Batten down the hatches – storms forecast for the Cardiff City Stadium area!

[the other bob wilson]

http://mauveandyellowarmy.net/

[Colonel Cærdiffi]

I hope those academy cut-back rumours aren't true.

[Cyclops]

23.01 31 August 2016 will be the best time to assess where the club is at.

[Ian Gibson's pencil]

A very interesting article Bob, it is nice to read that there are signs of optimism in our academy teams.

The possession stats from yesterday's game were predictable and alarming. Reading's organisation and tactical approach were fair too good for our three midfield players yesterday. Van Der Berg (4) and Williams (23) dominated the game for a significant part of the 90 minutes. They posessed more technical ability, pace and strength than their opponents, in the last twenty minute Williams demonstrated a disdain for our inability to prevent him playing or running with the bal deep into our half. Having watched Parker and MacDonald do the same for a lot of the game against Fulham it is very worrying.

I actually agree with Stam in his analysis of the game. He brought on Quinn to lay further up the field on the left hand side to exploit a perceived weakness and he replaced the solid but defensive Blackett with the more attack minded Obita. It was an effective overlap and cross byObita that produced the winning goal. Why Harris was left so exposed when we were defending with five defended is also baffling.

I don't understand bringing on Noone and playing him through the middle, why not use Harris and No one to stretch their defence and get crosses into the box for Gounongbe and Pilkington? We could have easily reverted to a back four once Noone entered the fray.

[dmf1]

Good read.

This was the first league game I've been to this season (holiday) so I was quite keen to see the formation for myself. It looked more like a lopsided 4-4-2 with Jazz playing very deep, Harris pushing up and Peltier covering in behind him (and Ralls covering left mid). When Peltier went off they seemed to lose their shape a little bit and it became more of a flat 5 and 3 center mids (none of which really tried to push up and support the strikers). Very static and no pace in the team except for Kads.

Wing back seems to suit Harris a bit more; I remember Wycombe fans saying he was always a decent defender for a winger, and playing a bit deeper gives him more opportunity to run with the ball. Similar to Declan John, they're clearly both very fast and energetic, but neither of them seem to have much end product which is troubling seeing as they are the only wide players in our current formation. But if we're serious about giving youth a chance, we should stick with them and encourage them to push up the pitch a bit more because that role is key to our formation.

I'd personally like to see the 4-3-3 given a go. It would probably mean John and Harris are dropped but it could be something like this:

Noone--------New striker----------Pilkington

Huws---Whittingham---Gunnarsson

Bennett---Morrison---Connolly---Richards

Perhaps Lloyd Isgrove would be a good shout as a wide player to compete with Noone and Pilkington, especially as I doubt Southampton would hold out for much money. The Kyle Lafferty links won't go away and to be honest, if we're looking for a number 9 in a 4-3-3 there are worse options.


As you said, Ben Wilson had nothing to do yesterday so I didn't get a good look at him; in your opinion is he ready for championship football? I haven't seen any development games so have no idea what he's like.

[the other bob wilson]

Good read.

This was the first league game I've been to this season (holiday) so I was quite keen to see the formation for myself. It looked more like a lopsided 4-4-2 with Jazz playing very deep, Harris pushing up and Peltier covering in behind him (and Ralls covering left mid). When Peltier went off they seemed to lose their shape a little bit and it became more of a flat 5 and 3 center mids (none of which really tried to push up and support the strikers). Very static and no pace in the team except for Kads.

Wing back seems to suit Harris a bit more; I remember Wycombe fans saying he was always a decent defender for a winger, and playing a bit deeper gives him more opportunity to run with the ball. Similar to Declan John, they're clearly both very fast and energetic, but neither of them seem to have much end product which is troubling seeing as they are the only wide players in our current formation. But if we're serious about giving youth a chance, we should stick with them and encourage them to push up the pitch a bit more because that role is key to our formation.

I'd personally like to see the 4-3-3 given a go. It would probably mean John and Harris are dropped but it could be something like this:

Noone--------New striker----------Pilkington

Huws---Whittingham---Gunnarsson

Bennett---Morrison---Connolly---Richards

Perhaps Lloyd Isgrove would be a good shout as a wide player to compete with Noone and Pilkington, especially as I doubt Southampton would hold out for much money. The Kyle Lafferty links won't go away and to be honest, if we're looking for a number 9 in a 4-3-3 there are worse options.


As you said, Ben Wilson had nothing to do yesterday so I didn't get a good look at him; in your opinion is he ready for championship football? I haven't seen any development games so have no idea what he's like.

Thanks for all of your responses, not got much time to give much of an answer to them at the moment I'm afraid, but the short answer to your Ben Wilson question is no - I think we need to bring in a new, first choice, keeper.

