' O’Keefe? Oh yes? '
Sun Feb 07, 2016 8:34 am
' O’Keefe? Oh yes? '
The Cardiff career of Stuart O’Keefe has been a rather strange one. For long stretches he had been a peripheral figure, but suddenly, given his chance, he has seized it to be fair. There is nothing spectacular about him, it does what it says on the tin, he is energetic, committed, willing to break up play.
It’s just that at the moment he is emerging at the best player at the club at doing that role. Here, he had two great chances to actually score too, his header was well-saved and his second-half shot should not have been allowed to have been saved really.
The Cardiff career of Stuart O’Keefe has been a rather strange one. For long stretches he had been a peripheral figure, but suddenly, given his chance, he has seized it to be fair. There is nothing spectacular about him, it does what it says on the tin, he is energetic, committed, willing to break up play.
It’s just that at the moment he is emerging at the best player at the club at doing that role. Here, he had two great chances to actually score too, his header was well-saved and his second-half shot should not have been allowed to have been saved really.
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Re: ' O’Keefe? Oh yes? '
Sun Feb 07, 2016 11:57 am
Thought he was excellent today. Got stuck in and looked like he was desperate to keep his place. 
Re: ' O’Keefe? Oh yes? '
Sun Feb 07, 2016 2:00 pm
Better than Ralls.yesterday...He's a bit of a Drinkwater ( not for us, for Leicester!).
Re: ' O’Keefe? Oh yes? '
Sun Feb 07, 2016 2:48 pm
He has grabbed his opportunity with both hands fair play he does a look a good player. 
Re: ' O’Keefe? Oh yes? '
Sun Feb 07, 2016 3:57 pm
O'keefe my MOM yesterday. Shame he didn't cap it with a goal. He's the man in form at the moment. Nice to see. Players go in and out of form. Some more than others. Whitts is another at the moment but will go off the boil sooner or later. A good manager will take them in and out of the team as and when required. Keep them fresh mentally as much as physically
Re: ' O’Keefe? Oh yes? '
Sun Feb 07, 2016 4:17 pm
Steveultra,yes I agree he was man of the match in my opinion too.
Re: ' O’Keefe? Oh yes? '
Sun Feb 07, 2016 5:30 pm
Plymuff Bloobird wrote:Steveultra,yes I agree he was man of the match in my opinion too.
Tbh I think he has been a close push for mom in the last 4 or 5 games he played
Re: ' O’Keefe? Oh yes? '
Mon Feb 08, 2016 5:34 pm
From Cardiff City outcast to midfield regular... Stuart O'Keefe is not in the mood to relinquish Bluebirds shirt after big battle for starting spot
Despite a clutch of early starts for Cardiff, suddenly O’Keefe found himself once more out of the loop. He returned for this campaign only to find found himself again back among the Cardiff substitutes, if he got on the bench at all
He admits he has had doubts, his dark moments at Cardiff City, but Stuart O’Keefe is in a good place right now benefiting, at last, from the hard-work ethic seemingly programmed into the tenacious midfielder’s DNA.
When he arrived in the Welsh capital, a year ago from Crystal Palace, O’Keefe, was already hurting and was a man who felt he had something to prove.
Despite 51 appearances spanning four-and-a-half years for the Eagles, with 14 of those coming in the Premier League, the arrival of new Palace boss, Alan Pardew, in January last year, saw O’Keefe alienated at Selhurst Park.
Having just returned to South London from a loan spell at Blackpool, the 24-year-old found himself almost immediately back down in the second-flight, this time on a permanent deal, as Bluebirds’ boss Russell Slade made his move.
But even the step down appeared to have back-fired on the defensive midfielder.
Despite a clutch of early starts for Cardiff, suddenly O’Keefe found himself once more out of the loop. A final day start at Nottingham Forest last season proved a false dawn as he returned for this campaign only to find found himself again back among the Cardiff substitutes, if he got on the bench at all.
It was the sheer amount of central midfield talent that seemed to be the problem for O’Keefe at Cardiff.
Veteran Peter Whittingham was in the middle then, Joe Ralls was having his breakthrough campaign, Aron Gunnarsson was to enjoy a renaissance and Kagisho Dikgacoi, who O’Keefe had battled for a starting place with at Palace, was being favoured by Slade.
He even got the ultimate back-handed compliment from his manager as Slade described O’Keefe as providing ‘good cover’ in the Cardiff squad.
For many players, the frustration might have led to petulance and a dropping of the head.
Not O’Keefe, who had begun his career at Southend, he remained committed, focused on the task in hand. He refused to let his doubts at Cardiff get the better of him and now he is finally getting his reward.
He was handed his first Championship start of the season at Wolves last month and finally seized the opportunity. Prowling midfield, with an eye to destroy and now even getting forward and providing at attacking threat, O’Keefe has refused to relinquish his place since.
And he is not about to take his foot off the gas now, insisting Bluebirds supporters are finally set to see what he can deliver.
Despite a clutch of early starts for Cardiff, suddenly O’Keefe found himself once more out of the loop. He returned for this campaign only to find found himself again back among the Cardiff substitutes, if he got on the bench at all
He admits he has had doubts, his dark moments at Cardiff City, but Stuart O’Keefe is in a good place right now benefiting, at last, from the hard-work ethic seemingly programmed into the tenacious midfielder’s DNA.
When he arrived in the Welsh capital, a year ago from Crystal Palace, O’Keefe, was already hurting and was a man who felt he had something to prove.
Despite 51 appearances spanning four-and-a-half years for the Eagles, with 14 of those coming in the Premier League, the arrival of new Palace boss, Alan Pardew, in January last year, saw O’Keefe alienated at Selhurst Park.
Having just returned to South London from a loan spell at Blackpool, the 24-year-old found himself almost immediately back down in the second-flight, this time on a permanent deal, as Bluebirds’ boss Russell Slade made his move.
But even the step down appeared to have back-fired on the defensive midfielder.
Despite a clutch of early starts for Cardiff, suddenly O’Keefe found himself once more out of the loop. A final day start at Nottingham Forest last season proved a false dawn as he returned for this campaign only to find found himself again back among the Cardiff substitutes, if he got on the bench at all.
It was the sheer amount of central midfield talent that seemed to be the problem for O’Keefe at Cardiff.
Veteran Peter Whittingham was in the middle then, Joe Ralls was having his breakthrough campaign, Aron Gunnarsson was to enjoy a renaissance and Kagisho Dikgacoi, who O’Keefe had battled for a starting place with at Palace, was being favoured by Slade.
He even got the ultimate back-handed compliment from his manager as Slade described O’Keefe as providing ‘good cover’ in the Cardiff squad.
For many players, the frustration might have led to petulance and a dropping of the head.
Not O’Keefe, who had begun his career at Southend, he remained committed, focused on the task in hand. He refused to let his doubts at Cardiff get the better of him and now he is finally getting his reward.
He was handed his first Championship start of the season at Wolves last month and finally seized the opportunity. Prowling midfield, with an eye to destroy and now even getting forward and providing at attacking threat, O’Keefe has refused to relinquish his place since.
And he is not about to take his foot off the gas now, insisting Bluebirds supporters are finally set to see what he can deliver.