Wales back plans for return of the Home Internationals

Proposals to resurrect a one-off Home Championship next summer have received an enthusiastic Welsh response.

Dean Saunders, Wales assistant boss, says the idea would capture the public's imagination following Sportsmail's report that such a tournament may be staged should England and Scotland fail to qualify for Euro 2008.

He said: 'I'm sure Wales would want to be part of it. I never got the chance to play against England and that was one of my biggest regrets.

'I'm sure the players would love the chance. You only have to see the Six Nations rugby. There is a great atmosphere and tradition with those games. People can't get enough of football at the moment so I'm sure it would attract the crowds.

'It's just a case whether the games can be fitted in at the end of the season but the Wales side would certainly see it as a great opportunity to test themselves against quality opposition.'

Meanwhile, Wayne Hennessey has claimed that Wales boss John Toshack was right to question his players' attitude during the disappointing Euro 2008 qualifiers in Cyprus and San Marino.

Toshack laid into his squad after the loss in Nicosia and the fans followed suit three days later during the narrow win against strugglers San Marino, levelling criticism directly at skipper Craig Bellamy and his team.

Wolves keeper Hennessey, sidelined by injury from those games, hinted that the players were sufficiently upset after the San Marino game to try to sort out the problems themselves.

He said: 'It could have been better. You could put it down to the weather conditions but it should have been better over there. A lot of them haven't gone out there and done the job so what Toshack says is understandable.'