Mehmet Dalman plays the "plucky little Cardiff City" card.

[surge]

"He's been a good professional, he's offered to help and I told him it's too early, I don't want to talk about it, at least not until Christmas,"

Whoever it is who succeeds Warnock, Dalman has indicated Cardiff have no plans to change the club's footballing structure by appointing a sporting director or similar role to work alongside any future manager or head coach.
"I don't really see a change," he said.

Those are the two most interesting and potentially significant quotes in my opinion. I respect that the club don't want to talk about Warnock going at the end of the year, at least til the season has settled down, but they surely are looking now after previously suggesting that they were ill prepared for a recent transfer window. I say suggesting because Dalman's role is largely to manager different parts of the club so this is a statement managing the fans and Warnock, as much as drawing criticism to the transfer committee was perhaps about keeping fans wedded to Warnock and trusting unity would give us best chance of staying up. Distancing themselves from a DoF doesn't have to be a bad thing, it's worked thus far for the Jacks not to have one, but that is probably the most popular move they could have made looking at what is being said here and suggests there is still a lack of trust in football personal even if it means again welcoming criticism of the board.

[Divine Wright]

Those are the two most interesting and potentially significant quotes in my opinion. I respect that the club don't want to talk about Warnock going at the end of the year, at least til the season has settled down, but they surely are looking now after previously suggesting that they were ill prepared for a recent transfer window. I say suggesting because Dalman's role is largely to manager different parts of the club so this is a statement managing the fans and Warnock, as much as drawing criticism to the transfer committee was perhaps about keeping fans wedded to Warnock and trusting unity would give us best chance of staying up. Distancing themselves from a DoF doesn't have to be a bad thing, it's worked thus far for the Jacks not to have one, but that is probably the most popular move they could have made looking at what is being said here and suggests there is still a lack of trust in football personal even if it means again welcoming criticism of the board.

He openly said that Warnock suggested beginning the search. If Warnock himself is pushing the issue why would it be a bad thing to say “ Neil and I have been speaking since the start of the year about his successor “ if that were the case. The fans aren’t kids and everyone knows he won’t be here next season so I fail to see how that would detract from togetherness and morale. I for one would feel encouraged.

The Jacks obviously have people who are able to think about the long term development of the team. That’s why they don’t need a DOF. We on the other hand have no one who understands football.

[surge]

He openly said that Warnock suggested beginning the search. If Warnock himself is pushing the issue why would it be a bad thing to say “ Neil and I have been speaking since the start of the year about his successor “ if that were the case. The fans aren’t kids and everyone knows he won’t be here next season so I fail to see how that would detract from togetherness and morale. I for one would feel encouraged.

The Jacks obviously have people who are able to think about the long term development of the team. That’s why they don’t need a DOF. We on the other hand have no one who understands football.

In the scenario where the club admit they're actively looking for a successor then as soon as there is a bad run of results, see Christmas/post Christmas in either of the past two seasons, and fans are clamouring for the new man to come in early. In the scenario where it hasn't been spoken about then the fans grumble about board not being prepared but stick behind Warnock because there is no one else better in the short term to sort it out. I'd be shocked if having "admitted" to not being prepared for recent transfer window that the club isn't doing everything to make sure it's prepared for next summer...whether they want to tell the fans/media that or not.

I'm not really saying we don't need a DoF, although am suggesting an example where slight variations on the structure has worked fine. I'm predominantly asking why, and attempting to answer, Dalman would admit to reading these fans boards, where a DoF is a popular suggestion, and look to distance club from that move.

[thehumblegringo]

Those are the two most interesting and potentially significant quotes in my opinion. I respect that the club don't want to talk about Warnock going at the end of the year, at least til the season has settled down, but they surely are looking now after previously suggesting that they were ill prepared for a recent transfer window. I say suggesting because Dalman's role is largely to manager different parts of the club so this is a statement managing the fans and Warnock, as much as drawing criticism to the transfer committee was perhaps about keeping fans wedded to Warnock and trusting unity would give us best chance of staying up. Distancing themselves from a DoF doesn't have to be a bad thing, it's worked thus far for the Jacks not to have one, but that is probably the most popular move they could have made looking at what is being said here and suggests there is still a lack of trust in football personal even if it means again welcoming criticism of the board.

The Jacks don't have a director of football but the do have an experienced head of recruitment and layers of structure right throughout the club and believe me, this is something we don't have.

We have a handful of people who have a lot of power to act according to their own impulses.

There are people on here in high level jobs who are willing to argue that it's totally acceptable for a club who are dealing with potentially £15-20 million transfers to be run like Ton Pentre

[surge]

The Jacks don't have a director of football but the do have an experienced head of recruitment and layers of structure right throughout the club and believe me, this is something we don't have.