[thehumblegringo]

I was at the u18 game yesterday and it was a superb game of football with both sides showing far more bravery and creativity than the 90 minutes of football we watched at 3pm.

I watch all ages of the Academy and there are some excellent players on the horizon.

One of which has turned down the approaches of Manchester City and Chelsea I believe to stay at Cardiff.

If the rumoured cuts to staff affect the Academy as they are likely to do then we face the possibility when we are audited of slipping from our current category 2 status to a category 3 academy which would be a complete disaster for this club.

We would then be at the same level as your Newport and Bristol Rovers etc.
To give you a hint, our u14s beat Newport 13-0 recently!

All our best assets would then be free to move on and potential fees we would receive for players like Spence, Coxe, Harris, Bowen etc in the future would come to nothing.

I think the only people who would be rubbing their hands at this prospect are our good friends at Swansea and Bristol City!

[Ian Gibson's pencil]

Completely agree with the impact of Peltier leaving the field yesterday, the same thing happened against Balcburn to an extent. His presence seems to give the side more drive and aggression, he wants to play on the front foot and get at the opposition alongside his excellent defensive skills. He seems to be the man responsible for pushing the side up the field.

I realise he has almost been canonised by our fans but Whittingham's lack of pace, athleticism and physical presence are being exploited by opponents while he remains as the deepest of our midfield players. I felt Williams toyed with him yesterday, if his attributes are to be full year exploited, and he had good moments first half, he must play further upfield.

[thehumblegringo]

Completely agree with the impact of Peltier leaving the field yesterday, the same thing happened against Balcburn to an extent. His presence seems to give the side more drive and aggression, he wants to play on the front foot and get at the opposition alongside his excellent defensive skills. He seems to be the man responsible for pushing the side up the field.

I realise he has almost been canonised by our fans but Whittingham's lack of pace, athleticism and physical presence are being exploited by opponents while he remains as the deepest of our midfield players. I felt Williams toyed with him yesterday, if his attributes are to be full year exploited, and he had good moments first half, he must play further upfield.

Gibbo I have usually backed you on your assessment of Whittingham when we played in a 4-4-2 system, however there is no way he can be held responsible for our shortcomings this season.

Whittingham may not be the most mobile of midfielders but I would argue that he's more effective even defensively than Ralls and Gunnarsson this season let alone in an offensive sense.

Ralls is becoming the most frustrating player I have ever seen. His unwillingness to take ANY risk with his movement or use of possession borders on ridiculous. He makes Ray Wilkinson look like Eden Hazard!

[Llanedeyrnblue]

As usual an entertaining and informative read, thanks Bob

[Ian Gibson's pencil]

Gibbo I have usually backed you on your assessment of Whittingham when we played in a 4-4-2 system, however there is no way he can be held responsible for our shortcomings this season.

Whittingham may not be the most mobile of midfielders but I would argue that he's more effective even defensively than Ralls and Gunnarsson this season let alone in an offensive sense.

Gringo, I totally agree that our midfield three were totally ineffective yesterday. I also agree that Rall and Gunnarsson were more culpable I terms of their personal contributions. However, I firmly believe we will it be contenders this division with Whittingham playing in that position. He is simply too slow and not physical enough.

I don't know if you seen his display against Fulham, in the first half he was anonymous. Scott Parker's display should be shown to all like the City's midfield players. He ran the show, confident in the ball, great distribution, loads of energy, tenacious and the ability to carry the ball. You could tell which player had had an illustrious career in the Premier league.

Van Den Beck showed, without breaking too much sweat, how a dee lying midfield layer can be very effective both offensively and defensively yesterday.

I respect your views and of course I reserve the right to disagree, I feel his best days are long gone, nowhere near fit enough to make a consistent match by match contribution. I sincerely hope to be proved wrong I really do, but my experience of the past few years make me fear the worst.

Ralls is becoming the most frustrating player I have ever seen. His unwillingness to take ANY risk with his movement or use of possession borders on ridiculous. He makes Ray Wilkinson look like Eden Hazard!

Rallshas gone backwards at an alarming rate of knots, you have question the coaching he has received.

[BLUETIT]

Rallshas gone backwards at an alarming rate of knots, you have question the coaching he has received.

When did we sign Rallshas, I know I had a few bows yesterday, but what position was he playing.

[Ian Gibson's pencil]

[QUOTE=thehumblegringo;4666213]Gibbo I have usually backed you on your assessment of Whittingham when we played in a 4-4-2 system, however there is no way he can be held responsible for our shortcomings this season.

Whittingham may not be the most mobile of midfielders but I would argue that he's more effective even defensively than Ralls and Gunnarsson this season let alone in an offensive sense.

