Page planning for the future with Intermediate
International
11 December 2017

Page planning for the future with Intermediate

Wales will be the host nation of Group 4 in UEFA Under-19 qualifying in November 2018 as the side take the first steps towards the finals that will take place in Armenia in the summer of 2019.

With the Under-17's also preparing for qualifying action and the Under-21's returning to their qualification campaign next year, we recently caught-up with Intermediate team manager Rob Page to understand more about his role and remit in shaping the next generation. 

We have an identity in the setup, the Welsh way,” explained Page to FAW.cymru. “I think it's important that we have that same professionalism and identity through all the age groups.

"It's hard when you only have a limited time with each group, but we want to improve on that and we want to compete with other countries. The players will have their own identity at their clubs, but it's important that when they come to us that they understand what we're all about and how we go about our work. We are getting there. The players are buying into what we want to do and how we want to work.” 

The Under-21 side continue their Group 8 qualifying campaign next March when they head to Bosnia and Herzegovina looking to avenge a 4-0 reverse to their group rivals in Bangor last month. However, Page was keen to emphasise that there are different elements to consider when evaluating success in a job that carries the responsibility of bringing through and developing the future stars of the senior national team.

“That's the rewarding part when you've got a job like this,” he explained when discussing the emergence of players like Ben Woodburn, Ethan Ampadu and David Brooks. “Yes, you want to keep the best players with you, but we've got some talented players coming through, and it's great to see them develop and progress.

“Success at this level is a bit of both in terms of qualifying for tournaments and seeing players progress through to the senior team” he added. “Ultimately, it's my job to keep bringing players through. I'll endeavour to keep doing that, but I want us to be competitive in games as well.

"I go out and watch a lot of Under-23 club games, and it's a totally different type of pressure. But when the players come away with us, they have to understand that it is about winning games of football. The players have to do both sides of the game really well. They've got to earn the right to play and it hasn't always got to be pretty. They've got to do the dogged side of it first in order to be competitive.”

It was a privilege for me over the years to play for my country and I understand the importance of it. That's why we don't hold anything back when we get our young players together.

– Rob Page

Former Wales defender Paul Bodin has joined the setup in a full-time capacity since Page's appointment to take responsibility for the Under-19 side, which allows Page to focus on the Under-21's.

Both figures also run the Under-17 side, but Page is keen to bring in more permanent coaches and is encouraged by the support he has received in pushing his plans forward.

“We want to make these changes to make us better,” he explained. “It will enable us then to get more contact time with the players. So it's not just about the friendlies and the competitive fixtures, it means we can get people out every week monitoring the players, and that we can also arrange more training camps and use the facilities that we have at Dragon Park to benefit us in the long term.”

Although the senior team manager role remains vacant, Page was welcomed into his role last March with the opportunity to shadow Chris Coleman as his side prepared to take on the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.

“The atmosphere and the environment that he created was like that at club level,” he added. “It was something I haven't experienced at international level before, and it is something that I want to drip-feed through the age groups that we have. It was a privilege for me over the years to play for my country and I understand the importance of it. That's why we don't hold anything back when we get our young players together, because we want them to give everything for the cause.”