Reply With QuoteIt feels very Cardiff that the first homegrown prospect given a debut in ages is the one who's 6ft+
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It feels very Cardiff that the first homegrown prospect given a debut in ages is the one who's 6ft+
Who'd have thunk it. I said earlier in the week that he might be in the right place at the right time. If he can learn to head the ball well he might turn into even more of a viable option here. I'm assuming that one of the reasons Moore stays on all game is for his height and strength defending corners and other set pieces when we're seeing a game out. If Colwill can show an ability to use his physique in a similar manner then McCarthy might see that as a way to give Moore some rest, which he'll surely need. A more radical idea could be to use Colwill's technical ability as a method of holding onto the ball more and seeing the game out that way but I can't see that type of nonsense catching on here.Originally Posted by City123
I'm obviously impressed by McCarthy's start here and I'm sure he's handling the youngsters well but I think it's a bit of a kick in the teeth for them when they can't be trusted to replace tired and fading players who'll be needed again in three days time. It can't be great for their confidence and I'd imagine the buzz they're getting from being in the match day squad could quickly be replaced by a feeling that the manager doesn't fancy them after all and they're merely making up the numbers. To be fair, we could probably all see where McCarthy was coming from yesterday but it's a risky strategy in this crowded season. As I said, I'm sure he's handling them ok, I'm not accusing him of Sladeism yet.
Hopefully they get some actual game time sometime soon. The Bacuna for Murphy sub baffled me to be honest, surely the more obvious option was Bacuna for an obviously tiring Vaulks and one of Watters/Davies/Harris/Colwill for Murphy?
I get that he wanted experience on the pitch, but there was a couple of players who were obviously knackered which led to Coventry's late dominance
I think he's trying to get to 50 points as soon as possible and then we'll blood the youngsters when there's less to play for. We're going to need to need title winning form to make the playoffs so it's going to be unlikely.
Mick McCarthy has referred to Colwill's size in both of the interviews he's mentioned him in - as City 123 says, it just seems so very Cardiff that he should do that. Colwill is a very good prospect, but, like Loramski says, there is an element of right time and right place about his ascent into the first team, while Sion Spence and James Waite (who are both quite a few inches shorter than Colwill) and are best suited to to what I think is, perhaps, Colwill's best position as a number ten got nowhere near becoming a first team player.
Both of those players had both been much more influential over a longer period in age group football than Colwill has been and, in one of their cases, decided to leave the club and, in the other, languished out on loan at Weston and is now being used as a wing back - in the case of Waite especially, I definitely think his lack of inches has been a big factor in his lack of progress as far as first team football at Cardiff is concerned.
I agree with Loramski about the lack of substitutions on Saturday. While I can see why Mick McCarthy stuck with the established players while almost completely ignoring the young players on the bench, it has to be a short sighted policy which is likely to catch up with us eventually in such a congested season. In saying that, I'm sure that quite a bit of the improvement we've seen at Under 23 and Under 18 level in recent months is down to the fact that youngsters are now making it onto the bench in first team games and, after years of decision making in terms of first team selection which offered them no route into the team, there is at least one there now, even if successive managers have been very reluctant to taker the final step and introduce young subs into the actual team.
The test will come when and if the rules changes post Covid as to the number of substitutes you can pick - will things revert to how they were when there aren't nine subs?
If we'd been three-up and cruising, no doubt they might have made more of a contribution. As it was, we'd just conceded, and were under the cosh. Good call by McCarthy, I'd say.
I think things may revert before then, as much as we've lauded the academy players on the bench recently I imagine the absence of Hoilett, Ralls, Williams, Tomlin, Bamba & Osei-Tutu have a fair bit to do with it. I imagine the bench may look a lot different when a few of them are back
I don't think anyone's being too critical here, we understood why he did it and are glad of the three points. Just pointing out it's a risky strategy when we're playing twice a week and are so reliant on Kieffer Moore up front. We were under the cosh, yes, but a blind man could see that we needed fresh legs out there. 3-0 up with fifteen minutes to go, seven subs to choose from but he left it as it was. If Moore pulls a hammy in that time, or in tomorrow's game, how good would that decision look then?
Newcastle held on to a one goal lead with nine men for eighteen minutes the other day. Going by that, we could've brought me and TOBW on for Moore and Wilson and still seen the game out comfortably but McCarthy couldn't even see one lad on the bench he could trust. What message is that sending out? There was a chance to let Colwill and Davies have a decent run out, get some time under their belt, let them know they are trusted and a chance for them to show they can be relied on if needed again.
It's great that the pair of them got new contracts today but if they could only get a minute between them on Saturday then what are the other youngsters thinking now? What chance have they got? As City123 says, when the injured players return are they all going to disappear back to the under-23s for the foreseeable future? A few more Johnny Williams type signings in the summer and we may not see them again for another year.
Like I said, I'm more than happy with the three points but it felt like a bit of a missed opportunity. McCarthy has done incredibly well so far and it's difficult for him, we can't expect him to be thinking too long term with a short contract, but it's a good group of youngsters coming through and we need to make sure they get every chance possible to make it here.
I think he kept Moore on for his potential hat trick moment .
I suspect Bacuna was brought on for his experience and cool head .
Great to see the young lads on the bench though.
Although I would hope that Mick McCarthy had been made aware of what happened when Neil Harris kept with the same players when we were on a winning run before Christmas, this is possibly a case where the fans know better than the manager - Birmingham apart, we all know what happened in the matches after Keiffer Moore's hamstring injury against the jacks.
And, shockingly, once Williams & Ojo are back fit, Colwill & Davies are dropped.
And when Hoilett is back then Harris will go, Osei-Tutu will replace Sang, Ralls will replace Bagan or Brown and there's still Tomlin to fit in. Would anyone blame McCarthy either? This is the problem. We're almost always in either a promotion battle or a relegation one, when's the right time to experiment?
Bringing young players through for managers is like climate change for politicians, a lot of earnest talk but a profound hope that it'll be the next guy who actually has to implement anything. McCarthy doesn't strike me as the kind of bloke who'll come out with something like 'it's the club's ambition to have a first team squad made up entirely of Academy graduates by 2030' and hopefully he's going to be prepared to grasp the nettle if he stays here.
Anyone watching the under-23 games lately can see there's some real talent coming through. Obviously, no one can be sure if they're going to make it at Championship/Premiership level but they're not going to stay that age for ever so the clock is already ticking if we want to find out. Everyone would love to see some of them make it here but everyone would love to see a promotion push too, how to marry the two ideals is the dilemma.
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