13 REASONS WHY CARDIFF FANS CAN BE CHEERFUL FOR NEXT SEASON
Mon May 25, 2015 2:49 pm
13 reasons for cheesed off Cardiff City fans to feel more cheerful ahead of the 2015-16 season
Monday 25th May 2015
BY TERRYPHILLIPS
Here are 13 reasons for Cardiff fans to perhaps be not quite so fearful of what lies ahead....
1. They have the best goalkeeper in the Championship
I’m far from comfortable with David Marshall being captain and my feeling is that will change, but there is no doubt Marshall is sheer quality.
He gained experience and learned his craft at Celtic and Norwich before joining Cardiff City six years ago. He has made more than 230 first team appearances for the Bluebirds.
The relegation battles at Norwich plus his early performances in the Scotland team, when it seemed nothing would go right, proved the making of a goalkeeper now in his prime.
Arsenal, Southampton and more have expressed interest in signing Marshall, but the big Scot is settled in Cardiff, rates his Welsh experience as the best time of his career and he is not looking for a move.
Right now Marshall is a key man in the City squad and number one for his country. He is settled in South Wales and it would take a big offer from the top flight to make him think about a change.
David Marshall conceded three against BoltonDavid Marshall...arguably the best goalkeeper in the Championship
2. Kagisho Dikgacoi could yet prove the key man for City
Granted, we haven't seen hide nor hair of the he South African since he arrived last summer, with a series of somewhat mystifying injuries keeping him out.
But Dikgacoi remains a proven competitor at Premier League level.
Finally, he has shrugged off his injuries and Slade has set him a gruelling schedule. That has already started as Dikgacoi follows a personal training schedule set by club staff.
He then heads off on a solo mission to a boot camp in the Lake District, organised by the manager.
The former Crystal Palace player will then arrive back for pre-season a week earlier than other players followed by intense daily sessions with the main group.
Dikgacoi will be with the City squad for a week at Champneys in Leicestershire, where the players will train hard all week and have a football pitch available to them.
If he is fully fit Dikgacoi can fill the role Chilean international Gary Medel played. He knows the Championship well - and could become crucial in that holding position.
Kagisho Dikgacoi: (2015-15) (Crystal Palace) His signining was hailed as a genuine coup in the summer of 2014, a proven Premier League midfielder who Palace has wanted to keep. Has anyone seen him since? Dikgacoi has been on the pitch twice in a Cardiff shirt because a range of mysterious injuries.
3. Partnerships are building in this City team
Broken links were all too obvious last season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made too many team changes and players didn’t have the chance to work on partnerships.
It’s clear Fabio and Joe Ralls enjoyed playing together on the left and they combined well in the last match of the season at Nottingham Forest.
Ralls tucked in slightly on the left of midfield, ready to drop in and cover when the Brazilian full-back made one of his runs forward.
Fabio needs the protection Ralls gives him and that link improves the team effort.
On the other side Lee Peltier works with the winger in front of him, while both full-backs must also develop partnerships with their centre-backs, Ben Turner, Sean Morrison or Bruno Manga.
Cardiff CityJoe Ralls was young player of the year
Eoin Doyle and Joe Mason began to understand each other better as they played together several times near the end of last season.
That’s not an ideal partnership and both could have done with the support of a big, mobile centre-forward to work off, but it proved an interesting link and both scored over the last couple of matches.
City are working on those links and partnerships, but they still have to get it right through the middle. The two players operating in central midfield must bring it all together, working off defenders and through to the forwards.
Peter Whittingham and Aron Gunnarsson struggled to produce their best as a pair and the Bluebirds look certain to strengthen in that area.
If Dikgacoi returns to full fitness he will make a difference and could help Whittingham regain his best, while a new player with experience, pace and passing ability could freshen up the heart of Cardiff’s team.
4. Russell Slade’s bounce factor
It's a bit of an understatement to say Slade does not have much support among the Bluebirds faithful right now given that some of the performances have been shocking under his tenure.
