' Russell Slade has a much better squad than Malky did '

Cardiff City's current squad is much better than Malky Mackay's runaway title-winners...
So why the struggle?

Nov 06th, 2014


Head of Sport Paul Abbandonato argues few players from Mackay's 2013 champions would make a combined XI and asks why the current crop of stars is struggling in the Championship.


Russell Slade and Malky Mackay had very different options

Almost uncannily, two years ago to the day, give or take 24 hours, Cardiff City travelled to Bolton for a Championship clash.

Back on November 3, 2012 Malky Mackay’s Bluebirds were also defeated... just as Russell Slade’s Class of 2014 were on Tuesday.

The analogies continue with the starkly contrasting home and away fortunes of the two teams.

Mackay’s men had played seven home games by that stage of the 2012-13 campaign and won the lot of them at a Cardiff City Stadium which is also fast becoming a fortress under Slade.

Away from home, just like Slade’s side, they had struggled, managing just two wins, drawn one and lost four... although at least that brace of victories were two better than anything provided thus far this time around.

Cardiff City suffered more misery on the road this week. This time at Bolton
The comparisons between the two sides, however, end there. Despite the loss at Bolton, Mackay’s Cardiff were top of the League, not down in 11th, and they were up there for a reason which we’ll come onto in a moment.

They were also top despite, in my view, having inferior players when measured against the Championship stardust squad Ole Gunnar Solskaer compiled.



If you were picking a combined XI with Slade’s first choice side, Marshall, Whittingham and Noone transcend the two teams, although Mackay often preferred Craig Conway as his winger.

But I would have John Brayford ahead of Connolly, Sean Morrison instead of Hudson, Bruno Manga rather than Turner and Fabio for Taylor.

Further forward, Anthony Pilkington is much better than Cowie and Aron Gunnarsson a superior central midfield player to the more lightweight, but undoubtedly gifted Kim.

Up front, surely ex-Premier League duo Federico Macheda and Adam le Fondre are a better combination than Helguson and Mason.


Mackay’s first-choice team did have one player, of course, who would have walked into a combined side and that’s Craig Bellamy. As the season wore on, he could also call upon Jordon Mutch and January capture Fraizer Campbell.

But, certainly at this point of the campaign, Mackay could never choose from the depth of talent available to Slade, who I expect to further bolster the current Cardiff squad when the new year transfer window opens.

As well as already possessing a better XI, Slade also has the option of calling upon Mats Moller Daehli and Ravel Morrison. Those two are the most gifted footballers at the club, but aren’t getting a look-in at present.

Mats Moller Daehli has been frozen out by Russell Slade
Slade also has Tom Adeyemi, Kenwyne Jones and Guido Burgstaller on the books. Connolly and Turner - part of the bedrock of Mackay’s Championship winning class - are still available for selection. So too Kim and Nicky Maynard.

Javi Guerra, the centre-forward who scored lots of goals in Spain’s La Liga, rivals Burgstaller and that Norwegian bloke Magnus Woolf Eikrem for the unwanted title of Cardiff’s most forgotten man.

So, with that pool of talent available, why are Cardiff punching below their weight mid-table, whereas Mackay’s men were roaring away at the summit?

For the very reasons, I guess, that little Bournemouth also sit proudly on top today. Under Eddie Howe, the Cherries have a togetherness, team spirit, organisation, work ethic and game plan which makes them hard to beat. They aren’t first by fluke.

Mackay’s Cardiff possessed those very qualities too, plus a defensive resilience.

Back in 2012, Cardiff followed their loss at Bolton by crashing 5-4 in a freak result at Charlton, but never looked back after that as they embarked on a run of nine wins in 11 matches.


Cardiff City record 2012/13 & 2014/15

Wins - Defeats
25 - 9

Wins - Defeats
6 - 6

They suddenly supplemented the impregnable home record by also starting to win on their travels, grinding out single goal triumphs at Barnsley, Leicester, Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds and Wolves, whilst also thumping Blackburn 4-1.

An unstoppable title charge had begun. It wasn’t flamboyant, but it was darned effective. Mackay made the best of the sum of the parts available to him.

Slade has much better parts available, but has yet to get the sum right.





That’s not his fault. He inherited a mess, utter chaos and confusion, and is trying to implement the structure and organisation the Bluebirds lacked under Solskjaer.

It will take Slade time. At present he has time. Cardiff are only eight points off top-placed Bournemouth. With 30 matches still to play, and the Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday that is the intensity of arguably the most gruelling league in the world, Cardiff can make up the ground.

If Mackay’s team were good enough to go up, then the players Slade has at his disposal are certainly good enough too.

Whether they will, of course, is another matter entirely. Sorting out the away day blues, which will require team tinkering, is key to the Premier League ambitions.

Going to take more than 5 games to sort these out, we are a squad of good individuals at the moment we will click and when we do we will start hammering teams

Going to take more than 5 games to sort these out, we are a squad of good individuals at the moment we will click and when we do we will start hammering teams

Wez, I have to agree with you there, we are a Squad of Class individuals who need to jell together and tactics need to be applied.

Helps if Slade would use the players he has available

Helps if Slade would use the players he has available

Luke,I hope he rethinks and he does this after the International break

Not his squad though.

Been down this road before.

Not his squad though.

Been down this road before.

Matt and Guerra for me

I really dont think so.
this squad has more goals in it potentially but doesn't have the discipline or the desire of malkys squad.

pivotal players such as conway, cowie, kim bellamy all played big roles Hudson and turner were outstanding going up. Taylor far more reliable than most.

you put craig Bellamy in any championship side and his influence and ability will rub off.. its like having a top manager within your ranks at that level

It doesn't have the balance either. Nor sure what ole was trying to do, he clearly had an idea maybe of passing game but a lot of players alike and lacking in to many areas to mix it up.

Malky had fighters/battlers, Slade has more class players,but pansy's

Will maklies name still be compared to the 2018 - 2019 season ?

Will maklies name still be compared to the 2018 - 2019 season ?

Didn't malky have a fairly ass away record at the start of the 12-13 season?

If you were picking a combined XI with Slade’s first choice side, Marshall, Whittingham and Noone transcend the two teams, although Mackay often preferred Craig Conway as his winger.

That would be the Craig Conway who hardly made the match day 11 prior to scoring the winning goal against Sheffield Wednesday in the 20th match of that season. The same Craig Conway who put in a transfer request because he felt "Frozen Out" by MM amid gossip of a fallout with the manager regarding behaviour issues.

MM had the benefit of 3 transfer windows behind him and had undoubtedly developed "His" team with players that fitted into "His" tactical framework. RS by comparison has without any doubt a squad put together by OGS, who most agree had no plan, other than changing the team every 5 minutes, so to anyone with half a braincell working it is going to take RS time, 2 transfer windows at least in my opinion, to undue the damage caused by the 9 months OGS was at our club.

Also by this stage during our Championship winning season we had lost 5 away games, letting in 3 or more goals in 4 of those games, by comparison this season we have lost 3 away games by a single goal.

Just another poorly researched article by the head fuckwit at MediaWales.

annis which is it in your opinion ffs
you seem to be in both camps
do you agree this squad is better than malkys
or does your comment they are better players but pansies mean you think malkys squad was best
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm