Tactics or Personnel? Or a combination of both?

I had better say before I start that I am not a fan of our "style" of play. Never have been.

I am genuinely bemused by how ineffective we have become this season. I've seen every game (including all the friendlies) except Real Valladolid in Canada. For long stretches of games we haven't looked remotely dangerous and been so easy to pick apart. (As an aside, I have no idea who came up with a pre-season of two lower-order USL Champ teams in sweltering heat and two continental teams but I really don't see how that was any use at preparation for the rigours of 46 championship games. Before anyone starts I think pre-season does matter and does tell you something about where you are.)

I actually think a number of the players are good pros. Some less so than others clearly. There are obvious targets for criticism but they just can't all suddenly have turned into complete cloggers. I do think Gunnars and Manga were integral to the system we play and they have patently not been replaced. But generally personnel-wise I thinks things are ok.

So I have a feeling it's the system. We have ground out results for 2 years now in many games. We have no plan B. We don't actually have an effective plan A. We have played in a way where we lived off scraps as the underdog in many of those games, hoping for chances created through dead-ball situations and physicality. Long-run it doesn't work and it's awful to watch.

I honestly feel it would have been better for all if NW et al had decided to gracefully move upstairs or call it a day at the end of last season, safe in the knowledge that they had secured their place in Cardiff City folklore. We could have given a new regime resources and time to introduce new ideas, their own ethos and it would have reinvigourated the old heads. My fear is NW will decide to leave in short order and in will stroll ... Mr Tony Pulis.

I hope I'm wrong and we stick 5 past Huddersfield.

We haven't created much from open play in a number of years, probably since Malky's first season. We have players who can profit from mistakes, who have pace and who have an eye for a wondergoal. Our tactic is to get the ball towards the final third as possible, then go for the jugular.

It gets predictable. Confidence cannot be all that high after relegation and that will have an effect.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by az city

I had better say before I start that I am not a fan of our "style" of play. Never have been.

I am genuinely bemused by how ineffective we have become this season. I've seen every game (including all the friendlies) except Real Valladolid in Canada. For long stretches of games we haven't looked remotely dangerous and been so easy to pick apart. (As an aside, I have no idea who came up with a pre-season of two lower-order USL Champ teams in sweltering heat and two continental teams but I really don't see how that was any use at preparation for the rigours of 46 championship games. Before anyone starts I think pre-season does matter and does tell you something about where you are.)

I actually think a number of the players are good pros. Some less so than others clearly. There are obvious targets for criticism but they just can't all suddenly have turned into complete cloggers. I do think Gunnars and Manga were integral to the system we play and they have patently not been replaced. But generally personnel-wise I thinks things are ok.

So I have a feeling it's the system. We have ground out results for 2 years now in many games. We have no plan B. We don't actually have an effective plan A. We have played in a way where we lived off scraps as the underdog in many of those games, hoping for chances created through dead-ball situations and physicality. Long-run it doesn't work and it's awful to watch.

I honestly feel it would have been better for all if NW et al had decided to gracefully move upstairs or call it a day at the end of last season, safe in the knowledge that they had secured their place in Cardiff City folklore. We could have given a new regime resources and time to introduce new ideas, their own ethos and it would have reinvigourated the old heads. My fear is NW will decide to leave in short order and in will stroll ... Mr Tony Pulis.

I hope I'm wrong and we stick 5 past Huddersfield.

---

I agree with everything you say.

I only hope that if Warnock survives until the end of the season he is not responsible for choosing his successor. I couldn't see him picking a "football man", that would only highlight the stark contrast in playing styles, I don't think he would want that. He's more likely to choose someone like Pulis and have us believe.. "Well, this is how football is" - or he'll go for someone really off the radar from the lower leagues.. ala Russel Slade.

Whoever comes in is going to have a mammoth rebuild on their hands, that's for sure!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by az city

I had better say before I start that I am not a fan of our "style" of play. Never have been.

I am genuinely bemused by how ineffective we have become this season. I've seen every game (including all the friendlies) except Real Valladolid in Canada. For long stretches of games we haven't looked remotely dangerous and been so easy to pick apart. (As an aside, I have no idea who came up with a pre-season of two lower-order USL Champ teams in sweltering heat and two continental teams but I really don't see how that was any use at preparation for the rigours of 46 championship games. Before anyone starts I think pre-season does matter and does tell you something about where you are.)

I actually think a number of the players are good pros. Some less so than others clearly. There are obvious targets for criticism but they just can't all suddenly have turned into complete cloggers. I do think Gunnars and Manga were integral to the system we play and they have patently not been replaced. But generally personnel-wise I thinks things are ok.

So I have a feeling it's the system. We have ground out results for 2 years now in many games. We have no plan B. We don't actually have an effective plan A. We have played in a way where we lived off scraps as the underdog in many of those games, hoping for chances created through dead-ball situations and physicality. Long-run it doesn't work and it's awful to watch.