Slade lacks experience at Championship level even though he has been in charge of more than 700 first team matches mainly in the lower divisions.
His career shows a win rate of 40%, but if there is a crumb of comfort it could be that he has usually had a bounce factor.
He took charge of Scarborough in 2001 when they were bottom of the Conference and looking doomed. A run of 39 points from 19 matches lifted them to 12th.
Slade became Grimsby manager and they were in an automatic promotion place for most of 2004-5, also dumping Derby County and Spurs out of the League Cup.
Cardiff City manager Russell Slade has plenty of formations to ponderCardiff City manager Russell Slade has lost many fans' support but could he come good?
Grimsby eventually qualified for the play-offs, losing 1-0 against Cheltenham in the play-off final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
At Yeovil, Slade steered them to fifth and a play-offs finish, beating Forest in the semi-finals before being edged out by Blackpool in the final.
He was voted League One manager of the year.
Brighton were on their way down from League One in March 2009 when he took charge and kept them up, while Orient twice narrowly missed out on the play-offs by finishing seventh and Slade was again named League One manager of the year.
But it’s all lower division experience.
Can Slade help Cardiff progress? Who knows, and many have understandably made up their minds already.
The biggest transfer fee he has ever spent is £300,000 and it seems probable that if Slade remains in charge he will have cash to spend this summer.
The Bluebirds boss must prove himself by finding bargain signings of real quality.
5. Paul Trollope can help bring out improved Cardiff City performances
Trollope's best work is done in a tracksuit on the training ground and there was certainly a marked improvement in performances after he was appointed first team coach.
Trollope encourages a passing style and there were signs that was working at the end of last season. A full pre-season with Trollope taking charge of the main training sessions will make a difference.
He learned a lot when he was Bristol Rovers manager and gained solid experience as assistant manager at Championship club Birmingham and Premier League Norwich.
6. Fitness levels have shot up - and will be better again for 2015-16
Cardiff City earned a big reputation under Malky Mackay for being the fittest team in Championship football and that was the foundation for their title charge.
When Slade took charge those fitness levels had clearly dropped and there has been a lot of work to build it back up.
Every player was given a personal training regime to follow through the close season and they will be going on two week-long pre-season training camps. The first is at Champneys in Leicester and the second in Holland.
7. The big men at the heart of City’s back four can be effective
Player of the year Bruno Manga could be joined by fit-again Ben Turner at centre-back, although Sean Morrison and Matt Connolly will be keen to mount a big challenge.
The back five will be crucial and a central unit comprising Marshall, Manga and Turner would help give City a real chance.
Lee Peltier and Scott Malone seem the leading contenders for the full-back positions, although there is plenty of competition from Fabio and the returning Declan John.
Peltier is a leader and a solid defender, while Malone has shown decent defensive qualities and impresses with his delivery when he gets forward. That is underlined by stats which show Malone provided a number of assists on goals.
8. Fabio can become a first class Championship full-back
A wonderful talent going forward, but can be caught out defensively. If the Brazilian could improve flaws which can appear when he doesn’t have the ball then City will have a real gem.
The right-footed defender doesn’t always look good delivering crosses from the left wing, but there is no doubting the excitement he can generate with his quick, well timed runs.
The task for Slade and his coaches is to help him develop into a better all-round player.
9. Eoin Doyle has the potential to score goals
But can he do it at Championship level?
Doyle scored five goals in 16 appearances for the Bluebirds following his move from Chesterfield, two of those from penalties and three from open play.
He showed in flashes a natural ability to finish and there was no messing around with his two spot-kicks, they were clinically converted.
The Irishman fired 30 goals in 2014-15, most of them for League One Chesterfield, but now the pressure is on.
Can he do it at a higher level?
Eoin Doyle scores his second penalty to put Cardiff 3-1 upEoin Doyle has potential but can he do it consistently at Championship level?
