Don't write off the Bluebirds discards as flops,some of them
Wed Dec 24, 2014 4:07 pm
" Don't write off the Bluebirds discards as flops, some of them weren't given a chance "
Wednesday Dec 24, 2014
Scott Johnson argues that some of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's signings weren't given a chance to be successful at Cardiff
Cardiff City released Juan Cala and Magnus Wolff Eikrem earlier this month, two of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s January signings that have been completely out of favour since Russell Slade arrived.
Each will be written off as flops, which would usually be an acceptable assessment, but there have been far too many poor purchases at Cardiff in recent years.
The reality is that neither of these players really flopped, they simply never stood a chance.
If you take the signing of Cala as a case in point, Cardiff had to pay Getafe £1m for a player the Spaniards had agreed terms with after the termination of his Sevilla contract.
This happened in the space of a few days and he had yet to play for Getafe before heading to South Wales. A nice little earner for Getafe and rank bad planning by Cardiff, in my view.
Cala then stuck with Cardiff during the summer as the club continued signing centre-backs, which relegated him to the periphery of the squad.
Having reached the Premier League, Cardiff started spending like a lottery winner, not used to having so much money burning a hole in their pockets.
The Andreas Cornelius transfer has been dissected in detail. The transfer fee and salary were staggering, but even worse was the way Cardiff discarded him so promptly. Frankly, Cornelius deserved better.
Peter Odemwingie was signed in September and sold the following January, igniting Stoke City’s stuttering campaign in the process. John Brayford was banished after one half of football before getting a second chance under Solskjaer.
Javi Guerra and Jo Inge Berget have not played 90 minutes of league football between them, while Guido Burgstaller has yet to play in the Championship.
Mats Moller Daehli was Cardiff’s best prospect since Aaron Ramsey, but he too is going to German club Freiburg.
Eikrem is the kind of cultured, passing midfielder you need to thrive in the Championship, but has been given away two weeks before the transfer window opens.
Wilfried Zaha and Ravel Morrison, two of English football’s great hopes, have passed through the club without hardly featuring or making any kind of impression.
Cardiff have not traditionally been a sacking club in recent years, but three different permanent managers in the last calendar year have certainly not helped continuity. Vincent Tan has been very vocal in his anger at how Malky Mackay and Iain Moody spent his money, but the transfer committee that was subsequently installed hasn’t set the world on fire.
The problem Cardiff have is that they have gone from Solskjaer, a manager who endlessly rotated his huge squad to Russell Slade, who has identified his favourites and, on the whole, stuck with them.
Tom Martin/WALES NEWS SERVICEFormer Cardiff City Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
After years of Dave Jones trawling the lower reaches of the transfer market for potential bargains, Cardiff have spent the last few years spending without a proper plan. It is no surprise that they are left with a baggy, shapeless, expensive squad.
Jones would have every right to be envious of Cardiff’s recent transfer activity and wonder what might have been if were afforded the same luxury.
This period has also distorted the outlook of many supporters. There is no more any patience. If a player has a couple of bad games, ship him out, get your chequebook out.
If you signed up to play and make a difference but have since fallen out of favour, I imagine things at Cardiff City would be rather frustrating at present.
Is it any wonder that morale appears so low? Stability and some sort of direction are in urgent need if Cardiff are to progress in this division.
Wednesday Dec 24, 2014
Scott Johnson argues that some of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's signings weren't given a chance to be successful at Cardiff
Cardiff City released Juan Cala and Magnus Wolff Eikrem earlier this month, two of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s January signings that have been completely out of favour since Russell Slade arrived.
Each will be written off as flops, which would usually be an acceptable assessment, but there have been far too many poor purchases at Cardiff in recent years.
The reality is that neither of these players really flopped, they simply never stood a chance.
If you take the signing of Cala as a case in point, Cardiff had to pay Getafe £1m for a player the Spaniards had agreed terms with after the termination of his Sevilla contract.
This happened in the space of a few days and he had yet to play for Getafe before heading to South Wales. A nice little earner for Getafe and rank bad planning by Cardiff, in my view.
Cala then stuck with Cardiff during the summer as the club continued signing centre-backs, which relegated him to the periphery of the squad.
