Chris Wathan gives his side regarding Slades walk out

WalesOnline football correspondent CHRIS WATHAN locked horns with Cardiff City boss Russell Slade at his pre-Derby County Press conference, asking a couple of innocent questions on behalf of the fans which prompted the manager to abruptly walk out of the room.

Slade walks out viewtopic.php?f=2&t=154083

30 Jan 2015

Here Chris gives his analysis of what happened, arguing it's a sign of a manager under pressure...

Actions will always speak louder than words.

As Russell Slade abruptly got up from his chair and strode away from the cameras and microphones and out of the Vale Hotel conference room, it said plenty.

Slade was meant to be holding court at his weekly pre-match Press conference, giving his news and views ahead of Cardiff City's Championship clash with Derby County.

But his actions in handling two perfectly reasonable questions from WalesOnline, the type the fans would want answered, spoke volumes.

Certainly more than he had managed in the previous 16 minutes as he delivered awkwardly short answers around his team's poor run of form and questionable transfer activity.

One question that never did come before Slade decided he'd talked enough and walked out was whether the 54-year-old was noting the pressure.

In a way it didn't need to; as Slade stormed off he provided a more succinct and obvious answer than any amount of spoken words could manage.

The Bluebirds hot-seat is one that not everyone is able to sit comfortably in.

There is a greater spotlight on the manager of this team than most in the Championship given the make-up of the media in this area, one that includes interest of a national and local level.

Dealing with the local weeklies of the London areas is a lot different.

And yet the question in the standard pre-match briefing ahead of the concerning clash with Derby that proved a tipping point for Slade was hardly a taxing one.

It was not, for example, one surrounding the increasingly basic, set-piece reliant style of play that has had Bluebirds fans bemoaning their lot perhaps as much as results.

Nor was it around the financial constraints that, to give credit, Slade has been lumbered with and seemingly forced his hand in this transfer window to leave him with a side that is of less quality than at the start of the campaign.

It was not about the justified fears of some supporters ahead of the visit of promotion-chasing Derby, a team that could really dish it out should they perform near their best and Cardiff offer up the kind of second-half showing they managed against Reading last weekend - one even Slade had to admit was "dire".

Instead, the question asked was simply whether Slade thought he had taken a backward step in terms of the task he faced from moment one in the job: convincing fans he is able to be a success at Cardiff City.

His response was to refer - inaccurately it should be pointed out - to my reporting of the 2-1 loss to Middlesbrough earlier this month.

Slade believed - and he is entitled to opinion, albeit one based on a error of fact - that a claim that Cardiff fans should be due their money back from the trip to Boro was not going to help him in that regard when, he maintained, it was a good performance for 60 minutes.

There wasn't anything about a fans' refund in the match report, in actual fact. But Slade chose to get up and walk out of the Press conference, lots of questions still unanswered.

But perhaps, in choosing to bring up the Boro game, he said a lot anyhow.

Because if Slade has to cling to such positives as not being behind earlier in a game where the game plan and attempt to create chances appeared based around corners, free-kicks and Aron Gunnarsson throws, then you know not everything is well.

Especially given many fans agreed with such a critique - with some saying I had been overly kind!

As I say, Slade's entitled to his view. Mine is that while no game in the Championship is easy, this is Cardiff City we are talking about. Freshly relegated from the Premier League, Slade inheriting what was commonly touted as the biggest and best squad in Championship history.

Surely Cardiff should have been imposing themselves upon the opposition this season. But they've done too little of that in recent times, constantly over-run in the midfield, unable to keep possession for chunky periods of time and thus lacking real panache and creativity in front of goal.

Slade, a lower league manager by trade, has waited a fair time to experience the second-tier, yet better jobs in any career come with greater responsibility.

Slade's, whether he likes it or not, is to have beleaguered Cardiff fans encouraged by their side via performances, results and excitement.

There are many who will argue, indeed are stating openly on messageboards and radio phone-ins, none of that is happening at present.

Perhaps Slade's actions in walking out of the Press conference means he knows he is not delivering and that he is not likely to start given the quality, momentum and threat of the Derby team that head to Cardiff City Stadium this weekend.

