Nathan Blake Says Sat's Football was like Malkys Football
Mon Aug 18, 2014 6:21 am
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Nathan Blake: Solid Cardiff City were almost Malky Mackay-esque in getting job done against Terriers
Monday Aug 18, 2014
BY NATHAN BLAKE
Kenwyne Jones will be unplayable in Championship and Adam Le Fondre is hugely effective too
It wasn’t spectacular or full of free-flowing football, but it was businesslike, professional ... and most importantly Cardiff City took the three points.
Perhaps I shouldn’t be saying this, and I hesitate a little, but what we saw against Huddersfield was almost a little bit Malky Mackay-esque, if you like.
The back four were solid, the midfield worked hard, City got the job done effectively.
Somewhere within there, too, we saw signs of fluidity. Look, it wasn’t Barcelona-style football, or like watching Manchester United passing the ball around so freely in their pomp under Sir Alex Ferguson.
But Cardiff were highly effective once they went into the lead and in big Kenwyne Jones they had a match-winner, as proven with his two goal salvo.
I’m going to be really excited watching him and Adam Le Fondre perform together this season because, given the right service, I’m not sure too many Championship defences will be able to handle the threat the pair pose as individuals and together.
Big Kenwyne has had his critics. I know myself what it’s like to be on the wrong end of some flak before a season starts.
But once the action does get underway, if you start banging in the goals quickly - as he is doing with three to his name already - they tend to keep flowing and you can comfortably end up with 20 to 25 for the season.
Question marks have been raised over Kenwyne, but for me he will be unplayable this season. Strong word to use, I know, but I just don’t see too many defenders being able to rough him up.
It will be the other way around and when Kenwyne supplements his physical presence with goals, that makes him one heck of a force.
The only thing I can see dragging him down is the Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday relentless grind of the Championship, which may play on his fitness. But there’s certainly no issue there for the time being.
Next to Kenwyne, in a classic big man, little’un partnership, we saw Le Fondre against Huddersfield. And while he was scoreless, he’s another who capable of hitting the 20-goal mark this season.
Cardiff City's Adam Le Fondre
To do that, Le Fondre needs intelligent footballers behind him because he makes superb little darting runs in behind defences, but wasn’t necessarily always getting the ball on Saturday.
Maybe this is where Mats Daehli can come into his own because he looked more effective for me when brought in from the left flank and played in a more central role during the second half. Settling Daehli into a regular position like that could be key because he and Peter Whittingham have the vision to find Le Fondre when he makes those runs.
If so, the goal possibilities the ex-Reading man poses up there next to Jones could simply prove too much for many Championship defences. I certainly hope so.
As I’ve already said, though, it was about far more than just those front players on Saturday. It was a general solid team effort and it’s great credit to Mark Hudson and Matt Connolly that Huddersfield did not score more than the one goal they managed, because I thought the Terriers looked a decent unit going forward.
They were fine right up until the final third of the pitch and that’s where they came up against Cardiff’s centre-back duo, who were strong and effective once again as they were up at Blackburn.
To their right, John Brayford looks more and more confident as each game goes by, while in front of him Guido Burgstaller didn’t set the world on fire, but he too did a job for the team until being replaced early in the second half.
I also thought Tom Adeyemi did well when moved to the holding midfield position during the game, enabling Daehli and Whittingham more freedom to go forward.
So everything considered, a decent enough effort by Cardiff without being, shall we say, the slightest bit flamboyant.
But that’s what it’s about at this stage of the season. Solskjaer is still trying to find his best X1, formulate his best tactics, and while you want to hit the ground running you’re not going to produce ten out of ten performances just yet.
Points on the board are what matter most to get the campaign up and running. Then, when the top team performances do come, we can celebrate victories and great football.
Fingers crossed, fellow Bluebirds.
Nathan Blake: Solid Cardiff City were almost Malky Mackay-esque in getting job done against Terriers
Monday Aug 18, 2014
BY NATHAN BLAKE
Kenwyne Jones will be unplayable in Championship and Adam Le Fondre is hugely effective too
It wasn’t spectacular or full of free-flowing football, but it was businesslike, professional ... and most importantly Cardiff City took the three points.
Perhaps I shouldn’t be saying this, and I hesitate a little, but what we saw against Huddersfield was almost a little bit Malky Mackay-esque, if you like.
The back four were solid, the midfield worked hard, City got the job done effectively.
Somewhere within there, too, we saw signs of fluidity. Look, it wasn’t Barcelona-style football, or like watching Manchester United passing the ball around so freely in their pomp under Sir Alex Ferguson.
But Cardiff were highly effective once they went into the lead and in big Kenwyne Jones they had a match-winner, as proven with his two goal salvo.
I’m going to be really excited watching him and Adam Le Fondre perform together this season because, given the right service, I’m not sure too many Championship defences will be able to handle the threat the pair pose as individuals and together.
Big Kenwyne has had his critics. I know myself what it’s like to be on the wrong end of some flak before a season starts.
But once the action does get underway, if you start banging in the goals quickly - as he is doing with three to his name already - they tend to keep flowing and you can comfortably end up with 20 to 25 for the season.
Question marks have been raised over Kenwyne, but for me he will be unplayable this season. Strong word to use, I know, but I just don’t see too many defenders being able to rough him up.
It will be the other way around and when Kenwyne supplements his physical presence with goals, that makes him one heck of a force.
The only thing I can see dragging him down is the Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday relentless grind of the Championship, which may play on his fitness. But there’s certainly no issue there for the time being.
