' ANTHONY PILKINGTON? ? '

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' ANTHONY PILKINGTON? ? '

Postby Forever Blue » Wed Oct 18, 2017 6:10 am

Anthony Pilkington is as talented as any player at Cardiff City so maybe it's time he was thrown a bone

By Scott Johnson

18 OCT 2017

I’m a big Anthony Pilkington fan, but it’s not as easy as it used to be. I think he’s as talented a player as Cardiff possess, but it’s been a while now since he’s actually shown it.

The main man under Russell Slade, yet has gradually fallen out of favour since Neil Warnock arrived. He has yet to see the best of Pilkington; adept with either foot, on the wing or up front and formerly Cardiff’s attacking fulcrum.


Pilkington signed a new long term deal as recently as September 2016, yet looked set for the exit over the summer. Like Craig Noone, he appeared to have gone stale and the club gave the impression that they were keen to shed his salary from the already hefty wage bill. It never happened and I was pleased because I think he still has an important role to play, given the chance.

Whether or not Pilkington will be afforded that opportunity remains to be seen, but his hat-trick for the Development side against Charlton recently, followed by another goal against Millwall on Monday, were timely reminders of his talents. It also begs the question of whether it may be time to throw him a bone.

Pilkington is versatile enough to cover a wide range of attacking positions, although his best chance of playing time is probably stationed on the wing, the position where he originally made a name for himself.

Junior Hoilett and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing are in the team on merit, but cannot be expected to play every game, week in, week out. After them, I would probably favour Pilkington over Liam Feeney and Kadeem Harris, but it does not look like Warnock does.

Having made only one start, in the cup, thus far this season, it looks far more likely that Pilkington will bring his three and a bit year spell at Cardiff to a close in January than break back in to the side, but you never know.

It must be frustrating for Pilkington to be left out of the match day squad every week, but I find it reassuring that he is still at the club and available if required. It may take a few more goals for the reserves and a few first-team absences before he gets a look in though.


For a fair indication of what to expect from an incoming player, it’s always worth checking out the reaction of fans from his former club. When Craig Bryson departed for Cardiff on deadline day, it’s fair to say that Derby supporters were not impressed.

Despite featuring infrequently, Bryson was very highly regarded; for the quality of his performances and his attitude towards the Derby cause. As Cardiff fans can already testify, he is a fierce competitor, dashing around at full pelt for the whole 90 minutes of every game.

Fans always warm to players of Bryson’s ilk because they would all kill to play football professionally and given the opportunity, like to think that they would, at the very least, bust a gut for the cause too. In this country, the least supporters expect is that a player puts in a full shift and it often compensates for a multitude of sins.

Don Cowie and Gavin Rae stand out as recent examples of central midfielders that have won over the Cardiff faithful with their lung-busting efforts. Where Bryson differs from that pair is that he also possesses an eye for goal, appearing to have mastered the knack of breaking forward and arriving late in the box.

A demonstration of this quality saw Bryson open the scoring at Sunderland, as he latched on to a direct passage of play to volley the opener in an excellent 2-1 win. One of the main reasons why Bryson was held with such affection by Derby supporters is down to his hat-trick in a famous 5-0 thumping of fierce rivals Nottingham Forest.

Neil Warnock has since revealed that Bryson was his number one transfer window target and described him as “a manager’s player.” At the time, Cardiff fans were pining for Joe Ledley, but suffice to say, they are not pining for him anymore.

Ironically, Ledley ended up at Derby as Bryson’s replacement and he also made a great start as a Ram, scoring on his debut. It would have been great had Ledley returned, but you can’t always get what you want. Sometimes, you get what you need instead.

Cardiff already boast Joe Ralls, who is stylistically very similar to Ledley and even bears a striking resemblance in the way he moves around the pitch. He is also playing some of his best football for the club at present and does not always get the credit he deserves.


Bryson is more of a tempo-setter and in that regard, he is fast becoming Cardiff’s very own Joe Alen.

Cardiff looked shattered in the aftermath of a demoralising 3-0 defeat at Preston and in the first half of the subsequent game, at home to Sheffield Wednesday, it looked like their confidence had taken a battering too.


It was Bryson, an unused substitute at Deepdale and seemingly unaffected by such a heavy loss, that dragged them through the opening stages. Covering acres of ground and putting out countless fires, he seemed to arrive at the club at just the right time and it’s already hard to imagine the side without him.

While Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey get all the attention when Wales play, they’re never quite as effective without Allen anchoring the midfield. Cardiff may find that Bryson, two-time Player of the Year award winner at Derby, will become just as influential in maintaining their lofty league position.

The question now is whether Cardiff should be looking to make his loan spell a permanent arrangement when the transfer window reopens in January.
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' ANTHONY PILKINGTON? ? '

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Re: ' ANTHONY PILKINGTON? ? '

Postby Jimbo27 » Wed Oct 18, 2017 8:20 am

Good article. I would also have Pilks on the bench over Feeney. He can cover more positions and has more of an eye for goal.

I've been a big fan of Bryson so I hope his horror show against Brum (he was far from the only one) was just a one off and he's back to his best on Saturday. I'm still reeling from that shocking team display!
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Re: ' ANTHONY PILKINGTON? ? '

Postby Forever Blue » Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:40 am

I can't see anyone paying Pilks his £20,000 a week wages so I agree with Jimbo,I would put him on the bench as he is still a good player not like Ricky Lambert :thumbright:
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Re: ' ANTHONY PILKINGTON? ? '

Postby bluemun » Wed Oct 18, 2017 11:04 am

For once I agree with this fella. Pilks can play wide, number ten or on his own up front. Much better player than Feeney ( not sure why we signed him and Halford).
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Re: ' ANTHONY PILKINGTON? ? '

Postby Nuclearblue » Wed Oct 18, 2017 11:38 am

Ahead of Kadeem as well :o the poor footer is still injured lol
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Re: ' ANTHONY PILKINGTON? ? '

Postby CaerphillyBluebird15 » Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:18 pm

bluemun wrote:For once I agree with this fella. Pilks can play wide, number ten or on his own up front. Much better player than Feeney ( not sure why we signed him and Halford).


Halford is an obvious one.
He's very versatile and I don't think he minds being a squad player.

Feeney - I haven't seen much of to judge really but it looks like a lot of step overs with no end product from what I've seen.

Pilks has run his race for us imo and needs to move on.
Like its already been mentioned - Wages are a factor so I would chuck him in the mix if he's doing well in training :thumbright:
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Re: ' ANTHONY PILKINGTON? ? '

Postby NyeBluebird » Wed Oct 18, 2017 2:33 pm

Jimbo27 wrote:Good article. I would also have Pilks on the bench over Feeney. He can cover more positions and has more of an eye for goal.

I've been a big fan of Bryson so I hope his horror show against Brum (he was far from the only one) was just a one off and he's back to his best on Saturday. I'm still reeling from that shocking team display!

Bit harsh saying Bryson had a horror show! At least he managed to get a shot away!
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Re: ' ANTHONY PILKINGTON? ? '

Postby bluebird58 » Wed Oct 18, 2017 2:51 pm

Feeney just looks ordinary to me and is no improvement on Pilkington. If we’re paying Pilkington, then why not use him from the bench. Of course, he may just have fallen out with NW.
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