' Peltier and Kennedy/Plus New badge '

Thursday 12th March 2015

By Scott Johnson

' Cardiff City talking points... Peltier and Kennedy the pick of Russell Slade's signings and new badge better than expected '

Cardiff City face a trip to Brentford this weekend as they continue their Championship campaign.

Ahead of their visit to Griffin Park, columnist Scott Johnson analysed all the big talking points at Cardiff City...

' Peter Whittingham deserved more fanfare for his 300th appearance '

Peter Whittingham, Cardiff’s longest serving player by quite some distance, made his 300th appearance for the club on Saturday. I highlight this because there was no reference made to the momentous occasion when the teams were read out prior to kick-off.

Quite frankly, he deserved better. Legend is an overused term, but Whittingham is a bona fide Cardiff City legend and we are very lucky to have had him at the club for so long.

Yes, his form may have fluctuated over the years and maybe his best days are behind him, but his best days were spent here and he should be cherished for his commitment and endeavour.

The club dropped the ball and the minority that booed him should be ashamed of themselves. Maybe his form does not warrant an automatic place in the side, but his achievements deserve far more respect.

' Lee Peltier and Matthew Kennedy are the pick of Russell Slade’s signings '

Now that Cardiff are once again rooting around in bargain basements for players, expectations for Russell Slade’s slew of January signings were understandably low. But expectations are there to be exceeded and a couple of the new recruits have caught the eye thus far.

The omens did not look good regarding Lee Peltier, having his contract terminated by Leeds in the summer and leaving Huddersfield after only six months, but he has fitted in seamlessly.

Stocky and tough tackling, he has certainly compensated for the disappointing departure of John Brayford. Having captained some of his former sides, you can certainly see that he boasts leadership qualities and hopefully he can continue to have a positive effect on the side and maintain the high standards he has set thus far.

Matthew Kennedy arrived from Everton at the very death of the transfer window, along with team-mate and loan signing Conor McAleny.

While Cardiff fans struggled to work out which was which, Kilmarnock graduate Kennedy made an impressive debut against Blackburn and has been a mainstay in the side ever since.

With Craig Noone running on fumes and Anthony Pilkington still absent, he has filled the vacancy for a tricky winger and has plenty of potential.

Still only 20, Cardiff will need to use him a bit more sparingly if they don’t want to burn him out, but he looks a bright prospect.

' The new badge is better than I was expecting '

I was dreading the release of the new badge. Supporters are so disgruntled for a number of different reasons at present, that any chance to rage against the machine is sure to be pounced upon.

But it’s by no means as bad as I was expecting and the general consensus seems to be largely positive, which is no mean feat. At the end of the day, if you would have offered me this badge on a blue shirt at the start of the season, I would have snapped your hand off.

I know that it should not have been changed in the first place, but all things considered, credit where credit is due and the club has managed to avoid a hefty obstacle.

' Is left-back Russell Slade’s blind spot? '

Cardiff began the season with Fabio and Declan John as their options at left-back and the position appeared to be in good hands. Both featured in the Premier League campaign and looked well equipped for Championship football, but Russell Slade had different ideas.

Fabio’s erratic tendencies are well known, but despite curbing that side of his game to some extent, he still found that players were being played out of position in his place.

Whereas Declan John appeared to be regarded as a mere youth player before being shipped out on loan to Barnsley last week. In their place arrived Millwall’s Scott Malone, who has been OK thus far, but nothing more or nothing less.

Like a lightweight Brayford, he is a bit more tentative than his colleagues but more of an all-rounder.

Slade appears to favour his more defensively minded approach, but he has yet to convince the masses that he is a better bet than Fabio, who lest we forget has played in a Champions League final, or John, a Welsh international.

' More rotation in midfield will benefit the team as a whole '

Russell Slade’s favoured midfield appears to be Peter Whittingham, Aron Gunnarsson, Craig Noone and Anthony Pilkington.

I think most people would probably agree that is Cardiff’s best possible combination and it’s a quartet that is the equal of any in the second tier. But the Championship is a gruelling slog and the need for continuity must be tempered by the physical demands of two games a week.

Pilkington is a long-term absentee, while Whittingham and Gunnarsson are staples of the side and their performances have fluctuated over the course of the campaign.

Noone returned to the side mid-September and has not had a break since.

After a disrupted pre-season, he has struggled to find form and it is fortunate that he has not had a recurrence of his injury.

Cardiff have a wealth of options including the underused Tom Adeyemi and Joe Ralls, Kadeem Harris, Stuart O’Keefe, Matthew Kennedy and Conor McAleny, all of which could be drafted in to add an injection of energy to refresh a flagging side.

Slade should show a bit more faith in his fringe players.

Whitts hasn't been great lately and maybe Ralls should be given more of a chance but the guy is a legend some of the goals he has scored for us have been unreal. Will never forget his goal against Boro in 08 in the FA cup quarter final. Been loyal to this club and deserves credit for what he's achieved in past seasons. Time to move forward now though and give other players a chance to shine imo