' WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH DOYLE ? '
Sat Aug 22, 2015 5:36 am
' What has happened with Doyle? '
By Scott Johnson
Sat Aug 22nd
Doyle struck up an exciting partnership with Joe Mason at the end of last season... so why is he now on the periphery of Russell Slade's side?
Why is Eoin Doyle suddenly out of favour at Cardiff City?
When Cardiff signed Doyle, it appeared to suggest the club were changing their approach when identifying transfer targets.
Rather than targeting out-of-favour Premier League players or high-risk overseas targets, they would instead pursue the cream of League One.
In many respects, it made a lot of sense.
It is a division with plenty of talent, keen to make the step up.
The transfer fees are more respectable and so, in turn, would be wage demands.
With Russell Slade’s knowledge of the division, Cardiff also have a manager with the inside track.
This, as well as Slade’s appointment, may have been highlighted by some as an overall lowering of standards and ambition, but with escalating debts, the club has to start cutting their cloth accordingly.
Against this backdrop, Doyle arrived in February for around the £1m mark.
With plenty of lower league success stories in recent years, especially strikers, Cardiff would have been hoping they were signing the next Charlie Austin, Rickie Lambert, Dwight Gayle or, ahem, Adam Le Fondre.
Doyle could not have been in hotter form, having plundered 26 goals in 33 starts during the first half of the season.
But were the Bluebirds signing a one-season wonder or the ‘real thing’?
Can Eoin Doyle get the goals Cardiff need this season?
Well, it’s fair to say the step up was not exactly seamless.
Doyle was subbed on or off in all of his first 13 appearances and it took until his ninth game to get off the mark, scoring in a 2-0 win against Birmingham.
The quip that his second touch is usually a tackle quickly gained traction and he certainly seemed a little rough around the edges.
Plus, for a striker in such prolific form, he was not as brimming with confidence as you would have expected.
But then he got paired with the returning Joe Mason and a promising pairing began to blossom.
Without the focal point of Kenwyne Jones up top, Cardiff started to play more football.
Mason’s intelligent movement created space for his partner and the goals began to flow.
Doyle ended the season with four goals in his last four games and things were looking promising for the future.
So, what happened?
Well pre-season happened and while it was largely successful for Cardiff, who approached the new campaign unbeaten, it was pretty underwhelming for Doyle.
As disappointing as Doyle’s recent performances may have been, even more disappointing is that the potential shown when paired with Mason last season appears to have been all but forgotten.
Jones appears set to walk back into the team when he returns to fitness and Sammy Ameobi is probably ahead too.
Cardiff has been something of a graveyard for strikers in recent years and you could probably count their successful forwards on one hand.
For every Michael Chopra, Jay Bothroyd and Ross McCormack, all of which were at the club at the same time, you could count at least a dozen that tried and failed.
Le Fondre, Etien Velikonja, Javi Guerra, Andreas Cornelius, Peter Odemwingie, Nicky Maynard, Jon Parkin and Kenny Miller all spring to mind, and that's only looking back to the last three or four years.
Doyle appears to be a victim of the too many options, too little faith approach to team building adopted at Cardiff in recent times.
Could Doyle follow Adam Le Fondre in leaving the Bluebirds
Are Cardiff City are a better side this season than last?
Like many others, he may well be regretting his decision to join the club.
The situation is far from irretrievable, but he will have to start to make the most of the opportunities afforded him, however brief.
Were we talking about a 21 or 22-year-old prospect, you would say time is on their side.
But Doyle is 27 now, in the prime of his career and needs to be playing regularly.
During the summer, maybe sensing his prospects were dwindling, Doyle was keen to state that Cardiff did not need to buy another striker, claiming that “given a run of games, the goals will come.”
Whether or not Doyle will get that at Cardiff remains to be seen, but his chances look considerably less promising than they did at the tail end of last season.
By Scott Johnson
Sat Aug 22nd
Doyle struck up an exciting partnership with Joe Mason at the end of last season... so why is he now on the periphery of Russell Slade's side?