We have a handful of people who have a lot of power to act according to their own impulses.

There are people on here in high level jobs who are willing to argue that it's totally acceptable for a club who are dealing with potentially £15-20 million transfers to be run like Ton Pentre

I'm not really saying we don't need a DoF, although am suggesting an example where slight variations on the structure has worked fine. I'm predominantly asking why, and attempting to answer, Dalman would admit to reading these fans boards where a DoF is a popular suggestion and look to distance club from that move.

[NYCBlue]

Last season, Bouremouth had an average attendance of 11,000 and Leeds had an average attendance of 34,000.

That's right, Bournemouth sell-out every home game. Imagine if we did that for 5 years. I'd say that would be worth some investment, wouldn't you?

[thehumblegringo]

I'm not really saying we don't need a DoF, although am suggesting an example where slight variations on the structure has worked fine. I'm predominantly asking why, and attempting to answer, Dalman would admit to reading these fans boards where a DoF is a popular suggestion and look to distance club from that move.

It's about power in my opinion mate. I do find it strange how this is the second time in 4 days the forums have been mentioned by someone in a prominent position at the club.

[Divine Wright]

In the scenario where the club admit they're actively looking for a successor then as soon as there is a bad run of results, see Christmas/post Christmas in either of the past two seasons, and fans are clamouring for the new man to come in early. In the scenario where it hasn't been spoken about then the fans grumble about board not being prepared but stick behind Warnock because there is no one else better in the short term to sort it out. I'd be shocked if having "admitted" to not being prepared for recent transfer window that the club isn't doing everything to make sure it's prepared for next summer...whether they want to tell the fans/media that or not.

I'm not really saying we don't need a DoF, although am suggesting an example where slight variations on the structure has worked fine. I'm predominantly asking why, and attempting to answer, Dalman would admit to reading these fans boards, where a DoF is a popular suggestion, and look to distance club from that move.

There has been way too much second guessing of comments made either by the board or the manager himself over the last couple of seasons and I’ve seen little to suggest there has ever been some top secret plan behind the scenes that is being cleverly smoke screened by those at the helm.

Do you, personally , as a fan, need to be patronised to stop you from getting disgruntled? If YOU don’t, who are these throngs of imbeciles that need to be buttered up or kept away from the truth? Are these the same morons that have invested their money in the club for the last 20,30,40,50 years. The same people who have seen hundreds of games at Championship level and lower.

Dalman is either being patronising or incompetent.

If I were in charge , and I think I’m as well qualified if not more so than Dalman, I’d be looking for someone and if I wanted to keep it quiet I wouldn’t speak to the press. That said, if I was working on something exciting and worthy of a club with our status I’d happily say “Neil and I are working on a shortlist. We been in discussions with a professionals who have advised premier league clubs on the way in which we can develop both on and off the pitch and we are working out the direction we’d like to take the club over the next few years. We are all really excited about the ideas and hope that the work done both on and off the pitch this season under Neil will give us the perfect springboard for the new setup that will be put in place for the 20/21 season. If we can do that as a Premier League club that would be a dream. So, all I’d ask the fans is to keep up their excellent support because with them behind us we’ve seen what’s possible.”

I think if real work were being put in behind the scenes and everyone was involved, there would be no reason not to boast a little about it. Telling the fans “your club is in really good hands” would do ten times more good than it would do harm.

This guy is telling the truth. It’s fans that put 2 and 2 together and get 5. ... “we are buying championship players so we have an amazing championship squad when we go down...it’s the long game”. “Neil says he reckons we’ll be lucky to stay up as a challenge to the players”..blh blah blah. What if they are just telling the truth? What then?

[City123]

That's right, Bournemouth sell-out every home game. Imagine if we did that for 5 years. I'd say that would be worth some investment, wouldn't you?

The annoying thing is that this club has genuine potential, but many of our own fans seem blind to it and regularly trot out the "Well we were shit in the 80s/90s and only got 3,000" line. Surely the fact that we sold out our ground most games in what was a pretty poor season (Just 6 home wins), should be proof to both the board and fans that with genuine investment we could sustain and even improve on that? We were the 11th highest supported club in the PL last season, if we stayed there for more than just a season and could have the sustained success (Success nowadays being establishing ourselves in the top flight) that has eluded the cub it isn't unreasonable to think we could get crowds of 40,000+. We've managed promotion to the PL twice with no real structure or plan at all, so imagine what savvy investment and a genuine structure could do for this football club

[NYCBlue]

The annoying thing is that this club has genuine potential, but many of our own fans seem blind to it and regularly trot out the "Well we were shit in the 80s/90s and only got 3,000" line. Surely the fact that we sold out our ground most games in what was a pretty poor season (Just 6 home wins), should be proof to both the board and fans that with genuine investment we could sustain and even improve on that? We were the 11th highest supported club in the PL last season, if we stayed there for more than just a season and could have the sustained success (Success nowadays being establishing ourselves in the top flight) that has eluded the cub it isn't unreasonable to think we could get crowds of 40,000+. We've managed promotion to the PL twice with no real structure or plan at all, so imagine what savvy investment and a genuine structure could do for this football club

I agree. I find it quite strange that having got a second bite at the cherry the club did very little to try to establish itself in the EPL.

