" WHERE IS THE LEADERSHIP? "

" WHERE IS THE LEADERSHIP? "

Cardiff City's squad have hundreds and hundreds of Championship games between them so where is the leadership?

Nathan Blake has called on Cardiff's many senior players to show better management in games

BY NATHAN BLAKE


Thursday 22nd December 2016

You can take good aspects out of the Barnsley game, I don’t think they played particularly badly, it was quite exciting at times. I think if you analyse it from a defensive point of view, though, it wasn’t good. Far too easy for Barnsley, who to be fair were electric on the counter, with players getting caught out of position too often. As a manager it makes it tough because the first thing you want is to trust and rely on your players but with performances like that it becomes an issue.

Neil Warnock is searching for his favoured XI at the moment ,which is unlike him. He normally is one of those managers where it’s ‘bang, you’re in’ and he started off like that, but now it’s changing a lot, I think he’s having a few issues with trusting some of these players.

The way Cardiff set up, with a holding midfielder, they shouldn’t be getting done at the counter like they were at the weekend, especially not twice in such a short space of time. They should be able to hold people up, push them into certain areas, slow the play down, but they just seem to be so disjointed on occasions.

I think you can put it down to a lack of leadership and a lack of communication, and at some point as a player you have to take responsibility. As a player, when you’re on the pitch, you have your set patterns from set plays and the like, but if the opponents are countering and I’ve been told to stay left, but someone is already there, I don’t follow him, I cover the danger elsewhere. As a player you have to think for yourself, and Saturday showed how important Sol Bamba is in that department.

People were calling for him not to play for Cardiff again after the Ipswich game but I think that’s ridiculous. He’s the kind of player who Cardiff will be relying on between now and the end of the season if they’re to get away from danger. You can’t buy leadership, it’s got to come from within. Look at the Cardiff squad. Gunnarsson, masses of experience. Whitts, masses of experience. Connolly, Peltier, Manga, Pilkington, Morrison, Noone. We’re talking hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Championship games here. Leadership shouldn’t be a problem, and Warnock will be expecting them to stand up and be counted.

I’ve been in dressing rooms where the manager doesn’t actually say anything. That silence is deafening and then you start arguing with each other, but sorting the problems out among yourselves. That’s football, because you can have your instructions and your game plan but after three minutes you can be 3-0 down, and you’ve got to find a way.

Groundhog Day as another late winner goes against Cardiff at home

Cardiff do seem to have a bit of a psychological problem in the later stages at home. They’re conceding so often that it almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, because it’s creeping into your thought process.

It’s like Fergie Time, where teams would drop deeper and deeper and lose their composure, expecting United to score. It’s more to do with mentality than any kind of tactical set-up or anything like that. It’s another thing that the players have to sort out.

I’ve said it a hundred times before, but for me January is all about pace

I still think they’re just short of pace, it’s their biggest problem. I don’t just mean up front, you look at the full-back position, there isn’t a lot of pace there either. Nor do you have a real runner from midfield, for whatever reason when Lex Immers has been used this season it hasn’t happened for him. That lack of pace hurts Cardiff and they’re lacking goals all over the pitch. Whitts will score his goals, what a brilliant strike that was at the weekend, so nonchalant! I think Hoilett will chip in too but they’re a long way from getting to the point where they can get 70 goals over a season from their squad.

It’s difficult to buy players with pace, though, because teams don’t want to let them go. Pace wins you games, it stretches teams and it means you always have a threat in the game. You’re hoping that someone in the Premier League will take a cut to come and get games. If not, you have to gamble on someone quick from the lower leagues but they tend to be quite raw. Cardiff have got to improve in that regard and hope their scouting is spot on.

He's on the pitch and his name is Aron Gunnarsson, make Gunners Captain and you won't regret it Warnock

He's on the pitch and his name is Aron Gunnarsson, make Gunners Captain and you won't regret it Warnock

I don't necessarily disagree but you don't need an armband to be a captain on the pitch Annis.
He doesn't show much leadership to be honest.

He's on the pitch and his name is Aron Gunnarsson, make Gunners Captain and you won't regret it Warnock

I don't necessarily disagree but you don't need an armband to be a captain on the pitch Annis.
He doesn't show much leadership to be honest.

Just about to post this, leadership isn't about wearing an armband. Gunners has been absolutely fantastic and you will at times see him cajole his players, but he's actually a really quiet lad. For me it's about having 4 or 5 captains. As pointed out bamba is your organiser, it's vital in football. Ask the lads down the road.

He's on the pitch and his name is Aron Gunnarsson, make Gunners Captain and you won't regret it Warnock

I don't necessarily disagree but you don't need an armband to be a captain on the pitch Annis.
He doesn't show much leadership to be honest.

