Reply With QuoteHe is a class centre half at this level and has a great promotion record out of this division. Out defence should keep us clear of any relegation entanglements - hopefully.
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So says Matt Connolly
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/incoming/matt-connolly-intervie w-cardiff-city-9729521?
I sympathise with him as about that as well. We have an awful lot of strength in depth at centreback - in fact I'd say we have too many good ones for a club in this division.
This time last year we had Connolly, Turner and Hudson (all regulars in a Championship winning side from eighteen months earlier) as well as a group of young players pushing for a place in the squad. Since then we have spent getting on for £10 million on two more of them and the only two permanent signings we've made this summer are a couple of youngsters who play in that position!
Hudson and Josh Yorwerth have moved on, but we still have way too many centrebacks. Connolly is easily good enough to be a starter at another club at this level and he'll almost certainly be in the starting line up against Fulham, but I can't help thinking that as soon as one of Ben Turner or Bruno Manga is fit again, it will be Connolly who has to stand down - to some degree, his talents are being wasted here.
He is a class centre half at this level and has a great promotion record out of this division. Out defence should keep us clear of any relegation entanglements - hopefully.
In my opinion hes very underated. He & Manga would be my started pair. I agree with his comments about reading the game and he's also the most mobile of the group, as well as excellent at block tackles.
under-rated by management perhaps, but amongst supporters I know almost universally rated..Originally Posted by Des Parrot wrote on Sun, 26 July 2015 08:46
Ole and Dalman spent 10 million on two centre-backs which we didn't need, feck all in midfield and a few million up front which didn't work out at all. Can anyone tell me which turned out to be the strongest area of the pitch that year? Can anyone tell me why their spending record isn't criticised as much as Malky's?
This summer Slade is picking up young CB's when we have a number waiting for a chance already and has thus far not improved our forward options at all or the centre of midfield. He's got a tougher job because the money is tighter and maybe the young CB's he's brought in are greater talents (Ipswich would disagree) but aren't we just making the same mistakes?
He is at age and stage where he needs to play every week but, worse with Cardiff, if you don't get first team football, then you don't really get any at all. I'd hate to be a squad player at City too. No doubt we (over) pay well but surely players just want to play.
You can't blame players for wanting to look after their families and if no-one is willing to match what he's being paid here then who can blame him for seeing out his contract. Connolly and Manga would be my first choices.
Whether the player is better or not there is an impact on the non selected player.
Think you may have misundestood. Of course players - like all of us - need contracts honoured or paid up. Few of us would leave a job to work for less.
My point though is that it must be doubly frustrating at Cardiff if you don't get first team football as we offer no reserve football of note and certainly for senior pros like him. Do what he gets paid for, he can't really do. That ain't easy.
Anyway, it looks as if Connolly will get a run at the start of the season, and Ajayi will be a fixture on the bench!
It's the only area we are a top 6 side on, maybe it would be worth playing 3. We don't play great football and it's likely most of our goals will come from set plays so gives us better opportunities
If we want to accommodate Pilkington, Ameobi, Noone, Harris then a 3-2-2-2-1 would probably be a better shape for us with the players we have. This would leave a centre 2 to be taken from Whitts/ Gunnars/Ralls/Dikgacoi and would not require such long balls to be played - but again requires a lot of energy in the middle of the field which arguably we've not had in the last few years.
Matt Connolly has delivered a brutally honest assessment of his future at Cardiff City, complaining he is consistently overlooked, dropped for no good reason and made to play out of position far too often.
The 27-year-old fans' favourite said he has had enough and vowed to finally make the breakthrough at centre-half for the Bluebirds under current boss Russell Slade.
Connolly arrived in the Welsh capital from QPR three years ago, but despite impressing when given the chance has often found himself on the bench or a victim of his own versatility by being told to fill in at full-back.
He was shunted out on loan to Watford at the end of last season making six appearances for the Hornets and grabbing a goal as they were promoted
Remarkably, it was Connolly's fourth promotion to the top-flight with four different clubs in recent years, after successful runs with QPR, Reading and the Bluebirds themselves.
Connolly is modest about that record, simply stating: "For two of them I was on loan and the players did a terrific job before I arrived. I was just there for the finishing touches."
But he is less reticent about his situation with the Bluebirds, pulling no punches when it comes to his feelings about the way he has been treated by successive Cardiff managers.
"I am a bit tired of that to be honest," said Connolly. "Being pushed out to right-back, or told to do a job at left-back. I don't see myself as a right-back, but obviously I can do a job there. Centre-back is where I want to play, I feel I'm overlooked a bit because of my size.
"I'm not Ben Turner or Sean Morrison, but I believe I have other qualities that cancel that out. If I play against big guys, I think I'm smarter, I can read the game so, of course I want to play centre-back and play as much as possible.
"As it is at the moment, somebody gets injured, I am in and people are saying, 'Oh, he did a fantastic job.' And then the next game I am out again.
"I'm versatile I suppose, so I'm seen as that kind of guy, but, for me, I just get on with my business. I turn up, I do the best I can, I do the job and give everything.
"However I play though, it's not me that picks the team. You will have to speak to this manager and previous managers about that.
"In the end I try my hardest every game, if I'm playing I'm happy and if I'm on the bench obviously I'm not happy. My aim this season is just to try to play as many games as possible. That's my aim every year. I will chase another promotion I guess. That's always the aim."
Connolly's loan move to Watford last season, with that of striker Kenwyne Jones to Bournemouth, surprised many fans. Slade himself said it was for 'non-footballing' reasons.
But if supporters were perplexed, then that is nothing compared to Connolly himself, who was enjoying a day at the zoo when the news of his departure to Watford was broken to him.
"It was a massive surprise to me," said Connolly. "Watford had been after me way through January. I spoke to the manager here and he said he wanted me to be at Cardiff. We were quite low down the table at the time and he obviously wanted to keep hold of what he had and make sure we were okay.
"It was strange. I was actually at London Zoo, I was there with my girlfriend and I just got a call and they said, 'It's done, you can go.' It surprised me obviously because there were nine games to go. It was a surprise, but I understand why it was done."
Connolly is looking to next season with the Bluebirds, barring any more surprise moves of course, and ironically his aim to install himself in the centre of the Cardiff defence might just have been made easier by recent events.
Turner will miss the start of the season following surgery on his ankle and Slade has potentially endured another big blow with injury to defensive lynchpin, Bruno Manga.
The Gabon international was stretchered off early on in the Bluebirds' 1-0 win over Sparta Rotterdam during their preseason tour of Holland.
His knee injury will be scanned on Monday, but there are genuine fears Manga could be ruled out for at least the start of the new season as well.
Connolly though is not one to delight at other's misfortune and said he had his fingers crossed Manga's injury proves not to be too bad.
He said: "It is very concerning. Seeing that was not a good sight.
"We are just hoping it's not too bad. Bruno is a great guy. I'm a big fan of the way he plays as well so I just hope he gets back as soon as possible.
"He needs to have the scan and things can be taken forward from there."
Anyone know whether Connolly has been overlooked for 'personality' issues - i.e. e.g. he may be thought to be too outspoken or questioning? I have seen such things happen in the workplace!....
I prefer Connelly to Punt-It Turner. In my opinion.
To be fair, they all suffer from a game plan that sees the ball laboriously routed back to Marshall so that he can punt it forward.
He isn't a fan's favourite.
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