Source: Team_Talk
Blake adds to Toshack's problems
Uncapped defender Darcy Blake, on loan at Plymouth from Cardiff, was forced to withdraw due to a calf problem picked up in Saturday's Under-21 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in Wrexham.
That match had already robbed boss John Toshack of striker Ched Evans, who scored both goals in the 2-0 win to take his tally to
13 from 12 matches at that level.
Toshack was aware of Evans' injury soon after he had witnessed his seniors go down 2-1 to Finland in the Olympic Stadium on Saturday evening - a result that ended Wales' hopes of finishing third in World Cup qualifying Group Four.
But now Blake, 20, has also advised the FA of Wales that he is not fit to travel.
That means captain Shaun MacDonald - also uncapped at senior level - and midfielder Andy King are the only members of Brian Flynn's Under-21 squad able to join up with the seniors.
Wales have also flown out MK Dons striker Jermaine Easter for Wednesday's final qualifier in Vaduz against Liechtenstein, with Walsall midfielder Mark Bradley on stand-by.
Bradley was suspended from the Under-21s' victory, which puts them firmly at the top of their European Championship qualifying group with three matches to go.
Toshack said: "We have to re-group now and make sure we perform better in Liechtenstein.
"We lacked experience against Finland, who had six players in their starting line-up who were over 30. We had five players who could have been in our Under-21 side in Wrexham."
But while the Under-21s have now won their last four matches and lost only five of their last 23 to give Wales something to be proud of, the seniors are lurching from one disappointment to another.
Toshack's team have lost their last three qualifiers and won only four of their last 12 while in their last 16 games they have scored more than one goal in a match on just a solitary occasion.
That was against Wednesday's rivals, Liechtenstein. Defeat is surely unthinkable against the pool's bottom team.
With skipper Craig Bellamy and goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey both now suspended from that match after unnecessary bookings for dissent against Finland, Toshack is really up against it.
He said: "This group has been very frustrating and we have had one problem after another. We have lost twice to Finland while doing okay against the two big sides, Germany and Russia.
"I won't be glad to see the back of this group, only glad one day to see us able to put out our best side without injuries, withdrawals and retirements to disrupt our plans."
Wales, who have had 11 players retire during Toshack's five years in control, were also hit by eight injury withdrawals ahead of the Finland game.
Interestingly, Jack Collison and Danny Gabbidon both played 60 minutes of a behind-closed-doors friendly for West Ham on Friday having pulled out for Wales.
They joined Simon Davies, Robert Earnshaw, Sam Ricketts, Joe Ledley, David Cotterill and Brian Stock who were also absentees for the match.
Toshack said: "There is nothing we can do about this situation, players have been pulling out and have made this a difficult problem.
"Overall, too, we have had a lot of players retire from international football during this qualifying campaign.
"But this has been a campaign to forget when it comes down to injuries and retirements. It has been very difficult.
"If we continue to have the problems we have had with injuries, withdrawals and retirements, we will find great difficulty in ever qualifying.
"If that continues it will be virtually impossible to ever qualify from any group."
