" He needs to be in charge of Cardiff City next season "

" Russell Slade needs to be in charge of Cardiff City next season - Nathan Blake "

By Nathan Blake

Monday 6th April 2015

Our columnist believes Slade has to be given time to finish the rebuilding job he has set about after rumours linking the Bluebirds with Bruno Ribeiro

Reports linking Cardiff City with a move for Portuguese manager Bruno Ribeiro are not helpful to the Bluebirds at all and another knock for current manager Russell Slade.

I’m not saying such reports are true at all, we will find that out over the coming weeks, and they are no fault of Cardiff City, but, in my opinion, the club now has to stand by Slade and give him some time to finish what he has started.

Slade needs to be in charge of the Bluebirds next season.

The main reason I feel like that is that I do not want to see Cardiff fall into the trap of hiring and firing mangers just willy-nilly. It is the curse of the modern game, everyone wants results straight away.

No good 'going through managers'
Put it this way, in this day and age, there is no way Alex Ferguson would have become Sir Alex Ferguson, he would have been sacked before he had chance to even win a trophy at Old Trafford.

Slade needs to be given the opportunity to build something at Cardiff now. It is no good going through managers like the Bluebirds have started to do.

You get one man fired then another comes in and wants to rip things up and start again from his own perspective. It is natural, but no good for Cardiff at all.

Slade needs two or three years to be given the opportunity to turn things around. The problem the Cardiff manager has, of course, is that there are a large number of people who never wanted him to have the job and still don’t want him in charge. They will be seizing on the links with Ribeiro that is for sure.

There have been various problems afflicting Slade’s time at Cardiff. One of the main ones is that expectations at the club have raised so much.

Supporters recently saw their side in the Premier League and they were expecting to go back there again. The trouble is things have changed, the Bluebirds are no longer in the running to pay £10m for players like Gary Medel.

Slade 'searching for best side'
With no offence to anyone, they are now in the market for players from the lower leagues. Bluebirds fans will not want to accept that.

The other problem is that Slade has not really helped himself. Personally, I believe he is searching for his best side and the best way to line them up.

Injuries have not helped him, but there has been a huge turnover of players in the Cardiff side this season and, for all that, the football has not been attractive to watch either. Season ticket sales are a clear indication of that. Fans will forgive a lot if their side is at least going out there and trying to entertain.

Supporters want their club to be competitive in the Championship next season and, for whatever reason, there are many out there who just do not believe that is going to be the case under Slade.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, whether good or bad, and dealing with criticism is very much part of the job of being a football manager, but Slade now must find his own path at Cardiff, move forward and do what he believes is right for the club and for the team. He has to stamp his authority on things more.

Whatever your thoughts on Slade, I think most people would agree that chopping and changing managers rarely does a club any good. The Bluebirds have already got through Malky Mackay and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, they do not want to add Slade to that list after not even a full season in charge. It sends out all the wrong message.

Results have improved
The club needs direction now, things are too uncertain and changing managers again would only add to the confusion that seems to dog the Bluebirds at present.

Even Slade’s detractors would have to say that results at least have improved of late. I see many people are putting that down to the arrival of Paul Trollope as coach, but that is very unfair on Slade, in my opinion.

If Cardiff lose 10 games on the bounce it will not be Trollope who is getting fired, it will be Slade. The buck stops with him and if he is to take criticism, Slade should also take the praise when things do improve.

There are many with doubts out there, but, for me, Slade must remain in charge. The club needs foundations laid to build upon, failure to do that would put the Bluebirds in even more trouble than they are already.

My opinion is the clown has to go for the sake of Cardiff City

Never thought I'd hear Nathan Blake talking sense

Never thought I'd hear Nathan Blake talking sense

I totally agree, I cannot stand the man. There is nothing about him at all I can relate to my club, he is a puppet with no balls. I will support my club through thick and thin but Cardiff city fc have an obligation to put out the very best team they can to win football matches. The whole purpose of a football club, shipping out our top goal scorers and best players with no fight from the man supposed to lead from the front sickens me. The day he accepted the job and agreed to have whatever backroom staff city gave him sums up his entire persona. He is a weak manager, a yes person and a complete footballing shambles. He must leave. All this acceptance of mediocre performances and we need to "rebuild" bollocls. We were premier league last year as we know, it's Tan who has dragged us backwards employing poor managers. I don't accept mediocre football, I'm angry we have taken such leaps backwards and more angry folk accept it. The club is dying from the inside. We need a football man with his own agenda in the dugout. Until the it will onlynget worse. Slade please f**k off and leave my club alone.

Cant say blakey speaks a lot of sense very often
but this time hes spot on I got to agree 100%

The quality of football under Slade is awful.

Even his own players when they leave say the same.

Slade has to go , then season tickets will increase.

No doubt.

Tan does need to set his stall out so every fan knows if he either has an exit strategy Or is here longer term

The quality of football under Slade is awful.

Even his own players when they leave say the same.

Slade has to go , then season tickets will increase.

No doubt.

Tan does need to set his stall out so every fan knows if he either has an exit strategy Or is here longer term

Spot on.

Money talks in football and the loss of £m's in ST sales WILL seal the fate of RS. But given the pigs ear he has made of the job so far he should have gone back in December.

Although I would like stability in the club and don't agree with sacking managers too soon ,I don't think Slade is the man for us ,yes he has started to get results but things just don't seem right ,can't put my finger on it ,there s no heart or passion here now .A player can be driving home after training by the time he gets home he s been loaned out or sold ,how can you be committed to that .No we need a new man in for next season someone to galvanize the place .

