Euro 2004 Qualifiers Follow-up: Ryan Giggs has pleaded with Mark Hughes to stay on as manager of Wales as he plans for another crack at reaching a major championship.

The Manchester United winger hit the post as Wales were beaten 1-0 by Russia in their Euro 2004 qualifying play-off in the Millennium Stadium on Wednesday night.

Giggs, 30 later this month, is determined to have another stab at reaching a major finals when the World Cup qualifiers start in 10 months' time.

He said: "You have disappointments and the only way to get over them for me personally is to get to a major championships.

"That is definitely the next step. It is a challenge that I want and I think most of the lads do as well."

Giggs, however, knows former Old Trafford team-mate Hughes will become a target for big clubs even though his dream of guiding Wales to Portugal was dashed.

He said: "I hope Sparky stays. He has done a great job and I think he is the man to lead us on for the World Cup qualifiers, definitely.

"I think clubs will want him because of his achievements over the last couple of years. What he has done for Welsh football has been miraculous really from where we were.

"This is another chance gone for me but I am not thinking about myself at the moment. I am thinking of everyone involved. We are a team and we are disappointed as a team."

Scotland manager Berti Vogts has promised he will not make wholesale changes following his side's 6-0 demolition in Amsterdam.

Vogts has a much clearer picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the players available to him and insists his only intention is to keep bringing more youngsters through. He said: "This is my squad. I came to Holland with 23 players, and that is the group.

"Maybe two or three other players from the under-21s will join us. But that is the group - and it is the best group we have.

"There is a little bit of quality difference between the Netherlands and Scotland, not more. It is the only direction I can go"

Former captain Paul Lambert, who had to be persuaded out of international retirement to help Vogts with the Euro 2004 campaign, is the only man who is guaranteed to have kicked his last ball for Scotland.

Don Hutchison, Paul Devlin, Graham Alexander and Jonathan Gould are all more than 30 and could find themselves falling by the wayside as none are regulars for Scotland.

Meanwhile, despite his success of taking Croatia to the Euro 2004, coach Otto Baric is facing calls for his resignation.

The morning after Croatia beat Slovenia 1-0 to seal their place at next year's tournament, several Croatian FA executives voiced discontent with the team's performances in the campaign.

"We do not have an alternative yet, but we will surely discuss sacking of Otto Baric," board member Igor Stimac said.

Turkey was left to reflect on the end of a era after a 2-2 draw against Latvia ended the World Cup semi-finalists' hopes of reaching the Championship.

Turkish media said many players' international careers have come to and and must make way for young blood and called for the removal of coach Senol Gunes.

Russia were preparing a new contract for coach Georgy Yartsev yesterday after the team pipped Wales to the finals.