Euro 2016: Wales crack open beers and barbeques to avoid cabin fever

Manager Chris Coleman helping team find right balance inbetween matches

The Welsh players are in it together (Getty)

Chris Coleman said that Monday night’s 3-0 Wales win over Russia was the game he has enjoyed more than any other in his whole football career. But Coleman knows that not every day will be like that, that international tournaments inevitably mean more time fighting boredom in the hotel than competing on the pitch.

The longer that Wales stay in the European Championship the longer their breaks between the games. Wales have four empty days between beating Russia in Toulouse and their last-16 match at the Parc des Princes on Saturday. Win that, and they will have five empty days before their quarter-final in Lille.

That is why Coleman and his team, especially FAW performance psychologist Dr Ian Mitchell, are so keen to keep his players entertained and relaxed. They are conscious of the danger of “cabin fever”, always a fear in these tournaments. Left-back Neil Taylor said yesterday that Wales’ approach to heading off that problem has been “perfect” so far, and Taylor, Sam Vokes and Coleman all explained at length what they have been doing to stay balanced and focused over these last few emotional days.

It all started late on Monday night after what Coleman said was the best game he has experienced as manager.

Wales' goalscoring full-back Neil Taylor is all smiles (Getty)

“From the first to last minute that game is probably the most I have enjoyed as manager,” Coleman said. “With all respect to Russia, I was comfortable with [the scoreline] from the first to last minutes, we were totally in control and I totally enjoyed it. It was a fantastic night. One of those you will never forget that feeling that our supporters had. You can’t measure that feeling of being together when you see and experience that.”

Coleman was delighted with how his players had picked themselves up after losing to England last week. There was a real sense of achievement among the group after their six points which ensured that they won Group B and therefore earned a favourable passage through the knock-out rounds. That is why, when Wales players came to Coleman late on Saturday night to ask if they could have a round of beers in the hotel, Coleman was happy to say yes.

“We had one can of beer each in the dressing room,” Coleman remembered. “It was great as we had not had a beer since we had been in camp. Some senior players came to me and said ‘can we have one beer back at the hotel? Then we will call it a night as we are playing on Saturday.’ I didn’t have to say don’t be stupid. They took care of that. They did not need it anyway.”

That is part of the liberal attitude that has made the Wales camp such a happy relaxed place so far. And that continued at lunchtime on Tuesday when the Wales squad had a barbeque for the players and their families at the hotel in Toulouse, before flying back to their base in Dinard.

“All the kids were there, it was nice,” Coleman said. “It was for a few hours at the hotel. On the back of the euphoria of the game the night before, it was a great atmosphere at the hotel with everyone. We all needed it. As we are doing the same every day, physically and mentally it is very, very tough. We have never been here before. But it was good to break it up with that and it was what we needed.”

Chris Coleman allowed the Wales players to have a couple of beers to celebrate victory over Russia (Getty)

That was a one-off but back in the base in Dinard Wales have enough activities to keep them entertained, with table tennis, video games, and a nightly football quiz known as ‘court’, with forfeits to the losing team, Much of it owes to Ian Mitchell, who is responsible for setting the right tone to get the most out of the players.

“Cabin fever can set in when you sit in a hotel for a month, so you have to make sure you do things as a group,” Taylor said. “I have to say that Wales have got it almost perfect with how they've set up the camp, with the games rooms and the chill out rooms and where we are on the sea. People like Mitch tried almost without you knowing to make it a little bit easier. He works closely with the staff as well to help them, but little things here and there that Mitch has done have definitely made it better.”

Sam Vokes was just as positive about the activities at the hotel, and about Dr Mitchell. “He has been a good influence, little things to stop boredom is really important,” Vokes said. “He has brought us together in creating ‘Together Stronger’. It's open door, have a chat when you want. He is a very open guy and good to talk to, great to have around the place.”