Also ,yes we were Premier League last season ,we seem to be more league 1 or 2 now ,what about the parachute payments isn't that supposed to help us back up

No way. Stability is one thing, deterioration is quite another.

The trouble with Blake's argument is the same logic was applied to Ole last summer. Many of us knew he was useless and should go but he was kept on . Result more wasted millions in the transfer window, a change in the autumn and a season written off.Most of us now believe, I think, that Slade completely lacks the qualities to build am attractive, winning side at Cardiff. He will probably be kept on, likely result more wasted money in the transfer window, a managerial change in the autumn and another season written off. Better to bite the bullet now and try to get a credible, dynamic young manager in. I don't accept that no one decent will accept the job. City are still a big club in Championship terms and even with the cutbacks will have a playing budget bigger than most. There is a chance for someone to make their name here.

The only reason we are getting results is because of Trollope, he's the only one out of the management who has a football brain. Slade still thinks he's dealing with school children in their pe kits, and sending them to head teacher to transfer between schools because they won;t do what he wants.

Quicker he goes the better, he's obvioulsy there for one reason and one reason only, he's Tan's poodle to oversee a major cleanse of the payroll, he's out of his depth football wise.

I'm not saying Trollope is the answer long term, but from a coaching, tactics and tarining point of view, all the players rate him higher than Slade, Young (which isn't hard!), Mackay and OGS.

So bring in a new manager with a cleanslate from May and let's see what they can do booting out the favourites we have still playing shite football.

Now, back to the garden for an afternoons enjoyment in the sun. Enjoy the pain down Leckwith for those who having nothing better to do with their lives!!

Trollope has undoubtedly helped Slade however the football under Slade has been abysmal and the club have gone backwards.

I believe that if the club had/ were to appoint a decent manager playing attacking attractive football like Eddie Howe at Bournemouth we would be attracting 5K more fans that we will be next season. Many fans do not want to watch a lot of rubbish!

It's unlikely to happen but I think if the club were to dispense with Slade over the summer there would be a surge in season ticket sales.

I think that Slade knows his number is up,and won't be here next season, will be interesting to see the man's demeanour today on the touchline

The quality of football under Slade is awful.

Even his own players when they leave say the same.

Slade has to go , then season tickets will increase.

No doubt.

Tan does need to set his stall out so every fan knows if he either has an exit strategy Or is here longer term

Absolute bollocks

We ain't gonna buy a season ticket cost the football is crap

It was crap under Malky Mackay no one said anything then

Although I would like stability in the club and don't agree with sacking managers too soon ,I don't think Slade is the man for us ,yes he has started to get results but things just don't seem right ,can't put my finger on it ,there s no heart or passion here now .A player can be driving home after training by the time he gets home he s been loaned out or sold ,how can you be committed to that .No we need a new man in for next season someone to galvanize the place .

That's nkthing todo with slade though tan days who goes and stays

Lol

Laughable comment

He needs to rethink what he said, shades football has been shocking today was the worst performance under him

Wonder if he still thinks this now after that dire and useless game managed by that clown, pathetic!

What he needs is to be sacked on May 3rd and replaced by someone who knows what he's doing.

Turn things around no chance We were lucky to get a point at reading lets be honest. Whittingham is so deep he is playing full back. Our strikers get NO service. Noone is not the same player. Slade Out!!!

BLAKE AS USUAL IN MY OPINION TALKING SHITE.

Nathan Blake should stick to Newport County matters as he talks through his arse about Cardiff!

Since the Blackburn game, it appeared that we were making improvements and the rot had stopped. I haven't been convinced of RS since he started and we all know that the early home form wins whilst good, were papering over the cracks. But then away form improved and then we appeared to had reached a turning point at Blackburn. So Kenwyn goes and when at the Reading game on Saturday I was interested in seeing if a different system was going to be employed, as we couldn't go for the favoured route one tactic favoured by RS. But no, route one it was despite having no-one capable of winning and holding the ball up and we were lucky to have come away with the draw. So today, I was pleased and impressed with the first 45 minutes and how we kept the ball on the floor with some nice passing phases and shots on from open play. What happened in the second half was a complete shock and Neil Lennon's HT talk made a poor Bolton step up a gear and we are 2-0 down double quick. Then the usual signs of sloped shoulders reappeared and then a third.

I've really seen enough of RS as I am now sure that this is going to be the pattern of play for next season and as much as I want to see him succeed, I cannot with hand on heart see him achieving a promotion pushing Championship side.

We've learn't lots over the last few seasons:
1. You can't throw money at a club and guarantee success.
2. The board really does know nothing about football based on their appointments and other decisions.
3. Given our unique situation and circumstances, why would you appoint a league one manager to manage a championship side who have just been relegated from the Premier League and who apparently are seeking re-promotion?

Week in, week out, we still don't know what to expect as there simply is no system. I'm also unconvinced that RS has the dressing room.

I asked the guys who sit around us today to take all sentiment out and would they, if they were decision makers on the board have RS in charge next season? Unsurprisingly and unanimously, we all agreed that we'd now seen enough and he wasn't the man for us.

That said, I'm booked for Ipswich which will probably be my last away of a season that sadly can't end too quickly.

Nah slade has to go for me . Its not just one game like today where I felt really disappointed , its been way too many and the football is also f*cking shite! . Its not all his fault though .

Nathan Blake should stick to Newport County matters as he talks through his arse about Cardiff!

What he needs is to be sacked on May 3rd and replaced by someone who knows what he's doing.

As i have said 3 months ago - Tan will NOT Sack Slade - " As he was Tan's choice of manager".

If /When he goes will be kindly asked to resign