Toshack struck by Bellamy blow

Feb 10 2008 by Our Correspondent, Wales On Sunday

JOHN TOSHACK has been dealt a double blow as he continues his build-up to Wales’ World Cup qualifying campaign.

Captain Craig Bellamy is set to miss the rest of the season through injury while Jason Koumas – two-goal hero in the midweek win over Norway – is unlikely to see much action with Wigan.

But Toshack has been handed some good news with defender James Collins poised to return from injury ahead of schedule.

Bellamy has been hit with a recurrence of his chronic abdominal problem. The 28-year-old striker had looked to be on the road to recovery after returning last week following a four-month lay-off.

But the West Ham star is now facing more surgery to correct the condition – and faces missing Wales’ next three friendlies in the build-up to September’s qualifying campaign.

Koumas, meanwhile, looks certain to leave Wigan in the summer after Steve Bruce admitted there was no room for the Wales star in his side. Despite destroying Norway in midweek, Koumas has been reduced to a bit-part role in Bruce’s plans.

And the Latics boss hinted that the £5.3m signing from West Brom last summer is unlikely to return to the starting line-up until the club is safe from relegation.

Bruce said: “Jason can feel himself harshly done by because I do feel that he is a genuinely good player.

“But I had to change something when I came in to make us a bit more resilient and difficult to beat.

“We have looked more resilient since Ryan Taylor came into the side.

“Taylor isn’t a naturally left-sided player but he provides us with a threat from set-pieces which is a great weapon for us.”

He added: “If we get ourselves into a position where we can express ourselves a bit more then he obviously comes right back into the equation.

“One thing I had to stop when I came through the door was the number of goals we were conceding.

“We were averaging two goals a game against us which meant we had to score three to win a game.

“We aren’t a Manchester United or a Liverpool and we aren’t capable of scoring three every week.”

Koumas was strongly linked during last month’s transfer window with a move to north-west rivals Blackburn, where his former international boss Mark Hughes is in charge. Yet Bruce insisted that the only offer he received for Koumas was from Celtic, who wanted the 28-year-old on loan.

The encouraging news on Collins follows fears he could be out until the end of the year with knee ligament damage.

But the West Ham defender could yet be fit for September’s opening qualifying matches with Azerbaijan and Russia.

Collins, 24, said: “I think the minimum time I will be out is six months so that is what I am aiming towards.

“I am having an operation in a couple of weeks then the hard work will begin. It was massively disappointing to pick up the injury but it has happened now and I just have to deal with it. It is weird because I am not in any pain or anything.

“I can bend my knee no problem and even run already, which is what I am finding it hard to get my head round as I can do all that but I can’t play football.”

The ex-Cardiff player was stretchered off in last month’s Hammers reserve game against Portsmouth.

Collins was making his comeback appearance having been out for six weeks with a groin injury when he collided with one of the Pompey players.

He added: “I was just trying to build my fitness, which made it harder to take.”

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