1) The stars are aligning for Waless golden generationThe road to France is clearing for Wales and things were smoothed furtherwhen Belgium held on for a 1-0 win in Israel on Tuesday night. It confirmed Waless second place in the group at the halfway stage (two points clear of the Israelis) and gave further evidence that Israel are short of the quality needed to make the top two. Further good news was the red card picked up by Vincent Kompany in Tel Aviv, which would mean that he misses what now looks like Waless biggest game in years when Belgium visit Cardiff on 12 June.Things are going in their favour, but their quality is coming through now as well and the presence of both Gareth Bale (twice) and Aaron Ramsey on the scoresheet on Saturday augurs well; if Bosnia-Herzegovina, who still entertain hopes of catching Wales from six points behind, have Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic then Wales have these two and arguably greater depth beyond them than their rivals. Joe Allen was outstanding against Israel too, and it is no coincidence that, with Allen and Bale now 25 and Ramsey 24, Wales are hitting form as their biggest talents enter their peak years. A couple of wins from the next four games would probably ensure that things are firmly under control by the time they face Andorra in their last game. Chris Coleman cannot look that far ahead yet, and it would be a crying shame if Waless golden generation let this slip, but there is an air of authority that suggests their time is coming.Nick Ames

FacebookTwitterPinterestGareth Bale celebrates with team-mates after scoring the second goal for Wales in their win at Israel. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images via Reuters2) Kompany becoming a liability for club and countryAdvertisementThe phrase an uncharacteristic error from Vincent Kompany became redundant at some point this season, or possibly even last, as the number of the Manchester City mans mistakes grew to such an extent that his supporters/apologists could no longer blame Martn Demichelis or Eliaquim Mangala. Kompany had an eventful eveningduring Belgiums qualifier against Israel in Tel Avivtoo, firstly going slightly rogue by attempting a few keepie-uppies near the centre circle before launching an implausible volley from around 45 yards that sailed way over the bar safe to say a pass would probably have been the better option there. And then, with Belgium only 1-0 up, Kompany managed to get himself sent off for two yellow cards, the second coming after losing the ball with a stepover attempt and then trying to retrieve the situation by grabbing Eran Zahavi around the shoulders. Kompany looked stunned by the decision of Mark Clattenburg, but this left his team half an hour to survive in a qualifying match with 10 men, which they did, but it was hardly the work of a responsible captain. This used to be a defender on whom anyone could rely, his mistakes rare and his temperament steady, but not these days Kompany has now become a liability for both club and country.Nick Miller3) Crowd trouble is severely harming the Balkans teamsThere was no excusing Friday nights scenes in Podgorica and the Montenegro camp knew it. My players are completely distraught, all of them are at a loss for words and I also dont know what to say after all this, said their coach, Branko Brnovic, aftercrowd trouble forced the abandonment of their game with Russia. His subsequent assertion that we now dont stand a chance [of qualifying for Euro 2016], was telling: Montenegro will almost certainly be awarded a 3-0 defeat once Uefa have put their heads together, and further sanctions are not unlikely after an evening whose most disturbing sights were those of the Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev being struck by a flare and carried off on a stretcher. It will leave them at least three points shy of the third place they had occupied and with a rare scent of major tournament football appearing far fainter. Brnovics side has been severely hindered by extraneous factors and the same could be said of a Serbia team, packed with promising talents, whose hopes of a place in the top three of Group I look very slim after their own points deduction five months ago. That punishment came as a result of the abandonment against Albania, who now seem nailed-on for an unlikely third-place finish. It does not help to make throwaway conclusions about cause and effect in the Balkans but one simple thing seems beyond dispute: two of the regions football teams have seen decent shots at a place in Michel Platinis newly expanded tournament all-but scuppered by the behaviour of poorly controlled crowds. Surely something has to change.NAIgor Akinfeev is carried off on a stretcher after being hit on the head by a flare in the first minute. Photograph: TASS / Barcroft Media/TASS / Barcroft Media4) Is Townsend actually any good?Hes a strange player, Andros Townsend. Hes a strange concept, really. In theory, he has the tools to be an excellent, genuinely threatening winger, with pace, the ability to beat a man and a rocket of a left foot, so he can often look threatening. The trouble is that more often he isnt actually threatening, using that pace to run very quickly at a defender, that ability to beat a man to beat a man, and that rocket of a left foot often launches the ball miles into the stands. Hes an astonishingly frustrating player, one who promises much but frequently delivers well, not so much really, and it thus wasnt a huge surprise to see him out of the Tottenham team for much of the season. Still, Roy Hodgson seems to like him, and having forced his way back into the Spurs team his inclusion in thisEnglandsquad wasnt entirely unmerited, even though it went against the views of noted sage Paul Merson, who decreed that Townsend should be nowhere near Hodgsons selection. And he justified Hodgsons faith with a tracer bullet shot to secure a draw in Italy. He could be a sort of reverse John Barnes: brilliant at international level, not quite so good at club level. Or the new Darius Vassell if you will. All of which leads to the confusing question of whether he actually is any good.Perhaps we will never know. Townsend himself seems pretty sure, of course. Its no secret there was criticism of my call-up, as usual,he said after the game. But every time I put on an England shirt I have done myself justice. It was my third goal in seven caps and it was really important that I really did come on and silence a few critics, so I am pleased with my personal performance. I have been thinking about that criticism all week. I have just been desperate to get on the pitch and silence a few critics. As soon as the goal went in, I was thinking of all the people questioning my call-ups and saying I should be nowhere near the England squad. As the old saying goes, hell hath no fury like an inconsistent winger scorned.NM5) Will the win against Spain buy Hiddink time?The natives were restless in Amsterdam on Saturday. And, if we resort to lazy national stereotypes, it takes a fair bit to get the natives in Amsterdam restless. Holland were insipidin the 1-1 draw with Turkey, resorting to the rather unsubtle tactics of chucking the ball into the mixer and aiming for the big man as they chased the game, the big man in this case being Bas Dost. Indeed, they were pretty lucky to get away with a draw, Wesley Sneijders shot deflecting in off Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, and that didnt save Guus Hiddink from the opprobrium of a footballing nation used to rather more refined fare. And yet they pulled a face-saver out of the bag on Tuesday,beating Spain 2-0thanks to a much livelier performance and goals from Stefan de Vrij and Davy Klaassen. So will this save Hiddinks position as well as some face? Like being a millionaire, beating Spain isnt what it used to be, but the result could buy the Dutch manager a little time. The question that presents itself there, is whether thats good news or not for Holland.NM