Why is he out of favour with Russell Slade?

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?


Saturday 22nd August 2015

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.

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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.

I've really tried to be positive about Slade, but he does seem to have a lot of "relationship problems" with players. This implies:

1) maybe they don't respect him
2) maybe his management style is antiquated
3) maybe he is out of his depth

Or possibly all 3!

Surely keeping all non-playing players motivated would be a good idea for any manager!

Slade prefers Revell at the moment.

We as fans don't see what players attitudes are like in training,

We as fans don't see what players attitudes are like in training,

Indeed.

Also the managers needs to eye up the opposition and but out his best team to counter it. If the opposition is too strong regardless of what he has got then its a damage limitation act. A weak opposition then its a win by all means attitude. What this means is its down to the management and they live or die by their decisions.

My opinion is that the club know we are not good enough to go up so its a steady as we go situation. Saying that I do think we need to get a win in the next 3 games else the tide will turn against Slade.