ROB PAGE’S Wales reign came to a conclusion after an unhappy 18 months that ended with a double dose of embarrassment against Gibraltar and Slovakia.
Page, who was first appointed manager on an interim basis in November 2020 after Ryan Giggs took leave and led Wales to the delayed European Championships the following summer, was sacked almost halfway through a four-year contract he signed in September 2022.
By that stage, the 49-year-old had guided Wales to their first World Cup in 64 years and everything appeared rosy heading to Qatar two months later.
But Wales’ World Cup excursion would mark the beginning of the end for Page: poor team selection, tactical mistakes and a torrid campaign that saw the Dragons finish bottom of their group with one point and one goal — a Gareth Bale penalty.
Bale announced his retirement from football six weeks after the World Cup exit, and Page had to begin plotting Euro 2024 qualification without him.
But they failed to qualify for Euro 2024 after being beaten 5-4 on penalties by Poland in the play-offs in March
The pressure further mounted on Page following two disappointing friendly games at the beginning of June, where Wales were thrashed 4-0 by Slovakia and held to a 0-0 draw against Gibraltar, ranked 203rd in the world.
Page’s departure was confirmed on Friday, with FA Wales chief executive Noel Mooney thanking Page for his work.
In a statement on the FAW website, Mooney said: “Under Rob Page’s leadership, our Cymru men’s team has achieved significant milestones and victories which have created many incredible memories for our nation, most notably our first World Cup in 64 years.”
