' RUSSELL SLADE/SOLSKJAER TEAM '
Mon Mar 30, 2015 3:33 pm
Monday 30th March 2015
By Steve Tucker
' The changing face of Cardiff City… How does Russell Slade's cut-price team compare to Solskjaer's best? '
Steve Tucker takes a look at how Cardiff's side has changed throughout what has been a hugely disappointing season
It feels as if it has been a long and deeply unsatisfying season for Cardiff City.
A campaign which began with so much promise, with the Bluebirds favourites to bounce back to the Premier League, is now just winding down into a meaningless final few matches before the summer break arrives.
It seems incredible to think right now that Cardiff were seen as having by far the best squad in the Championship and that under then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, they had the man to lead them straight back up.
That, of course, never came to pass for numerous reasons and Solskjaer was soon gone with Russell Slade, fresh from the lower leagues, coming in, with his arrival seeming to indicate a new direction for the club.
The ‘big spending’ days were over and Cardiff needed to now cut its cloth to suit second tier football.
It was to see the arrival of a raft of signings at the club that seemed to lack the quality fans had been used to seeing in recent seasons.
The famous phrase from the new Bluebirds boss, of course, being: “We are no longer shopping in Harrods.”
But just how much of a transition has there been when it comes to the actual Cardiff team on the pitch?
For all the cost-cutting, are the Bluebirds really worse off when it comes to the team itself?
Here we look at how the faces have changed and assess the ‘best’ sides Solskjaer and Slade had at their disposal to see which one comes off better.
The Solskjaer XI v Slade's XI
GOALKEEPER
DAVID MARSHALL
Spanning both regimes, the shot-stopper has become a Cardiff City first team stalwart. After a brilliant Premier League campaign, he was linked with moves away to the ‘big time,’ but the Scottish international stayed loyal to the Bluebirds.
He has not really had to turn on the pyrotechnics this season as he did in the top-flight, but he remains arguably the best goalkeeper in the division and when he was absent from injury, he was a big miss.
RIGHT-BACK
JOHN BRAYFORD 6 v LEE PELTIER 6
It is the switch of emphasis that perhaps speaks more clearly about Russell Slade’s priorities compared to that of his predecessor.
Brayford was very much the ‘modern’ full-back as comfortable on the front foot as he was defending. It would be true to say he never quite lived up to the billing of ‘best full-back in the Championship’ during his Cardiff career.
Peltier meanwhile is the no-nonsense defensive-minded full-back who is uncompromising in the tackle and what he lacks going forward, is more than made up for by his solidness at the back.
That seems to be the way Slade likes things.
CENTRE-HALVES
MARK HUDSON 7 v BRUNO MANGA 8
Getting rid of Hudson, the Bluebirds very own ‘Captain fantastic’ was always going to prove controversial.
In practical terms, you are not going to get a more honest or hard-working centre-back in the Championship and right now it is hard to argue against the fact that Hudson could easily still slot into the Cardiff defence.
But it has to be said Manga has been the Bluebirds’ stand-out player this season and in terms of quality and poise, he is head and shoulders above most of the men around him.
You do wonder if the Bluebirds will be able to keep hold of him in the summer.
SEAN MORRISON
Morrison came with a big price tag and despite a clutch of goals himself, in defensive terms, he has been reasonably OK if lacking concentration on occasions.
It is hard to argue he is a vast improvement on what the Bluebirds had at the club already in terms of centre-halves.
Matthew Connolly for example, who surprisingly left on loan to Watford recently, could be one player to feel aggrieved for not getting a place.
When Ben Turner is fit too Morrison’s place in the side could again be open to question.
LEFT-BACK
FABIO 6 v SCOTT MALONE 5
The Brazilian was another of the casualties as Slade went about adding a bit of grit defensively to his side. Fabio was seen as way too adventurous and prone to be caught out of position.
It is ironic now then that Fabio has of late been slotting in at right-back for Cardiff and getting some rave reviews.
Malone’s arrival from Millwall was the start of a raft of new arrivals that indicated a new, more measured approach to bringing in players and was a signing that hardly set the pulses racing.
Has been injured, but he has looked what he is, a middling to lower Championship full-back.
