Tue Aug 13, 2013 5:54 am
Tuesday 13th August 2013.
Cardiff City's 'Psycho' Jason Perry warns 'El Pitbul' Gary Medel to cool it in the Premier League
Jason Perry insists Gary Medel won't get away with foul play in the Premier League.
The Cardiff City legend nicknamed ‘Psycho’ has warned ‘El Pitbul’ to cool it in the Premier League.
The Bluebirds’ favourite hard man Jason Perry fears new record signing, Gary Medel could be in danger of spending more time in the stands than on the pitch for Malky Mackay’s team this season given his combative reputation
Medel, 26, who has cost Cardiff £9.5m, was sent off four times for previous club Sevilla last season and is famous for his no-nonsense approaching to defending that has earned him his ‘El Pitbull’ tag.
Centre-half Perry, who made 344 appearances for Cardiff in a decade at the club, believes the game has changed since his day and now officials in the Premier League are even sterner than those on the continent.
“Let’s be honest, in the top-flight these days the tackle is more or less outlawed. If you are going to do it you have to have great skill and even greater timing,” said 43-year-old Perry.
“In the past you’d mistime it, but you’d have three or four of those before you got a red. Now the first one can see you off.
“That could be a problem, you go down to 10 men in the Premier League and you very rarely win a game.
“The defensive role has changed. Medel is aggressive, we know that, but I’d like to think when you are spending that sort of money there is a lot more to his game.”
For all his ferocity, Medel is also regarded as a brilliant enforcer and earned praise for the way he dealt with superstar Lionel Messi in La Liga.
Perry said that boded well for the Bluebirds in a top-flight campaign which kicks off at West Ham on Saturday.
Perry added: “To mark someone like Messi you have to be intelligent. That is the first thing.
“You have to know where a guy like that is going, what positions he is going to take and we are talking about one of the best players ever to play the game which makes it even more impressive.”
Perry, now a respected pundit, chuckles at any comparison having spent his decade with the Bluebirds in the lower reaches of the Football League.
He insists Medel will never get away today with what he and his teammates did back in the late 1980s and 1990s, but expects the midfielder to have a lot more in his armoury than a box of dirty tricks.
“He’s a very intelligent player as far as I can see and for all the aggression a thinking player. That tells me he will make the right decisions,” said Perry.
“At times you are going to see the thundering tackles, other times he’s going to stay on his feet and in other ways stop his opponent from playing.
“It’s about having a presence on the pitch and Medel seems certainly to have that. Sometimes I think his defensive work will not be recognised. He’s a big strong player. He just needs to lean on somebody.
“He reminds me of someone like Graeme Souness, a player with an aura. People become just aware of that person in the other side and they start to let the ball go a bit quicker than they might.
“There’s nothing wrong with a bit of reputation, it’s good for people to fear the worst, but there needs to be a bit of control.
“I’m pretty sure with the money that Cardiff are paying, this guy is not just all about going out there and kicking people up in the air.”
One thing Perry is certain of is that Medel is going to prove a huge hit with Bluebirds supporters who down the years have put effort high on their list of priorities from a player.
Perry himself was loved by fans and he believes the Chilean will now be welcomed with open arms and could well rival current Cardiff hero, Craig Bellamy, in the popularity stakes.
Tue Aug 13, 2013 7:53 am
I find the tone of the Echo story quite distasteful this morning. Admittedly us fans
have been all over 'La Peeetbull' and how hes gonna bite your legs but for the local
rag to jump on it is a bit irresponsible. Im sure Mendel sees himself as a pretty
accomplished footballer not a cross between Satans Claw and a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:58 am
I agree that it's a bit distasteful...surely they of all papers should be giving the guy a chance.
Tue Aug 13, 2013 1:44 pm
Think his reputation is slightly over exaggerated.
Tue Aug 13, 2013 4:47 pm
LLynfibluebird wrote:I agree that it's a bit distasteful...surely they of all papers should be giving the guy a chance.
Any article that describes perry as a respected pundit is clearly one to avoid taking too seriously.
Tue Aug 13, 2013 4:51 pm
It's not like he is coming from some random league with different rules.
I'd say he could prob get away with more in the prem than la liga.