#wales national football team

[fitfootballers]

Ben Davies 🔥

[tomorrowusa]

It's difficult to imagine a worse start to Rishi Sunak's campaign for the July 4th general election in the UK.

He made the announcement of the upcoming election outdoors in pouring rain and without benefit of either raincoat or umbrella. By the time he completed his remarks he looked like he had taken a shower with all his clothes on. And during his announcement an anti-Brexit activist down the street used a sound system to blast the Labour Party's 1997 election theme song "Things Can Only Get Better" so that everybody outside 10 Downing Street could easily hear it.

Then, after taking a day or so to dry off, Sunak visited a brewery in Wales where he made a gaffe related to the Wales national football team.

Rishi Sunak scores own goal at Welsh brewery with gaffe over national team’s Euros absence

Rishi then headed off to Northern Ireland. In Belfast, he conducted a photo op at one of the most inauspicious places in the city – the site where the doomed luxury passenger ship the RMS Titanic was built.

Sunak's election tour branded shambolic after Titanic Quarter visit inspires sinking ship comparison As James McCarthy from BelfastLive reports, Rishi Sunak was visiting the Titanic Quarter in Belfast this morning. This is what happened when Sunak was asked if he was captain of a sinking ship. [ ... ] While harmless on their own, the danger with incidents like this is that quite quickly they enable the media (or at least those parts of the media that aren’t slavishly loyal to the Tories) to establish a ‘loser narrative’, and once that’s in place, it can be near impossible to shift. What then happens is that every trivial mishap gets reported as a campaign calamity. There is some evidence that Sunak is getting stuck with this label already. His ‘things can only get wetter’ election announcement was as a genuine presentational disaster, and two of the most memorable things that happened on day one (yesterday) were a Euros gaffe in Wales, and a Q&A with workers that was not quite what it seemed. Labour mocked both of these in a vicious campaign video last night.

While every campaign has its gaffes, few campaigns make them semi-predictable events. And when they are clustered close to the start of a campaign, it becomes difficult to change the narrative.

[chelseajackarmy]

Louis Rees-Zammit 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏈

[gingersnaptaff]

Just got out of work to discover that Wales have won the football again?????? Dhdjdjfjfufuffu YES

[xdominiklivakovicx]

Livi didn't have his lucky green shirt again 😭

GIVE OUR BOY HIS GREEN SHIRT BACK THAT'S WHY WE GET GOALS

[calciopics]

EURO 2024 qualifying - Croatia 1-1 Wales

Stadion Poljud - Split Group D 25.03.2023

Andrej Kramarić 28'

Nathan Broadhead 90'+3

[usa-journal]

Optimism for Wales' Future: Gareth Bale Backs Craig Bellamy After Promising Start as Manager

Gareth Bale expressed optimism for Wales' future under new manager Craig Bellamy, following a solid start to Bellamy’s tenure. The Welsh national team drew 0-0 with Turkey and secured a 2-1 victory against Montenegro in Bellamy's first two matches as head coach after Robert Page’s departure.

Bale, who retired after scoring 41 goals in 111 caps for Wales, believes the current Nations League campaign will be crucial for Bellamy’s preparation ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Speaking at the Gareth Bale Festival of Sport at Celtic Manor, Bale praised Bellamy’s leadership:

"I watched the first two games, and it’s been a great start. Knowing Craig from our time playing together, he’s incredibly passionate about football, and you can already see he’s bringing that energy to the team."

Wales currently sits joint-top of their Nations League group, having earned four points from their first two matches. Bale is confident this positive momentum will boost Bellamy’s side moving forward:

"They’ve put in two great performances. Getting that win against Montenegro was important, and the future looks bright. Craig seems like an excellent manager, encouraging his young squad and using this campaign to lay the foundation for future success."

The Gareth Bale Festival of Sport, an annual event launched in 2022, provides young people in underserved communities in South Wales with access to a "safe, fun, and exciting" multi-sport festival. Bale emphasized the importance of the initiative:

"It’s incredibly rewarding to give back. Watching the kids run around, have fun, make friends, and just enjoy being kids is amazing to see.

[two-hearts-beat]

Germany vs Wales

[hspn]

Our new OBE

In the King’s New Years Honours list, Sophie Ingle was awarded an OBE for services to football.

