" RUSSELL SLADE TO BE BACKED IN TRANSFER WINDOW "

Slade said he will be backed in the transfer market having already identified his targets and he believes Cardiff City will be 'competitive'

Tuesday 31st March 2015.

Cardiff City boss Russell Slade has told fans the Bluebirds WILL be challenging for promotion again next season despite the deep cost-cutting that has seen a raft of stars leave the club.

Last week top-scorer Kenwyne Jones was sent out on loan to table-toppers Bournemouth in return for a sizable fee.

Slade has found himself looking down the leagues when it comes to making signings himself and he admits this summer more players may have to be off-loaded in an attempt to make budgets sustainable.

Despite having seven games left to play, Slade already has one eye on the summer and building for next season. The ambition at the club next term remains difficult to gauge with owner Vincent Tan implementing a cost-cutting regime, which has impacted on Slade’s squad.


But Slade said he will be backed in the transfer market having already identified his targets.

And he believes the Bluebirds will be ‘competitive’ in the Championship next term with Bournemouth’s success this season perhaps acting as an inspiration for the Bluebirds next term.

“When it comes to the summer, it remains very important that some players need to be off the books because budgets need to be brought to a sustainable level,” added Slade.

“Saying that, we will need to be bringing new players in as well. I believe getting the budget levels down does not mean we will not be competitive next season.

“There will be money for me to spend on transfers, it’s not about outlining how much that will be. I firmly believe we will be competitive and our aim at the start of the season will be to reach the play-off places as a minimum.”


The manager has challenged his side to show they are an ever-improving force by finishing in the Championship top ten this season.

The Bluebirds swing back into league action with a trip to Reading on Easter Saturday. Cardiff are currently 14th in the table, three points behind Blackburn who now occupy 10th spot.

Slade wants his men to force their way into those places in an attempt to end their season on at least something of a high.

And the Bluebirds manager said the international break had come at the wrong time for his men who have been on a run of good form of late, with just two defeats in their last 11 outings, keeping them unbeaten in their last three games, the most recent of which was a much-needed home win over Birmingham.

“The aim is, of course, to finish as high as possible. A top ten finish would be nice, we are only three points off now, and I think it would indicate that there has been progress made,” said Slade.

“The international break probably came at a bad time for us. We’ve had a bit of momentum going and would probably have just liked to have kept at it. But we’ve used the break to good effect. We have had internal games for players who have not seen too much pitch time recently. It was very useful for us.”

Bournemouth play qualify football and pass the ball around.

Slade , makes me nauseous with his rhetoric.

He's best just shutting up.

Yes slade shut up so that our fans can have a go at you for not saying anything!

Even once the high premiership earnings players have gone we will have the biggest playing budget in the league ,we should be competitive

Very poor Man management. He should say we will as always aim for automatic promotion. Positivity must be relayed to the players and fans otherwise you will be playing for second best. I know you have to be realistic but you also have to be positive. Before we start we hear more players are going and they will be our better ones. One stand is already closed. He needs to sign a captain and state Manga will defo stay. Without positivity how are you going to sell season tickets?

Very poor Man management. He should say we will as always aim for automatic promotion. Positivity must be relayed to the players and fans otherwise you will be playing for second best. I know you have to be realistic but you also have to be positive. Before we start we hear more players are going and they will be our better ones. One stand is already closed. He needs to sign a captain and state Manga will defo stay. Without positivity how are you going to sell season tickets?

Lets look at Cardiff City pre season hype against Brentfords or bournmouth.

Being competitive is sensible.....18 very good players and 6 good U21 is all we need.
Jones is a very good player but on twice or maybe more his real value salary wise.

Slade is going to be given time, so we better get used to it.

All he has done is confirm what many have already said on this forum. Anyone of any worthwhile value will be sold, and maybe a bit of the money raised from the sale will be spent on bringing in one or two cheap buys. He has said we can be competitive next season, but you could argue that we have been competitive this season. If we hadn't been competitive, we would be in or around the relegation places. He is hardly going to come out and say that he doesn't believe we can compete next season, if he did he would be looking for another job next week.

I hope Slade does well so he can shove it up posters on here. As long as players believe in him stuff everyone else.

Slade thinks and says a lot of things, doesn't mean it will happen. Would love him to succeed but I cant see it happening.

Bugger ........ misread it. Thought it said sacked!

I would say the top ten are clearly better than us over a season at the moment with the rest apart from Blackpool and Millwall much of a muchness. Will those teams improve in the summer or lose their best players? Who will go up and come down from the Prem and will the teams like Bristol City be able to come up and challenge? Will our style of football continue to lag behind most teams? At the moment my guess would be we won't be much better off in the table this time next year but of course I could be very very wrong.

Even once the high premiership earnings players have gone we will have the biggest playing budget in the league ,we should be competitive

Is this a fact? If so, that's ridiculous.