Ralls is becoming the most frustrating player I have ever seen. His unwillingness to take ANY risk with his movement or use of possession borders on ridiculous. He makes Ray Wilkinson look like Eden Hazard![/QUOTE

Whittingham was less culpable than the other two In terms of his personal contribution yesterday. However, I personally believe he lacks the pace, athleticism and physical presence to be effective has the deepest midfield player in a central three.

Van Den Beck demonstrated yesterday how effective a holding midfield palyer can be both defensively and offensive in a well organised system.

I don't know if you have seen Whittingham's display against Fulham, first half it can only be described as anonymous. Scott Parker's performance should be shown to every aspiring midfield player at the club. He completely dominated proceedings. He was confident in the ball, distributed well, showed great energy, he was tenacious and carried the ball forward with great conviction, driving his team on. You could tell which player had had an illustrious career in the Premier League.

I respect your point of view very much, your points are always well thought out but I must disagree about how effective Whittingham's contribution can be over a season. He is not fit enough or athletic enough to ankle a significant difference, set piece contributions are not enough for a club with serious ambitions.

I sincerely hope I am proved wrong and he goes on to be the leader and influential player we require. However, on the evidence of the past few seasons I can not see it happening.

[dmf1]

Agree with the comments about Danny Williams, he totally dominated our midfield three and I was really impressed.

I think we all know Whittingham is good on the ball and hits some lovely passes, particularly in tight spaces. But his off the ball work is pretty poor. Any outfield player has to play >90% of the game without the ball and I just don't see enough work rate when we don't have possession. For the last few years he's started the season brightly but gone down hill as I don't think he's got the legs for 40 games a year any more.

Contrast that to Gunnar who may not be as good on the ball but really put his body on the line yesterday and covered a lot of ground.

I don't think the current formation is suiting Ralls. With more bodies in the middle he's got more license to get forward but isn't taking advantage of it at all. Having him and Whitts both wanting to sit deep means our forwards are getting increasingly isolated. Him and O'Keefe worked so well together in the middle of a 4-4-2 last year and were probably the only reason we were remotely close to the play offs. He's still only 22 and I hope we don't give up on him.

[surge]

It would be a tragedy (far more than not signing a striker) to see our academy get cut and then regulated under new guidelines; didn't we lose out on Bale because we didn't have an academy or had an underfunded system?

I think it's a bit rich to still mention Malky so prominently in our current woes, the number of signings made and the high fees/wages involved since should have been enough for us to shrug off that one poor window and although he was part of the move away from quick and attacking football Ole looked to change that and Slade made it so much worse. So many poor windows in a row means it will take time for Trollope to properly put his stamp on things and give his modern approach a chance of working. However, I am concerned by how few passing options we have when on the ball and how much space the opposition has when they are considering what the 3-5-2 means when played well.

[stan butler]

When did we sign Rallshas, I know I had a few bows yesterday, but what position was he playing.

Our new indian signing Maybe we should re sign Chris Burkha

[thehumblegringo]

Gibbo I have usually backed you on your assessment of Whittingham when we played in a 4-4-2 system, however there is no way he can be held responsible for our shortcomings this season.

Whittingham may not be the most mobile of midfielders but I would argue that he's more effective even defensively than Ralls and Gunnarsson this season let alone in an offensive sense.

Ralls is becoming the most frustrating player I have ever seen. His unwillingness to take ANY risk with his movement or use of possession borders on ridiculous. He makes Ray Wilkinson look like Eden Hazard!

Ray Wilkins

[rich munn]

[QUOTE=Ian Gibson's pencil;4666221]

Gibbo I have usually backed you on your assessment of Whittingham when we played in a 4-4-2 system, however there is no way he can be held responsible for our shortcomings this season.

Whittingham may not be the most mobile of midfielders but I would argue that he's more effective even defensively than Ralls and Gunnarsson this season let alone in an offensive sense.

Ralls is becoming the most frustrating player I have ever seen. His unwillingness to take ANY risk with his movement or use of possession borders on ridiculous. He makes Ray Wilkinson look like Eden Hazard![/QUOTE

Whittingham was less culpable than the other two In terms of his personal contribution yesterday. However, I personally believe he lacks the pace, athleticism and physical presence to be effective has the deepest midfield player in a central three.

Van Den Beck demonstrated yesterday how effective a holding midfield palyer can be both defensively and offensive in a well organised system.

I don't know if you have seen Whittingham's display against Fulham, first half it can only be described as anonymous. Scott Parker's performance should be shown to every aspiring midfield player at the club. He completely dominated proceedings. He was confident in the ball, distributed well, showed great energy, he was tenacious and carried the ball forward with great conviction, driving his team on. You could tell which player had had an illustrious career in the Premier League.

I respect your point of view very much, your points are always well thought out but I must disagree about how effective Whittingham's contribution can be over a season. He is not fit enough or athletic enough to ankle a significant difference, set piece contributions are not enough for a club with serious ambitions.