[naturistgirl]

Naked Hiking on The North Wales Coastal Path - Llywbr Arfordir Sir Fflint

Flintshire doesn't immediately spring to mind as a naturist paradise.

Wales is a truly beautiful country; land of my husband's birth. This place is culturally different to England and treated as an entirely separate nation. It has its own government, football and national rugby teams (both Union and League). It is one of the few countries in the world to proudly display a whacking great Draig Goch (Red Dragon) on its green and white national flag.

The national language of Wales is Cymraeg (Welsh) - an Celtic language like Gaelic. Both myself and my husband speak and write Welsh fluently. It is my husband's first language. He learned Saesneg (English) later at school. I learned Welsh to respect the traditions of the people whose land this is. It is not a difficult language to learn.

So what about Sir y Fflint (Flintshire)? This border county lies in the East alongside the estuary of the Afon Dyfrdwy (River Dee). The wide and shifting sands of the Dee separate England from Wales. Pointing out across the water; England is a vague distant blue smudge across there on a summer day with the tide out. You can conveniently forget about it (along with your clothes!),

This is the area most tourists shun and forget. As such it makes great naturist walking country! From Y Fflint (Flint town) you can walk past dunes and woodland, out along a lonely shoreline with only the seabirds for company!

Here you will see dunlin, egrets, oyster catchers, turnstones, curlews and all manner of geese when the seasons are right. It is an ever changing natural landscape, just waiting for the natural, naked you, to explore and enjoy. Noethlymun is the word for 'naked' here in Wales; heb dillad - clothes free. Take someone else along with you to share and enjoy this wild and beautiful landscape.

Thanks to my wonderful photographer husband Martin (above and below) for the gorgeous photos. We would love you to share, like and re-blog this post if you are naturists like ourselves. If you are naturally inclined, we hope this blog inspires you to walk naked yourself and find your own secret places to be wild and free.

Finally, we have a little difficulty understanding why some of you have such sad, empty blogs or ones with explicitly erotic names. A lot of you do like this blog, maybe just for the naked pics? We don't sit in judgement however. Variety is the spice of life after all. Please like and share if you wish. Please remember though that this isn't a sexually themed blog and the posts do not equate sex with naturism. That is not to say that we don't enjoy all manner of sexual activity; we do! You just won't find it on here.

Jane xx

[world-of-wales]

─ •✧ WILLIAM'S YEAR IN REVIEW : 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 ✧• ─

𝟏 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : The Prince of Wales visited Royal Air Force Northolt to mark the conclusion of the "Up Against Time" Appeal. Afterwards, he visited GWR Kia's office in Brentford. Subsequently, William visited ENSO.

𝟐 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : William held an Investiture. Afterwards, he and Catherine met Liz Hatton & her family at Windsor Castle. Subsequently, a personal message was released by them following the meeting. In the evening, William met Aston Villa’s 1982 European Cup winning squad as he attended the UEFA Champions League game between Villa & Bayern Munich with his friends at Villa Park.

𝟑 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : William was received by the Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear (Ms. Lucy Winskell) at Birtley Community Pool. A new Royal Foundation Community Programme for Birtley was announced. He released a statement offering condolences on the passing of Mr. Alford Gardner.

𝟒 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : A message from William was a part of the NHS's Step Into Health Initiative 10th Anniversary brochure.

𝟓 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : A trailer of The Prince of Wales' upcoming docuseries was released. Kensington Palace released a photograph too.

𝟕 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : William appeared in a video message during the BBC's Green Sports Awards.

𝟖 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : William received Ms. Hannah Jones (Chief Executive, Earthshot Prize) at Windsor Castle. Aftwrwards, he participated in the Earthshot Prize Council Judging via video link. William and Catherine were represented by Mrs. Rebecca Priestley at the Memorial Service for Mrs. Julia Rausing.

𝟗 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : He attended a BAFTA × Royal African Society event to highlight support for young people within the Creative Industries.

𝟏𝟎 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : Will & Cat marked World Mental Health Day. The Prince and Princess of Wales visited the Southport Community following the horrific attack in July. They met the families of Miss Bebe King, Miss Alice da Silva Aguiar and Miss Elsie Dot Stancombe at the Marian Centre. Afterwards, they met Ms. Leanne Lucas at Compassion Acts. Finally, they visited were received by Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside (Mr. Peter Oliver) as they met Emergency Responders from North West England at Southport Community Centre. Subsequently, A personal tweet was released by them.

