Robert Page: Wales boss takes 'full responsibility' for poor form but calls for patience

Former Wales centre-back Robert Page succeeded Ryan Giggs as national team manager

Manager Robert Page accepts "full responsibility" for Wales' recent poor form but has called for patience as he faces criticism from fans and pundits.

Wales have won only one of their past 12 games, with defeats by Armenia and Turkey in June severely damaging hopes of qualifying for Euro 2024.

There was a backlash to those results but Page has been publicly supported by the Football Association of Wales.

"I understand the fans' frustrations, I am a supporter myself," said Page.

Speaking to BBC Sport Wales, he added: "When my team's losing, I get frustrated so absolutely give it [criticism] to me, not the players.

"I take full responsibility for it, but what I ask for is a little bit of patience. We are a team that's evolving at the minute from the World Cup.

"Nobody wants to lose games of football, but we have to be realistic about where we are as well.

"Those Nations League games - getting promoted from Group B to A is where we wanted to be because we wanted the top teams, we wanted to get the crowds in the stadium, but along the way you are going to get defeats because you are playing top international countries."

Last year Page became the first man to lead Wales to a World Cup since 1958, securing his place in Welsh football history.

But an underwhelming group-stage exit in Qatar followed by a disappointing start to this Euro 2024 qualifying campaign has seen Page's stock tumble.

Wales are fourth in the five-team Group D, with just one win from four matches leaving them with only the slimmest hopes of qualifying automatically and potentially relying on a play-off in March to reach next year's tournament in Germany.

Football Association of Wales (FAW) bosses conducted a review of the defeats against Armenia and Turkey - as they do after every international window - and decided to stick with Page for now.

The former Wales captain signed a four-year contract before the 2022 World Cup, and FAW chief executive Noel Mooney gave Page his backing last month.

'There's a long-term plan here'

"I've got their [FAW] support. When I signed my contract before the World Cup it was a four-year contract because there's a long-term plan here," said Page.

"I came into this camp six years ago with the intermediate groups. It was about developing these young players.

"We have got some good young players coming through and we're showing that now with the younger age groups. It's about picking the right time to get the next breed of players coming through.

"We're doing it slowly with JJ [Jordan James] and Luke [Harris]. Rubin [Colwill] scored for Cardiff the other night and yes I saw a different plan for him a couple of years ago, it hasn't gone quite as I wanted, but the future of Welsh football now relies on these players coming through."

Wales return to action in September, first with a friendly at home to South Korea before a Euro 2024 qualifier in Latvia.

One of the contributing factors to Wales' recent struggle has been their players' lack of match fitness, a result of irregular game time for their clubs.

Page hopes summer moves for the likes of captain Aaron Ramsey, centre-back Joe Rodon and midfielder Ethan Ampadu will help to solve that problem.

"We've never been blessed with a squad of players that's coming in and been playing domestic football," Page said.

"I don't think I've ever had a starting 11 where every player on the pitch coming in is starting domestic football.

"They've always managed to do it, they've always put a shift in, they've always put a performance in, but eventually it is going to catch up with you.

"This season's been quite nice, watching players move, get transfers and seeing how most of our players are back playing football."

Former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder Ramsey returned to boyhood club Cardiff City in July and, even though the Wales captain has dropped down to the Championship to play his club football, Page is pleased the 32-year-old is back home.

"He's a family man and I had many conversations with him when he was in Italy and most recently in France [with Nice]," Page said.

"He looks like he's happy and that's because he's got his family around him.

"When you've got a footballer who's happy and playing with a smile on his face it's amazing what that does to your body, you just relax.

"I watched him on Sunday [in Cardiff's 2-2 draw at Leeds] and for the hour that he played I thought he was excellent and he looked like he was enjoying his football, so that's good for us as well."