I honestly feel it would have been better for all if NW et al had decided to gracefully move upstairs or call it a day at the end of last season, safe in the knowledge that they had secured their place in Cardiff City folklore. We could have given a new regime resources and time to introduce new ideas, their own ethos and it would have reinvigourated the old heads. My fear is NW will decide to leave in short order and in will stroll ... Mr Tony Pulis.

I hope I'm wrong and we stick 5 past Huddersfield.

---

Good post. I agree entirely with your first paragraph - it would have been one thing to go over to America/Canada and work from a base like we did in 2006, but to do so while starting off almost on the Mexican border and then moving up into Canada seemed questionable at the time and looks daft now.

I'm afraid it is the tactics and the personnel for me because the latter is driven by the former as a squad that is built to play "Warnockball" and not much else has been put together until we get the current extreme version of it (Warnockball on steroids as Nathan Blake called it) that is floundering in away matches because sides at this level are increasingly playing a modern version of the game where attacking pace, movement and skill in central areas are being preferred to statuesque target men who want to turn their confrontation with central defenders into a battle of strength, rather than stealth.

One thing I slightly disagree with you on is that I feel we could beat Huddersfield 5-0 and this wouldn't mean the fundamental problem will have gone away.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

Good post. I agree entirely with your first paragraph - it would have been one thing to go over to America/Canada and work from a base like we did in 2006, but to do so while starting off almost on the Mexican border and then moving up into Canada seemed questionable at the time and looks daft now.

I'm afraid it is the tactics and the personnel for me because the latter is driven by the former as a squad that is built to play "Warnockball" and not much else has been put together until we get the current extreme version of it (Warnockball on steroids as Nathan Blake called it) that is floundering in away matches because sides at this level are increasingly playing a modern version of the game where attacking pace, movement and skill in central areas are being preferred to statuesque target men who want to turn their confrontation with central defenders into a battle of strength, rather than stealth.

One thing I slightly disagree with you on is that I feel we could beat Huddersfield 5-0 and this wouldn't mean the fundamental problem will have gone away.

---

Exactly!

Opposition centre forwards try to outsmart our defenders (not too difficult!). Ours just want to turn it into a war of attrition.

Good post. As some posters will be aware, I'm a huge fan of the way the game is going with speed of thought and technical execution overriding power and size.

Unfortunately for us we seem to be missing the boat and our success of 2 years ago could prove to be a curse in the long term.

When we got promoted we were always seen as the plucky underdog who was punching and would ultimately fall away.

Our good start that season put us firmly in the mix and we managed to grind it out in the end for deserved promotion.

I watched the championship last season as much as I did when we there and I often commented on how the standard had gone through the roof last season.

Whether it's through the influence of coaches like Klopp, Poch and mostly Guardiola we now see a possession based football with far more technical footballers coming through and replacing the likes of Nuhiu, Philipp Hoffman and Matt Smith who were just useless lumps.

The English academy system is becoming the envy of the world and has left countries like Germany wanting to follow suit.

We play a brand of football from a different era and the only things missing for us are muddy pitches and fellas running around with tight shorts and socks rolled down.

The system or style has not even been tinkered with to take some of the best things from that time and combine it with something of today's game.

Like others have commented I don't see us being able to transition overnight with the squad that's been assembled so I don't know what the answer is.

We're stuck between a rock and hard hard place now. Do we stick and go with someone Warnock like next season and endure some pain in the process or do we rip it up and build again with a more sustainable approach that would require patience?

I would like to see us become more progressive but I don't think our fans would have the patience and I also don't believe there is anyone remotely capable at our club of identifying what's required.

I agree with every word said in here. The worst thing with our "style" of football is that because there is zero entertainment factor as soon as you stop winning the whole fun is gone.

People on here seem to think having possession is boring (I assume this is just bias) but our matches are all painful to watch unless we are winning.

We have zero quality in midfield and never look like creating a chance from open play.

Warnock was the right man at the right time but the next step has to be modernisatio of the club from top to bottom. Improve the academy, have a style of play right the way through the age groups, improve the scounting etc.

The club made the task of appointing Warnock’s successor immeasurably more difficult by giving him another season. Yet another dismal transfer window stripping out the last vestiges of creative talent and replacing them with journeymen pros.

Our next manager will now have an even bigger job attempting to modernise this squad ill-suited to the modern game. With no Director of Football in place and no apparent strategy I would question the ability of the board to make the right appointment when the time comes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Croesy Blue

I agree with every word said in here. The worst thing with our "style" of football is that because there is zero entertainment factor as soon as you stop winning the whole fun is gone.

People on here seem to think having possession is boring (I assume this is just bias) but our matches are all painful to watch unless we are winning.

We have zero quality in midfield and never look like creating a chance from open play.

Warnock was the right man at the right time but the next step has to be modernisatio of the club from top to bottom. Improve the academy, have a style of play right the way through the age groups, improve the scounting etc.

---

That's it. Wins can help paper over the cracks, so too sometimes can plucky performances. However, when the football served up is mind-numbingly boring to watch and you lose - those cracks get exposed.