𝟏𝟓 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : William attended a National Football League Foundation UK Community event. Later, he received Ms. Amanda Berry (Chief Executive, The Royal Foundation) at Windsor Castle. Subsequently, he held a Meeting. A Letters Patent was issued by the King delegating his duties to the Counsellors of State while on tour, making The Prince of Wales the highest ranking official in the state.

𝟏𝟔 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : William held an Investiture. He was received by the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London (Sir Kenneth Olisa) at the Centrepoint Awards and Gala Dinner. A photograph of William was released as part of the lead up to the release of "Prince William: We Can End Homelessness". William released a statement welcoming Thomas Tuchel as the new England men's team manager.

𝟏𝟕 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : He was received by the Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall (Colonel Sir Edward Bolitho) at Duchy College Stoke Climsland. Afterwards, he visited East Shallowford Farm. Finally, The Duke of Cornwall visited the historic Warren House Inn at Postbridge. It was announced that The Prince and Princess of Wales made a private donation to the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal for providing life-saving aid in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank.

𝟏𝟗 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : Catherine and William marked Black History Month.

𝟐𝟎 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : Kensington Palace released a statement on behalf of William wishing the nominees the best of luck ahead of the BAFTA Cymru Awards.

𝟐𝟐 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : He released a personal tweet about Aston Villa's Champions League campaign. An unseen photograph of his was on display during King Charles visit to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Sydney, Australia.

𝟐𝟕 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : Kensington Palace released unseen photographs from 1993 of The Prince of Wales, his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, of his first visit to the Passage Charity. A few photos from the upcoming docuseries were also released. He released a personal tweet congratulating Billy Monger for breaking the Ironman World Championships course record for a leg amputee by over 2 hours.

𝟐𝟖 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : William wrote a letter to Restore sending them his best wishes after one of the charity's supporters wrote a letter to bring their work to his attention.

𝟑𝟎 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : The first episode of "Prince William : We Can End Homelessness" was aired.

𝟑𝟏 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 : The second episode of "Prince William : We Can End Homelessness" was aired.

[tourdion]

factors to consider:

the existence of the world cup & continental championships & there have always been various convoluted rules about players allowed to enter eg in the past only amateur players and now only under 23

the fact that the uk normally plays separately as england scotland wales & northern ireland and "team gb" generally do not enter a team and britain has only entered an olympic football team once since 1972 which was when london hosted in 2012

*ie separately as england scotland wales northern ireland (no complaints about the use of "gb" i am not on the olympic committee...)

[tobebbanburg]

I just wanted to imagine a world where Trent writes a completely under-the-radar article for Colin’s hometown newspaper to address the rumours of him being gay without making a big deal about it.

Full article text under the cut:

At 28 years of age, Colin Hughes is something of a late bloomer. After a mediocre start to his career saw Cardiff City relegated to the Championship, the Barry native was transferred to the struggling AFC Richmond, a harsh environment for any young footballer trying to make his mark on the world. But after years of flying under the radar, Hughes is finally making himself known at both national and international levels, and one can’t help but marvel at how far this young man has come.

Hughes’s love for the sport was nurtured from a young age, here in Barry, and despite his recent success it is clear he hasn’t forgotten his roots. The modest yet respectable history of Welsh football is something that Hughes could lecture on at the drop of a hat (and indeed needs to be stopped from lecturing once he gets started), and even his favoured position as a left winger was chosen in homage to Welsh footballing legend Gary Speed, a man who still acts as an inspiration for Hughes today.

“He did wonders for our national team. He was the one who made us all believe that Wales could hold our own against the rest of the world. I don’t think we’d be where we are today without all the work he put in: now that I can, I’m doing my best to continue what he started,” Hughes says.

Hughes’s ‘best’, in this instance, has been to fund a new development program throughout Wales, offering summer bootcamp scholarships to children from underprivileged areas. One can’t help but feel that were Speed still with us, he’d be proud of what Hughes is trying to achieve, although perhaps a little bemused at lending his name to an indeterminable breed of dog that Hughes affectionally refers to as ‘Gazza’.

