By Matthew Jones Former Wales and Leicester midfielder

The 1-0 loss in Cyprus was a pretty awful display and a major disappointment for Wales, all the country has seen manager John Toshack's embarrassed post-match reaction.

Carl Robinson admitted it was hard for the players to defend themselves after that Report: Cyprus 1-0 Wales Toshack slams 'worst ever' Wales

I feel for John - he was brutally honest about his feelings in public and I felt it was one of those moments when perhaps it was wrong to be too honest.

He questioned his preparation for the game, but I didn't really think they were his mistakes.

He was totally professional in his approach to the match. He knows a lot about Cyprus, looked at the international side and their club football, and said all the right things in the build-up.

But his players still didn't seem to know what to expect. The first half was a massive shock to the system for them and they failed to turn it around after the break.

I spoke to [Wales midfielder] Carl Robinson afterwards and he admitted that it was hard for the players to defend themselves after a performance like that.

The players know they have let down themselves, the fans and the manager.

Lewis Price is the exception, he was fantastic. He saved us from a major humiliation and showed great ability with reactive, instinctive saves.

Jones feels Hartson was asked to play in an unsuitable role

Agility and decision making are key for a good goalkeeper and he's shown so much promise on his first cap.

Credit also has to go to Cyprus.

They were very constructive and dangerous, they had pace throughout a very attacking side, closed down Wales effectively, and thoroughly deserved the win.

The experimental formation could be questioned - the players looked more comfortable when they switched back to 4-4-2, but friendly games are the time to try out those things.

I didn't feel that John Hartson was happy in the system we played, or suited to it.

Robert Earnshaw or Craig Bellamy can play the speedy role up front, getting beyond the last man to get on the end of the good crosses that Wales managed to deliver.

The criticism is going to mount in the build-up to the next friendly

If John Hartson is to be the only player up there he needs more support. The Wales formation was missing a third runner, and Simon Davies' midfield absence is felt so badly.

Overall I feel that it was more a case of the players being caught cold than lacking the necessary quality.

We had two major steps forward with the wins over Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan, but this was a big step back.

Unfortunately there's a long time to wait to put that right, and the criticism is going to mount in the build-up to the next friendly on 1 March.