CAN CITY UNEARTH THE PLAYER THEY HAVE NEEDED FOR A DECADE?

The search for the player Cardiff City have really needed for a decade
By Paul Abbandonato

The goal output from Bluebirds strikers this century has been poor - and here's the evidence


There is someone out there in the football world ready to become a Cardiff City icon.

A 25-goal striker to lead the Bluebirds' promotion charge next season, the kind of figure Cardiff fans haven't been able to idolise since Rob Earnshaw was banging in the goals well over a decade ago.


Subsequent promotions to the Premier League have very much been achieved in spite of, rather than because of, a lethal marksman up front.

Each time, Cardiff did it the hard way.

First under Malky Mackay, when Heidar Helguson, Aron Gunnarsson and Peter Whittingham were joint top scorers in the League with just eight goals apiece.

Then under Neil Warnock two seasons back, when midfielder/cum full-back Callum Paterson led the way with 10.


Each Bluebirds promotion success story was built on the sum of the parts by excellent managers. A rock-solid defence, hard working midfield, set piece expertise and never give up ethic, rather than the customary glut of goals from a striker.

When Cardiff went up under Warnock, with Paterson top scoring, Matej Vydra hit 21 goals for Derby, Lewis Grabban 20 for Aston Villa and a certain Bobby Reid 19 for Bristol City.


As the front men struggled under Mackay, with Helguson managing just eight goals, Glenn Murray smashed 30 for fellow promotion winners Crystal Palace, Jordan Rhodes 28 for Blackburn and Charlie Austin 24 for tenth-placed Burnley.

It is the reason centre-forward is presenting Warnock with his biggest dilemma for the looming 2019-20 campaign. If he can back up Cardiff's traditional qualities with a 25-goal striker, his Bluebirds will be red-hot favourites to go up.


Cardiff fans are crying out for that kind of player in their team and our graphic of top league scorers down the years (at the bottom of this article) demonstrates just why.

You have to go back to Robbie Earnshaw, in the 2002-03 League One promotion year via the Millennium Stadium play-offs, for the last time a Cardiff striker bagged 25 goals or more.

Earnie, Michael Chopra and Ross McCormack each touched the 20 goal mark shortly afterwards, as did Peter Whittingham from midfield.


But in more recent times the figures haven't been particularly eye-opening.

In the Premier League last season Reid and Victor Camarasa bagged five goals apiece to top the Cardiff charts.

Kenneth Zohore top scored one year with 12, Anthony Pilkington another with nine. We even had centre-half Steven Caulker with five the previous time in the Prem.

Warnock feels Zohore has the potential to be the man this season, but the jury remains out on that.

Gary Madine, who arrived for £6m, hasn't scored a single Cardiff goal yet, so to expect him to net in excess of 20 would be naive in the extreme.

Omar Bogle and Danny Ward haven't shown they can do it, nor Rhys Healey.

So if it's not to be Zohore, Warnock will consider spending big on a new striker, recouping some of the money by offloading one or two of those already on Cardiff's books.


A centre forward with goals, backed up by the inevitable strikes from Reid, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Josh Murphy, seems the dream ticket to promotion. Cardiff have most other areas of the team covered, notwithstanding the need for another midfield man.

Can Warnock get that man? Is Zohore the answer? Could a loan signing like Tammy Abraham, who smashed 26 goals in helping Aston Villa go up, be the answer?

Cardiff fans will certainly idolise such a goalscoring figure, who could write his name into Bluebirds folklore.

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Robert Earnshaw was the last really prolific Cardiff marksman...

... Michael Chopra was special too

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In our 2013/14 Premier League season Jordan Mutch was top scorer with 7 I think.

Not sure that we have had a 25 goal a season striker at this level since the days of Toshack. I will probably be proved wrong, but I don't think even Chopra or Warboys ever got to that figure. Will be a good find if we can get a Championship striker who will get us 25 goals this season, I don't think there are too many around.

Not sure that we have had a 25 goal a season striker at this level since the days of Toshack. I will probably be proved wrong, but I don't think even Chopra or Warboys ever got to that figure. Will be a good find if we can get a Championship striker who will get us 25 goals this season, I don't think there are too many around.

