Wales boss John Toshack claims some of his players are spoilt, pampered and lacking in professional pride. While preparing his squad for tomorrow's Euro 2008 qualifier against San Marino the 58-year-old spoke out for the first time since Wales' 3-1 defeat in Cyprus on Saturday.

Toshack had said nothing since his remarkable post-match outburst in Nicosia, in which he cast doubt on his own position, until today's emotional speech which will touch a nerve for many football fans who might be growing cynical of modern players.

"The players will say they do care, and it is rubbish to say they don't. But did it look like they cared? It didn't look like it to me," he said. "I was in charge of that team, and people will look at me and wonder what I was doing. That hurts my pride.

"I would hope that some of them feel the same - but I am not sure that they do."

Toshack insists he has not considered resigning and he does not believe the squad are no longer playing for him, but his words will focus attention on whether his team can respond appropriately the Stadio di Serravalle tomorrow, against a country of only 30,000 inhabitants.

"I wasn't happy with a number of things, and not just tactics and things on the field," Toshack added. "Saturday evening and Sunday, I made sure that at least people knew how I felt - but I did not think of walking away.

"Things went on out in Cyprus that made me wonder what we had been doing for two-and-a-half years.

"I did question the attitude of some of the players. But it has not entered into my head that they are not playing for me. If anyone knows different let me know - it might help us.

"I didn't get that feeling when I talked to the players individually. But Cyprus was not acceptable."

It has emerged that off-field friction and general attitude has been at the core of this dissatisfied squad, and it is known Toshack has been stunned by complaints about the five-star hotel they used in Nicosia.

"This is a young group, and sometimes I don't like some of the things I see. Here we are with another five-star hotel, overlooking the sea at Rimini," he said. "So if the waves are making too much noise in the evening, just phone down and we will try to move you to a room on the other side!

"We have our own chef with us now to cook the meals - we travel well wherever we go. There are doctors, physios, kit men, masseurs all lugging skips about and taking equipment to the training ground and putting it out for the players.

"Sometimes I feel that there are some who take it for granted. I don't like that and won't accept it."

Toshack simply wants his team to strive for their best at all times. "There are fans who paid good money to go to Cyprus, went home to do a shift and then pay money again to come to San Marino for an other game," he pointed out.

"I don't like to think that my team performed the way they did in Cyprus for those fans - and they need reminding that not everyone is as fortunate as the players are.

"They travel round and get paid for playing - it does not cost them a penny. All those things after the game accumulated and came to me and, sorry, I just needed to let one or two of them how I felt.

"I just do not want to accept what I have seen," he added. "But I looked at them at half-time in Cyprus, and some of them did not look like they wanted to go out for the second period.

"We were winning and a shout away from finishing third in the group and getting a big crowd for the next game against the Irish."