Connor Roberts says there is fresh energy around Wales under Craig Bellamy
The former Dragons captain faces his first game against Turkey on Friday after succeeding Rob Page as manager.
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Your support makes all the difference.Connor Roberts says there is fresh energy around Wales after telling colleagues to expect a far different set-up under new boss Craig Bellamy.
Burnley wing-back Roberts has the inside track on Bellamy given the two seasons the pair spent at Turf Moor together.
Bellamy was Vincent Kompany’s assistant as Burnley romped to the Championship title by accumulating 101 points in the 2022-23 season before being relegated from the Premier League.
Kompany left on the back of relegation to take charge of Bayern Munich this summer, while Bellamy was appointed Wales manager following the dismissal of Rob Page.
“You can see there is a new energy around the place,” Roberts said ahead of Wales’ opening Nations League games against Turkey and Montenegro.
“Everyone is excited to see what a Craig Bellamy team looks like, how they play.
“It’s the same with the players. We all love playing for Wales and we all have to impress the boss by tuning in to his ideas and want to be part of something successful.
“I know for a fact when there were whispers of the gaffer coming in, some people asked questions – ‘was it right, was it not?’.
Everyone is excited to see what a Craig Bellamy team looks like, how they play
“I can assure you I thought it was 100 per cent the right decision to bring in the boss. He’s a fantastic coach who absolutely loves football. He lives and breathes it.
“It’s going to be different for a lot of players, who are going to be doing different roles to what they’re used to in a Wales shirt.”
Bellamy, who captained Wales during a 78-cap career between 1998 and 2013, makes his managerial bow against Euro 2024 quarter-finalists Turkey in Cardiff on Friday.
Wales then head to Montenegro three days later for the second of their Group B4 fixtures.
Players have spoken of how level of detail – both on the pitch and in meeting rooms – has risen during the two days that the squad has been in camp at their Vale of Glamorgan base.
“It’s been exactly the same as when they first came to Burnley,” Roberts said, recalling the early days under Kompany and Bellamy at Turf Moor.
“A lot of information, a lot of meetings and I think it’s going to be like that for the foreseeable until we understand exactly what’s required.
“I think me and all the other boys in the squad knew that was coming. With a new coach it’s always going to be like that and, with Craig and his staff, it’s even more so than any normal manager, shall we say.
“There’s a lot of information, but the only way we’re going to improve and become a better football team is if we clue in and listen to that.”
Bellamy had a hugely successful top-flight club career, winning honours at Celtic and Liverpool and also playing for Newcastle and Manchester City among others.
But the former striker never represented Wales at a major tournament and has admitted to being envious of players – many of whom are in his first squad – who went on to do so at Euro 2016, Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.
Roberts added: “He’s got the chance to lead us there now. He’s already referred to it and said in meetings that it’s not just a case of getting there.
“We need to get there and, when we do, compete more than we have since 2016.
“We need to go to these big tournaments and show we’re not just there to make up the numbers.
“The only way we will do that is if we listen to all the information and execute it. That is the aim.”