' Paul Trollope / Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's ? ? '
Thu Sep 22, 2016 4:27 pm
Cardiff City look a beaten team before they start and Paul Trollope doesn't have long to sort it out
Thursday 22nd September 2016
BY SCOTTJOHNSON
Scott Johnson fears there are echoes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's time in the Championship with the Bluebirds
It's been a horrendous start to the season for Cardiff City
When Paul Trollope was promoted to manager in the summer, it’s fair to say most Cardiff supporters were rather underwhelmed by the appointment. Judging by performances thus far this season, you wonder whether his players felt the same way.
The success of the Welsh national side at the European Championships briefly gave the impression that the choice may have been inspired, but that has since worn off. With Cardiff marooned at the foot of the table, what may have been the cheap option is starting to look it may prove an expensive gamble.
Trollope will need time to implement his methods, that was made clear from the beginning. Unfortunately, he promptly headed to France for most of the summer and it has felt like he has been playing catch up ever since.
3-5-2 is a bold choice of formation and it has been utilised with great success at this level, most notably by Hull last season. It gives opponents something different to think about and contend with. Cardiff’s interpretation to date has been more like an open invitation to three easy points.
In many respects, using this formation made a lot of sense. With a surplus of quality centre backs, an established goalkeeper, a lack of pace on the wings and Fabio, it ticked a lot of boxes and provided several solutions. The subsequent sale of Fabio made that shape slightly less viable and the departure of David Marshall has made the system rather problematic.
Fabio has been a key part of the pre-season plansFabio's pace out wide has been missed so far this season
The wing backs are not providing enough drive or service and the three centre backs have been finding it difficult to gel ahead of a rookie goalkeeper. After an absolute horror show at Preston, as bad as I have seen Cardiff for a very long time, it was no surprise to see Cardiff to revert to 4-3-3 for the visit of Leeds on Saturday. The performance was not much better and they afforded their visitors far too much time and space, but at least everyone looked like they knew what they were supposed to be doing.
At the start of the season, Trollope stated that he would be willing to change things if they were not going according to plan, but I don’t think anyone was expecting it to happen by mid-September. 3-5-2 was supposed to be the blueprint for all age ranges, with teams at every level playing the same way. Seven games later, we’re seemingly back to the drawing board.
Cardiff lost 2-0 at home to Leeds last season too, but that felt like it might have been a new beginning. Having fallen a goal behind, Cardiff peppered the Leeds goal, only for the visitors to double their lead on the break late on. The goal was greeted by a standing ovation from the home supporters as reward for their team’s efforts, a gesture I have not seen in such circumstances before or since. It felt like the fragmented nature of the club was beginning to heal, but has since proven to be something of a false dawn.
The latest defeat to Leeds had more of an air of inevitability about it, as do most Cardiff games these days. It doesn’t take much to beat them, as sooner or later individual mistakes will materialise and heads will drop. The single most concerning aspect is that they now look like a beaten side before a ball has been kicked. Repairing that sort of damage won’t be easy.
It’s still very early in the season and a couple of wins would soon lift Cardiff up the table and lift the gloom, but those wins look elusive at the moment. Their only win to date came courtesy of two own goals and an individual capitulation by Blackburn’s Shane Duffy.
The next three games; Rotherham away, Derby home and Burton Albion away, ahead of the international break are pivotal. A few positive results will give every a lift, but a few more defeats could leave them adrift and panic would set in.
Huddersfield, currently top of the table against all odds, are demonstrating how a change of approach and sticking with it can reap rewards, but the difference is that their results did not suffer too much during this transitional period.
Cardiff are trying to emulate Wales and their transformation didn’t happen overnight either. Some of the games early on in Gary Speed’s reign were not great, but you had faith in the manager and the crop of players coming through. At Cardiff, it still feels a bit thrown together.
If you look hard enough, there are a few reasons to be positive. Stuart O’Keefe is close to returning to the first team and his tenacity has been sorely missed. Aron Gunnarsson has returned to form, Kadeem Harris has been impressive and Cardiff made a few smart signings during the summer, that have been overshadowed by high-profile departures. Yet they will have to improve in almost every aspect if they are to climb the table and it remains to be seen if this group are ready for a scrap.
Could Cardiff City really be in for the relegation fight of their Championship lives after Leeds United defeat?
