Cardiff's Win Was Great But It Cannot Mask Problems
Mon Jan 18, 2016 7:23 am
Nathan Blake's Thoughts...
18/01/16
It was a great result and performance from Cardiff City at Wolves on Saturday... but it won’t clear the storm clouds gathering at the Bluebirds.
The transfer embargo the club has been placed under is troubling and I’m not talking about it stopping Russell Slade actually making any permanent new signings at least this month.
For me, the situation hints at problems right across the club itself and you are left wondering how the Bluebirds got into the mess in the first place.
Although perhaps it should come as little surprise as the whole thing just seems a case of the extravagance of the past catching up with the club today.
I heard an interview where chief executive Ken Choo said there were something like 49 professionals on the books at the club when Russell Slade took over. That is just way too much.
Why on earth clutter your squad with such a huge number of players when you can never play most of them? It's something that can only breed discontent.
Things have to be rationalised at Cardiff and for me there just has to be more of an emphasis on the youth and academy players at the club.
Right now, with so many senior players ahead of them, Cardiff’s talented youngsters are just being given no chance at all to make the breakthrough to the first team.
It is an impossible situation.
I’m not suggesting all the young players are up to the standard of playing in the senior side of course.
That has never been the case. For me, out of 10 first-year pros, one or two are going to make the grade in the end.
That ratio has never really changed down the years either.
But I really am a firm believer that the Bluebirds must utilise what young players they have and start developing them and bringing them through.
It benefits everyone really.
Now, I must admit, when I look at the academy level at Cardiff, there are things that bother me.
I think the best way to develop young players needs to be looked at and real talent identified sooner.
I think of the case of Regan Poole, who was released by the Bluebirds’ Academy aged 16 and has now been snapped up by Manchester United says a lot.
If a kid is good enough to be part of the Manchester United set-up, are you telling me he is nowhere near good enough for the Cardiff City squad to play in the Championship?
But if there are negatives off the pitch, on it, I think the performance at Wolves was as good as I have seen from the Bluebirds all season.
They were excellent at Molineux and I really did not see that coming at all.
It was a great day for Craig Noone and great day for Cardiff themselves.
Noone’s two goals were really out of the top drawer and he set up Joe Ralls for the third which was really the most crucial of the whole day.
The changes to the side may have been forced on Slade in a way, but I think the Bluebirds boss has to be given credit.
I see reports the manager is under pressure, but as soon as you take on a job like the one at Cardiff you are under pressure all the time.
The key now for Slade and his side is to build on the result at Wolves.
Too often this campaign a victory has not been followed up, but that is going to have to happen now if the Bluebirds are going to get back into play-off contention.
18/01/16
It was a great result and performance from Cardiff City at Wolves on Saturday... but it won’t clear the storm clouds gathering at the Bluebirds.
The transfer embargo the club has been placed under is troubling and I’m not talking about it stopping Russell Slade actually making any permanent new signings at least this month.
For me, the situation hints at problems right across the club itself and you are left wondering how the Bluebirds got into the mess in the first place.
Although perhaps it should come as little surprise as the whole thing just seems a case of the extravagance of the past catching up with the club today.
I heard an interview where chief executive Ken Choo said there were something like 49 professionals on the books at the club when Russell Slade took over. That is just way too much.
Why on earth clutter your squad with such a huge number of players when you can never play most of them? It's something that can only breed discontent.
Things have to be rationalised at Cardiff and for me there just has to be more of an emphasis on the youth and academy players at the club.
Right now, with so many senior players ahead of them, Cardiff’s talented youngsters are just being given no chance at all to make the breakthrough to the first team.
It is an impossible situation.
I’m not suggesting all the young players are up to the standard of playing in the senior side of course.
That has never been the case. For me, out of 10 first-year pros, one or two are going to make the grade in the end.
That ratio has never really changed down the years either.
But I really am a firm believer that the Bluebirds must utilise what young players they have and start developing them and bringing them through.
It benefits everyone really.
Now, I must admit, when I look at the academy level at Cardiff, there are things that bother me.
I think the best way to develop young players needs to be looked at and real talent identified sooner.
I think of the case of Regan Poole, who was released by the Bluebirds’ Academy aged 16 and has now been snapped up by Manchester United says a lot.
If a kid is good enough to be part of the Manchester United set-up, are you telling me he is nowhere near good enough for the Cardiff City squad to play in the Championship?
But if there are negatives off the pitch, on it, I think the performance at Wolves was as good as I have seen from the Bluebirds all season.
They were excellent at Molineux and I really did not see that coming at all.
It was a great day for Craig Noone and great day for Cardiff themselves.
Noone’s two goals were really out of the top drawer and he set up Joe Ralls for the third which was really the most crucial of the whole day.
The changes to the side may have been forced on Slade in a way, but I think the Bluebirds boss has to be given credit.
I see reports the manager is under pressure, but as soon as you take on a job like the one at Cardiff you are under pressure all the time.
The key now for Slade and his side is to build on the result at Wolves.
Too often this campaign a victory has not been followed up, but that is going to have to happen now if the Bluebirds are going to get back into play-off contention.
Re: Cardiff's Win Was Great But It Cannot Mask Problems
Mon Jan 18, 2016 1:18 pm
The academy has to become more of a priority and if there is spare money around which was earmarked for Tony Watt transfer then invest it in the youth.
Re: Cardiff's Win Was Great But It Cannot Mask Problems
Mon Jan 18, 2016 9:13 pm
Tony Blue Williams wrote:The academy has to become more of a priority and if there is spare money around which was earmarked for Tony Watt transfer then invest it in the youth.
Agree.
Re: Cardiff's Win Was Great But It Cannot Mask Problems
Mon Jan 18, 2016 10:04 pm
What people are forgetting is we still only have two wins in seven games.
It's a good result, but that's all it is. One result.
It's a good result, but that's all it is. One result.
Re: Cardiff's Win Was Great But It Cannot Mask Problems
Tue Jan 19, 2016 9:41 am
worcester_ccfc wrote:What people are forgetting is we still only have two wins in seven games.
It's a good result, but that's all it is. One result.
Agree but it proves what we can do and how we can play. It's down to the manager. If he can get any sort of consistency after the Wolves game then there's an outside chance we can climb the table.
I'm not holding my breath, though the Rotherham game now becomes more interesting.
Re: Cardiff's Win Was Great But It Cannot Mask Problems
Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:35 pm
Fair comment..........but all the money in the world cant buy a day away like Saturday it was up there with the best. 
