Wed Apr 01, 2015 5:20 pm
Wednesday 1st April 2015
Manager Russell Slade has said he is confident that Cardiff will both compete and challenge for promotion from the Championship next season despite the financial cuts we have been and are still making.
With a host of players farmed out, and then the more bizarre 'emergency' loan deals of Matthew Connolly and most recently Kenwyne Jones, Slade has told Wales Online that he remains confident we will be challenging at the top of the table next season as he now believes the squad have the foundations and basics that he's been searching for since coming in as boss.
He also warned that more players would probably be jettisoned over the summer but that he was being backed by Vincent Tan, and targets had already been identified.
'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. 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.'
With seven games left to play this season though - despite the financial and non footballing decisions taking the headlines - Slade was also adamant that he wanted the squad to keep kicking on now, end strongly and give ourselves some momentum for the coming season so we can achieve the stated aim of play off spots 'as a minimum.'
'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.'
He did however qualify that by saying that the international break came at the wrong time for us because we had built up some decent momentum in recent performances and results. He did however say that with the break, he felt we'd used it to good effect and we'd had some 'internal' games which were useful for those who hadn't got much pitch time of late.