" DO YOU AGREE BRUNO MANGA? "

Do you agree?
Fabio for me,closely followed by Manga
Fabio,should of been picked more,I don't know what the hell Slade was playing at?


Bruno Manga is Cardiff City's player of the season and no-one else comes close - Scott Johnson

3rd April 2015


By Scott Johnson



Sometimes selecting Cardiff City’s player of the year is a tricky task.

Last year David Marshall was the people’s champion, but Jordon Mutch, Fraizer Campbell and Craig Noone all excelled in a disappointing campaign.

This year will surely be a cakewalk, with Bruno Ecuele Manga as the only worthy candidate.

To prove the point, try and choose who should come second and third.

No-one springs to mind, it’s been that kind of season.

Kenwyne Jones has exceeded very low pre-season expectations and may have been next in line, but he was a sluggish, peripheral figure in far too many games and has since been shipped out to Bournemouth.

I think Adam Le Fondre would have been the closest challenger to Manga had he remained at the club, but instead Bolton are benefitting from his upturn in form. Those guys aside, it’s slim pickings.

The dearth of outstanding individual performers is a result of a shortage of outstanding performances or many particularly memorable moments.

When you reflect on the season as a whole, I would single out an early 3-1 home victory under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer against Huddersfield and the 3-1 win against Ipswich early in Russell Slade’s reign. Alex Revell’s winning goal at Brentford was an ‘I was there when Eddie Johnson scored’ moment, but nothing else jumps off the page.


Manga, recently voted the 49th best player in the Football League by FourFourTwo readers, has been excellent, which you would expect for the money Cardiff spent on him in August. But it should be noted that his excellence has also been enhanced by the general mediocrity of those around him.

Big, powerful, strong in the air and good on the ground with a decent turn of pace, Manga is a good all-rounder and the defence is noticeably stronger with him in it.

Cardiff lost all four games when Manga was representing Gabon at the African Cup of Nations in January, but the club were also in a rotten run of form at the time and it should be noted that Manga was in situ during defeats against Watford, Brentford and Bolton.

In recent months, he has really kicked on and has been instrumental in Cardiff’s revival, as the days of shipping three and four goals in games appear to be in the past.

Whether or not Cardiff should have bought him in the first place remains a contentious issue, especially when you already had an impressive array of players in that position.

His signing acts as a prime example of how Solskjaer was overindulged and allowed to build a talented, but bloated and expensively-assembled squad.

Manga has quickly become Cardiff’s most influential player and is surely captain material, should he remain at the club.

He is bound to generate plenty of interest in the summer, as he is far too good for this level.

Bruno Manga chips in with goal against Rotherham:


In the aftermath of Manga’s towering header, which earned a point against Bournemouth recently, Slade conceded: “I hope Bruno stays in the summer. He’s part of our plans and he’s putting in some excellent performances. But I suppose when players consistently put in good quality performances then they are going to be sought after.”

As much as I would love to see him remain at the club, if Cardiff receive a suitable offer, the reality of their dire financial predicament dictates that they will have to cash in.

Especially with the likes of Ben Turner, Sean Morrison and Matthew Connolly, should he return from Watford, at hand to compensate.

In the meantime, he deserves all the accolades that are surely heading his way. If only Cardiff had him in place for their season in the Premier League. He may have made all the difference.

Aron Gunnarsson and Ben Turner’s contract situation requires urgent attention.

Speaking of Ben Turner, who is currently a long-term absentee, he is one of the players at the club that will soon enter the final year of their current contract.

Ben Turner
Gunnarsson too, so alarm bells should be ringing at boardroom level, if the club do not want to run the risk of them walking away for nothing in the summer of 2016.

Both are relative stalwarts, among an increasingly small group of players that joined the club pre-rebrand, in the first few weeks of Malky Mackay’s reign. They have both been key players ever since and aged 27 and 25 respectively, are now in the prime of their careers.

With experience, leadership and continuity in short supply, it is essential that both remain with the club.

Both have featured in promotion and Premier League campaigns, while Gunnarsson is the captain of the Icelandic national side.

Should they become available at a knockdown price or even become free agents, there would be no shortage of takers.

Cost cutting may be the order of the day and is set to continue in the summer, but Cardiff cannot afford to cut corners here because it would cost them a great deal more to replace them that it would to extend their contracts. They need to act now before the summer break.

In the recent suporters club poll, i voted for

1 - Bruno
2- Fabs
3 - Whitts

U-21- Mat Kennedy

I would agree that it is Manga. If Fabio had been picked more then maybe he would have been there. Nobody else is close though! They are right about that. Maybe Marshall would have been if the defence in front of him hadn't been so bad until the latter stages of the season.

shame neither will be with the club next year!

Manga - no brainer!

shame neither will be with the club next year!

Both are for sale and City would be mad to sell any of them.
We should be building our team around them both

I agree Manga has been excellent in a season that offered so much at the start but turned out to be a disappointing campaign.

Bruno manga by a mile .

We will be very lucky to keep him next season

shame neither will be with the club next year!

Both are for sale and City would be mad to sell any of them.
We should be building our team around them both

Correct!

Manga comfortably for me. Maybe if Fabio hadn't been dropped, it might have been him.

Manga without anybody else coming close for me

Without a dount Manga

Fabio? One really good game all season. Manga is streets ahead of anyone else.

Fabio? One really good game all season. Manga is streets ahead of anyone else.

I think the number of MOTM's he has had on the polls here would suggest quite a few fans disagree he has had only 1 good game.

I only think Fabio has played well for the last couple of weeks.

Easily Manga. I think he will be at a top 7 PL club next season and deservedly so. Good luck to him - he deserves to be playing at a higher level.

Yeah manga over the course of the season

Fabio? One really good game all season. Manga is streets ahead of anyone else.

deluded springs to mind regarding Fabio but I do agree with you about Bruno

Manga by far

Manga yes by a country mile.

Fabio shouldn't even be in the starting eleven, just dont get the love in at all. Poor in the tackle, awful distribution, no idea positionally and a temperament like a scalded pre-menstrual schizophrenic feminist.

Manga yes by a country mile.

Fabio shouldn't even be in the starting eleven, just dont get the love in at all. Poor in the tackle, awful distribution, no idea positionally and a temperament like a scalded pre-menstrual schizophrenic feminist.

Hombre, May I ask what was the last game you went to watch City with Fabio in the team?

Manga by far

Manga yes by a country mile.

Fabio shouldn't even be in the starting eleven, just dont get the love in at all. Poor in the tackle, awful distribution, no idea positionally and a temperament like a scalded pre-menstrual schizophrenic feminist.

Hombre, May I ask what was the last game you went to watch City with Fabio in the team?

ST holder mate - I accept the last game he did one decent defending header, his best contribution all season. Game before I completed a tally chart because the lads behind me think hes great as well. He is a liability. For some reason every time he fucks up everyone glosses over it and when he does something half decent people cream their pants. It just goes that way with some players, they are cut more slack than others. He isnt up to the championship IMO and to say hes had a good season is absurd