I sincerely hope I am proved wrong and he goes on to be the leader and influential player we require. However, on the evidence of the past few seasons I can not see it happening.

I have been hoping Whittingham would prove me wrong for 3 seasons. I still am.

But experience tells me - don't hold your breath.

Nobody else seems, or has seemed, remotely interested in signing him - why would that be?

[thehumblegringo]

[QUOTE=Ian Gibson's pencil;4666221]

Gibbo I have usually backed you on your assessment of Whittingham when we played in a 4-4-2 system, however there is no way he can be held responsible for our shortcomings this season.

Whittingham may not be the most mobile of midfielders but I would argue that he's more effective even defensively than Ralls and Gunnarsson this season let alone in an offensive sense.

Ralls is becoming the most frustrating player I have ever seen. His unwillingness to take ANY risk with his movement or use of possession borders on ridiculous. He makes Ray Wilkinson look like Eden Hazard![/QUOTE

Whittingham was less culpable than the other two In terms of his personal contribution yesterday. However, I personally believe he lacks the pace, athleticism and physical presence to be effective has the deepest midfield player in a central three.

Van Den Beck demonstrated yesterday how effective a holding midfield palyer can be both defensively and offensive in a well organised system.

I don't know if you have seen Whittingham's display against Fulham, first half it can only be described as anonymous. Scott Parker's performance should be shown to every aspiring midfield player at the club. He completely dominated proceedings. He was confident in the ball, distributed well, showed great energy, he was tenacious and carried the ball forward with great conviction, driving his team on. You could tell which player had had an illustrious career in the Premier League.

I respect your point of view very much, your points are always well thought out but I must disagree about how effective Whittingham's contribution can be over a season. He is not fit enough or athletic enough to ankle a significant difference, set piece contributions are not enough for a club with serious ambitions.

I sincerely hope I am proved wrong and he goes on to be the leader and influential player we require. However, on the evidence of the past few seasons I can not see it happening.

Thank you for your comments Gibbo. I don't think Whittingham will ever be a leader but I do think we'd get more out of him playing a 4-2-3-1 especially in games where the onus is on us to attack.

I honestly think Whittingham has given us more defensively than the other 2 this season and yet he's the only one out of the three that has also put us on the front foot too.

We desperately need not just a number 10 who can move in between lines and ghost passed players but we need a holding midfielder who is disciplined and intelligent to break up opposition attacks.

Given our cash crisis I'm amazed how little we use the French market. There is a lad who has just signed for Ludogrets on a free that played for Evian last season called Gustavo Campanharo. He's 24, plays as a 10 and would have been well worth a gamble.

If we are looking at journeymen like Lafferty what hope have we got of any entertainment AGAIN this season!

[CCFCPhil]

i enjoid that

[Ian Gibson's pencil]

i enjoid that

Sorry about the typing errors, I am passionate about the City so I type in haste and the predictive spelling doesn't help. Also, I am too much of a sloth to proof read. Hey- Ho, it is my contribution to the Gruniard tradition.

[CCFC CASUAL]

I watched a bit on stream yesterday whilst buffering and it was an awful game from both sets of teams. There wasn't one decent player on show. Both sides will struggle this year imo.
I must say I was appalled to hear our own fans booing Fred. Don't get me wrong that back flick in a rare moment we played it into feet was a poor decision but booing the fella isn't going to do him any good.

[Ian Gibson's pencil]

I watched a bit on stream yesterday whilst buffering and it was an awful game from both sets of teams. There wasn't one decent player on show. Both sides will struggle this year imo.
I must say I was appalled to hear our own fans booing Fred. Don't get me wrong that back flick in a rare moment we played it into feet was a poor decision but booing the fella isn't going to do him any good.

If you thought that Williams and Van Den Beck were ordinary Championship players from your stream, you did not have enough camera angles. I can assure you live in the stadium, they looked very classy players.

[Alfonso Perez]

I watched a bit on stream yesterday whilst buffering and it was an awful game from both sets of teams. There wasn't one decent player on show. Both sides will struggle this year imo.
I must say I was appalled to hear our own fans booing Fred. Don't get me wrong that back flick in a rare moment we played it into feet was a poor decision but booing the fella isn't going to do him any good.

Totally agree about the pathetic booing. Fred is not only settling into a new club but also a new country so we should be encouraging him not trying to destroy him.

[CCFC CASUAL]

If you thought that Williams and Van Den Beck were ordinary Championship players from your stream, you did not have enough camera angles. I can assure you live in the stadium, they looked very classy players.

It wasn't the greatest of streams and kept kicking me out so I didn't catch much of the first half, or the last 10-15 but what I did see was a Reading team pass it sideways and backwards and just keeping possession for possessions sakes without creating **** all.
As for City it looked like they were down to 10 men because whenever someone had the ball he didn't have any options.