My view: Ole, continuity and moving on
Thu Sep 18, 2014 12:41 pm
This far
The beginning
I believe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a brave choice when he took the manager seat at CCFC. A rebranded club with a unhappy fan base heading for relegation from the Premier Division. Like he stated himself, he didn't make the instant impact he hoped for, but was still given resources and trust to start building a new squad with the goal of direct promotion and staying up. The whole project indeed looked like a long-term one.
The middle
Imho, Ole and the rest of the staff involved did many things right after the relegation. They used Ole's name for what it was worth and brought in high quality players, most of them in a very desired age at rather low cost. So even when Caulker, Campbell, Mutch and Medel were gone, the squad was (and is) a strong one. Plenty of fire power up front, good wing/full backs, exiting centre backs and a few quality midfielders. Peter Whittingham was chosen to be keep continuity and be the glue in the centre of the pitch to stabilize a new team with high expectations.
The beginning of a new era/The beginning of the end - August
As the start of the season approached, the team was quite obviously not playing like a team, as a unit. Not many, if any, expected Cardiff to take the Championship by storm right off the bat. A very tough first few matches against teams like Blackburn, Norwich and Fulham would mean that pressure could start building sooner rather than later. August came and the team were getting the job done, without impressing anyone either. A late own goal by Mark Hudson away to Wolves put a bitter taste to what seemed like an OK beginning. Winning at home and drawing away is enough to keep everyone satisfied. The concern was still that the team didn't seem coordinated enough and quite a few players weren't match fit (or something else). Key player Noone, new boys Dikgacoi, Macheda and Guerra wasn't quite ready. In defense, captain Hudson was out the doors, Cala wasn't quite ready and a new back four was given little time to get familiar and ready.
The end?
Norwich at home was expected to be a tough match, with an outcome hard to predict. Still a few important players were missing. After winning the first half 2 - 0, we went on losing not only 0 - 4 in the second and three points, but a lot of confidence and the belief in a lot of fans eyes. A loss like this is so visible early in the season, as you suddenly plummet down the league table. The warning lights were all of a sudden blinking and Middlesbrough home was a must win. Suddenly Murphy's law was on the fans' minds and before they players were properly warmed up against Boro it was on their minds too. Like a 1st round knockout they never recovered and the fans and the papers are screaming, pointing at the only one you can blame. And understandably so.
Continuity
I am a firm believer in thinking very long term when it comes to running a football club. That is when it comes to finances and wages, transfer policy, manager choice and whatever else. Of course, you need the boat to float all the time, but I'm very disappointed whenever a club invests a huge amount of money and trust in a manager, really committing themselves to a long term project, and suddenly hits the emergency brake. This is a waste of talent, money and future well-being of the club, imho. That is why I think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should be given more time, even if it means a longer time for CCFC fans to be pulling their hair out, crying their hearts out. I have to admit that I do not know if Solskjaer (or hardly any other) is a good manager, but I honestly can't say he's not. I like to think I know, but who does really. So many factors in play. But the whole project is based on the fact that he, hopefully, is. And in this unpredictable league, in this unpredictable game, time is needed to build anything great. And I say this even if I think the team doesn't look like exactly that, a team, out on the pitch atm.
Moving on
When the King is dead, long live the King. If or when Ole is gone, I don't want to mention the guy again. Let that be past and find another manager we believe is good. And do the same thing all over again. But this time I pray the men behind the scenes won't pull the emergency brake as fast. Give the manager and the players more time. It's a pain to be a fan during the hard times, but the sweet reward will come sooner and taste sweeter if we are more patient. So with or without Ole, I hope these players will gel soon and show everybody that a great foundation has been built for future success.
Now let us rip the Pride out of Derbys Park on Saturday.
The beginning
I believe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a brave choice when he took the manager seat at CCFC. A rebranded club with a unhappy fan base heading for relegation from the Premier Division. Like he stated himself, he didn't make the instant impact he hoped for, but was still given resources and trust to start building a new squad with the goal of direct promotion and staying up. The whole project indeed looked like a long-term one.
The middle
Imho, Ole and the rest of the staff involved did many things right after the relegation. They used Ole's name for what it was worth and brought in high quality players, most of them in a very desired age at rather low cost. So even when Caulker, Campbell, Mutch and Medel were gone, the squad was (and is) a strong one. Plenty of fire power up front, good wing/full backs, exiting centre backs and a few quality midfielders. Peter Whittingham was chosen to be keep continuity and be the glue in the centre of the pitch to stabilize a new team with high expectations.
The beginning of a new era/The beginning of the end - August
As the start of the season approached, the team was quite obviously not playing like a team, as a unit. Not many, if any, expected Cardiff to take the Championship by storm right off the bat. A very tough first few matches against teams like Blackburn, Norwich and Fulham would mean that pressure could start building sooner rather than later. August came and the team were getting the job done, without impressing anyone either. A late own goal by Mark Hudson away to Wolves put a bitter taste to what seemed like an OK beginning. Winning at home and drawing away is enough to keep everyone satisfied. The concern was still that the team didn't seem coordinated enough and quite a few players weren't match fit (or something else). Key player Noone, new boys Dikgacoi, Macheda and Guerra wasn't quite ready. In defense, captain Hudson was out the doors, Cala wasn't quite ready and a new back four was given little time to get familiar and ready.
The end?
Norwich at home was expected to be a tough match, with an outcome hard to predict. Still a few important players were missing. After winning the first half 2 - 0, we went on losing not only 0 - 4 in the second and three points, but a lot of confidence and the belief in a lot of fans eyes. A loss like this is so visible early in the season, as you suddenly plummet down the league table. The warning lights were all of a sudden blinking and Middlesbrough home was a must win. Suddenly Murphy's law was on the fans' minds and before they players were properly warmed up against Boro it was on their minds too. Like a 1st round knockout they never recovered and the fans and the papers are screaming, pointing at the only one you can blame. And understandably so.
Continuity
I am a firm believer in thinking very long term when it comes to running a football club. That is when it comes to finances and wages, transfer policy, manager choice and whatever else. Of course, you need the boat to float all the time, but I'm very disappointed whenever a club invests a huge amount of money and trust in a manager, really committing themselves to a long term project, and suddenly hits the emergency brake. This is a waste of talent, money and future well-being of the club, imho. That is why I think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should be given more time, even if it means a longer time for CCFC fans to be pulling their hair out, crying their hearts out. I have to admit that I do not know if Solskjaer (or hardly any other) is a good manager, but I honestly can't say he's not. I like to think I know, but who does really. So many factors in play. But the whole project is based on the fact that he, hopefully, is. And in this unpredictable league, in this unpredictable game, time is needed to build anything great. And I say this even if I think the team doesn't look like exactly that, a team, out on the pitch atm.
Moving on
When the King is dead, long live the King. If or when Ole is gone, I don't want to mention the guy again. Let that be past and find another manager we believe is good. And do the same thing all over again. But this time I pray the men behind the scenes won't pull the emergency brake as fast. Give the manager and the players more time. It's a pain to be a fan during the hard times, but the sweet reward will come sooner and taste sweeter if we are more patient. So with or without Ole, I hope these players will gel soon and show everybody that a great foundation has been built for future success.
Now let us rip the Pride out of Derbys Park on Saturday.