Having reached the Premier League, Cardiff started spending like a lottery winner, not used to having so much money burning a hole in their pockets.
The Andreas Cornelius transfer has been dissected in detail. The transfer fee and salary were staggering, but even worse was the way Cardiff discarded him so promptly. Frankly, Cornelius deserved better.
Peter Odemwingie was signed in September and sold the following January, igniting Stoke City’s stuttering campaign in the process. John Brayford was banished after one half of football before getting a second chance under Solskjaer.
Javi Guerra and Jo Inge Berget have not played 90 minutes of league football between them, while Guido Burgstaller has yet to play in the Championship.
Mats Moller Daehli was Cardiff’s best prospect since Aaron Ramsey, but he too is going to German club Freiburg.
Eikrem is the kind of cultured, passing midfielder you need to thrive in the Championship, but has been given away two weeks before the transfer window opens.
Wilfried Zaha and Ravel Morrison, two of English football’s great hopes, have passed through the club without hardly featuring or making any kind of impression.
Cardiff have not traditionally been a sacking club in recent years, but three different permanent managers in the last calendar year have certainly not helped continuity. Vincent Tan has been very vocal in his anger at how Malky Mackay and Iain Moody spent his money, but the transfer committee that was subsequently installed hasn’t set the world on fire.
The problem Cardiff have is that they have gone from Solskjaer, a manager who endlessly rotated his huge squad to Russell Slade, who has identified his favourites and, on the whole, stuck with them.
Tom Martin/WALES NEWS SERVICEFormer Cardiff City Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
After years of Dave Jones trawling the lower reaches of the transfer market for potential bargains, Cardiff have spent the last few years spending without a proper plan. It is no surprise that they are left with a baggy, shapeless, expensive squad.
Jones would have every right to be envious of Cardiff’s recent transfer activity and wonder what might have been if were afforded the same luxury.
This period has also distorted the outlook of many supporters. There is no more any patience. If a player has a couple of bad games, ship him out, get your chequebook out.
If you signed up to play and make a difference but have since fallen out of favour, I imagine things at Cardiff City would be rather frustrating at present.
Is it any wonder that morale appears so low? Stability and some sort of direction are in urgent need if Cardiff are to progress in this division.
Re: Don't write off the Bluebirds discards as flops,some of
Wed Dec 24, 2014 4:51 pm
eikrem and cornelius were flops. cornelius showed nothing on the field, he didnt look like a professional footballer let alone a premier league footballer. giving him more time would have simply relegated us earlier. eikrem just looked a very average player, he was ok, but is ok good enough? slade doesn't think so and i agree.
i wouldn't call daehli or cala flops, but they won't be missed here based on their contributions in the past 12 months.
i wouldn't call daehli or cala flops, but they won't be missed here based on their contributions in the past 12 months.
Re: Don't write off the Bluebirds discards as flops,some of
Wed Dec 24, 2014 6:05 pm
Spending without a plan ,pretty much sums it up
Re: Don't write off the Bluebirds discards as flops,some of
Wed Dec 24, 2014 7:40 pm
Who is this guy ?
Cala was a major fcuk up waiting to happen in every game
Eikrem was simply a poorer version of Whitts and couldn't do anything he couldn't
Peter O - couldn't play 1 up front or one of the 2 wider midfielders
Berget - Just showed there is still hope for me to make it (47 years old and 16 stone)
Daehli- Nor sure if he will be as good some of the hype, but not sure if the British football is the place for him until he is the finished article
Cornelius- Well let say no more
Guerra - Will we ever know what has gone on
He doesn't mention the biggest cock up - Letting Mark Hudson go
Cala was a major fcuk up waiting to happen in every game
Eikrem was simply a poorer version of Whitts and couldn't do anything he couldn't
Peter O - couldn't play 1 up front or one of the 2 wider midfielders
Berget - Just showed there is still hope for me to make it (47 years old and 16 stone)
Daehli- Nor sure if he will be as good some of the hype, but not sure if the British football is the place for him until he is the finished article
Cornelius- Well let say no more
Guerra - Will we ever know what has gone on
He doesn't mention the biggest cock up - Letting Mark Hudson go
Re: Don't write off the Bluebirds discards as flops,some of
Wed Dec 24, 2014 11:40 pm
Zaha was f*cking crap