RIGHT MIDFIELD
TOM ADEYEMI 6 v CRAIG NOONE 7
Solskjaer seemed to prefer the man he had just brought in from Birmingham and Adeyemi was starting to look an impressive signing.
A good box-to-box player who still did not look the finished article, but who was young and could still develop.
Noone meanwhile has not hit the heights he did in a hugely impressive Premier League campaign for Cardiff last term. Injuries seem to have hindered him, but he remains, on his day, one of the most exciting players Cardiff have.
CENTRE MIDFIELD
MATS DAEHLI 7 v PETER WHITTINGHAM 6
The departure of the young Norwegian was taken as a sign by supporters.
It was supposed to show that Slade did not like creative players although this was harsh on the Cardiff boss who had no chance of holding onto Daehli after Solskjaer’s departure.
Daehli showed glimpses of brilliance, but was far from the complete player. Whittingham meanwhile remains the ultimate enigma at Cardiff right now.
Long-serving and once brilliant, it seems to be accepted now that he is past his best in the Welsh capital, but he is a man known for confounding expectations.
ARON GUNNARSSON
The Icelandic midfielder seems to have straddled both the Solskjaer and Slade terms and has been seen as pretty much essential in the middle of the park.
It would be fair to say though that he seems to be another player failing to recapture the form he has shown in the past at Cardiff.
His pairing with Whittingham has proved the most questionable on the pitch for the Bluebirds particularly under Slade with Joe Ralls making a big push now for a regular starting place in there.
LEFT MIDFIELD
ANTHONY PILKINGTON
He may have been out injured for a long time, but it seemed both Solskjaer, who signed him from Norwich, and Slade liked the look of Pilkington out on at least one of the flanks.
Indeed the wideman was just starting to come into his own at Cardiff when that on-going hamstring injury forced him out. If he can get fit and stay fit he looks set to play a big part next term.
STRIKERS
KENWYNE JONES 7 v ALEX REVELL 6
The departure of top-scorer Jones on loan to Bournemouth might have made sense financially for Cardiff, but saw one of the last vestiges of Premier League class in the Cardiff side heading for the exit.
Jones is a top-flight player who never excelled at Cardiff, but still found the net. Revell, meanwhile, seems to have it all to prove.
A League One or lower level Championship player, he has shown some nice touches, but for all the hard work and bluster, the perception is that he lacks real quality.
Russell Slade says Kenwyne Jones loan departure not a footballing decision, but a business one
ADAM LE FONDRE 5 v EOIN DOYLE 5
Le Fondre never turned it on at all in a Cardiff shirt. As a striker he failed to score enough goals and his all round contribution to the side was below what is expected.
Slade stuck with him for a long time which made the off-loading to Bolton all the more baffling unless one thinks about it in merely financial terms.
Doyle was a hit in League One, but whether he can be a hit at Championship level remains to be seen.
He looks the part in many ways and getting his first goal for the club is hopefully something that will boost his confidence and push him on.
By Steve Tucker
' The changing face of Cardiff City… How does Russell Slade's cut-price team compare to Solskjaer's best? '
Steve Tucker takes a look at how Cardiff's side has changed throughout what has been a hugely disappointing season
It feels as if it has been a long and deeply unsatisfying season for Cardiff City.
A campaign which began with so much promise, with the Bluebirds favourites to bounce back to the Premier League, is now just winding down into a meaningless final few matches before the summer break arrives.
It seems incredible to think right now that Cardiff were seen as having by far the best squad in the Championship and that under then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, they had the man to lead them straight back up.
That, of course, never came to pass for numerous reasons and Solskjaer was soon gone with Russell Slade, fresh from the lower leagues, coming in, with his arrival seeming to indicate a new direction for the club.
The ‘big spending’ days were over and Cardiff needed to now cut its cloth to suit second tier football.
It was to see the arrival of a raft of signings at the club that seemed to lack the quality fans had been used to seeing in recent seasons.
The famous phrase from the new Bluebirds boss, of course, being: “We are no longer shopping in Harrods.”
But just how much of a transition has there been when it comes to the actual Cardiff team on the pitch?
For all the cost-cutting, are the Bluebirds really worse off when it comes to the team itself?
