PHILOSOPHIES AND FAN UNITY
Photo by Andrew Dowling [andrewdowlingphotography.co.uk]
Sam Southall
Another Nations League campaign has come to an end, but we leave League A with our heads held high. Despite the results, performances have been encouraging, especially with all our big hitters missing at various points. While there may be complaints from some corners, relegation was always a risk after the reshuffle that landed our World Cup playoff in the middle of the competition. But I think we all agree that a first World Cup appearance since 1958 more than makes up for that.
The campaign provided a wealth of stories – from debuts to first goals, from de Bruyne comments to Joe Morrell masterclasses (yes, there were multiple) – but I think, more than anything else, that this campaign highlighted two things. These being the strength of our Welsh footballing philosophy and our unity as fans and players. I don’t think it’s an accident that these two things are more apparent than ever at this point in our collective story.
The story of our successes in 2022 began back in 2010 with Gary Speed, Osian Roberts and the creation of a unique Welsh footballing philosophy – the ‘Welsh Way’. There’s so much to be said and written on the Welsh Way that can’t be touched upon here, but in short I believe it to be the modern footballing philosophy most deserving of the title given to the philosophies of César Luis Menotti and Valeriy Lobanovskyi (amongst others) in the past. That title is “Socialist Football”, and it should be no surprise that unity plays a big part in that.
While the ‘Welsh Way’ obviously has focuses on individual development and freedom on the pitch, it stresses, maybe more than anything else, the importance of “we”, “us” and a collective approach to the beautiful game. ‘Together Stronger’ has been more than just a marketing slogan, it is our entire footballing ethos in just two words. Whether it’s the relationship between players themselves, between players and coaches or between players and fans, collectively we are greater than the sum of our parts. On the pitch, socialist football allows players to express individual qualities with the knowing and belief that teammates can cover for them in the meantime. The ‘Welsh Way’ stresses the importance of players that need a freedom to fail in order to succeed and the need to allow for defensive faults in the process. They call these players ‘mavericks’ and the lead example is Aaron Ramsey, but the development of the philosophy has lead to more and more of these in the shape of Harry Wilson, Rubin Colwill, Dylan Levitt and others, and the new strength in depth we’ve seen over this Nations League campaign has provided further proof of the value and strength of these players and the philosophy going forward.
As much as our collective approach to football is our strength on the pitch, it is our strength off the pitch too. The last few years have seen, I believe, our nation more united than ever before. When hundreds of thousands of us turned the streets of Cardiff on the return of the Euro 2016 team, I thought we’d reached the top, the most united our nation would ever be. But I was wrong. Euro 2016 merely provided a new platform for our united approach to football and nationhood. One that would be eclipsed by Euro 2020 and will undoubtedly be eclipsed again shortly.
Much as our strength in depth has grown on the pitch, it has grown off the pitch too. We’re used to hearing our voice on the radio through the veteran voice of Rob Phillips, and now we hear our voice on the Alternative Wales podcast and Podcast Pel-droed and a whole list of others. We’re used to seeing ourselves on the streets through the fashion of Tim Williams’ Spirit of 58, and now we see ourselves on the walls of Cardiff through the work of Yusuf Ismail and Unify. We’re used to seeing our stories told on the page through the work of wise head of Phil Stead, and now we see our stories told like never before through the musings of the ascendant Megan Feringa. Our collective voice as fans of Welsh football is deeper and broader than ever before, but even more unified as a result.
“No one’s fans in the world of football, if you get relegated would cheer us like our fans” is what Gareth Bale said after the match with Poland. “They are the most special fans in world football because they treat us with all the love and we do it back” is the already iconic line that followed and Bale’s right about it. In a short few months we’ll head to a World Cup and, as this Nations League campaign has shown, we’ll be united together as players and fans with a philosophy that will forever stress Together Stronger.