10. Kenwyne Jones has another year on his contract and would be a potent force
He finished the season on loan at Bournemouth, but speculation that the Cherries are keen to sign him in a full transfer have not been confirmed.
Jones is a proven Championship goalscorer who was Cardiff City’s top marksmen with 13 and netted a crucial equaliser for Bournemouth. The decision to loan him was mystifying for the fans.
If he stays I have little doubt the 6ft 4ins centre-forward will score his fair share of goals - and bring out the best in Eoin Doyle or Joe Mason.
11. Joe Mason’s return is a major plus
He is a striker who offers something a little different to the team.
Jones leads the attack with physical presence and strength, while Doyle plays off the shoulder of defenders and looks to make well-timed runs to get into scoring positions.
Mason brings different skills. He is an intelligent footballer, playing a number 10 style role as he drops deeper to find space and time.
Opposing defenders can be unsettled by Mason’s ability to drift into dangerous positions. Do they go and challenge him? Or do they make sure no gaps are left behind them and wait?
The 24-year-old Mason has a crucial part to play for Cardiff next season and personally, I love watching him.
Joe Mason gets away from Andrea OrlandiJoe Mason's return is a real plus
12. Peter Whittingham is still the set-piece maestro
Whittingham was miles off his best on too many occasions last term but let’s not forget City’s long-serving playmaker is still a class act when it comes to free-kicks, corners and penalties.
There is no doubting his ability to produce a killer pass, but City must find the right way to bring out his best form.
The Whittingham/Aron Gunnarsson partnership was tried, tested and failed too many times last season. It should work, it has worked in the past, but City need a different central midfield link going forward.
13. The Bluebirds can give youth a chance
Young guns Matty Kennedy and Joe Ralls have made their mark and both will be pressing for first team action at the start of next season.
Kennedy, 20, and Ralls, 21, helped transform City performances when they played, injecting energy, athleticism and excitement at a time when it was badly needed.
There are others pressing for a chance.
Semi Ajayi, a 21-year-old defender signed from Arsenal, and teenager David Tutonda, a powerful left-footed midfield player who finished last season on loan at Newport, are both highly rated young players.
City must allow them to blossom during 2015-16.
Monday 25th May 2015
BY TERRYPHILLIPS
Here are 13 reasons for Cardiff fans to perhaps be not quite so fearful of what lies ahead....
1. They have the best goalkeeper in the Championship
I’m far from comfortable with David Marshall being captain and my feeling is that will change, but there is no doubt Marshall is sheer quality.
He gained experience and learned his craft at Celtic and Norwich before joining Cardiff City six years ago. He has made more than 230 first team appearances for the Bluebirds.
The relegation battles at Norwich plus his early performances in the Scotland team, when it seemed nothing would go right, proved the making of a goalkeeper now in his prime.
Arsenal, Southampton and more have expressed interest in signing Marshall, but the big Scot is settled in Cardiff, rates his Welsh experience as the best time of his career and he is not looking for a move.
Right now Marshall is a key man in the City squad and number one for his country. He is settled in South Wales and it would take a big offer from the top flight to make him think about a change.
David Marshall conceded three against BoltonDavid Marshall...arguably the best goalkeeper in the Championship
2. Kagisho Dikgacoi could yet prove the key man for City
Granted, we haven't seen hide nor hair of the he South African since he arrived last summer, with a series of somewhat mystifying injuries keeping him out.
But Dikgacoi remains a proven competitor at Premier League level.
Finally, he has shrugged off his injuries and Slade has set him a gruelling schedule. That has already started as Dikgacoi follows a personal training schedule set by club staff.
He then heads off on a solo mission to a boot camp in the Lake District, organised by the manager.
The former Crystal Palace player will then arrive back for pre-season a week earlier than other players followed by intense daily sessions with the main group.
Dikgacoi will be with the City squad for a week at Champneys in Leicestershire, where the players will train hard all week and have a football pitch available to them.