Here we look at how the faces have changed and assess the ‘best’ sides Solskjaer and Slade had at their disposal to see which one comes off better.
The Solskjaer XI v Slade's XI
GOALKEEPER
DAVID MARSHALL
Spanning both regimes, the shot-stopper has become a Cardiff City first team stalwart. After a brilliant Premier League campaign, he was linked with moves away to the ‘big time,’ but the Scottish international stayed loyal to the Bluebirds.
He has not really had to turn on the pyrotechnics this season as he did in the top-flight, but he remains arguably the best goalkeeper in the division and when he was absent from injury, he was a big miss.
RIGHT-BACK
JOHN BRAYFORD 6 v LEE PELTIER 6
It is the switch of emphasis that perhaps speaks more clearly about Russell Slade’s priorities compared to that of his predecessor.
Brayford was very much the ‘modern’ full-back as comfortable on the front foot as he was defending. It would be true to say he never quite lived up to the billing of ‘best full-back in the Championship’ during his Cardiff career.
Peltier meanwhile is the no-nonsense defensive-minded full-back who is uncompromising in the tackle and what he lacks going forward, is more than made up for by his solidness at the back.
That seems to be the way Slade likes things.
CENTRE-HALVES
MARK HUDSON 7 v BRUNO MANGA 8
Getting rid of Hudson, the Bluebirds very own ‘Captain fantastic’ was always going to prove controversial.
In practical terms, you are not going to get a more honest or hard-working centre-back in the Championship and right now it is hard to argue against the fact that Hudson could easily still slot into the Cardiff defence.
But it has to be said Manga has been the Bluebirds’ stand-out player this season and in terms of quality and poise, he is head and shoulders above most of the men around him.
You do wonder if the Bluebirds will be able to keep hold of him in the summer.
SEAN MORRISON
Morrison came with a big price tag and despite a clutch of goals himself, in defensive terms, he has been reasonably OK if lacking concentration on occasions.
It is hard to argue he is a vast improvement on what the Bluebirds had at the club already in terms of centre-halves.
Matthew Connolly for example, who surprisingly left on loan to Watford recently, could be one player to feel aggrieved for not getting a place.
When Ben Turner is fit too Morrison’s place in the side could again be open to question.
LEFT-BACK
FABIO 6 v SCOTT MALONE 5
The Brazilian was another of the casualties as Slade went about adding a bit of grit defensively to his side. Fabio was seen as way too adventurous and prone to be caught out of position.
It is ironic now then that Fabio has of late been slotting in at right-back for Cardiff and getting some rave reviews.
Malone’s arrival from Millwall was the start of a raft of new arrivals that indicated a new, more measured approach to bringing in players and was a signing that hardly set the pulses racing.
Has been injured, but he has looked what he is, a middling to lower Championship full-back.
RIGHT MIDFIELD
TOM ADEYEMI 6 v CRAIG NOONE 7
Solskjaer seemed to prefer the man he had just brought in from Birmingham and Adeyemi was starting to look an impressive signing.
A good box-to-box player who still did not look the finished article, but who was young and could still develop.
Noone meanwhile has not hit the heights he did in a hugely impressive Premier League campaign for Cardiff last term. Injuries seem to have hindered him, but he remains, on his day, one of the most exciting players Cardiff have.
CENTRE MIDFIELD
MATS DAEHLI 7 v PETER WHITTINGHAM 6
The departure of the young Norwegian was taken as a sign by supporters.
It was supposed to show that Slade did not like creative players although this was harsh on the Cardiff boss who had no chance of holding onto Daehli after Solskjaer’s departure.
Daehli showed glimpses of brilliance, but was far from the complete player. Whittingham meanwhile remains the ultimate enigma at Cardiff right now.
Long-serving and once brilliant, it seems to be accepted now that he is past his best in the Welsh capital, but he is a man known for confounding expectations.
ARON GUNNARSSON
The Icelandic midfielder seems to have straddled both the Solskjaer and Slade terms and has been seen as pretty much essential in the middle of the park.
It would be fair to say though that he seems to be another player failing to recapture the form he has shown in the past at Cardiff.
His pairing with Whittingham has proved the most questionable on the pitch for the Bluebirds particularly under Slade with Joe Ralls making a big push now for a regular starting place in there.
