Former Hornets skipper Page sacked by Wales

Former Watford captain Robert Page has been sacked as manager of the Wales national team.

The axe fell on the 49-year-old after a 4-0 friendly defeat in Slovakia, which came hot on the heels of an embarrassing 0-0 draw with minnows Gibraltar.

Page, who skippered the Hornets when they beat Bolton at Wembley in the 1999 Play-Off Final to win promotion to the Premier League for the first time, was booed by travelling fans at both games.

He oversaw a disappointing season for Wales, who failed to qualify for the upcoming Euro 2024 finals.

Speaking after the drubbing in Trnava, Page said: “They [the fans] want me out. I completely understand.

“I’ve got to stay true to myself and focused on the job in hand. Everything else is out of my control.

“I clapped them with the players and when the players walked, I made a point of going over to the supporters and saying ‘it’s on me’. I get the frustration.

“I feel low, disappointed, of course. I’m human at the end of the day and nobody wants to fail.”

The defender made more than 250 appearances for Watford between 1993 and 2002, becoming Graham Taylor’s captain in the 1997/98 season when still only 24.

After leaving Vicarage Road when Gianluca Vialli took over in the summer of 2001, Page played for the likes of Sheffield United, Coventry and Chesterfield before retiring in 2011.

He was capped 41 times by Wales, and captained them in a game against Hungary in 2005.

Page managed Port Vale and Northampton Town before becoming manager of Wales Under-21s in 2017.

He was later appointed as an assistant coach to Ryan Giggs with the Welsh senior team, and when Giggs stepped aside in 2020, Page took over as caretaker and then permanently ahead of the Euro 2020 Finals.

The former Hornet then steered his country to their first World Cup for 64 years when they reached the finals in Qatar in 2022, going out in the group stages.

They finished third in their qualification group for this summer’s Euros, and then lost on penalties to Poland in the play-off final.

Speaking after the defeat to Slovakia, Page added: “The form coming into it has been all right but when you draw against Gibraltar and you get beaten with the goals we have tonight, questions are going to be asked. I completely understand that.”

FAW chief executive Noel Mooney said: "On behalf of myself and the entire FAW, I extend our heartfelt gratitude to Rob for his commitment and dedication to his roles for the national teams.

“Under Rob Page’s leadership, our Cymru men’s team has achieved significant milestones and victories which have created many incredible memories for our nation, most notably our first World Cup in 64 years.”