If he is fully fit Dikgacoi can fill the role Chilean international Gary Medel played. He knows the Championship well - and could become crucial in that holding position.
Kagisho Dikgacoi: (2015-15) (Crystal Palace) His signining was hailed as a genuine coup in the summer of 2014, a proven Premier League midfielder who Palace has wanted to keep. Has anyone seen him since? Dikgacoi has been on the pitch twice in a Cardiff shirt because a range of mysterious injuries.
3. Partnerships are building in this City team
Broken links were all too obvious last season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made too many team changes and players didn’t have the chance to work on partnerships.
It’s clear Fabio and Joe Ralls enjoyed playing together on the left and they combined well in the last match of the season at Nottingham Forest.
Ralls tucked in slightly on the left of midfield, ready to drop in and cover when the Brazilian full-back made one of his runs forward.
Fabio needs the protection Ralls gives him and that link improves the team effort.
On the other side Lee Peltier works with the winger in front of him, while both full-backs must also develop partnerships with their centre-backs, Ben Turner, Sean Morrison or Bruno Manga.
Cardiff CityJoe Ralls was young player of the year
Eoin Doyle and Joe Mason began to understand each other better as they played together several times near the end of last season.
That’s not an ideal partnership and both could have done with the support of a big, mobile centre-forward to work off, but it proved an interesting link and both scored over the last couple of matches.
City are working on those links and partnerships, but they still have to get it right through the middle. The two players operating in central midfield must bring it all together, working off defenders and through to the forwards.
Peter Whittingham and Aron Gunnarsson struggled to produce their best as a pair and the Bluebirds look certain to strengthen in that area.
If Dikgacoi returns to full fitness he will make a difference and could help Whittingham regain his best, while a new player with experience, pace and passing ability could freshen up the heart of Cardiff’s team.
4. Russell Slade’s bounce factor
It's a bit of an understatement to say Slade does not have much support among the Bluebirds faithful right now given that some of the performances have been shocking under his tenure.
Slade lacks experience at Championship level even though he has been in charge of more than 700 first team matches mainly in the lower divisions.
His career shows a win rate of 40%, but if there is a crumb of comfort it could be that he has usually had a bounce factor.
He took charge of Scarborough in 2001 when they were bottom of the Conference and looking doomed. A run of 39 points from 19 matches lifted them to 12th.
Slade became Grimsby manager and they were in an automatic promotion place for most of 2004-5, also dumping Derby County and Spurs out of the League Cup.
Cardiff City manager Russell Slade has plenty of formations to ponderCardiff City manager Russell Slade has lost many fans' support but could he come good?
Grimsby eventually qualified for the play-offs, losing 1-0 against Cheltenham in the play-off final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
At Yeovil, Slade steered them to fifth and a play-offs finish, beating Forest in the semi-finals before being edged out by Blackpool in the final.
He was voted League One manager of the year.
Brighton were on their way down from League One in March 2009 when he took charge and kept them up, while Orient twice narrowly missed out on the play-offs by finishing seventh and Slade was again named League One manager of the year.
But it’s all lower division experience.
Can Slade help Cardiff progress? Who knows, and many have understandably made up their minds already.
The biggest transfer fee he has ever spent is £300,000 and it seems probable that if Slade remains in charge he will have cash to spend this summer.
The Bluebirds boss must prove himself by finding bargain signings of real quality.
5. Paul Trollope can help bring out improved Cardiff City performances
Trollope's best work is done in a tracksuit on the training ground and there was certainly a marked improvement in performances after he was appointed first team coach.
Trollope encourages a passing style and there were signs that was working at the end of last season. A full pre-season with Trollope taking charge of the main training sessions will make a difference.
He learned a lot when he was Bristol Rovers manager and gained solid experience as assistant manager at Championship club Birmingham and Premier League Norwich.
6. Fitness levels have shot up - and will be better again for 2015-16
Cardiff City earned a big reputation under Malky Mackay for being the fittest team in Championship football and that was the foundation for their title charge.
