" THIS SQUAD HAS GOT TOO MUCH QUALITY "

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The problem is Scott, it is not the quality in the squad that we are concerned about, it is the manager and his tactics and whether all the players have the belief and fight.


" THIS SQUAD HAS GOT TOO MUCH QUALITY "

Friday 13th Feb 2015

By Steve Tucker

Scott Malone came to Cardiff City to battle at the top of the Championship rather than the bottom but he still insists they've plenty of quality


Cardiff City defender Scott Malone insists the Bluebirds have too much quality to be dragged into a Championship relegation dog-fight.

Russell Slade’s men look in real danger of slipping down to the bottom-end of the table after a run of form that has seen them win just one league match in their last 11 attempts.

The Bluebirds are currently 16th in the table, six points off the bottom-three places, but they have a weekend off from action now due to their planned opponents, Blackburn, still being involved in the FA Cup. It is Rovers who will be Cardiff’s next opponents when they visit the Welsh capital on Tuesday for the rearranged league encounter.

Malone joined the Bluebirds during the January transfer window for £100,000 from Cardiff’s Championship rivals, Millwall.

He has settled straight away into Slade’s side at right-back following the departure of John Brayford to Sheffield United and believes the Bluebirds are currently a better side than their league position might suggest.

And despite the threat of a relegation battle, a situation not eased by a troubling 0-0 draw with lowly Brighton at home on Tuesday, Malone insists he and his teammates are still confidently looking upwards in the Championship table.

“This squad has got too much quality,” said 23-year-old Malone.

“This league is crazy, if you win three games on the bounce then everyone is talking about the play-offs again. I don’t think people should read into where we are in the division just yet.

“We should be looking more at our form. If you lose a couple of matches on the spin you do have to stop the rot quickly. Everybody’s positive here, to be honest. They’re a great bunch of lads and they all get along with each other really well. That’s an important thing.

“Obviously results have not been going too well, but everyone is really behind the staff and the manager and I just think we need that little bit of luck to get us going now.”

On the personal front, despite the recent run of poor results, Malone, a product of the Wolves academy, said he was reasonably satisfied with how his time in the Welsh capital has begun. He has already featured in six games for his new club despite picking up an ankle knock in the defeat at Norwich last month.

And he revealed, too, how manager Slade had urged him to focus mainly on his defensive responsibilities as the Bluebirds look to stem the flow of goals they have been conceding.

“Obviously, the results have not been too great since I’ve come in,” added Malone.

“We won my first match against Fulham, but haven’t managed to get the three points in the game since. But that hasn’t influenced how I’ve settled in. All the lads are great and I’ve got into things really well.

“I think I’ve played well, barring the Norwich game, but I took a whack on my ankle and that hindered me there. Apart from that I think I’ve done pretty well.

“The manager wants to make sure that I don’t stop working on my defending. I’m happy with the way I go forward, but he needs to see that I’m willing to defend and that I can do it as well.

“I think I’ve shown that side of my game more than I did at Millwall. It was the main thing the gaffer said to me and I think I’ve gone and done it so far.

“I’ve concentrated really hard on the defensive part of my game and it’s come on well in the last 12 months.

“First and foremost, I felt I should come into Cardiff and find my feet before being too adventurous anyway.”

We are playing like a side that wants to be relegated no pace no fight.If you only get 30/40% possession at home your in deep poo, i dont see how we can play this bad with the players we have .The players dont seem to have any trust in the coaches which is showing in there performances on pitch.
I have seen many bad teams over the last 49 years but they had an excuse as they were not good players earning a fortune,time some of the so called stars started to earn there place in the team.

Too good to go down. I've heard that on many occasions over the years. Once you're on a slippery slope it's difficult to get off.

We need to get rid of slade and young asap otherwise it's barnsley and fleetwood instead of brentford and forest.

I'd love to know where that quality was on Tuesday.

Malone is shocking. Why isn't Fabio playing- far better in my opinion.

I'd love to know where that quality was on Tuesday.

Malone is shocking. Why isn't Fabio playing- far better in my opinion.

I'd love to know where that quality was on Tuesday.

Malone is shocking. Why isn't Fabio playing- far better in my opinion.

It's f*cking criminal, Absolutely f*cking criminal.

I get sick and tired of people blathering on about quality and talent, the world is full of failures who have bags of quality and talent, lets hear a bit more about focus and commitment. As newlyweds In the late 70's we lived for a couple of years in Hillrise, Llanedeyrn, next door to Phil & Ann Dwyer and a couple of houses away from John Buchanan (no "uber" pads in the Vale for the Boys then). Most nights me and my football mad dog would have a kick about on the nearby play area & on a couple occasions we were joined by Phil & John (different times those!), on one of those occasions I was just about to feel smug having taken the ball past Phil when suddenly I found myself flat on my back! which brings me back to commitment: The ball may go past Phil, the man may go past, but never both! I'm not advocating Phil's style but it would be nice to see that commitment in the current squad. So, to the players I say show some guts and determination and add a dose of passion and see how the fan's attitude changes and just maybe the results too!

This quality notion is a myth. We are well short of it. Apart from Marshall and Manga its a desert. The sooner we face up to it the better. We csn then do something about it.

I'd love to know where that quality was on Tuesday.

Malone is shocking. Why isn't Fabio playing- far better in my opinion.

Fabio being benched is mind blowing when you consider what we have planying.

Malone is a very poor full back and would not know quality if it was shoved straight into his face.

Quality? It is not just down to the manager when it comes to stringing a few passes together, it is down to the players.
As Ricky Tomlinson would say "Quality my arse"!

On paper this is not a bottom three squad, but with Slade anything is possible ?

I think Malone is one of the worst players I've seen down the City in a long time. We have Super Kev out on loan,who may not be the most exciting player in the world,but rarely lets his team mates or fans down. Fabio isn't the best defensive full back but makes up for that with his attacking capabilities. At the moment, I can't see what Malone brings to the team.

I think Malone is one of the worst players I've seen down the City in a long time. We have Super Kev out on loan,who may not be the most exciting player in the world,but rarely lets his team mates or fans down. Fabio isn't the best defensive full back but makes up for that with his attacking capabilities. At the moment, I can't see what Malone brings to the team.

Malone flicking his hair back, pushing it back with his hand is also annoying. (anything like that is annoying if they are rubbish)

I think Malone is one of the worst players I've seen down the City in a long time. We have Super Kev out on loan,who may not be the most exciting player in the world,but rarely lets his team mates or fans down. Fabio isn't the best defensive full back but makes up for that with his attacking capabilities. At the moment, I can't see what Malone brings to the team.

He is pretty shit, a weak link, teams will attack down his side...........

Further to my comments on Malone,he never marks his man during the game. Where I sit in the canton with my son,he's directly in front of us and he always drifts inside band leaves his man open.

the league table doesn't lie. simples
we may have a few good players in our squad but we don't have a good team

Too good to go down yet we have players in the side who are coming to the end of their career, youngsters like Kadeem coming through and players just bought from lower leagues. You couldn't make this up. Look at the sides at the top of the league. They have players of a much higher ability mostly and they're playing as a cohesive unit because they're stable clubs.