' The young guns failing to fire '

' The young guns failing to fire '


We thought there was going be so much to enjoy about finally seeing young players come through Cardiff's academy in recent seasons. This season, it's not been so positive.

Rubin Colwill, Isaak Davies, Joel Bagan and Oliver Denham, four players who burst on to the scene last season, have been scarcely seen all term. Just 28 appearances in all competitions between them this term.

All four have had injury issues, but even when fit, they have hardly been first choice. Clearly, there is talent there, some of the quartet have higher ceilings than others, of course, but the trajectory of their progress has just flatlined a little.

Colwill missed the game against Middlesbrough with an ankle injury, while both he and Davies travelled to Hull City before being left out of the matchday 18. Colwill had some minutes off the bench against Luton Town, while Davies got five minutes against Boro at the weekend.

Oliver Denham had growing issues at the start of the season and then suffered a training-ground injury on his return. He's not been seen all season, really.

And as for Bagan, well, Lamouchi said he doesn't have a left-back in his squad during a press conference last week, which is either a big oversight or a damning indictment of where he sees him in his plans.

There's no doubt that Lamouchi's only focus is getting this club to safety. We can forgive him for not concentrating too much on the development of youngsters. But the point is - they should be at a level now where they are all contributing far more, rather than simply being played for developmental purposes.

With Wickham likely to be signed imminently, where that leaves Colwill and Davies is a big consideration moving forward. How much will they both contribute before the end of the season? It's a big concern, to be truthful. But, as we have already mentioned, not at the forefront of Lamouchi's mind.