INTERNATIONAL PLAYBOYS

Gary Neville defends under-fire goalkeeper David Seaman claiming he is still England's number one:

"I have never seen a strike from a corner in my life like the one from which they scored their first goal. It was in the back of the net before anyone could even blink.

"I certainly wouldn't put any blame on David Seaman or any goalkeeper for that. The ball was whipped in with more pace and accuracy than I have ever experienced in my career before.

"David Seaman has been a stalwart for England - and will continue to be so. He's England's number one goalkeeper and the best goalkeeper in England in all the time that I've played with my country.

"He's been absolutely outstanding and I would expect him to carry on because he is the best goalkeeper.

"We are obviously disappointed because we should have won the game. It was not the result we wanted and everyone will go home disappointed.

"We are disappointed. We said after the Slovakian experience that we would have no excuses here. The pitch was fantastic and the support was great.

"One or two things went against us but we were aware of how good Macedonia were after watching videos of them against Turkey. They gave Turkey a really hard time on Saturday, especially in the first half.

"They broke well against us but scored two freak goals which put us on the back foot a little bit but we still got back into the game, got level by half-time and should have scored in the second half.

"The top and bottom of it is that we were 2-2 at half-time and should have won the game in the second 45 minutes.

"There is a lot to do in the group and maybe we will have to beat Turkey twice unless they drop points somewhere else.

"There is a long way to go still so we shouldn't be too disheartened. We've been in this position before where we've dropped points early on in the group and have come through and qualified.

"We lost the opening game of the Euro 2000 campaign against Sweden and reached the finals and it was the same with the 2002 World Cup after Germany beat us in our first qualifier.

"There is a long way to go and, apart from having to play us twice, Turkey have to go to Slovakia where no side will find it easy to get a result, particularly if the conditions are like they were on Saturday when we played there."

Beckham:

"I would not say we were second favourites in the group now because so much can still happen."

Giggs on Wales:

"When we started doing big things at United, winning quickly became a habit. Everything, from all our preparation to the way we thought about football, was geared towards winning and nothing else.

"Now I see the start of the same mentality with Wales. Even against top teams we are not just turning up and hoping for the best. We believe we can win these games and I've never been so excited by a match as I was against Italy. I've never played in an atmosphere like it. It was just unbelievable. The crowd played a big part."

Meanwhile Mark Hughes said:

"I know that just as I appear to be collecting all the bouquets now, in due course I'll receive the brickbats. It's an occupational hazard for all football managers.That's fair enough, since the ultimate decisions are mine alone.

"But from my first match in charge of Wales I've tried to instil a team spirit into the squad similar to that which I experienced and benefited from at club level."