“But the team that we’ve got, we’ve got experience, we’ve got pace, we’ve got players who are comfortable on the ball.”
On Monday, Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs was appointed as manager of the Wales national team. The former winger represented his country 64 times across a 16-year international career, scoring 12 goals, and he is now going to try do something he never achieved as a player – show up for friendlies qualify for a major international tournament.
Giggs has been given a four-year contract, and will be tasked with taking Gareth Bale and co. to Euro 2020, and then the Qatar World Cup in 2022. The 44-year-old has been out of football since leaving his role as United assistant manager in 2016, following Louis van Gaal’s dismissal. He has been linked with a string of managerial posts over the last 18-months, and interviewed to become Swansea City coach, but missed out on the role to Bob Bradley last season.
The Wales job is Giggs’ first as a permanent manager, but it won’t be the first time he’s been in charge of a team. When United ended David Moyes’ 10-month reign of terror in April 2014, Giggs was made caretaker manager for the remaining four fixtures of the season. The side won twice, lost once and drew the other game under Giggs, finishing in seventh place as Manchester City pipped Liverpool to the title.
Following Giggs’ appointment as Wales manager, footage has resurfaced of his final team talk to the United players, before a 1–1 draw with Southampton on the last day of the season. The clip is taken from a documentary called Life Of Ryan: Caretaker Manager, which aired on ITV in 2014.
This is how you give a team talk, Giggsy https://t.co/xBEMcKcNW5
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) January 16, 2018
It’s fair to say Giggs’ speech isn’t the most rousing you’ll ever hear, and he doesn’t come across as the most natural of public speakers. Giggs also doesn’t provide many tactical instructions to the team. But it’s probably worth bearing in mind how low United were at the time, and the difficult task he had.
You can watch the clip here:
People on Twitter found it unintentionally amusing.
Ryan Giggs Wales first team talk lol ! https://t.co/C4pAhBxB1K
— Martin Cooper (@Shabba4456) January 16, 2018
Haha, what an inspiring team talk from Ryan Giggs! 😴😜 https://t.co/i3i1OXCm3G
— Ste LFC ⚽️ (@SteLFC9) January 16, 2018
https://twitter.com/TheRealPaulE/status/953245338906890240
However, as football writer John Brewin wrote on Twitter, a manager’s team talk often depends on the delivery, rather than what’s actually been said.
Thing about that Giggs team talk clip is that the words and sentiments used were probably not that different from Ferguson, who kept things simple. Giggs, sadly for him, does not possess Ferguson's charisma and power. They are something innate, beyond just about everybody.
— John Brewin (@JohnBrewin_) January 16, 2018
Giggs’ team talk certainly contrasts with Sir Alex Ferguson’s before Michael Carrick’s testimonial last May. You can watch that here.