LEFT MIDFIELD
ANTHONY PILKINGTON
He may have been out injured for a long time, but it seemed both Solskjaer, who signed him from Norwich, and Slade liked the look of Pilkington out on at least one of the flanks.
Indeed the wideman was just starting to come into his own at Cardiff when that on-going hamstring injury forced him out. If he can get fit and stay fit he looks set to play a big part next term.
STRIKERS
KENWYNE JONES 7 v ALEX REVELL 6
The departure of top-scorer Jones on loan to Bournemouth might have made sense financially for Cardiff, but saw one of the last vestiges of Premier League class in the Cardiff side heading for the exit.
Jones is a top-flight player who never excelled at Cardiff, but still found the net. Revell, meanwhile, seems to have it all to prove.
A League One or lower level Championship player, he has shown some nice touches, but for all the hard work and bluster, the perception is that he lacks real quality.
Russell Slade says Kenwyne Jones loan departure not a footballing decision, but a business one
ADAM LE FONDRE 5 v EOIN DOYLE 5
Le Fondre never turned it on at all in a Cardiff shirt. As a striker he failed to score enough goals and his all round contribution to the side was below what is expected.
Slade stuck with him for a long time which made the off-loading to Bolton all the more baffling unless one thinks about it in merely financial terms.
Doyle was a hit in League One, but whether he can be a hit at Championship level remains to be seen.
He looks the part in many ways and getting his first goal for the club is hopefully something that will boost his confidence and push him on.
Re: ' RUSSELL SLADE/SOLSKJAER TEAM '
Mon Mar 30, 2015 3:52 pm
I think Slade and Solskjaer could possibly make a good managerial partnership in the Northern Premier League! I wouldn't bet on it though 
Re: ' RUSSELL SLADE/SOLSKJAER TEAM '
Mon Mar 30, 2015 4:22 pm
Tucker must have been bored today, something a young teenager would scribble down in the back of a school book while bored in class.
Re: ' RUSSELL SLADE/SOLSKJAER TEAM '
Mon Mar 30, 2015 4:49 pm
How's there players like pilkington in slades side when hes hardly kicked a ball wouldn't Kennedy be a better example
Re: ' RUSSELL SLADE/SOLSKJAER TEAM '
Mon Mar 30, 2015 5:03 pm
Who cares both crap managers OGS brought them Slade got rid of them 
Re: ' RUSSELL SLADE/SOLSKJAER TEAM '
Mon Mar 30, 2015 7:32 pm
Hudson V Manga 
HUdson here before OGS Manga was signed by OGS so neither are Slades signings
HUdson here before OGS Manga was signed by OGS so neither are Slades signings
Re: ' RUSSELL SLADE/SOLSKJAER TEAM '
Mon Mar 30, 2015 7:53 pm
What utter bollox........ Whitts & Gunnar was the centre midfield partnership for both 
I love it when journalists distort history to prove their judgement and hype was correct...
Deahli - centre midfield and a 7 His Cardiff City highlight reel is shorter than Superkevs goal scoring reel.
Why not compare him to Mat Kennedy same age, size but one has shown an end product.
I love it when journalists distort history to prove their judgement and hype was correct...
Deahli - centre midfield and a 7
His Cardiff City highlight reel is shorter than Superkevs goal scoring reel.Why not compare him to Mat Kennedy same age, size but one has shown an end product.
Re: ' RUSSELL SLADE/SOLSKJAER TEAM '
Mon Mar 30, 2015 11:06 pm
gwentbluebirds wrote:How's there players like pilkington in slades side when hes hardly kicked a ball wouldn't Kennedy be a better example
Agree.
Re: ' RUSSELL SLADE/SOLSKJAER TEAM '
Tue Mar 31, 2015 7:10 am
It's almost criminal that people get paid to write this garbage.
Re: ' RUSSELL SLADE/SOLSKJAER TEAM '
Tue Mar 31, 2015 8:12 am
up there with one of the worst posts i've ever read, and this is a supposed 'professional' what sad times
Re: ' RUSSELL SLADE/SOLSKJAER TEAM '
Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:23 am
holy shit that really is bad