The situation is starting to feel like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time in charge, with regular changes in shape and personnel making no positive impact. He was relieved of his duties with Cardiff in 17 position and Russell Slade was brought in as the antidote. Should the current situation continue, it seems inevitable that there will be calls for someone like Neil Warnock, who performed a miraculous turnaround at Cardiff’s next opponents Rotherham last season when they were in freefall. Although another promotion, this time for Lennie Lawrence, would be far more likely in that sort of scenario.
Leeds, Cardiff’s conquerors on Saturday, showed the difference a win can make with an impressive display that resulted in consecutive victories for the first time this season. Garry Monk was in a similar situation to Trollope, but now things are suddenly looking up.
Trollope now needs that sort of lift, as the next three games could define both Cardiff’s season and his own job prospects.
Thursday 22nd September 2016
BY SCOTTJOHNSON
Scott Johnson fears there are echoes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's time in the Championship with the Bluebirds
It's been a horrendous start to the season for Cardiff City
When Paul Trollope was promoted to manager in the summer, it’s fair to say most Cardiff supporters were rather underwhelmed by the appointment. Judging by performances thus far this season, you wonder whether his players felt the same way.
The success of the Welsh national side at the European Championships briefly gave the impression that the choice may have been inspired, but that has since worn off. With Cardiff marooned at the foot of the table, what may have been the cheap option is starting to look it may prove an expensive gamble.
Trollope will need time to implement his methods, that was made clear from the beginning. Unfortunately, he promptly headed to France for most of the summer and it has felt like he has been playing catch up ever since.
3-5-2 is a bold choice of formation and it has been utilised with great success at this level, most notably by Hull last season. It gives opponents something different to think about and contend with. Cardiff’s interpretation to date has been more like an open invitation to three easy points.
In many respects, using this formation made a lot of sense. With a surplus of quality centre backs, an established goalkeeper, a lack of pace on the wings and Fabio, it ticked a lot of boxes and provided several solutions. The subsequent sale of Fabio made that shape slightly less viable and the departure of David Marshall has made the system rather problematic.
Fabio has been a key part of the pre-season plansFabio's pace out wide has been missed so far this season
The wing backs are not providing enough drive or service and the three centre backs have been finding it difficult to gel ahead of a rookie goalkeeper. After an absolute horror show at Preston, as bad as I have seen Cardiff for a very long time, it was no surprise to see Cardiff to revert to 4-3-3 for the visit of Leeds on Saturday. The performance was not much better and they afforded their visitors far too much time and space, but at least everyone looked like they knew what they were supposed to be doing.
At the start of the season, Trollope stated that he would be willing to change things if they were not going according to plan, but I don’t think anyone was expecting it to happen by mid-September. 3-5-2 was supposed to be the blueprint for all age ranges, with teams at every level playing the same way. Seven games later, we’re seemingly back to the drawing board.
Cardiff lost 2-0 at home to Leeds last season too, but that felt like it might have been a new beginning. Having fallen a goal behind, Cardiff peppered the Leeds goal, only for the visitors to double their lead on the break late on. The goal was greeted by a standing ovation from the home supporters as reward for their team’s efforts, a gesture I have not seen in such circumstances before or since. It felt like the fragmented nature of the club was beginning to heal, but has since proven to be something of a false dawn.
The latest defeat to Leeds had more of an air of inevitability about it, as do most Cardiff games these days. It doesn’t take much to beat them, as sooner or later individual mistakes will materialise and heads will drop. The single most concerning aspect is that they now look like a beaten side before a ball has been kicked. Repairing that sort of damage won’t be easy.
It’s still very early in the season and a couple of wins would soon lift Cardiff up the table and lift the gloom, but those wins look elusive at the moment. Their only win to date came courtesy of two own goals and an individual capitulation by Blackburn’s Shane Duffy.
The next three games; Rotherham away, Derby home and Burton Albion away, ahead of the international break are pivotal. A few positive results will give every a lift, but a few more defeats could leave them adrift and panic would set in.
Huddersfield, currently top of the table against all odds, are demonstrating how a change of approach and sticking with it can reap rewards, but the difference is that their results did not suffer too much during this transitional period.