When Slade took charge those fitness levels had clearly dropped and there has been a lot of work to build it back up.
Every player was given a personal training regime to follow through the close season and they will be going on two week-long pre-season training camps. The first is at Champneys in Leicester and the second in Holland.
7. The big men at the heart of City’s back four can be effective
Player of the year Bruno Manga could be joined by fit-again Ben Turner at centre-back, although Sean Morrison and Matt Connolly will be keen to mount a big challenge.
The back five will be crucial and a central unit comprising Marshall, Manga and Turner would help give City a real chance.
Lee Peltier and Scott Malone seem the leading contenders for the full-back positions, although there is plenty of competition from Fabio and the returning Declan John.
Peltier is a leader and a solid defender, while Malone has shown decent defensive qualities and impresses with his delivery when he gets forward. That is underlined by stats which show Malone provided a number of assists on goals.
8. Fabio can become a first class Championship full-back
A wonderful talent going forward, but can be caught out defensively. If the Brazilian could improve flaws which can appear when he doesn’t have the ball then City will have a real gem.
The right-footed defender doesn’t always look good delivering crosses from the left wing, but there is no doubting the excitement he can generate with his quick, well timed runs.
The task for Slade and his coaches is to help him develop into a better all-round player.
9. Eoin Doyle has the potential to score goals
But can he do it at Championship level?
Doyle scored five goals in 16 appearances for the Bluebirds following his move from Chesterfield, two of those from penalties and three from open play.
He showed in flashes a natural ability to finish and there was no messing around with his two spot-kicks, they were clinically converted.
The Irishman fired 30 goals in 2014-15, most of them for League One Chesterfield, but now the pressure is on.
Can he do it at a higher level?
Eoin Doyle scores his second penalty to put Cardiff 3-1 upEoin Doyle has potential but can he do it consistently at Championship level?
10. Kenwyne Jones has another year on his contract and would be a potent force
He finished the season on loan at Bournemouth, but speculation that the Cherries are keen to sign him in a full transfer have not been confirmed.
Jones is a proven Championship goalscorer who was Cardiff City’s top marksmen with 13 and netted a crucial equaliser for Bournemouth. The decision to loan him was mystifying for the fans.
If he stays I have little doubt the 6ft 4ins centre-forward will score his fair share of goals - and bring out the best in Eoin Doyle or Joe Mason.
11. Joe Mason’s return is a major plus
He is a striker who offers something a little different to the team.
Jones leads the attack with physical presence and strength, while Doyle plays off the shoulder of defenders and looks to make well-timed runs to get into scoring positions.
Mason brings different skills. He is an intelligent footballer, playing a number 10 style role as he drops deeper to find space and time.
Opposing defenders can be unsettled by Mason’s ability to drift into dangerous positions. Do they go and challenge him? Or do they make sure no gaps are left behind them and wait?
The 24-year-old Mason has a crucial part to play for Cardiff next season and personally, I love watching him.
Joe Mason gets away from Andrea OrlandiJoe Mason's return is a real plus
12. Peter Whittingham is still the set-piece maestro
Whittingham was miles off his best on too many occasions last term but let’s not forget City’s long-serving playmaker is still a class act when it comes to free-kicks, corners and penalties.
There is no doubting his ability to produce a killer pass, but City must find the right way to bring out his best form.
The Whittingham/Aron Gunnarsson partnership was tried, tested and failed too many times last season. It should work, it has worked in the past, but City need a different central midfield link going forward.
13. The Bluebirds can give youth a chance
Young guns Matty Kennedy and Joe Ralls have made their mark and both will be pressing for first team action at the start of next season.
Kennedy, 20, and Ralls, 21, helped transform City performances when they played, injecting energy, athleticism and excitement at a time when it was badly needed.
There are others pressing for a chance.
Semi Ajayi, a 21-year-old defender signed from Arsenal, and teenager David Tutonda, a powerful left-footed midfield player who finished last season on loan at Newport, are both highly rated young players.