Just about to post this, leadership isn't about wearing an armband. Gunners has been absolutely fantastic and you will at times see him cajole his players, but he's actually a really quiet lad. For me it's about having 4 or 5 captains. As pointed out bamba is your organiser, it's vital in football. Ask the lads down the road.

Great minds mate ...

Surprised Richardson isn't getting more game time. Definitely got the experience, not sure of his leadership. I'm sure he would've been a better option than pelts at LB last weekend tho!

He's on the pitch and his name is Aron Gunnarsson, make Gunners Captain and you won't regret it Warnock

I don't necessarily disagree but you don't need an armband to be a captain on the pitch Annis.
He doesn't show much leadership to be honest.

Morrisons is the Captain and you don't undermine your Captain, plus Gunners has only just managed to battle himself back in the team. So he's not going to fall out with anyone.

He's on the pitch and his name is Aron Gunnarsson, make Gunners Captain and you won't regret it Warnock

I don't necessarily disagree but you don't need an armband to be a captain on the pitch Annis.
He doesn't show much leadership to be honest.

Just about to post this, leadership isn't about wearing an armband. Gunners has been absolutely fantastic and you will at times see him cajole his players, but he's actually a really quiet lad. For me it's about having 4 or 5 captains. As pointed out bamba is your organiser, it's vital in football. Ask the lads down the road.

Gareth, He leads Iceland well, more than well, let's give him the chance at Cardiff City

He's on the pitch and his name is Aron Gunnarsson, make Gunners Captain and you won't regret it Warnock

I don't necessarily disagree but you don't need an armband to be a captain on the pitch Annis.
He doesn't show much leadership to be honest.

Morrisons is the Captain and you don't undermine your Captain, plus Gunners has only just managed to battle himself back in the team. So he's not going to fall out with anyone.

Don't agree with this.
I've played a ton of football, obviously not at this level, and if you're a leader you just lead. It's in you and you're not bothered about upsetting anyone. The urge to win and lead is too strong to be worried about that. There's loads of natural leaders out there who don't wear a band but just get on with it.

Agreed you need leaders all over the pitch not just from the guy with the armband on. I do think Gunnars is a good leader though, gets players going by leading by example and vocally.

Agreed you need leaders all over the pitch not just from the guy with the armband on. I do think Gunnars is a good leader though, gets players going by leading by example and vocally.

Very hard nowadays to get Leader's all over the pitch, What you need is a proper Captain surrounded by good players with plenty of fight and passion in them

Look at the team when we got promoted though mate. We had Marshall, turner, Hudson, gunnars, Helguson, Tommy Smith all leaders in their own ways. Obviously it's still early days in Warnocks reign and he still hasn't had a transfer window yet but I'm sure it's those sort of players that he'd like to add to the squad.

Agreed you need leaders all over the pitch not just from the guy with the armband on. I do think Gunnars is a good leader though, gets players going by leading by example and vocally.

Very hard nowadays to get Leader's all over the pitch, What you need is a proper Captain surrounded by good players with plenty of fight and passion in them

pity he died for a Hero

Agreed you need leaders all over the pitch not just from the guy with the armband on. I do think Gunnars is a good leader though, gets players going by leading by example and vocally.

He's on the pitch and his name is Aron Gunnarsson, make Gunners Captain and you won't regret it Warnock

I don't necessarily disagree but you don't need an armband to be a captain on the pitch Annis.
He doesn't show much leadership to be honest.

Just about to post this, leadership isn't about wearing an armband. Gunners has been absolutely fantastic and you will at times see him cajole his players, but he's actually a really quiet lad. For me it's about having 4 or 5 captains. As pointed out bamba is your organiser, it's vital in football. Ask the lads down the road.

Gareth, He leads Iceland well, more than well, let's give him the chance at Cardiff City

Yes he has, he's not the most vocal in the world but like I said earlier the armband means nothing it's about 11 leaders or at least 5

He's on the pitch and his name is Aron Gunnarsson, make Gunners Captain and you won't regret it Warnock

I don't necessarily disagree but you don't need an armband to be a captain on the pitch Annis.
He doesn't show much leadership to be honest.

Morrisons is the Captain and you don't undermine your Captain, plus Gunners has only just managed to battle himself back in the team. So he's not going to fall out with anyone.

Don't agree with this.
I've played a ton of football, obviously not at this level, and if you're a leader you just lead. It's in you and you're not bothered about upsetting anyone. The urge to win and lead is too strong to be worried about that. There's loads of natural leaders out there who don't wear a band but just get on with it.

Yep absolutely spot on, played for 25 years and was captain and not during that time but changed nothing. It's within.

Anyone remember Don Murray?

Anyone remember Don Murray?

I remember drinking with Don Murray!

Anyone remember Don Murray?

I remember drinking with Don Murray!

Never met him myself but he came across as someone who you would'nt really want to argue with. I think he is the sort of person who we need now, always thought he was a good choice as team captain.