" CARDIFF CITY FANS FAVOURITE PLAYER SO FAR "

' Cardiff City fans crazy about Gary Medel as Chile star scoops player of the month award '
5th Sep 2013

The Bluebirds' record signing has come out on top of our fans' player ratings for August after man-of-the-match performances in two of his first three matches



Gary Medel has taken no time whatsoever to establish himself as a firm Cardiff City fans’ favourite... and here is the evidence.

Bluebirds followers have voted Medel as player of the month in our exclusive player ratings online poll which we open after each match.

City fans participating in our hugely popular vote during August, which featured Premier League games against West ham, Manchester City and Everton, put Medel at the top marginally, ahead of left-back Andrew Taylor.

Other players to impress Bluebirds followers in the early days of this historic 2013-14 top flight campaign are goalkeeper David Marshall, midfield ace Kim Bo-Kyung and new centre-half capture Steven Caulker.

But the news isn’t so good for skipper Craig Bellamy and playmaker Peter Whittingham, each the City talisman at differing stages of last year’s Championship winning campaign.

According to Bluebirds fans, those two gifted individuals have yet to pull up any Premier League trees.

Even less so Bluebirds right-back Matt Connolly, who unfortunately came bottom of the poll with an average mark of 5.8 out of 10 for the three matches he has played.



Topping that fans’ ratings poll is Gary Medel, the Chilean terrier nicknamed ‘El Pitbull’ who has really put the bite into City’s midfield and who earned an average August mark of 7.5.

Medel, currently on World Cup duty in Santiago with Chile who meet Venezuala tomorrow night, was named fans’ man of the match in City’s first two games against the Hammers and Man City.

He was then second only to Marshall for Saturday’s weekend draw against Everton.

Medel cost Cardiff a record fee of £9.5million when Malky Mackay signed him from Sevilla during the summer, but has clearly made an immediate impact.

He was the one bright light in City’s opening day defeat to West Ham, when his ability stood out while his fellow Bluebirds disappointed.

That was no mean feat by Medel, considering he had only met up with his new team-mates for the first time the day before, having arrived back from international duty for Chile against Iraq.

In the next match, Medel helped deal with the blockbusting threat from Yaya Toure and Fernandinho to ensure the Bluebirds were not over-run in midfield and could beat Man City.

Against Everton, he helped blot out the danger posed by new England sensation Ross Barkley and Manchester United’s new capture Marouane Fellaini.

Mackay reckons Medel can become one of the greatest City signings in history and he has already proved to be far more than just a tigerish tackler.

Medel can play, passing the ball well and uses his game intelligence to uncannily spot danger before it has happened, somehow being in the right place at the right time to snuff out danger.



Behind Medel in the fans’ August ratings comes Taylor, who missed the opening match at Upton Park but has excelled in the subsequent games.

Against Man City, Taylor played so well that Manuel Pellegrini’s new £20million right-wing flier Navas had to be substituted, while the highly-rated Pablo Zabaleta rarely got beyond him on the overlap, either.

Against Everton, Kevin Mirallas and Seamus Coleman doubled up against Taylor, but again didn’t get much change out of him.

Kim, hugely impressive in the second half against Man City and throughout against Everton, also gets a good mark.

So too Caulker, who has just arrived at the club and is quickly forming a decent centre-back partnership with Ben Turner.

Caulker and Turner have played in each of City’s Premier League matches and so too has Connolly, who doesn’t come out of the poll quite so favourably.

In a way, that seems a bit harsh on Connolly, who is more of centre-half than a right-back.

In the opening match he had something of a shocker in trying to come to terms with Matt Jarvis’ tricks down West Ham’s left flank.

But Connolly handled the David Silva-Gael Clichy double-pronged Man City threat with aplomb, while he also acquitted himself admirably in dealing with Steven Pienaar and Leighton Baines at the weekend.

Those two created the majority of Everton’s goals down the left hand side last season, but Baines’ penalty appeal aside rarely ventured successfully beyond Connolly on Saturday.

However, the message from the fans over star-turns such as Whittingham and Bellamy appears to be ‘could do better’.

If those two also start flying further forward, coupled with Medel’s solidity behind, the Bluebirds will continue flying.

GARY! GARY! GARY!!!!


Much deserved

I really don't like these sorts of poll.

How would you feel as a player if you read that the fans do not rate you? We know from the Ben Turner interview after the poll about whether he or Hudson should have started against Man City that players DO read these sorts of polls and they are affected by them, (and I'm sure a few of them have a sly peek at the messageboards too).

I'm sure many will say that footballers get paid loads of money, should be thick skinned, should be professional etc, but I cannot see these sorts of polls having any effect other than a negative one.

Typical Echo I suppose.

I really don't like these sorts of poll.

How would you feel as a player if you read that the fans do not rate you? We know from the Ben Turner interview after the poll about whether he or Hudson should have started against Man City that players DO read these sorts of polls and they are affected by them, (and I'm sure a few of them have a sly peek at the messageboards too).

I'm sure many will say that footballers get paid loads of money, should be thick skinned, should be professional etc, but I cannot see these sorts of polls having any effect other than a negative one.

Typical Echo I suppose.

Lmao, if you think pointless little polls affect a player, you are very wrong. They couldn't care less. Next you'll be telling me Perez was affected by the Ozil chants at Bale's reveal, or Whittingham gave a f**k when Annis said he didn't rate him.

If the players read them, then they should know to improve. Turner should be smart enough to not let Negredo make him his bitch like that, Connolly should know when to actually pass a ball and be in the right place, and Bellamy should learn to finish chances he gets rather than take heavy touches hoping for a penalty. They get those low ratings for a reason, and if, and I mean if, they even care about them, then they deserve that kick up the arse.

It might mean like nothing now, but for all we know that Negredo goal could be very crucial in our survival. Every goal scored and conceded matters when you're a promoted side.

What about Campbell???

i think Whitts has had a good start to the season, all bellamy has done well defensively!

Kimbo in my opinion, followed by caulker and campbell

Gash poll. Just like their 'Wales Sexiest Woman' poll and the annual farce that is the 'Fast Growth 50'.

After that save vs. Everton Marshall should have got nod

Gash poll. Just like their 'Wales Sexiest Woman' poll.

I bet whoever won it isn't complaining