[DubaiDai]

The most depressing part of that piece is it reads like he doesn’t want Warnock to retire, there has been no planning for the next manager, and Warnock himself is going to help choose the next manager.

We are so stuck in the past its incredible. A reactive football club not a pro active one.

The more I think about the replacement and who is capable of interviewing/choosing him, I am becoming convinced that Kevin Blackwell will be the total cop out.
Bookmark this.

[RonnieBird]

Isn't it obvious that Mehmet is just going along with Sir Neil's usual policy of playing down expectations ?
They don't want the pressures of everyone regarding them as the team to beat. Very obvious really , but some here seem to be falling for it, so maybe others will.

[City123]

Isn't it obvious that Mehmet is just going along with Sir Neil's usual policy of playing down expectations ?
They don't want the pressures of everyone regarding them as the team to beat. Very obvious really , but some here seem to be falling for it, so maybe others will.

[life on mars]

I thought it sensibly summarised our postion , and has a sense of caution around it , perhaps the message is trying to elivate some of the zealous anticipation folk have of our club this year .

The transfer spending comments were intresting, it seems Reid and Manga going were out of our control and difficult to replace.

I believe the purchase of Flint , Pack and Glatzel were decent buys.

Perhaps Tan is being equally cautious in readiness for Neil's departure, as with most managerial changes comes a lot of upheaval and cost , the plan maybe to spend within our means this year in anticipation of a bigger commitment next season when a lot of personal will change and that new manager always wants extra dosh .

[Divine Wright]

I thought it sensibly summarised our postion , and has a sense of caution around it , perhaps the message is trying to elivate some of the zealous anticipation folk have of our club this year .

The transfer spending comments were intresting, it seems Reid and Manga going were out of our control and difficult to replace.

I believe the purchase of Flint , Pack and Glatzel were decent buys.

Perhaps Tan is being equally cautious in readiness for Neil's departure, as with most managerial changes comes a lot of upheaval and cost , the plan maybe to spend within our means this year in anticipation of a bigger commitment next season when a lot of personal will change and that new manager always wants extra dosh .

Perhaps.

Perhaps there is no long term planning at all.

[Divine Wright]

They don't want the pressures of everyone regarding them as the team to beat.

Their plan is working a treat fair play.

[Delbert]

In place of someone with serious football expertise VT wants to run the show only with the assistance of Dalman and Choo who, with respect, know next to nothing about football.

One consequence of this structure is the remarkable failure of the club to bother making adequate preparations for the Premier League. As Dalman said when relegation had been confirmed “I think we should have planned much, much more ahead than we have done. That’s something we have learned”.

Another consequence is the transfer committee. It’s probably fair to say there isn’t another club who would allow an apparent potential conflict of interest to develop between the manager and his decisions on transfers / contract renewals and the fortunes of the agency his son represents. And then there’s the signings of Willie McKay’s sons...

From Dalman’s interview nothing has changed, everything is fine and the club will continue to make it up as they go along. For a club big enough to have the 11th highest attendances in the Premier League, that’s just not good enough

[Wolfmother]

Perhaps.

Perhaps there is no long term planning at all.

There isn’t. They will start discussion on a short time plan come Christmas. And it all depends on Me Me Me Warwick retirement. But, the groundwork have been laid for the next manager though. After all, the club has spent a whooping 20mill on players this year 🤯 Read: 0 net...

[The Hooded Claw]

The transfer spending comments were intresting, it seems Reid and Manga going were out of our control and difficult to replace.

I believe the purchase of Flint , Pack and Glatzel were decent buys.

Decordova-Reid’s departure is entirely down to Warnock - he wasn’t played frequently enough and the style of play was not suited to him.
Is it any wonder that he asked to leave?
It’s easy for Warnock and Dalman to claim that they were going to build a team around him, but does anyone actually believe this?

[NYCBlue]

Decordova-Reid’s departure is entirely down to Warnock - he wasn’t played frequently enough and the style of play was not suited to him.
Is it any wonder that he asked to leave?
It’s easy for Warnock and Dalman to claim that they were going to build a team around him, but does anyone actually believe this?

No.