Wales Related Content
In arguably the most shocking news in world football this week, Gary Speed has been found hanged and dead at his home.

The possible reason which led to Gary Speed committing suicide by hanging is yet to emerge. In a statement released thanks to authorization given by Gary Speed’s family, a Cheshire Police spokesman declared:
“At 7.08am on Sunday 27 November 2011, Cheshire police was informed of a sudden death at an address in Huntington, Chester.
“Officers went to the scene where a 42-year-old man was found dead. The next of kin have been informed and have confirmed the identity of the man as Gary Speed.
“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. The family has requested that they are left in peace to grieve at this difficult time. A family tribute will be released at a later date but not today.
Craig Bellamy is commonly described as a talented player with a bad attitude. While fans with Bellamy on their team love him, it seems opposing fans love to hate the Welshman.

It is true that throughout his career Bellamy has been no stranger to controversy. During his last spell as a Liverpool player Bellamy allegedly assaulted teammate John Arne Riise with a golf club. Rise’s crime was reported to be not singing a song on Karaoke.
Bellamy was also accused of sending abusive text messages to England legend Alan Shearer while the pair were teammates at Newcastle United.
Other incidents that have drawn media attention include slapping a fan who invaded the pitch, multiple spats with managers he played for and constant berating of referee’s and match officials. It is reported that after one game dealing with Bellamy, referee Mark Clattenburg asked the Manchester City coaching staff; “how do you work with Craig Bellamy all week?”
England can take a huge step towards Euro 2012 qualification when they play host to Wales at Wembley.

If England get a win or draw against their British rivals, they will need only one point in their final game at Montenegro to wrap up qualification.
Wales picked up their first points of this qualifying campaign with an impressive 2-1 win over Montenegro last Friday. England won 3-0 in Bulgaria on the same day, with Gary Cahill opening the scoring and Wayne Rooney adding a brace.
Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere remain sidelined with injury for England, while Leighton Baines, Darren Bent and Micah Richards are also ruled out.
Young Manchester United defender Chris Smalling played right back in the win in Bulgaria, and he could be handed the task of marking Wales’ star player Gareth Bale.
Craig Bellamy has hinted that he could retire from international football after admitting that the condition of his body has deteriorated after a series of injuries.

Craig Bellamy has admitted that he could be forced to retire from International Football in the summer, considering that recent injuries have left negative effects on the condition of his body. Bellamy has already had 9 operations so far in his career but he stated that a decision will only be made in the summer.
“I'm 31 years of age now, I've had nine operations and most people are probably in better nick than me,” said Bellamy, according to The Daily Mail.
"The future isn't great for me and I don't like to look too far ahead. I will see how I am in the summer. I'd love to keep going as much as I can. I enjoy football and it's important to me.
England captain John Terry has stated that the booing of their national anthem by the Welsh supporters inspired them to a 2-0 victory over Wales today.

England were given a hostile reception by the Welsh supporters ahead of kick-off as they booed the national anthem of England. However, John Terry has now admitted that the booing was probably the influential factor behind their important victory.
“It’s not nice [hearing the national anthem being booed],” he told Sky Sports.
“It’s our national anthem and we’re proud of it and when you’ve got a stadium booing it can have the reverse effect for them because it definitely gets you pumped.
“Naturally you’re pumped up for the game anyway but when you hear fans booing the national anthem it does give you an extra boost.”
After seeing England running out comfortable winners, Wales skipper Aaron Ramsey ultimately blamed their poor start for the defeat against the Three Lions

Wales were 0-1 down after only seven minutes as Frank Lampard converted a penalty after a foul by James Collins on Ashley Young. Darren Bent then increased the lead with England's second goal in the 15th minute, after some good work down the flanks by Ashley Young.
It was pretty obvious from this moment that it was always going to be a mountain to climb for the heartbroken Welsh side. Wales did launch attacks in the second half but the two-goal lead allowed England to dictate play and prevail as winners.
England moved back top of Euro 2012 Qualifying Group C courtesy of a 2-0 win over Wales in Cardiff.