City must allow them to blossom during 2015-16.
Re: 13 REASONS WHY CARDIFF FANS CAN BE CHEERFUL FOR NEXT SEA
Mon May 25, 2015 3:06 pm
Christ reading that I cant wait for the season to start.
Re: 13 REASONS WHY CARDIFF FANS CAN BE CHEERFUL FOR NEXT SEA
Mon May 25, 2015 4:01 pm
What we have got to look forward to is a fit squad, unlike the start of last season, a hungry squad, well a lot hungrier than the disembled lot we started off with and finally knowing how bad it was with everything last season yet still finished mid table it can only get better.
What we can't look forward to is that we still have the idiots at the top.
What we can't look forward to is that we still have the idiots at the top.
Re: 13 REASONS WHY CARDIFF FANS CAN BE CHEERFUL FOR NEXT SEA
Mon May 25, 2015 7:58 pm
Apart from Marshall I'm not sure I agree with any of them.
Re: 13 REASONS WHY CARDIFF FANS CAN BE CHEERFUL FOR NEXT SEA
Mon May 25, 2015 8:50 pm
1. Will be sold long before the start of next season
2. Does this player actually exist? I'll believe it when I see it.
3. Whitts and Gunnars hasn't worked all season.
4.
The only time Slade will "bounce" is when he falls over!
5. Why do we need him and Slade?
6. Should go without saying that a professional football team should be fit enough to play for 90 minutes each game - big deal.
7. Manga and Connolly will be gone. Connolly was loaned out just to get his wages off the wage bill so will be forced out asap
8. Maybe, but needs to work on the defensive side of his game and is not a midfield player (see Ipswich away)
9. Yes he does provided we play to his strengths ie NOT lumping the ball upfield aimlessly for him to chase.
10. See point 1
11. Agreed.
12. Not scored from a free kick in over two seasons now and often fails to beat the first man at free kicks and corners. A pale shadow of how he used to be.
13. Slade could have played any number of youngsters in the final half dozen games of last season when we had nothing to play for but stuck with the same old faces rather than give youth a chance. What evidence is there that he'll change suddenly next season?
By my reckoning that's 1 out of 13 that Terry Phillips has got spot on - about his usual success rate!
2. Does this player actually exist? I'll believe it when I see it.
3. Whitts and Gunnars hasn't worked all season.
4.
The only time Slade will "bounce" is when he falls over!5. Why do we need him and Slade?
6. Should go without saying that a professional football team should be fit enough to play for 90 minutes each game - big deal.
7. Manga and Connolly will be gone. Connolly was loaned out just to get his wages off the wage bill so will be forced out asap
8. Maybe, but needs to work on the defensive side of his game and is not a midfield player (see Ipswich away)
9. Yes he does provided we play to his strengths ie NOT lumping the ball upfield aimlessly for him to chase.
10. See point 1
11. Agreed.
12. Not scored from a free kick in over two seasons now and often fails to beat the first man at free kicks and corners. A pale shadow of how he used to be.
13. Slade could have played any number of youngsters in the final half dozen games of last season when we had nothing to play for but stuck with the same old faces rather than give youth a chance. What evidence is there that he'll change suddenly next season?
By my reckoning that's 1 out of 13 that Terry Phillips has got spot on - about his usual success rate!
Re: 13 REASONS WHY CARDIFF FANS CAN BE CHEERFUL FOR NEXT SEA
Mon May 25, 2015 8:52 pm
Short memories with some journalists , last season it was "the best Championship squad ever assembled ". Ever heard of building slowly and quietly .
Re: 13 REASONS WHY CARDIFF FANS CAN BE CHEERFUL FOR NEXT SEA
Wed May 27, 2015 5:13 pm
There's more, there will be no queues for the bars or food outlets. No problem having a piss at half time, easy to get a bet on just before kick off. If someone next to you is getting on your tits, you'll easily be able to move away. All Good.