Craig Bellamy guided Wales to Nations League promotion and then insisted it had been vital to prove that he was not a “lunatic”.
Bellamy extended his unbeaten run to six games – the best start by a Wales manager – as the Dragons recovered from conceding an early goal to beat Iceland 4-1 in Cardiff.
Turkey’s shock 3-1 defeat in Montenegro saw Wales leapfrog them at the top of Group B4 and boost their 2026 World Cup qualification hopes.
“I probably feel it was important to show people I am not a lunatic, I’m quite sane,” said Bellamy, whose temperament during a colourful playing career at the top level often got him into trouble.
“People thought I was going to be running on the pitch and pushing the ref and stuff, getting sent off.
“I probably felt more pushed into management to show I am not like that. People used to bring temperament up. ‘Oh yeah, but his temperament.’ I was like: ‘Really?’ Now you get to see this side of me.
“But you (media) were concerned, you were thinking: ‘I wonder what he’s going to be like?’ I understand that as well.
“You’ll see me even calmer and kinder, when it goes wrong … now is the worst period you can get me in, because my emotions are everywhere.
That tastes like promotion 🍾#UNL | #TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/hNzvABMln6
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) November 19, 2024
“Trust me, you get nowhere being that way. I’m not naive enough to know those moments aren’t coming.
“I don’t know when but it’s going to happen. I feel like some are waiting for it to happen. I know that and I have to stay calm with that.”
Bellamy was actually booked in the second half for complaining to the fourth official with Wales leading 2-1 through Liam Cullen’s brace – his first international goals.
Andri Gudjohnsen had given Iceland a seventh-minute lead, but Wales coasted home after Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson – with his fourth goal of the Nations League campaign – produced delicious strikes.
Wales are now effectively guaranteed a World Cup play-off, if needed, as the seventh best Nations League group winners.
Bellamy said: “We want to go to a World Cup. We’ve got to get that ticked off. If we get there, we want to compete.
“These players deserve to be there competing because of their buy-in. They are in. When you have a group like that, their togetherness and who they are as people.
“I think I’m quite a humble person, some don’t know me. This group make you humble.
“We had a member of staff whose close relative passed away, players donated in memory of him.”
Bellamy said he was unaware of Wales leading the group until the Cardiff City Stadium crowd began singing ‘we are the top of the league’ and ‘Montenegro’.
“I heard the fans and thought this could actually be a good night,” said Bellamy.
“What I liked was when we went 1-0 down we were able to play and we moved the ball.
“The crowd got a little bit edgy, it’s not normal here to be playing that way. That was the most important thing, we were able to play chests out.
“Maybe we’re not a team that can keep the ball but we were. We believe we’re able to carve our way open in the game. When you look at the mentality of the players, they deserved to finish top.”
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