When Craig Bellamy was playing for Cardiff City towards the end of his career, the full-backs marking him would often hear a peculiar noise.
If Bellamy was on the ball, supporters closest to the pitch would instinctively stand up, anticipating a piece of magic. There followed the sound of dozens of plastic chairs flipping backwards, like the tumbling of dominoes.
‘When the ball went towards him you’d just hear the seats going back,’ recalls James O’Connor, who played right-back for Doncaster when Bellamy made his Cardiff debut in August 2010, and made more than 400 league appearances for six clubs. ‘You knew straightaway he was a top player.’
Now Bellamy is trying to get fans off their seats in the Cardiff City Stadium again – but this time as manager of Wales, rather than a player for his local club. The 45-year-old takes his first step on this precarious ladder on Friday when Wales host Turkey in the Nations League.
Fans with only a passing memory of Bellamy’s outstanding playing career will probably be expecting a touchline shouting match with opposite number Vincenzo Montella, and a scuffle with a burly Turkish centre-back thrown in for good measure.
Craig Bellamy is preparing to make his debut as Wales coach when they play Turkey in their Nations League clash
Bellamy is now hoping his experiences as a player – and a Welsh international – will aid him in management
As well as turning out for his national side, Bellamy was a fan favourite at Cardiff City (pictured in 2014)
Bellamy is clearly a spiky character but that perception is both misleading and unfair. ‘People have this idea he’s an angry bloke but that’s from those who don’t know him,’ says Mark Bowen, who worked with Mark Hughes with Wales and has known Bellamy for three decades. ‘He really values the people close to him. He’ll thrive in this job.’
When Welsh FA staff travelled to meet Bellamy at Burnley’s training ground for his interview, Bellamy was midway through one of his regular 18-hour days.
Wales technical staff use ‘depth charts’ for every position on the pitch, listing players suitable for selection now or in future. Not only did Bellamy know every senior footballer, he was also aware of all those at youth level and more still who born outside Wales but were eligible.
Then the 45-year-old revealed a detailed knowledge of data analysis and the methods used by the world’s finest coaches. Bellamy was not the only contender for the role, with Steve Cooper and Rob Edwards among those sounded out, but he blew the panel away.
Wales bosses collected dozens of references on Bellamy, from players, coaches and even members of the business community. They were delighted with the responses.
Mail Sport has spoken to several people who have seen Bellamy at work and a clear picture emerges. Passionate, exacting and super-professional, Bellamy will leave no stone unturned in his pursuit of success. Nobody knows how this journey will end but Bellamy will have studied the map from every angle.
Bellamy was confirmed as the new Wales head coach in July following the sacking of Rob Page
Short cuts will not be permitted, starting with training sessions. ‘I’d never seen anyone so dedicated,’ remembers Dave Edwards, who played with Bellamy for Wales from 2007-13. ‘We used to train near the Vale of Glamorgan resort in Cardiff. The training pitches were about 10 minutes’ walk from the hotel and there was no gym next to those pitches.
‘Craig used to struggle with his knee so he would walk to training carrying equipment from the hotel gym. Before the rest of the players arrived he’d be using balance boards to strengthen his quads before the session. It’s normal stuff now but it wasn’t back then.
‘To be a manager today you have to be obsessed with football. It has to be your life. Everything else takes a back seat and I would put Craig in that bracket.’
Bellamy had already watched Turkey eight times by the time of his introductory press conference on July 10 yet there are two sides to that coin.
Most Wales players will never be as good as Bellamy was. The game will not dominate their lives as it does his. Will he have the patience to adapt to different abilities and personalities, particularly those who might not share his unrelenting ambition?
Bellamy starred for Manchester City during his career playing in the Premier League
Bellamy stepped down from his role as coach of Cardiff Under-18s in January 2019 amid allegations of bullying and xenophobia. Bellamy denied the allegations but accepted the internal report “highlighted aspects of my coaching skills that could perhaps be improved”. He was not the subject of any disciplinary proceedings.
Bellamy sometimes gave team-mates and coaches a tough ride – and we are not talking here about him attacking John Arne Riise with a golf club when the pair were at Liverpool in 2007.
‘He would call lads out in training,’ Edwards reveals. ‘You wouldn’t necessarily want to be on his team in a five-a-side because his standards were so high, and if you weren’t up to it he would test you.
‘It could be quite intimidating for a younger player but there was a reason for it. He was sending a message: ‘If you can’t deal with me screaming at you, how will you handle it when 50,000 people are doing the same?’ He’s been through that journey as a player and I fancy him to do well.’
Nor was there a free pass figures of authority. Bowen was a senior player at Norwich when Bellamy joined as an apprentice in the mid-1990s. As assistant to Mark Hughes, he coached Bellamy with Wales, Blackburn and Manchester City. It did not stop Bellamy firing tough questions at him regularly.
Bellamy stepped down from his role as coach of Cardiff Under-18s in January 2019 amid allegations of bullying and xenophobia that he denied, and later took up a role at Burnley
‘He would come to me and say ‘What are we doing? What have we learned? Why have we turned up for training today?’ says Bowen. ‘He didn’t suffer fools but once you explained it to him, he was fine. He kept you on your toes.’
Bowen expects Bellamy to succeed but warns he may have to be flexible with his preferred style to suit the players he has – and the strength of the opposition. Working with manager Vincent Kompany at Burnley, Bellamy watched the team cruise to promotion from the Championship. They refused to alter their adventurous approach in the top flight and were promptly relegated with 24 points.
‘I think Craig is better prepared to be Wales manager right now than he would have been if he’d taken the job straight after promotion,’ argues Bowen.
‘Mark Hughes always used to say that international football was perfect for young managers. There are fewer fixtures so you have time to plan and work things out. Time to stand back.’
Mail Sport’s Chris Sutton, who was with Bellamy at Norwich and Celtic, predicts ‘the players could be in for a treat.
‘He might have a sharp tongue but you need that as a player in a dressing room,’ Sutton says. ‘He’s a high-profile former player but he’s never made it about himself as a coach. He was excellent at Celtic in every respect.
‘When he was working with Kompany, you rarely saw him on the edge of the dugout. That tells you everything about him. He cares so deeply about football and has a really thorough knowledge of it.’
Bellamy succeeds Robert Page, who coached Wales at two major tournaments with safety-first tactics allied to the top-class talent of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey. That squad also had a formidable spirit and Bellamy’s challenge will be to preserve that.
Mail Sport’s Chris Sutton, who was with Bellamy at Norwich and Celtic, predicts ‘the players could be in for a treat’
Bellamy was assistant to Vincent Kompany (left) at Turf Moor last season, before the coach’s move to Bayern Munich
He should be in his element with this youthful group. While with Kompany at Anderlecht, Bellamy earned the trust of Jeremy Doku, who is now with Manchester City. Bellamy has the charisma and intelligence to shape these young minds for the better.
‘You could see he really enjoyed working with young players,’ recalls Rob Earnshaw, a former Wales team-mate who observed Bellamy’s training sessions at Anderlecht. ‘He loved being able to give them information that would help them develop. It was all extremely detailed.’
Earnshaw believes Bellamy was inspired to pursue this path by the late Gary Speed, Wales coach from 2010-11. He says: ‘It’ll be about ‘How can we win this game?’ rather than going in and taking a point. It’s an important little shift in mentality. It’s a great appointment.’
‘He’ll want to make the Cardiff City Stadium a really hostile place for opponents,’ adds Edwards. ‘He’ll demand that from the fans.’ And if he can have the fans on their feet like he did as a player, Bellamy will know he is on to a winner.
