CITY MAN IN EURO XI TEAM OF THE WEEK!
Mon Mar 14, 2016 11:19 am
Bruno Manga made the Fifa 16 Ultimate Team last week, along-side Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,
Monday 14th March 2016
It seemed bizarre at the time, but Cardiff City fans will be in full agreement now.
It was the Gabon international who made the difference here, in a match which, without being alarmist, one suspected Russell Slade’s men just had to win if their Championship play-off dream was to remain the right side of ludicrous.
There are big wins for a side and then there are big, big wins and this one over Ipswich ranks as the latter keeping the Bluebirds, as it did, just shy of the top-six and opening up a three point gap over the visitors who had started the day level on points with their hosts.
Manga’s header, from a Peter Whittingham corner, on 18 minutes was the defender’s first goal of a season marred by a frustration that mirrors that of the Bluebirds’ themselves.
Last season’s Player of the Year saw his new campaign in disarray before it even began as he suffered injury in the Bluebirds’ preseason tour of Holland and then, after fighting his way back to fitness, he found his route back to the first team blocked by the great form of surprise pairing Matthew Connolly and Sean Morrison in the heart of the Cardiff defence.
Huw Evans Picture Agency LtdBruno Ecuele Manga of Cardiff City celebrates after scoring goal
More injury away on international duty followed, but Manga’s chance came again as Morrison himself succumbed to injury and although now himself fit, it is Morrison now who must watch on as Manga strikes up another impressive pairing with the indefatigable Connolly.
Manga is like the Cardiff team in a way, in that we know he has always possessed class and poise, but misfortune and an inability to harness the gifts available has seen things very much up and down for most of this term.
Against Ipswich things were on the up for Manga, just how, right now, they appear to be somewhat on the up for the Bluebirds as a whole and in particular manager Russell Slade.
The Cardiff City Stadium does indeed have a buzz about it again, perhaps one not seen since the days of the title-winning campaign back under former manger Malky Mackay. Whether the current crop of Cardiff players can emulate those promotion days remains to be seen, but results like this one at least mean one is allowed to discuss the notion in public without being throughly mocked.
Slade himself too has not scaled the heights of popularity once enjoyed by Mackay, but there is little doubt he is winning around supporters who previously would not have given him the time of day.
This win over Ipswich saw the Bluebirds perhaps somewhere beneath their best, well below the standards they have started to set themselves of late at least anyway, particularly in their previous outing against Leeds which might have ended in defeat, but which drew little but praise for the way the Bluebirds went about things.
What Cardiff did here really was something they have found difficult to do for too much of the season and that was to dig out a win, to get their goal and for once hold onto that lead.
It was a victory really built on defence, a situation made all the more impressive by the fact that one of the vital defensive elements of the side was missing. Goalkeeper and skipper, David Marshall, was out with a virus and in came his back-up. Simon Moore, to feature in only his sixth league game of the campaign.
One feared that the confidence and legendary calmness Marshall instills in the players in front of him might be absent and lead to problems. Moore himself put in a reasonable showing shall we say, Ipswich were never the most ambitious of sides, but Moore dealt with their few efforts at goal well enough.
Where Moore did look shaky on a couple of occasions was with the high ball, as he flapped at a couple of crosses without getting punished. All one can say is that on this evidence no one will be urging the Bluebirds to cash in Marshall this summer should Premier League clubs come calling.
The best way to stave that off, of course, is for the Bluebirds themselves to be in the top-flight next season. You still feel the chances are slight, the more cynical still perhaps not completely won over by the seemingly born-again Slade and his side.
All one can say for sure right now, is that Cardiff have given themselves a fighting chance and at the start of the campaign, under Slade, that would have seemed as unlikely as, say, a Cardiff centre-half sharing the billing with Ronaldo and Messi.
Monday 14th March 2016
It seemed bizarre at the time, but Cardiff City fans will be in full agreement now.
It was the Gabon international who made the difference here, in a match which, without being alarmist, one suspected Russell Slade’s men just had to win if their Championship play-off dream was to remain the right side of ludicrous.
There are big wins for a side and then there are big, big wins and this one over Ipswich ranks as the latter keeping the Bluebirds, as it did, just shy of the top-six and opening up a three point gap over the visitors who had started the day level on points with their hosts.
Manga’s header, from a Peter Whittingham corner, on 18 minutes was the defender’s first goal of a season marred by a frustration that mirrors that of the Bluebirds’ themselves.