And if it was just a case of waking up the wrong side of the bed - we each have those days, remember - then the news that Ben Turner could be out for the rest of the campaign with ankle ligament damage will not have improved the manager's mood.

One of the few leaders we had, said Slade, at a time when Cardiff need them and, ironically, just before he failed to display calming leadership attributes himself with his abrupt exit.

Despite his claims that Lee Peltier and Stuart O'Keefe were "good types", unless the midfield man is a hitherto undiscovered Championship Roy Keane then another uphill battle awaits.

Slade, rightly, has sought a better balance to the squad but it is how those players are performing that has worried and angered fans.

Slade maintained he needed more "substance" to his side, suggesting they had been too much of a soft touch. Without having the opportunity to press him on the increasingly route one like style of play, perhaps it is no bad thing that he is seeking bite for his Bluebirds.

If they are going to be ugly, and as unappealing as it seems, at least go the whole hog and be a side few would want to play against. Like Stoke City used to be.

Right at this moment you imagine that Derby cannot wait to take on Slade's side, the Rams with pace and passing ability that will horribly highlight Cardiff's basic inability to hold onto the ball, thus decreasing their chances of doing anything with it and increasing their opponents' opportunity to cause problems.

Of course, Cardiff have had lots of ball players of their own on their books. But some of them have been let go.

That said, the way football works, there is every possibility Cardiff will pull one out of the bag and the likes of Derby's excellent Will Hughes or proven goalscorer Darren Bent will be off their game in this clash.

Let us hope so. Perhaps then Slade will believe he has been vindicated in terms of his criticism of the criticism.

But, as always, actions will speak louder than words.

Let's see what Slade gets his Cardiff City players to actually deliver.

Yes and wonder what any manager would have done if he asked such innocent questions? Can just see Jose reaction! doesn't matter if fans think he is taken us backwards ect, there not questions to ask and expect no reaction! But then he precisely knew what he was doing! And reaction he would get? And our fans creamed all over it like rabid dogs!

So Chris Wathan is claiming that nothing was mentioned about fans getting their money back from Boro? I can tell you for a fact fans were questioning that.

A very good piece from Chris Wathan - good to see him putting across his side of things.

Unless we win tomorrow, which is highly. unlikely, then Slade will end up looking very, very stupid - and not for the first time.

It smacks of desperation from a poor manager.

not a bad piece of writing ruined by his get out clause of Cardiff just might get a result
ffs make your mind up

Good article from Chris Wathan. He is one of the very few WOL journalists with any substance. Certainly head and shoulders above Terry Phillips and Steve Tucker.

I can find no fault with his questions and as he implied, actions speak louder than words. Slade is feeling the pressure allright. An old adage is - If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen!

Be careful making heroes out of the eggo. They will quite happily claim their victory for their short lived back to blue campaign and asking the questions the " fans" want answering. They'll be stabbing you in the back next week. Support the club not the circus!!!

I see the knives are out from the press.

What the media don't take into account is that under Ole we were heading for a relegation batter. I'm confident in saying under Slade we have avoided that.

This is not Slades squad like everyone was saying when Ole took over it was Malkys squad. Ole was a disaster and failed. At least Slade has not turned out to be a total disaster yet, well I can't see him being one this season.

Next season we should be asking him these questions as he will have his own squad.....sort of.

Can't really argue with anything he's written in the article, honest assessment in my opinion, particularly when referring to the leadership side of things, a manager walking out of a press conference is not exactly leading by example !

Yes we might pinch a result today, stranger things have happened but all that will do is paper over the cracks.

I'm sorry but I honestly feel slade is out his depth and the football we are playing now is some of the worse I've ever seen!

Notice how nothingis mentioned in the eggo report about slade calling him a swansea fan! There are probably other "facts" missing too. It didn't look as much of a storm out, more of a stroll out to me.

the team and our manager need our full support today fellow bluebirds.

Don't blame the clubs employees for the actions of the directors.

There aren't many managers that could do any better in this situation.

give the team your support