Slade thinks and says a lot of things, doesn't mean it will happen. Would love him to succeed but I cant see it happening.

Don't forget he's got an able numb 2 in trollope to help him

This is positive. It means that there is more than a cost cutting policy. By shedding high earners, the wage profile can be sensibly lowered. Who were the highest payers in the Championship last time round. Look no further than home!

The way forward after this will be cost effective, buying in good quality players for realistic sums and wages. It will also make for a happier dressing room. I bet some resented KJ's situation, especially when he didn't perform.

Tan is still a very rich man and is single minded enough to want a proper go at the PL. If he decides to spend big, the results could be phenomenal.

Only the drama queens on the message boards are fretting over transfers. The club haven't come out and said the big earners have to go. Who needs to go are the players who are not performing to their salary.

Does Kenwynn deserve all that money for a total of 13 goals or leFondre for his 2 ?

Do Marshall or Managa deserve their salary, well in the mad world of football - yes

Whitts & Gunnar have performed in a city shirt season over season and have earned their salaries.

Its all about value for money and players who never were going to get near the first offer no value.

If bids greater than their value come in for any city player I guess we will sell. But, we need to be buying young hungrey kids who never got the break through in the premier league like Chopra & Whitts. We need to be paying for tomorrows stars at our club not yesterdays stars at others.

I hope Slade does well so he can shove it up posters on here. As long as players believe in him stuff everyone else.

Are you happy with the style of play week in week out ?

Only the drama queens on the message boards are fretting over transfers. The club haven't come out and said the big earners have to go. Who needs to go are the players who are not performing to their salary.

Does Kenwynn deserve all that money for a total of 13 goals or leFondre for his 2 ?

Do Marshall or Managa deserve their salary, well in the mad world of football - yes

Whitts & Gunnar have performed in a city shirt season over season and have earned their salaries.

Its all about value for money and players who never were going to get near the first offer no value.

If bids greater than their value come in for any city player I guess we will sell. But, we need to be buying young hungrey kids who never got the break through in the premier league like Chopra & Whitts. We need to be paying for tomorrows stars at our club not yesterdays stars at others.

Amen to that mate

All Slade has really said is pretty much what 91 other managers will say between now and the start of next season. He has said that funds will be made available, and that could mean absolutely anything. He has said that we will be competitive, and I am sure that the other 23 Championship managers will make similar statements over the next few months. One thing's for certain, he is going to have to prove his worth by working to a tight budget, and probably bringing in relatively cheap players and free transfers, while offloading the big earners and anyone of value. I am no fan of Slade, but to a certain extent he is going to have his hands tied by an owner who is obviously trying to get as much of his investment back as possible before trying to get out of this business.

Well done Slade

Fans have moaned that the club have not stated their intent for next season and I feel Slade has just done this. In a nut shell the club will continue to balance the books while allowing slade the option to add players to compete at the top end of the table within a reasonable budget.

Hmmmm? Interesting.

I can't see how we challenged for promotion this season though??

But I will give him a chance as he will be here.

In short - Please renew.

Hmmmm? Interesting.

I can't see how we challenged for promotion this season though??

But I will give him a chance as he will be here.

We need to lay off him a bit Annis and get behind him for next season and write this year off. Looking forward to seeing some young, hungry faces playing for the shirt next season.

However, If we're not in and around the playoffs by next Christmas my tone may well change!

Hmmmm? Interesting.

I can't see how we challenged for promotion this season though??

But I will give him a chance as he will be here.

We need to lay off him a bit Annis and get behind him for next season and write this year off. Looking forward to seeing some young, hungry faces playing for the shirt next season.

However, If we're not in and around the playoffs by next Christmas my tone may well change!

He will be gone if we are not challenging! if you believe what he's said about at least play offs!

Bournemouth play qualify football and pass the ball around.

Slade , makes me nauseous with his rhetoric.

He's best just shutting up.

Perhaps we could follow Bournemouth's style...with Bournemouth's manager at the helm!

Now that would make sense of his (Slade's) otherwise strange rhetoric!

I hope Slade does well so he can shove it up posters on here. As long as players believe in him stuff everyone else.

Are you happy with the style of play week in week out ?

give it time and it will come!!

How much did the a Bournemouth squad cost????

Hmmmm? Interesting.

I can't see how we challenged for promotion this season though??

But I will give him a chance as he will be here.

We need to lay off him a bit Annis and get behind him for next season and write this year off. Looking forward to seeing some young, hungry faces playing for the shirt next season.

However, If we're not in and around the playoffs by next Christmas my tone may well change!

He will be gone if we are not challenging! if you believe what he's said about at least play offs!

And if we're not up there and style of play is still dire I will expect him to go!

should be sacked not backed

should be sacked not backed

Or whacked.

Rightly so we need to get behind Slade because we need continuity and stability to move forward.