THE week that will all in all probability define the tenure of Wales manager Chris Coleman is upon us, but if things go pear shaped, is he the only person that will be culpable?

After sneaking a 2-1 win against minnows Andorra – if you watched the game, that isn’t a statement that needs any qualifying whatsoever – the Dragons actually find themselves in considerably rude health.

Group B has gotten off to a wonderful start for Wales, not only recording an opening day victory for the very first time in 12-years, but also doing it when the potential benefits are manifested.

Not only did Wales win, but Bosnia, ranked 25th in the world, lost out to Cyprus at home, ranked 85th.

In a group where conventional wisdom suggested that Belgium and Bosnia qualified outright and Wales and Israel (ranked 64th) battled for a play-off spot – let us not forget this is to advance to an expanded 24 team European Championship and it’s never been easier to progress – suddenly things look wide open.

It’s been almost comical to see Wales managers successively travel to Brussels or Monaco to plan the fixture schedule for Euros or World Cup groups, only to see best laid plans go horribly awry due to injuries or lack of form.

This time around the scheduling is completely random and after the shock of Cyprus beating Bosnia, Wales couldn’t have asked for two better games this week.

Two home clashes, the first against a Bosnia side who now really have to come to Cardiff looking for a win at all costs – and who are enduring infighting in terms of the playing personnel - and then another home occasion against the Cypriots next Monday.

With Gareth Bale fit and ready to play his part Wales should be nothing but positive even in the absence of Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen and a dream week where Wales eek out two wins will almost have them on the plane for Euro 2016.

If Wales stand with nine points this time next week then home wins over Israel and Andorra and a positive result or two on the road in the remaining fixtures would likely be enough for automatic qualification. Imagine that scenario, after being out of the running so often after just a handful of games, Wales could take giants strides towards France after just 270 minutes of this campaign.

It’s a tall order for a nation well versed in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, but Bale is the difference, the man that turns Wales from being just another international side with decent players to a genuine force to be reckoned with.

Only a handful of players in world football can do the things Bale can on a regular basis and in possessing a player comparable with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Neymar or Luis Suarez Wales have the ultimate ace in the pack. And Coleman’s also got the cards to compliment his leading man, he just needs to work on his poker face.

Neville Southall is one of the greatest goalkeepers I’ve ever seen, but so often he played the role of damage limiter for his country, rather than match winner, as often wa for his club where he won league titles with Kevin Ratcliffe. Ditto Ian Rush, a supreme goalscorer who couldn’t often enough score more than the leaky defence conceded when he swapped the red of Liverpool for that of Wales.

Ryan Giggs had the fortune to play in the last Welsh side that came close to being as good as today’s crop under Mark Hughes over a decade ago, but even a supporting cast of Craig Bellamy, Simon Davies and Robbie Savage – currently to be seen morphing into Katie Hopkins on Match of the Day – ultimately wasn’t enough.

But the squad now has depth throughout, a Premier League goalkeeper, Premier League central defenders in Ashley Williams and James Chester and quality full backs in Ben Davies and Chris Gunter.

While Allen and Ramsey are big misses – even with the caveat that Wales are sadly familiar to life without Allen (they’ve advanced to 29th in the world almost without him featuring) and Ramsey is yet to consistently exhibit his club form on the international stage – they still have Premier League men Joe Ledley and Andy King who must now take centre stage. They’ll presumably be paired with either the in-form Wolves midfielder David Edwards or the in-form Wolves midfielder Lee Evans, though I suspect I know what my Newport readers would prefer!

Coleman’s men don’t have nearly the same quality in attack, with Sam Vokes injured and Ched Evans a whole other story covered at length in this column. But Hal Robson Kanu and Simon Church are safe pairs of feet and we do have a really exciting group of younger players, most of them called Williams and one named Lawrence. They’ve been well integrated and could seize their moment.

If it seems this column is uncharacteristically positive, that’s because it is, my belief is that Wales will record a minimum of four points this week and that Bale be discussed after the two games as potentially Wales’ greatest ever player, with the acknowledgement that I’ve only ever heard incredible things about the legendary John Charles.

Even three points from the two games will ensure Wales are still in a good position to end over 50-years of pain, but failure to win either match will have to be assessed as simply disastrous.

That will lead to big questions about Coleman’s future, but if Wales snatch pain and misery from such a promising position, it would be prudent to point fingers throughout the corridors of power at the Football Association of Wales.

The reaction to my story last week about the situation with Cwmbran Celtic and Ammanford Town emphasised the dim light so many soccer fans in Wales view those at the FAW in and highlighted their disenchantment and lack of faith as an issue, proven by lacklustre attendances for international football matches as opposed to rugby, when we know that at a club level, Wales is clearly a soccer country in 2014.

And if the FAW, having backed Coleman time and time again despite many fans having no faith in him, are forced to once more face up to failure next week, they must look at the part they’ll have played in the latest malaise.

However, today those are hypothetical, worst case scenario fears and my belief is, they won’t need to be examined.

Gareth Bale can carry Wales to a major tournament and that tournament is Euro 2016. Friday and Monday might just be the start of something unforgettable. It’s time to believe.