Goals in the first 14 minutes from Frank Lampard and Darren Bent were enough to see England to a solid win. England move ahead of second placed Montenegro in the group courtesy of goal difference.
A passionate Wales crowd booed the English anthem but were silenced only seven minutes in when James Collins bundled over England winger Ashley Young and a penalty was awarded. Midfielder Lampard stepped up to calmly convert the penalty and give the Three Lions a 1-0 lead.
England continued their positive start and had the reeling Welsh two goals down eight minutes later. Glen Johnson released Young down the right flank, and the Aston Villa winger’s teasing cross was turned home by Bent to give Fabio Capello’s men a commanding lead.
England will travel to face British rivals Wales in an important Euro 2012 Qualifier at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

England are currently three points behind group leaders Montenegro with a game in hand, and will go top of Euro 2012 Qualifying Group G with a victory in Cardiff. Wales currently sit at the foot of the table and will be looking for their first point.
Striker Robert Earnshaw has withdrawn from the Wales squad due to injury, while star winger Gareth Bale is ruled out with a hamstring problem. Bale is the only player to have scored for Wales in their three qualifying games so far.
Aaron Ramset will play his first game for Wales in over a year after returning from a horrific leg break. Ramsey will likely go head to head in central midfield against his Arsenal club-mate Jack Wilshere.
Despite being expected to start in alongside John Terry in defence against Wales tommorow, Phil Jagielka still believes that he has yet to show his true potential for England

Phil Jagielka is expected to feature alongside John Terry in the heart of defence with Rio Ferdinand injured. But the Everton defender insisted that there are better things to come from him in the future.
The former Sheffield United defender endured a torrid debut against Spain in 2009 when one of his errors presented the World Champions with a goal. He was subsequently substituted at half time and while Jagielka refused to downgrade himself, he admitted that he is still being disturbed by that unlucky incident.
Jack Wilshere has received more praises from Fabio Capello as England prepare to take on Wales. The youngster’s place as a starter for this Euro 2012 qualifying match has also been confirmed.

“[Jack] Wilshere will start tomorrow,” Capello told the press on Friday. The England manager also declared that the Arsenal midfielder was “one of the young players that improved the most in a really short time.”
“When he started, he was a young and interesting player. When he played the first game with us, he played 15 minutes at Wembley [against Hungary in August 2010]. He was good, although he was young.
“Now he is playing like a player that has played a lot of games, like a player of 28-29-years-old.”
Is it wrong for Fabio Capello to leave out Frank Lampard behind for Saturday’s Wales vs England Euro 2012 qualifying match? Surely, not. Live Soccer TV explains why.
This Season: What Frank Lampard’s Statistics Tell
Injuries, lots of injuries... they’ve cost Lampard much this season. Eventually, the Chelsea midfielder has made only 21 appearances in all competitions for the Blues, so far. Remarkably, however, Lampard has managed to clinch 9 goals and to have 5 assists in his name already. So does he lack match fitness?
Well, looking at his recent achievements, one may prefer to think that if he's not in top form, he is at least in good shape enough to represent England against Wales this weekend. Lampard has considerably contributed in most of Chelsea’s positive aspects since the past few weeks. Call it luck or not, but the number 8 midfielder was the one who downed Manchester United at the Bridge from the spot.
After confirming that Gareth Bale will miss the match against England, Wales manager Gary Speed has admitted that his absence will definitely be a cruel blow for a very determined Welsh side.

It has been confirmed that Gareth Bale will miss the all important clash between Wales and England this Saturday after injuring his hamstring during the Welsh training session on Tuesday. His injury came as a shock and blow to the Welsh fans who were all expecting to see their star man 'tear' England apart this Saturday.
Nevertheless, Gary Speed admitted his disappointment over that matter but reiterated that losing key players is something that Wales will have to cope in order to prove themselves among the best in Europe.
Re-elected England captain John Terry has publicly said that he believes Capello made the wrong decision in taking away the England captaincy from him.

