We need to talk about the embarrassing state of the Wales players’ nicknames

A good nickname can make or break your standing in certain social circles.

As anyone who has ever been a part of a team knows, part of the camaraderie come from the stupid little names you give to your mates. Ahead of their first major tournament in 58 years, Wales captain Ashley Williams has revealed the nicknames of his teammates, and we can only hope for their sake the team show more creativity on the pitch in France than they put into some of these efforts. The Swansea defender told Wales Online that Gareth Bale is referred to as "Baleo",  Aaron Ramsey is "Rambo" and James Vaughan is "Vaughany". Andy King is "Kingy", Sam Vokes is "Voksey" - you can probably see a pattern here - while Simon Church is "Churchy", James Collins is "Ginge" and Chris Gunter is "Gunts. It gets worse. Neil Taylor is referred to as "Tayls", Jonathan Williams is "Joniesta" and James Chester is "Chezzy." Joe Ledly is "Deadly." You might argue that there's little room for creativity when coining a nickname, that putting "y" or "0" at the end of a person's surname is the best one can hope for, but tell that to former Norwich City manager Neil "Shoes" Adams. Williams also revealed that Joe Allen is the "main man" in the squad, and is a frequent topic of discussion in the team's WhatsApp group.

"Everyone loves Joe. We have a WhatsApp messaging group and at least once a week we have a Joe Allen Appreciation Day. Great beard, great haircut, great guy, he's the main man in the squad. Class player too."