We want to finish the season with a bit of style despite
Tue Apr 23, 2013 6:53 am
Cardiff City striker Rudy Gestede looking forward to Premier League adventure
" We want to finish this season off with a bit of style despite being already Champions "
23rd April 2013
Gestede frontman gears up for his top flight adventure with Cardiff City - even though he knew little about them two years ago
Striker Rudy Gestede admits he didn’t know much about Cardiff City before he joined... but the burly Frenchman is glad he made the move now.
The 24-year-old might not have been the first name on the team-sheet during the Bluebirds’ Championship-winning season but has still played a vital role.
Of his 25 appearances this campaign many have come from the bench, although Gestede started the last two City matches, both of which will go down in club folklore.
Boss Malky Mackay chose to put him in the starting XI for the home clash with Charlton where a 0-0 draw saw the Bluebirds promoted to the top flight for the first time in more than half a century.
And Gestede started, too, in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Burnley which clinched the Championship title for the first time in Bluebirds’ history.
Gestede did not find the net in either encounter but the 6ft 4ins frontman has popped up with some vital goals this campaign.
He has five in the league and almost all have been important goals.
He grabbed the winner against Millwall back in December, snatched a late equaliser at home to Leicester in March to help steady the ship and, more recently, headed home his first City brace in the 3-0 blitzing of Nottingham Forest.
It has, indeed, been quite a campaign for the man who arrived from Metz in July 2011 and had a week’s trial under Mackay’s watchful eye at a Spanish training camp.
For Gestede, who had also seen a loan spell at French club Cannes, the move to Cardiff was a leap in the dark.
But one which, thanks to the Bluebirds’ promotion, has turned out perfectly for him.
“It is an amazing feeling. I have only been in Cardiff for two seasons now,” said Gestede.
“The first season we went to a cup final and this season we are champions. I find it unbelievable.
“Everyone will remember this team for a long time. It is the first time we have gone up as champions and it has been a great season.
“We have been on top for six months so I think in the end we deserved it. We did a good job.
“It’s my first title and I find it amazing, I am really enjoying it.
“When I first came to the club, to be honest I did not really know too much about Cardiff.
“All I really knew was that the season before they had some very good players like Craig Bellamy and Jay Bothroyd.
“So I came and I’m so happy I joined. I did not really think I would get the chance to play at this level.”
Gestede knows that plenty of fresh talent will arrive at the club over the summer and that some who helped in the promotion push will be shown the door.
But he is determined to prove himself in the top flight if he is given the opportunity.
“It has been the dream of everybody to play in the Premier League,” he said.
“That is why you play football, to play in the top league and play against the top teams.
“We’ve got the chance to do that now next season. It is going to be hard, but we are there and we will play as well as we know we can.
“If I start I’m very happy, of course, but the team has done so well and the strikers have done well, too.
“So if I can play, I will play to try to help the team – and if I can score then that is even better.”
Of more immediate concern, however, is for Cardiff to finish the season with a bit of style despite having already been crowned champions.
Mackay’s men welcome Bolton to the Welsh capital on Saturday for their final fixture in front of their own supporters.
It is an afternoon that will see the Championship trophy presented to the Bluebirds as well.
The following Saturday comes the final game of as triumphant campaign as they hit the road to travel to second-placed Hull.
Gestede said: “We have two games to go now but we are already champions, so we just need to go out there and enjoy it.
“We have trained this week for the Bolton match and after the game I think we will have a good party with our fans at our stadium.
“It could be a big party now until the end of the season.
“I’ve got some friends coming over for the Bolton game and after the Hull game I will be heading back to France for a holiday.
“I think we all deserve a little holiday now.”
" We want to finish this season off with a bit of style despite being already Champions "
23rd April 2013
Gestede frontman gears up for his top flight adventure with Cardiff City - even though he knew little about them two years ago
Striker Rudy Gestede admits he didn’t know much about Cardiff City before he joined... but the burly Frenchman is glad he made the move now.