Why is Eoin Doyle suddenly out of favour at Cardiff City?
When Cardiff signed Doyle, it appeared to suggest the club were changing their approach when identifying transfer targets.
Rather than targeting out-of-favour Premier League players or high-risk overseas targets, they would instead pursue the cream of League One.
In many respects, it made a lot of sense.
It is a division with plenty of talent, keen to make the step up.
The transfer fees are more respectable and so, in turn, would be wage demands.
With Russell Slade’s knowledge of the division, Cardiff also have a manager with the inside track.
This, as well as Slade’s appointment, may have been highlighted by some as an overall lowering of standards and ambition, but with escalating debts, the club has to start cutting their cloth accordingly.
Against this backdrop, Doyle arrived in February for around the £1m mark.
With plenty of lower league success stories in recent years, especially strikers, Cardiff would have been hoping they were signing the next Charlie Austin, Rickie Lambert, Dwight Gayle or, ahem, Adam Le Fondre.
Doyle could not have been in hotter form, having plundered 26 goals in 33 starts during the first half of the season.
But were the Bluebirds signing a one-season wonder or the ‘real thing’?
Can Eoin Doyle get the goals Cardiff need this season?
Well, it’s fair to say the step up was not exactly seamless.
Doyle was subbed on or off in all of his first 13 appearances and it took until his ninth game to get off the mark, scoring in a 2-0 win against Birmingham.
The quip that his second touch is usually a tackle quickly gained traction and he certainly seemed a little rough around the edges.
Plus, for a striker in such prolific form, he was not as brimming with confidence as you would have expected.
But then he got paired with the returning Joe Mason and a promising pairing began to blossom.
Without the focal point of Kenwyne Jones up top, Cardiff started to play more football.
Mason’s intelligent movement created space for his partner and the goals began to flow.
Doyle ended the season with four goals in his last four games and things were looking promising for the future.
So, what happened?
Well pre-season happened and while it was largely successful for Cardiff, who approached the new campaign unbeaten, it was pretty underwhelming for Doyle.
As disappointing as Doyle’s recent performances may have been, even more disappointing is that the potential shown when paired with Mason last season appears to have been all but forgotten.
Jones appears set to walk back into the team when he returns to fitness and Sammy Ameobi is probably ahead too.
Cardiff has been something of a graveyard for strikers in recent years and you could probably count their successful forwards on one hand.
For every Michael Chopra, Jay Bothroyd and Ross McCormack, all of which were at the club at the same time, you could count at least a dozen that tried and failed.
Le Fondre, Etien Velikonja, Javi Guerra, Andreas Cornelius, Peter Odemwingie, Nicky Maynard, Jon Parkin and Kenny Miller all spring to mind, and that's only looking back to the last three or four years.
Doyle appears to be a victim of the too many options, too little faith approach to team building adopted at Cardiff in recent times.
Could Doyle follow Adam Le Fondre in leaving the Bluebirds
Are Cardiff City are a better side this season than last?
Like many others, he may well be regretting his decision to join the club.
The situation is far from irretrievable, but he will have to start to make the most of the opportunities afforded him, however brief.
Were we talking about a 21 or 22-year-old prospect, you would say time is on their side.
But Doyle is 27 now, in the prime of his career and needs to be playing regularly.
During the summer, maybe sensing his prospects were dwindling, Doyle was keen to state that Cardiff did not need to buy another striker, claiming that “given a run of games, the goals will come.”
Whether or not Doyle will get that at Cardiff remains to be seen, but his chances look considerably less promising than they did at the tail end of last season.
Re: ' WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH DOYLE ? '
Sat Aug 22, 2015 7:23 am
There seems to be a spate of players that have fallen into the same category as Doyle. Gestede, Conway, Guerra to name but a few. Probably could make another team out of them. You could expect a couple players not to make the grade but given our transfer approach we have had more than a couple. I can understand Doyle not being in the side if the forwards are delivering but surely he must be given a chance in front of Revell?
Re: ' WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH DOYLE ? '
Sat Aug 22, 2015 7:58 am
Slade has never really wanted to play him.