John Terry was removed as England's captain last year after he allegedly has an affair with Wayne Bridge's partner. Rio Ferdinand was then granted the armband but the latter missed the World Cup in South Africa because of an injury and has rarely featured for the Three Lions since then with injuries contributing to his problems this season.
Consequently, Fabio Capello decided to handover the captain's armband to the Chelsea captain once again after claiming that he wanted someone who can feature more consistently.
The rumor has been spitted out that Gareth Bale is most probably going to miss the clash with England this Saturday after reportedly being ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Gareth Bale was the attention of the media and newspapers this week as England prepare to take on a very determined Wales side that also boasts the likes of Bale, Bellamy and Ramsey. However, it has been reported that the 'Flying Welshman' has injured his hamstring during a training session with the national team.
According to The Sun, Bale will now return to London for further treatment and there is also a possibility of him missing the crucial Champions League tie with Real Madrid on April 5. He has only recently returned from a back injury that kept him out for six weeks from the end of January until early March.
John Terry has hit out at Craig Bellamy's public questioning of his character, while insisting that he has always been "a down to earth guy".

John Terry was stripped off his captaincy for England last year after allegedly having an affair with Wayne Bridge's partner- something that Bellamy criticized last year by saying: "Everybody knows what John Terry is like."
After 'serving his sentence', John Terry has now been re-elected as the permanent captain of England and he will be facing Craig Bellamy for the first time in 13 months when England take on Wales this Saturday.
Astonishingly, Bellamy is now once again involved in a media spat with the England national team, after claiming that the England players are afraid of their ever-demanding supporters. However, John Terry refused to be drawn into another debate with Bellamy, while insisting that the Welshman doesn't really know him well enough.
Matt Jarvis has labelled his first training session with England as something similar to his first day at school although he thanked his England teammates for making him feel at home.

Matt Jarvis was called up to the England squad for the first time in his career after consistently impressing with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League this season. While he has been in the provisional squads before, this is his first time in the official England squad.
Jarvis went through his first training session yesterday and he was ecstatic about it.
"Training was good, short and sharp, I just wanted to get out and train and obviously get more comfortable," Jarvis said. "I didn't really know any of them (England team-mates); it was kind of like having your first day of school again. But they made me feel welcome."
As Wales get ready to host England in the Euro 2012 Qualifying match this Saturday, all the pre-match discussion is focusing on one individual: Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale has been in sizzling form for Tottenham Hotspur this season with performances that have led to Fabio Capello hailing him as one of the best in the business. But the main question for now is: Should England fear Gareth Bale?
From the moment he scored that fantastic hat-rick at the San Siro last year, everybody knew Gareth Bale wasn't someone ordinary. He has the pace to beat defenders and that is the aspect that Glen Johnson should be worried about; considering how inconsistent he has been for club and country.
The talking continues ahead of Wales vs England with Terry regaining the captain’s armband. But what about the prospective impact of Ramsey and Wilshere on this Euro 2012 qualifier?

Are they the future superstars of their respective countries? Perhaps, yes. In this case, Jack Wilshere is certainly in a better position than Aaron Ramsey to excel – mainly because of the difference that exists between England and Wales in terms of potentiality and seize.
In the FIFA ranking, Wales are actually placed 116th and 110 spots behind the Three Lions. In the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, Wales and England are both in Group G where Montenegro are currently the surprise leaders. If England are moaning over their second place, Wales have even bigger worries as they occupy the very bottom of the section.
The Republic of Ireland will play host to Wales in the inaugural Carling Nations Cup game on Tuesday.

The game will be played at the newly built Aviva Stadium, and is the first senior international tournament to be hosted in Ireland.
The Nations Cup is a new tournament, and will be played in a league format with all teams playing each other once. After the Republic of Ireland and Wales go head to head on Tuesday, Northern Ireland and Scotland will clash at the same venue on Wednesday.
Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni outlined his team’s ambition when the tournament was unveiled. “The Carling Nations Cup is a competition that we would very much like to win,” said the Italian.
The Republic manager also outlined his excitement for the tournament when speaking to BBC Sport ahead of the Wales game. “This competition provides our players with familiar and tough opponents, and the added competitive edge to the tournament is the perfect preparation for the Euro qualifying campaign,” Trapattoni told BBC Sport.