The 24-year-old might not have been the first name on the team-sheet during the Bluebirds’ Championship-winning season but has still played a vital role.
Of his 25 appearances this campaign many have come from the bench, although Gestede started the last two City matches, both of which will go down in club folklore.
Boss Malky Mackay chose to put him in the starting XI for the home clash with Charlton where a 0-0 draw saw the Bluebirds promoted to the top flight for the first time in more than half a century.
And Gestede started, too, in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Burnley which clinched the Championship title for the first time in Bluebirds’ history.
Gestede did not find the net in either encounter but the 6ft 4ins frontman has popped up with some vital goals this campaign.
He has five in the league and almost all have been important goals.
He grabbed the winner against Millwall back in December, snatched a late equaliser at home to Leicester in March to help steady the ship and, more recently, headed home his first City brace in the 3-0 blitzing of Nottingham Forest.
It has, indeed, been quite a campaign for the man who arrived from Metz in July 2011 and had a week’s trial under Mackay’s watchful eye at a Spanish training camp.
For Gestede, who had also seen a loan spell at French club Cannes, the move to Cardiff was a leap in the dark.
But one which, thanks to the Bluebirds’ promotion, has turned out perfectly for him.
“It is an amazing feeling. I have only been in Cardiff for two seasons now,” said Gestede.
“The first season we went to a cup final and this season we are champions. I find it unbelievable.
“Everyone will remember this team for a long time. It is the first time we have gone up as champions and it has been a great season.
“We have been on top for six months so I think in the end we deserved it. We did a good job.
“It’s my first title and I find it amazing, I am really enjoying it.
“When I first came to the club, to be honest I did not really know too much about Cardiff.
“All I really knew was that the season before they had some very good players like Craig Bellamy and Jay Bothroyd.
“So I came and I’m so happy I joined. I did not really think I would get the chance to play at this level.”
Gestede knows that plenty of fresh talent will arrive at the club over the summer and that some who helped in the promotion push will be shown the door.
But he is determined to prove himself in the top flight if he is given the opportunity.
“It has been the dream of everybody to play in the Premier League,” he said.
“That is why you play football, to play in the top league and play against the top teams.
“We’ve got the chance to do that now next season. It is going to be hard, but we are there and we will play as well as we know we can.
“If I start I’m very happy, of course, but the team has done so well and the strikers have done well, too.
“So if I can play, I will play to try to help the team – and if I can score then that is even better.”
Of more immediate concern, however, is for Cardiff to finish the season with a bit of style despite having already been crowned champions.
Mackay’s men welcome Bolton to the Welsh capital on Saturday for their final fixture in front of their own supporters.
It is an afternoon that will see the Championship trophy presented to the Bluebirds as well.
The following Saturday comes the final game of as triumphant campaign as they hit the road to travel to second-placed Hull.
Gestede said: “We have two games to go now but we are already champions, so we just need to go out there and enjoy it.
“We have trained this week for the Bolton match and after the game I think we will have a good party with our fans at our stadium.
“It could be a big party now until the end of the season.
“I’ve got some friends coming over for the Bolton game and after the Hull game I will be heading back to France for a holiday.
“I think we all deserve a little holiday now.”
Re: We want to finish the season with a bit of style despite
Tue Apr 23, 2013 6:57 am
Fair play, I've had my doubts about Rudy, but he's played well over the last few weeks 
Re: We want to finish the season with a bit of style despite
Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:18 pm
I hope he gets the chance to prove himself next year but I have my doubts. The sad reality is that if we have to rely on Rudy next year we will almost certainly be going down.
Re: We want to finish the season with a bit of style despite
Tue Apr 23, 2013 5:32 pm
I rated Rudy right from the first moment I saw him play. He really does give 100% on the pitch and given more game time he might have got more goals this season.
However, he will probably get used as an impact player at best next season.
As for finishing with a bit of style, that would be nice.
However, he will probably get used as an impact player at best next season.
As for finishing with a bit of style, that would be nice.