When he was playing with Mason they were mostly the only fit strikers we had. So that or change formation
Slade doesn't seem to play many of his signings consistently.
When he was playing with Mason they were mostly the only fit strikers we had. So that or change formation
Slade doesn't seem to play many of his signings consistently.
Re: ' WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH DOYLE ? '
Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:23 am
2blue2handle wrote:Slade has never really wanted to play him.
When he was playing with Mason they were mostly the only fit strikers we had. So that or change formation
Slade doesn't seem to play many of his signings consistently.
That's because he doesn't have a clue Luke
he wants the side to pick itself hence why he rarely changes the team unless he is forced to by injuries or suspensions 
Re: ' WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH DOYLE ? '
Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:30 am
tenerife_blu wrote:2blue2handle wrote:Slade has never really wanted to play him.
When he was playing with Mason they were mostly the only fit strikers we had. So that or change formation
Slade doesn't seem to play many of his signings consistently.
That's because he doesn't have a clue Luke
he's clueless, just look at his comments. People will wake up and smell the coffee I hope but some are so blinkered and led by others they have no brains of their own to work out what slade is doing.
20 goals from mason - bloody hell, Morrison and Malone have got more chance!!
Re: ' WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH DOYLE ? '
Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:31 am
arri potta wrote:tenerife_blu wrote:2blue2handle wrote:Slade has never really wanted to play him.
When he was playing with Mason they were mostly the only fit strikers we had. So that or change formation
Slade doesn't seem to play many of his signings consistently.
That's because he doesn't have a clue Luke
he's clueless, just look at his comments. People will wake up and smell the coffee I hope but some are so blinkered and led by others they have no brains of their own to work out what slade is doing.
20 goals from mason - bloody hell, Morrison and Malone have got more chance!!
Re: ' WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH DOYLE ? '
Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:55 am
Slade is in love with ravell
Re: ' WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH DOYLE ? '
Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:44 am
erinsown wrote:Slade is in love with ravell
Can't disagree with that.
Re: ' WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH DOYLE ? '
Sat Aug 22, 2015 7:41 pm
Rydogsccfc wrote:erinsown wrote:Slade is in love with ravell
Can't disagree with that.
i can
Re: ' WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH DOYLE ? '
Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:50 pm
Its a bloody long season !!!!
Perhaps in fitness Ravell is ahead of Doyle.
Mason has had 4 games and scored 1,i reckon we want to put him in the shop window. IMO he'll never make it in a top half championship team.
Doyle is with us for a long time, so when the window closes he may get his chance.
Perhaps in fitness Ravell is ahead of Doyle.
Mason has had 4 games and scored 1,i reckon we want to put him in the shop window. IMO he'll never make it in a top half championship team.
Doyle is with us for a long time, so when the window closes he may get his chance.
Re: ' WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH DOYLE ? '
Sat Aug 22, 2015 9:03 pm
Mason needs to be dropped, he just wasn't up for it today and you could see that he was disappointed with himself at full time. I think it's time for Doyle to have a run of games and show why he was one of the top goalscorers in the football league last season.
Re: ' WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH DOYLE ? '
Sun Aug 23, 2015 10:56 am
JonCCFC wrote:Mason needs to be dropped, he just wasn't up for it today and you could see that he was disappointed with himself at full time. I think it's time for Doyle to have a run of games and show why he was one of the top goalscorers in the football league last season.
Can't disagree with you more, as Mason was definitely up for it, making some superb off the ball runs which unfortunately on too many occasions, went unrewarded with a decent pass to him. It was only in the last couple of minutes that he was picked out with a superb pass, which I accept he should have scored from.
However, IMO, Mason should have been subbed around the 75th or 80th minute, as he seemed spent, having run his B*llocks off up front and in defence on occasion and should have been replaced by Doyle or Noone!
He also scored a goal which should not have been disallowed and I'm just hoping that if Kenwynne Jones is not fit for Forest next Saturday, that Doyle plays up front alongside him and not the one dimensional Alex Revell!