Next to Kenwyne, in a classic big man, little’un partnership, we saw Le Fondre against Huddersfield. And while he was scoreless, he’s another who capable of hitting the 20-goal mark this season.
Cardiff City's Adam Le Fondre
To do that, Le Fondre needs intelligent footballers behind him because he makes superb little darting runs in behind defences, but wasn’t necessarily always getting the ball on Saturday.
Maybe this is where Mats Daehli can come into his own because he looked more effective for me when brought in from the left flank and played in a more central role during the second half. Settling Daehli into a regular position like that could be key because he and Peter Whittingham have the vision to find Le Fondre when he makes those runs.
If so, the goal possibilities the ex-Reading man poses up there next to Jones could simply prove too much for many Championship defences. I certainly hope so.
As I’ve already said, though, it was about far more than just those front players on Saturday. It was a general solid team effort and it’s great credit to Mark Hudson and Matt Connolly that Huddersfield did not score more than the one goal they managed, because I thought the Terriers looked a decent unit going forward.
They were fine right up until the final third of the pitch and that’s where they came up against Cardiff’s centre-back duo, who were strong and effective once again as they were up at Blackburn.
To their right, John Brayford looks more and more confident as each game goes by, while in front of him Guido Burgstaller didn’t set the world on fire, but he too did a job for the team until being replaced early in the second half.
I also thought Tom Adeyemi did well when moved to the holding midfield position during the game, enabling Daehli and Whittingham more freedom to go forward.
So everything considered, a decent enough effort by Cardiff without being, shall we say, the slightest bit flamboyant.
But that’s what it’s about at this stage of the season. Solskjaer is still trying to find his best X1, formulate his best tactics, and while you want to hit the ground running you’re not going to produce ten out of ten performances just yet.
Points on the board are what matter most to get the campaign up and running. Then, when the top team performances do come, we can celebrate victories and great football.
Fingers crossed, fellow Bluebirds.
Re: Nathan Blake Says Sat's Football was like Malkys Footbal
Mon Aug 18, 2014 7:28 am
So, he didn´t say it was watching Malky´s football, it´s was almost a little bit (just almost) like watching Malky´s football 
Re: Nathan Blake Says Sat's Football was like Malkys Footbal
Mon Aug 18, 2014 7:55 am
all three goals scored from open play - not one set-piece - hardly what we saw under Malky.
And we certainly never played with 2 up top either!
Embarrassing journalism.
And we certainly never played with 2 up top either!
Embarrassing journalism.
Re: Nathan Blake Says Sat's Football was like Malkys Footbal
Mon Aug 18, 2014 10:07 am
The Echo is just an embarrassing rag and need to pack it in, giving Adeyemi a 6 and now this
Re: Nathan Blake Says Sat's Football was like Malkys Footbal
Mon Aug 18, 2014 12:05 pm
Terry Phillips gave Adeyami 6.
What game was he watching? Adeyami had a good debut; doing lots of breaking up play, covering and getting forward.
As for Whittingham, he was peripheral at best; his goal aside he did nothing and City are a team with 10 men when he plays.
Ralls or Eikrem (just about) would be better bets in midfield pending Dijkacoi's debut.
Fair play, Gunnarrson looked up for it and did well when he came on.
What game was he watching? Adeyami had a good debut; doing lots of breaking up play, covering and getting forward.
As for Whittingham, he was peripheral at best; his goal aside he did nothing and City are a team with 10 men when he plays.
Ralls or Eikrem (just about) would be better bets in midfield pending Dijkacoi's debut.
Fair play, Gunnarrson looked up for it and did well when he came on.
Re: Nathan Blake Says Sat's Football was like Malkys Footbal
Mon Aug 18, 2014 1:38 pm
PartyWithOle wrote:The Echo is just an embarrassing rag and need to pack it in, giving Adeyemi a 6 and now this
What game were they watching he was the best player on the pitch imo
Re: Nathan Blake Says Sat's Football was like Malkys Footbal
Mon Aug 18, 2014 2:01 pm
What a load of bollocks 
Malkys teams never once passed the ball around like we did for two of the goals on saturday
Malkys teams never once passed the ball around like we did for two of the goals on saturday
Re: Nathan Blake Says Sat's Football was like Malkys Footbal
Mon Aug 18, 2014 2:03 pm
darran1927 wrote:PartyWithOle wrote:The Echo is just an embarrassing rag and need to pack it in, giving Adeyemi a 6 and now this
They have no clue
Fully agree, they said that he needs to become a more authority figure and dictate the play more yet that's all he was doing on Saturday, the guvnor general
Re: Nathan Blake Says Sat's Football was like Malkys Footbal
Mon Aug 18, 2014 2:42 pm
Forever Blue wrote:? ?
Nathan Blake: Solid Cardiff City were almost Malky Mackay-esque in getting job done against Terriers
Monday Aug 18, 2014
BY NATHAN BLAKE
Somewhere within there, too, we saw signs of fluidity. Look, it wasn’t Barcelona-style football, or like watching Manchester United passing the ball around so freely in their pomp under Sir Alex Ferguson.
We were playing our second league game of the season in the Championship, with a relatively new team and Blake is making references to Barcelona and Man Utd in their prime !!
As any new team finds, or a person in a new job finds, that their first few games are still learning process of timing of runs, where the runs and passes will flow to, defensive units gelling together, etc..
After ten games we should see technical and team improvements as the players start to understand each other more.
We can't expect miracles and should expect the odd bump along the way. As long as we stay positive (as fans) and the players and coaching staff continue to develop and learn then there will be even better times ahead.