Gary Speed takes charge of his first competitive games as Wales boss against England on Saturday with his side bottom of Group G, without a point from three games and holding out little hope of making the 2012 European Championships in Poland and Ukraine.

Although Speed can’t be held accountable for this latest unsuccessful qualification bid, the former Leeds, Everton, Newcastle, Bolton and Sheffield United Midfielder will join an extensive list of Managers who have failed to take Wales through qualification to a major tournament.

It was the European Championships in 1976 when Wales last qualified for a major competition, going out in the quarter finals to Yugoslavia. Since then there has been an almost criminal amount of Welsh talent who have been unable to showcase their ability at the highest stage for their country.

It is worth noting that Wales has a population of just three million, many of who don’t consider football to be their nation’s number one sport. It’s then perhaps somewhat harsh to label the country which currently lie 116^th in the current FIFA rankings as underachievers.  Despite their seemingly limited resources Wales have still managed to produce some of the world’s greatest footballers generation after generation.

In the late 70’s Wales boasted the talents of John Toshack, Brian Flynn and Terry Yorath but the depth of squad was not there to mount a successful qualification push. In the 80’s and early 90’s it was the goals of Ian Rush and Mark Hughes which pushed the Welsh close but a lack of quality and experience in other areas meant Neville Southall’s goal was always under threat. More recently Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy  and Speed himself have not had enough to bring footballing pride back to their nation.

Every Welsh side of recent times has had a sprinkling of quality but lacked the depth to mount a successful qualification campaign and the current squad is no different. Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Craig Bellamy are the standout names in a squad that is primarily made up of Premiership squad players and Championship footballers.

The Championship is the strongest second tier league in Europe so Speed will be hoping some of his fourteen Championship players selected for this squad will step forward and show that Wales have the depth needed to make it to a major competition. Below are my pick of the three most likely to make the step up to international football alongside Bale, Ramsey and Bellamy;

ANDY KING – LEICESTER CITY – AGE 22

At the start of the season many thought that Andy King would not be part of the major rebuilding job Sven Goran-Eriksson is currently undertaking at the Walkers Stadium. King was however given the captains armband by the Swede and has thrived proving a reliable ever-presence in The Foxes midfield.

King has already scored 14 goals this campaign and England will need to be wary of his long range shooting which has been deadly accurate in The Championship throughout the season.

STEVE MORISON – MILLWALL – AGE 27

Steve Morison has strength, pace and the ability to score goals with 15 to his name this season for Millwall. Born in Enfield, London Morison qualifies to play for Wales through his Grandmother.

Gareth Bale’s withdrawal from the Welsh side through injury is a blow to the whole squad but even more so for Morison who would have been hoping to use his outstanding areal ability to connect with Bales pinpoint crosses.

JOE ALLEN – SWANSEA – AGE 21

A proud Welshman, Joe Allen has been a revelation in the Swansea midfield in a season that sees the Swans currently lie in third place in the table.

Inexperienced at this level having won just two caps, Allen may benefit from Bales injury and could be asked to play on the wing against England. Regardless of Saturday’s outcome Allen along with Ramsey and King will form the mainstay of the Welsh midfield for years to come.

The Championship is the sixth richest division in Europe and weekly attendances rival that of Italy’s Serie A and Germany’s Bundesliga so Speeds Championship contingent should not be intimidated or feel inferior playing the best in Europe.

With Cardiff and Swansea flying high in the Championship there is a very real chance there will be a side from Wales playing top flight football next season for the first time in almost 20 years. Although Wales would love to beat England on Saturday Gary Speed will be looking towards the 2014 World Cup qualification and hoping the talent of Bale and Ramsey can be added to with a sprinkling of Championship quality.