Wales going places

Gary Speed has always had an affinity with numbers. After all, the midfielder's playing career is invariably characterised as one of impressive longevity - unsurprisingly when you consider at one stage he held a record of 535 Premier League appearances, while his 85 caps for Wales make him the outfield player with the most appearances for his country.

Meanwhile, his first appointment as Wales manager was not an assistant coach, but a head of performance, a high priest of sports science recruited to indulge in computer analysis and provide numerical insight.

It may have been particularly pleasing, then, for Speed to learn that the formula he has employed with Wales and a recent spree of impressive results has translated into a very tangible statistical upturn: in Wednesday's FIFA rankings, Wales rose a full 45 places to 45th in the world.

Their highest ranking since September 1995 - when Speed was a 26-year-old playing for Leeds United in the formative years of the Premier League - correlates with a notable upsurge in confidence and aptitude among a group of players that, while they did not qualify for Euro 2012, finished the qualifying campaign in decidedly impressive fashion.

As recently as August, Wales sat at an all-time low of 117th in the rankings. Results since Speed's appointment the previous December had been poor: a solitary friendly victory over Northern Ireland came amid four defeats, including a 2-0 loss at home to rivals England in Euro 2012 qualifying in March that attracted scrutiny on Speed and his decision to install the 20-year-old Aaron Ramsey as his new full-time captain.

During the England defeat in Cardiff, Ramsey embodied Wales as a side. He looked lost, too desperate to make a quick impression. A wayward Hollywood pass resulted in a grab of the hair and an anguished look. It appeared too much too soon for the young man and his team-mates.

By September, they were transformed. Though Wales lost 1-0 to England at Wembley, the success of a 2-1 home win against Montenegro four days previously had lifted Speed and his side; they were unfortunate not to take a point against England, while Ramsey was the outstanding player on display.

When Speed's side finished the campaign with their first competitive back-to-back wins since 2005 in games against Bulgaria and, more impressively, Switzerland, it quickly became apparent that the regime's new approach to the national side was gaining traction, and quickly. Though they will not be present at Euro 2012 and have not graced a major tournament since the 1958 World Cup, there is hope that a tilt at qualifying for 2014 is not beyond this young side.

"We’re building under the new manager and heading in the right direction," says Gareth Bale. "We all know what our ultimate goal is but we’ve got to keep working hard, this is just the beginning. It’s been a great year really. We all knew how disappointed everyone was with how the campaign started and how it was going. But since the new gaffer has come in, we’re improving all the time.

"He’s organised us well, we’re trying things and getting the ball down and playing and scoring goals. We know there is a long way to go but all the lads are working hard to achieve that long-term goal. It’s all steps in the right direction at the moment."

Bale does not state as much explicitly but that "ultimate goal" must be reaching another World Cup. However, it is unfortunate for Speed and his promising collective that the 2014 qualifying draw has already been conducted. On July 30, Wales were placed alongside the likes of San Marino and Andorra in the bottom group of seeds. If the draw had been made this week, they would have been in pot three with Belgium and Czech Republic.

The last time Wales had a sniff of reaching a major finals was Euro 2004 when Mark Hughes's side, with Speed installed in midfield, lost to Russia in a play-off. During his first press conference as national boss, Speed spoke of his desire to ensure the country's cycle of misery was broken.

"I think we need to consistently compete on a world stage and not just come close to qualifying every now and again, every 12-15 years," he said. "It's my job to make sure the structure in Welsh football is such that we're consistently competing.

"As a player I've been part of campaigns where we've just missed out, but in between those campaigns there were gaps of eight to 10 years. It's my job to make sure this country develops in a way so we can consistently compete on a world stage."

He is certainly closer to achieving that aim than he was in December. So what has changed? Well, Speed's application of sports science methods - no doubt inspired by his time working under ProZone disciple Sam Allardyce at Bolton Wanderers - have created a more professional air around the camp.

Computer analysis of saliva, urine and blood contributes to what Speed and his team refer to as 'Player Wellness', a system which helps to ensure that each member of the squad benefits from a tailored training regime and enters the pitch in peak condition. Assistant Raymond Verheijen plays a key role in this respect.

Performance analysts, GPS consultants and nutritionists have all been employed by the Football Association of Wales, even if Speed's plans suffered unexpected disruption prior to the country's final two qualifiers when head of performance Damien Roden - who also worked under Allardyce at Bolton - was sidelined by the FAW in a contractual dispute. Speed professed to be "disappointed" by the news.

The FAW must resolve whatever issues they have with Roden, as he has played a key role in the resurgence of the national side. Midfielder David Edwards spoke of the impact the new regime has had when being called up by Speed for the first time after returning from a seven-month absence due to injury ahead of the qualifiers against Switzerland and Bulgaria. He contrasted Speed's set-up favourably with that of predecessor John Toshack.

“I’ve noticed there is a real air of confidence among the boys and there is a buzz around the place over what they achieved in the last two qualifiers," he said. “A lot of the work they have been doing behind the scenes came to fruition in those two games. Against England there was a good performance, and it was an excellent win over Montenegro.

“It’s very different in camp, the manager’s ideas are different to the previous manager and, as I say, the boys have an air of confidence and are enjoying themselves.”

A tough World Cup qualifying campaign awaits, with Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland and Macedonia in Group A, but after finishing the Euro 2012 qualifiers as one of Europe's form sides, and haring up the FIFA rankings, Speed and his assistants are not just aiming to make up the numbers any more.