Cardiff are trying to emulate Wales and their transformation didn’t happen overnight either. Some of the games early on in Gary Speed’s reign were not great, but you had faith in the manager and the crop of players coming through. At Cardiff, it still feels a bit thrown together.
If you look hard enough, there are a few reasons to be positive. Stuart O’Keefe is close to returning to the first team and his tenacity has been sorely missed. Aron Gunnarsson has returned to form, Kadeem Harris has been impressive and Cardiff made a few smart signings during the summer, that have been overshadowed by high-profile departures. Yet they will have to improve in almost every aspect if they are to climb the table and it remains to be seen if this group are ready for a scrap.
Could Cardiff City really be in for the relegation fight of their Championship lives after Leeds United defeat?
The situation is starting to feel like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time in charge, with regular changes in shape and personnel making no positive impact. He was relieved of his duties with Cardiff in 17 position and Russell Slade was brought in as the antidote. Should the current situation continue, it seems inevitable that there will be calls for someone like Neil Warnock, who performed a miraculous turnaround at Cardiff’s next opponents Rotherham last season when they were in freefall. Although another promotion, this time for Lennie Lawrence, would be far more likely in that sort of scenario.
Leeds, Cardiff’s conquerors on Saturday, showed the difference a win can make with an impressive display that resulted in consecutive victories for the first time this season. Garry Monk was in a similar situation to Trollope, but now things are suddenly looking up.
Trollope now needs that sort of lift, as the next three games could define both Cardiff’s season and his own job prospects.
Re: ' Paul Trollope / Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's ? ? '
Thu Sep 22, 2016 10:56 pm
Easy answer to this - HOW MUCH MONEY DID OGS HAVE TO PT 
TIME FOR YOU ALL TO WAKE UP !!!! OGS HAS PUT US IN THIS MESS + THE BOARD ( TO ALLOW IT !!! )
TIME FOR YOU ALL TO WAKE UP !!!! OGS HAS PUT US IN THIS MESS + THE BOARD ( TO ALLOW IT !!! )
Re: ' Paul Trollope / Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's ? ? '
Fri Sep 23, 2016 5:32 am
TopCat CCFC wrote:Easy answer to this - HOW MUCH MONEY DID OGS HAVE TO PT
TIME FOR YOU ALL TO WAKE UP !!!! OGS HAS PUT US IN THIS MESS + THE BOARD ( TO ALLOW IT !!! )
Agree with you TC and I'll go a bit further.All these articles are designed to stoke the fire and earn some money.Have any of these journos have CCFC at heart or are they just trying to earn some money.I can't understand why so many on here take what is written as its been handed down by God.Trollope is not the villan here.
Re: ' Paul Trollope / Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's ? ? '
Sat Sep 24, 2016 12:22 pm
totally agree!TopCat CCFC wrote:Easy answer to this - HOW MUCH MONEY DID OGS HAVE TO PT
TIME FOR YOU ALL TO WAKE UP !!!! OGS HAS PUT US IN THIS MESS + THE BOARD ( TO ALLOW IT !!! )
Re: ' Paul Trollope / Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's ? ? '
Sat Sep 24, 2016 1:01 pm
TopCat CCFC wrote:Easy answer to this - HOW MUCH MONEY DID OGS HAVE TO PT
TIME FOR YOU ALL TO WAKE UP !!!! OGS HAS PUT US IN THIS MESS + THE BOARD ( TO ALLOW IT !!! )
Didn't Ole sell for more than he bought? Even reduce the wages in the process? Think "the mess" started a long time before Ole came in. Wake up indeed.. But can't compare the two I agree. Two different time zones. Only, give Trollope the time Ole didn't have.
Re: ' Paul Trollope / Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's ? ? '
Sat Sep 24, 2016 1:03 pm
OGS was a sought after up and coming manager, recommended by Fergie and doing well in management albeit at a minor league. We were happy when we got him but he was clueless and had to go
PT should be doing better than he is with the players he has irrespective of having no money to spend. It's a good squad at this level. There are lots of examples of managers making poor starts including Ferguson at Man U. Hopefully PT can turn things around but the signs are not good
PT should be doing better than he is with the players he has irrespective of having no money to spend. It's a good squad at this level. There are lots of examples of managers making poor starts including Ferguson at Man U. Hopefully PT can turn things around but the signs are not good