“Me and my boyfriend got him from the shelter last week,” he says, showing a picture of a large but scrawny dog being embraced on both sides by Hughes and his boyfriend, one Michael Chen. “We got him to celebrate Richmond’s second place in the Prem.”

Buying a dog is perhaps an unusually tame way to celebrate for most footballers, but unusual is rather how AFC Richmond operates these days. Whilst most teams would be disappointed with losing out on winning the Premier League by the slimmest of margins, many often claiming that third place is preferable to second, both Hughes and AFC Richmond are treating their status as runners up with dignity, and no small amount of delight.

“I’m not being funny, right, but if you’d told me a year ago that Richmond’d avoid relegation, let alone make it to second place, I’d’ve said you were full of ****,” Hughes says, then apologises after a gentle reminder not to swear. “It’s gutting to miss out on winning the whole thing, of course, but we’re proud of what we’ve done. And besides, it gives us something to aim for next year.”

Hughes succinctly brings us to the elephant in the room: the recent departure of Coach Ted Lasso. Whilst Lasso himself has always maintained the humble adage that Richmond’s recent success wasn’t wholly his doing, the fact remains that the club have never before performed so well over a single season, nor so swiftly reversed their declining fortunes. One can’t help but wonder what a future without Lasso looks like. Hughes, for his part, remains optimistic.

“Coach Lasso made a real difference. Not just in how we play as a team but in how we think, how we work. That kind of change is here to stay,” he says, before adding, “plus we’ve got facetime and all that **** so it’s not like he’s properly gone. I mean I could call him right now if you want?”

But what of Hughes’ future as an international player? After making his debut for Wales a little under a year ago, and with a surprise win against Uruguay under his belt from April, surely his prospects on the world stage are looking encouraging? With Gareth Bale announcing his retirement, is there a possibility for Hughes to follow in the steps of childhood hero Speed and take over as captain of his national team?

“****,” Hughes says, once again forgetting the request to forgo swearing. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I mean that’s the dream, isn’t it, but I know that any of the lads on the team’d do a great job in the role. Any one of us would bring something different to the job, so who’s to say?”

It’s modest, considered statements like these that give weight to Hughes’s earlier words of change: Lasso may have moved on, but his impact on the team is here to stay. I, for one, cannot wait to see where Colin Hughes takes it from here.

[chelseajackarmy]

Cole Sanford // Cardiff Devils

[eretzyisrael]

by Nicole Lampert

There have been so many incidents that have seemed upside down since October 7 that sometimes it is all too much to bear. The celebrations in the street on October 8, the way the BBC keeps parroting Hamas lies, the fact that the murder of Israelis led to record antisemitism in the UK, the Jew hate marching down our streets every weekend while the police watch on. I could go on.

But few examples have been more stark, in my eyes, than what is happening this week.

Yesterday I watched our Prime Minister tell a Labour Friends of Israel lunch that his government stands behind the ‘independence’ of the ICC to issue warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. That means – however much they are presently pussyfooting around the issue - our government will attempt to arrest the Israeli politicians should they step foot on UK soil.

Meanwhile, just a day later, we are literally rolling out the red carpet for the leaders of Qatar, the nation which has for years, housed and funded Hamas.

So eager are our leaders to show a huge welcome to the Qataris that the poor Princess of Wales disturbed her cancer recovery to be dragged out to Horse Guard Parade, joining King Charles, Prince William and the Qatari Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the first of his three wives.

A lunch, golden carriages and a fancy pants Buckingham Palace state banquet await. But I’m thinking about the British hostage Emily Damari. Who knows what her last meal was? What rags she is dressed in? Has anyone even mentioned Emily to the Sheikh as they gladhand and grin in photographs with him?

Let me repeat: Qatar is the country which has both housed and supported Hamas as well as many other Muslim Brotherhood terror networks. They are a danger to the world.

There is an irony too that of the many things Israel is accused of doing, Qatar gets away with barely a peep from the sanctimonious crew.

Just a few years ago, it bought a World Cup, used slave labour to create the arenas and we stood by and let it happen. Controversial Qatari minister Nasser Al-Khelaifi – not only runs top French team Paris Saint Germain but is also chairman of the European Club Association, making him one of the most influential people in European football. Visit Qatar is an official sponsor of the UEFA Euros 2024 and 2028.

[xdominiklivakovicx]

Ko je spreman za danas jer ja ocigledno nisam