Last season’s Player of the Year saw his new campaign in disarray before it even began as he suffered injury in the Bluebirds’ preseason tour of Holland and then, after fighting his way back to fitness, he found his route back to the first team blocked by the great form of surprise pairing Matthew Connolly and Sean Morrison in the heart of the Cardiff defence.
Huw Evans Picture Agency LtdBruno Ecuele Manga of Cardiff City celebrates after scoring goal
More injury away on international duty followed, but Manga’s chance came again as Morrison himself succumbed to injury and although now himself fit, it is Morrison now who must watch on as Manga strikes up another impressive pairing with the indefatigable Connolly.
Manga is like the Cardiff team in a way, in that we know he has always possessed class and poise, but misfortune and an inability to harness the gifts available has seen things very much up and down for most of this term.
Against Ipswich things were on the up for Manga, just how, right now, they appear to be somewhat on the up for the Bluebirds as a whole and in particular manager Russell Slade.
The Cardiff City Stadium does indeed have a buzz about it again, perhaps one not seen since the days of the title-winning campaign back under former manger Malky Mackay. Whether the current crop of Cardiff players can emulate those promotion days remains to be seen, but results like this one at least mean one is allowed to discuss the notion in public without being throughly mocked.
Slade himself too has not scaled the heights of popularity once enjoyed by Mackay, but there is little doubt he is winning around supporters who previously would not have given him the time of day.
This win over Ipswich saw the Bluebirds perhaps somewhere beneath their best, well below the standards they have started to set themselves of late at least anyway, particularly in their previous outing against Leeds which might have ended in defeat, but which drew little but praise for the way the Bluebirds went about things.
What Cardiff did here really was something they have found difficult to do for too much of the season and that was to dig out a win, to get their goal and for once hold onto that lead.
It was a victory really built on defence, a situation made all the more impressive by the fact that one of the vital defensive elements of the side was missing. Goalkeeper and skipper, David Marshall, was out with a virus and in came his back-up. Simon Moore, to feature in only his sixth league game of the campaign.
One feared that the confidence and legendary calmness Marshall instills in the players in front of him might be absent and lead to problems. Moore himself put in a reasonable showing shall we say, Ipswich were never the most ambitious of sides, but Moore dealt with their few efforts at goal well enough.
Where Moore did look shaky on a couple of occasions was with the high ball, as he flapped at a couple of crosses without getting punished. All one can say is that on this evidence no one will be urging the Bluebirds to cash in Marshall this summer should Premier League clubs come calling.
The best way to stave that off, of course, is for the Bluebirds themselves to be in the top-flight next season. You still feel the chances are slight, the more cynical still perhaps not completely won over by the seemingly born-again Slade and his side.
All one can say for sure right now, is that Cardiff have given themselves a fighting chance and at the start of the campaign, under Slade, that would have seemed as unlikely as, say, a Cardiff centre-half sharing the billing with Ronaldo and Messi.
Re: CITY MAN IN EURO XI TEAM OF THE WEEK!
Mon Mar 14, 2016 11:38 am
Lex and Pilks will be next to make the Euro XI, only a matter of time 
Re: CITY MAN IN EURO XI TEAM OF THE WEEK!
Mon Mar 14, 2016 11:56 am
he got in for the game against bristol not ipswich
Re: CITY MAN IN EURO XI TEAM OF THE WEEK!
Mon Mar 14, 2016 2:26 pm
paulh_85 wrote:he got in for the game against bristol not ipswich
That is correct. It was the game for which the Echo headline read something like MANGA NOT SO MAGNIFICENT and for which Annis posted that Manga had been run ragged. One esteemed poster on here even referred to him last week as rubbish.
I know that the game is all about opinions, but to me me the guy is pure class. He is up there among my favourite City centre backs such as Don Murray and Gary Bennett, but with more quality.
Re: CITY MAN IN EURO XI TEAM OF THE WEEK!
Mon Mar 14, 2016 2:58 pm
Man of Harlech wrote:paulh_85 wrote:he got in for the game against bristol not ipswich
That is correct. It was the game for which the Echo headline read something like MANGA NOT SO MAGNIFICENT and for which Annis posted that Manga had been run ragged. One esteemed poster on here even referred to him last week as rubbish.
I know that the game is all about opinions, but to me me the guy is pure class. He is up there among my favorite City centre backs such as Don Murray and Gary Bennett, but with more quality.
you might be talking about me. I think hes class, but thought he performance against Ipswich was poor.
Wasnt at the bristol game to judge. He certainly polarises opinion though, as Ratcliffe thought he was awful, but most at the game (bristol) thought he was superb