK against Brazil and the Czech Republic.

"Then we lost badly to Slovakia on Saturday and I witnessed the most amazing sensationalism I have seen in 30 years of football over one result.

"I wanted to say it was a freak, but had to wait to see what happened against Cyprus. But it was a freak, we were much better than it looked.

"But it gave the chance to people to crawl out of the woodwork with their opinions again. They only wanted to talk about people who had retired rather than the development of the young players who are coming through."

Toshack believes there is still life in this Euro 2008 qualifying group.

He said: "We have to go to Dublin next in March, and that will be a cracker against the Republic of Ireland. Then we have San Marino here in Cardiff a couple of days later.

"If we can get six points from those two we will be right back in it. We would hope to have the half-dozen or so players who were injured for these two games back in action, and that includes Ryan Giggs. We can still make a difference and have a say in the group."

Cyprus coach Angelos Anastasiadis also praised Bellamy, saying: "He is a very good player and hard to control. His goal finished us off.

"Maybe we were tired after our efforts in beating the Irish (5-2) at the weekend, because we worked so hard for that victory and have found it hard to recover in time.

"And then to face a player like Bellamy in that form made it even more difficult."

Sporting Life.

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Craig Bellamy, Robert Earnshaw, Danny Gabbidon, Lewis Price