I don't think we will get one and I don't think the way we play we play any striker would get it.

Not sure that we have had a 25 goal a season striker at this level since the days of Toshack. I will probably be proved wrong, but I don't think even Chopra or Warboys ever got to that figure. Will be a good find if we can get a Championship striker who will get us 25 goals this season, I don't think there are too many around.

I don't think we will get one and I don't think the way we play we play any striker would get it.

Spot on. Unfortunately most of our fans don't understand the way we play doesn't need a 20 goal a season striker. An inform Zohore scoring 10 goals would be more beneficial than a 20 goal striker.

Not sure that we have had a 25 goal a season striker at this level since the days of Toshack. I will probably be proved wrong, but I don't think even Chopra or Warboys ever got to that figure. Will be a good find if we can get a Championship striker who will get us 25 goals this season, I don't think there are too many around.

I don't think we will get one and I don't think the way we play we play any striker would get it.

Spot on. Unfortunately most of our fans don't understand the way we play doesn't need a 20 goal a season striker. An inform Zohore scoring 10 goals would be more beneficial than a 20 goal striker.

Agree, if not Zohore if we can get a striker to do what we need got the team and get 10 goals as well it would be well spent. Most the fox in the box type strikers who get the goals wouldn't fit in our team.

Not sure that we have had a 25 goal a season striker at this level since the days of Toshack. I will probably be proved wrong, but I don't think even Chopra or Warboys ever got to that figure. Will be a good find if we can get a Championship striker who will get us 25 goals this season, I don't think there are too many around.

I don't think we will get one and I don't think the way we play we play any striker would get it.

Spot on. Unfortunately most of our fans don't understand the way we play doesn't need a 20 goal a season striker. An inform Zohore scoring 10 goals would be more beneficial than a 20 goal striker.

Agree, if not Zohore if we can get a striker to do what we need got the team and get 10 goals as well it would be well spent. Most the fox in the box type strikers who get the goals wouldn't fit in our team.

A Heidar Helguson type Striker with hopefully a few more goals would fit the bill, he was very underrated by a lot of our fans, he worked his bollocks off in that team!

Not sure that we have had a 25 goal a season striker at this level since the days of Toshack. I will probably be proved wrong, but I don't think even Chopra or Warboys ever got to that figure. Will be a good find if we can get a Championship striker who will get us 25 goals this season, I don't think there are too many around.

Think Chopra got there or there abouts once or twice for us? Apart from that I dont think we have..

Imo we were lucky to get promoted last time without a prolific goalscorer and it wont happen again if we dont sign one.
And how the hell can someone say an inform zohore scoring 10 goals is more beneficial than a striker scoring 20 goals?

Imo we were lucky to get promoted last time without a prolific goalscorer and it wont happen again if we dont sign one.
And how the hell can someone say an inform zohore scoring 10 goals is more beneficial than a striker scoring 20 goals?

We’ve been promoted twice with out a prolific goal scorer.

It’s better to have a Zohore in your team then a Chopra because Zohore can create goals out of nothing at this level. Unless the balls in the opposition box what do players like Chopra offer.

Imo we were lucky to get promoted last time without a prolific goalscorer and it wont happen again if we dont sign one.
And how the hell can someone say an inform zohore scoring 10 goals is more beneficial than a striker scoring 20 goals?

We’ve been promoted twice with out a prolific goal scorer.

It’s better to have a Zohore in your team then a Chopra because Zohore can create goals out of nothing at this level. Unless the balls in the opposition box what do players like Chopra offer.

I would go for a Chopra every time. You need someone to create goals, and you would hope to have midfield and wide players who are able to do this. I have always thought that as a striker, your main job is to find the back of the net, as well as being able to hold the ball and bring others into play. You can be as creative as you like, but unless you have someone who can finish your creativity it will be hard to pick up the points needed for a serious challenge. Goals win games, and last season only one side scored fewer than us in our league.

The way we’ve played the last two seasons Kenyan Jones would have scored a shedfull

The way we’ve played the last two seasons Kenyan Jones would have scored a shedfull

But it would have cost us a few bob !!

But he would have kept us up

Whittingham is on it 3 times.... Class for a midfielder