‘Forget what you've done': Bellamy wants Wales players to switch focus to World Cup
Craig Bellamy has said his Wales players must reset and focus on a the World Cup qualifying double-header regardless of whether they finished the season 'on a trampoline or with a ball around their neck'. Brennan Johnson and Ben Davies won the Europa League with Tottenham, while Bellamy's squad for matches against Liechtenstein and Belgium also includes a quartet of Leeds players in Karl Darlow, Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon and Daniel James, who recently celebrated promotion to the Premier League.
Connor Roberts was also promoted with Burnley, but Bellamy is mindful other players experienced disappointment. The Wales manager said: 'It's a positive [to have winners in the squad]. But when I was at a club, anyone who went away for international football and came back it was: 'Forget about what you've just done. Focus on what we're doing here. Every meeting, every part of football you thought you'd just learned there, forget about it. Get back on track here.'
'It's the same here with international football. You'll have a moment where you can congratulate players and I love them being on a high. But I also have to be responsible for players that perhaps haven't had the season they would have expected. As well as your egos, everything else is forgotten, it's not going to serve you here. 'This is what we do, how we work.'
'You're in a different world, you need to be in our world and they always are. Whether they're coming in on a trampoline or with a ball round their neck, off we go.'
Bellamy named a 27-man squad for the qualifiers on Wednesday, with the 18-year-old Cardiff City right-back Ronan Kpakio receiving his first call-up. There is no place for the 18-year-old Manchester United striker Luca Biancheri, who will join Canada's senior squad on Sunday.
Biancheri, whose mother is Canadian and father is Italian, has been capped by Wales at Under-19 level and was part of Wales's recent training camp in Spain, but Bellamy had no plans to bring him into his latest squad. Wales are relaxed about the teenager's situation and are happy for him to gain further experience.
Wales are without Joe Allen, who retired this month. The 35-year-old reversed his decision to retire from international duty last year, but has stepped away a second time. Wales were staring at a first defeat under Bellamy when Allen's wayward pass allowed North Macedonia to take a stoppage-time lead in Skopje in March until David Brooks's 96th-minute equaliser.
'I knew he was going to retire,' Bellamy said. 'When we conceded, it was like: 'There's no way this is going to be his last touch for us.' Even if I would delay it after we play this one in June, you are not finishing that way.''
Bellamy, who had two spells at Liverpool as a player, said he was shaken by the incident at their title parade on Monday that left 65 people injured. 'It's heartbreaking to go to what should be an incredible moment, the most successful club in England with 20 titles, which was so important,' he said.
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'I am a Liverpool fan and to see that happen was incredible. I'm probably like everyone else, I'm still trying to absorb it. Maybe I will in the next few weeks, but it is still quite raw for me.'
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Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. It was heard how the outcome of this hospital trip was that Bethan's symptoms were likely the result of a hemiplegic migraine. Mrs James said: 'I don't feel on the 2nd that they fully assessed her.' Mrs James became emotional when she described how on Monday, February 3, her daughter had collapsed because she was 'so exhausted' from being at hospital. Following this Mrs James said an ambulance was called and although paramedics arrived her daughter said she did not want to go to hospital, having felt dismissed by various medics and exhausted by the hours of waiting around she had already endured. It was heard how paramedics noted that Bethan's heart rate was high, but that she couldn't be forced to go to hospital. Two days later, on Wednesday, February 5, Bethan's symptoms persisted in her right arm, and she had also developed numbness and issues with her right leg. Myself and my husband knew we needed to do something to try and find out what was going on,' Mrs James told the inquest. She said they took her back to A&E at the University Hospital of Wales. 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She said: 'He said he had seen a 17-year-old girl with similar symptoms and that she is now symptom free and fine. I have no idea how he could say this to Bethan without diagnosing her.' She said Dr Willis did organise for blood tests to happen that day, but that Bethan was so dehydrated by the time that these came about that medics could not draw blood. Bethan was advised to get these done at her GP instead. Mrs James added: 'I felt they just wanted Bethan out of there as soon as possible.' Speaking during the inquest Dr Willis said he made the comment in an attempt to show compassion and reassure Mrs James. He added: 'I'm sorry to hear Mrs James feels she wasn't listened to.' Answering questions from the family's advocate, Richard Booth, Dr Willis said it was unusual for neurology assessments to result in hospital admission. He said when examining Bethan he found only mild weakness in her right arm. He addressed that neurological symptoms of the nature experienced by Bethan were rare in cases of sepsis. On Saturday, February 8, Mrs James said her daughter had been in bed all afternoon. By the afternoon she said she was watching rugby with her daughter and trying to encourage her to eat. By 4pm Mrs James said her daughter 'looked dreadful' with bags under her eyes and nails so pale she thought she was wearing white nail polish. On a number of occasions Mrs James recalled asking if she could call for an ambulance, but in response her daughter reiterated that Dr Willis said she would soon be fine. However, she called 999 that evening. The first person to arrive was a rapid response paramedic named Paul Humphries. Mrs James said Mr Humphries could not record Bethan's blood pressure properly. In hindsight Mrs James said she now knows this is a sign of sepsis. She said the 'signs' of sepsis were 'right in front' of Mr Humphries. The inquest heard how initially Mr Humphries called for a P3 ambulance response, which refers to a low priority. He later escalated this to a P2. Mrs James said: 'I don't know why someone doesn't get a P1 when they are so unwell.' Speaking during the inquest Mr Humphries said in hindsight he believes he dealt with Bethan appropriately. He added: 'I didn't come away from that incident thinking I did a bad job.' When the ambulance turned up Mrs James said she didn't sense any 'rush' to get her daughter to hospital. She finally arrived at 7.45pm following a 12 minute journey, it was heard. Mrs James described that on arrival at the University Hospital of Wales they had to wait in the ambulance outside the hospital for some time. She said they 'now know' there was a bed available, claiming her daughter wasn't 'deemed unwell enough' to have it. At 8.10pm Ms James was triaged before she went down to resus at 9.15pm. Mrs James said it occurred to her that her daughter was only at this point going down to where she needed to be to receive help, some three hours after the ambulance had been called. She described there being 'chaos' at the hospital as medics struggled to administer a line into Bethan, and with nobody clearly in charge of her care. Mrs James said she believes it should have been administered in her daughter's neck instead for easier access, or that she should have been taken down to intensive care. All the while this was ongoing Mrs James said her daughter was awake, could 'hardly breathe' and was 'so scared'. After some time Mrs James said an anaesthetist came down and Bethan was put to sleep. Mrs James said she felt that with that her daughter's body lost its ability to fight. She said she was asked to leave at around 9.25pm before she was told her daughter had a cardiac arrest. She recalled being told medics were working on Bethan and if she wanted to be with her as she passed away. 'As soon as I walked in, I knew she was dead,' Mrs James said. She commented that a sepsis protocol should have been put in place early on. She said her daughter 'should have had the right care straight away'. She added: 'It's heartbreaking as a mum to know that her life could have been saved. They didn't know what they were doing.' The inquest continues.
