'We’d take them any way they came' - a win is a win for Iwan Roberts

By all accounts it wasn’t a good performance, but you take a point and move on. A haul of 19 points from a possible 21 is a fantastic return, but some people still aren’t happy with the football that the lads have produced during this period.

I’ve seen people say on social media that they’d rather see the team play well and lose. I guarantee you they wouldn’t!

As a player I would take any win as it came. Yes, if that win came playing some great football then great. But if not, if we had to grind out an ugly win, then so be it, we’d take them any way they came.

Every top side at some stage has to dig in to win a game. It's a very positive sign winning games when you’re not at your best and I don’t quite understand some of the negativity that’s been thrown Dean Smith’s way in recent weeks.

Talking of people moaning, there’s been quite a bit over this international break and the timing of these Nations League games. To be fair, over the last few years there's been an international date in September. Granted, it's usually for a World Cup or European qualifier and not a glorified friendly as some people see the Nations League. The problem is, with the World Cup being played in November, these were the only dates available to finish this Nations League campaign as soon we will be into European Championship qualification.

I loved representing my country - there was no better feeling than putting on a Wales shirt and then to sing the national anthem. They say that every Welshman has a singing voice, well it's not true! My dad was in a male voice choir and went all over the world singing, but I definitely didn’t inherit the singing gene!

Even though it passed me by, I loved my debut at The Racecourse against Holland back on October 11, 1989. I had just turned 21 and it has to be one of, if not the, proudest moments of my career, even though I hardly got a kick against Ronald Koeman!

Iwan Roberts outjumps Emerson during Wales's game against Brazil in May, 2000 (Image: Huw Evans)

Another highlight for me was playing against Brazil at a strawberry jam-packed Millennium Stadium back on May 23, 2000. Even though it was only a friendly they had some players on show - Dida, Cafu, Cesar Ze Roberto and the two Rs’- Rivaldo and Ronaldo. Fair to say i was in good company. We got beaten 3-0 and if I’m honest they never got out of second gear - but what an unforgettable experience it was.

One of the lowest moments in my Welsh career was when we travelled to Moldova back in October, 1994. Moldova were granted their independence in 1992 and so were very new on the international football scene. They had literally played a handful of games before we met and were virtually unknown, so it was obviously going to be an easy three points for us in our European qualifier out In Chisinău. How wrong were we?

Even though we had the likes of big Neville Southall in goal, the likes of Chris Colman and Mark Bowen (who was playing for Norwich at the time} in our defence, David Phillips - who’d only just left Norwich - in a quartet in midfield with Mark Pembrige, Barry Horne and the great Gary Speed, with myself and Nathan Blake up front.

To cut a long story short, we lost the game 3-2. I think it was Moldova’s first competitive win and it was embarrassing. We took an almighty amount of stick, and rightly so. Up to this day i get reminded of that fateful day - one of the lowest points in Welsh football. I still get told every now and then that I was part of the Moldovan XI, and no, it's not great!