Football
PA Sport 7y

Wales stars want boss Chris Coleman to stay after World Cup dream ends

Wales manager Chris Coleman will hold talks about his future after Republic of Ireland ended their World Cup dream, with senior players urging him to stay on.

James McClean's 57th-minute goal gave the Republic a 1-0 win in Cardiff and ensured that they, not Wales, make next month's playoffs.

Wales had started the evening still chasing an automatic ticket to the finals in Russia next summer, although Serbia's 1-0 victory over Georgia confirmed them as Group D winners.

Press Association Sport reported that Coleman met key players, including the injured Gareth Bale, after the match, with the squad giving him their unanimous backing.

It also reported that the Football Association of Wales (FAW) hopes that Coleman will extend his stay.

Defender Chris Gunter said: "I think everyone in Wales, fans and players, would want to see him stay on -- 100 percent.

"He's been a massive part of what we've done and he is the man to hopefully take us forward.

"If the powers that be can give him a really good contract and make him stay, he can carry on being the greatest Welsh manager of all time.

"The message from the whole squad would be that we want him to sign a new contract."

Coleman said after Wales had reached the Euro 2016 semifinals that this World Cup campaign would be his last in charge.

But his stance appears to have softened and he will speak to FAW officials about the future, with the talks set to take place before a planned Cardiff friendly next month.

"There's a chance I can and a chance I won't," Coleman said when asked if it was possible he could continue in a job he has held since January 2012.

"I can't give an answer right now. It's not just a matter of signing a new contract, the FAW have been great with me.

"I asked them to leave me alone as my contract has been running down and all the questions were getting asked.

"I wanted to concentrate on getting results. There'll be a conversation in due course, and my contract is until the summer.

"But right now, I'm thinking about the experience. I'll go back to my family and take a bit of time. When the dust settles we'll see where we go."

Coleman said Wales "just came up a bit short" and added: "It's a shame for us, a hard one, but we've got no complaints.

"It's done, it hurts, it's hard -- we have a dressing room of devastated players and a nation mourning. But our players have done brilliantly and we've got to learn from it."

^ Back to Top ^