Embarrassment at Coventry a consequence of years of mismanagement at Cardiff City.

[A Quiet Monkfish]

Incredibly though we could, and should, have won 1-0!

https://mauveandyellowarmy.net/

City have been in a dilemma for a few seasons. You start to tinker with a machine that had brought moderate Championship success over the past 3 seasons and you risk the wheels coming off. It's been made harder with the departure of Mendez-Laing, Hoillet, Murphy, Wilson, the absence of Tomlin. With a remaining established squad strong on, strength, commitment, fitness, but not very quick by Championship standards, and certainly lacking the speed and control on the ball to cause sides problems, it's not wonder we often look like Desperate Dans versus the Road Runner.
Sadly, I think they hype surrounding our younger, newer players is a bit over-played. It's giving the impression the club is 'investing in youth', but honestly, they all look like a slower, less sharp, less skillful, to make a long term impact at this level.

[sanctum of blue]

For me I think it is time for a change, I cannot watch this dire football any more!
We have proved we can pass the ball but with the emphasis on long balls to win a set piece we are going backwards.
Yes we are winning games and will not get relegated with this style but it is crap, predictable and boring.
With a younger progressive manager I think it would not take too long to TWEEK the style of play.
The youngsters at U23 level are playing possession based fooball and the cameos we have seen so far indicate
they are comfortable on the ball, it is the senior players who are so used to getting rid of the ball as quickly as possible in an 'anywhere up front will do' mentality that has been coached into them over the last three managers.

As fans we want to be entertained, we would be mauled to death if we ever got back in the premiership and played this way again.
Other clubs have reset quite effectively and for those who say it will take 2-3 transfer windows just look at Derby, as much as we all hate them, they play much better football than us with a weaker squad and restrictions
We could go down the road of sacking Mick and replacing him with Steve Morison from the U23's
Or take a punt on one of these leaving Morison to bring through more talent.

Matt Taylor Exeter P168 W71 D51 L46 WIN PERCENTAGE 42.3
Rob Edwards Forest Green P59 W24 D9 L26 WIN PERCENTAGE 40.68
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Burton Albion P210 W84 D 62 L64 WIN PERCENTAGE 40.0
Simon Weaver Harrowgate Town P574 W236 D 133 L205 WIN PERCENTAGE 41.11 (Mostly Non league)

[the other bob wilson]

For me I think it is time for a change, I cannot watch this dire football any more!
We have proved we can pass the ball but with the emphasis on long balls to win a set piece we are going backwards.
Yes we are winning games and will not get relegated with this style but it is crap, predictable and boring.
With a younger progressive manager I think it would not take too long to TWEEK the style of play.
The youngsters at U23 level are playing possession based fooball and the cameos we have seen so far indicate
they are comfortable on the ball, it is the senior players who are so used to getting rid of the ball as quickly as possible in an 'anywhere up front will do' mentality that has been coached into them over the last three managers.

As fans we want to be entertained, we would be mauled to death if we ever got back in the premiership and played this way again.
Other clubs have reset quite effectively and for those who say it will take 2-3 transfer windows just look at Derby, as much as we all hate them, they play much better football than us with a weaker squad and restrictions
We could go down the road of sacking Mick and replacing him with Steve Morison from the U23's
Or take a punt on one of these leaving Morison to bring through more talent.

Matt Taylor Exeter P168 W71 D51 L46 WIN PERCENTAGE 42.3
Rob Edwards Forest Green P59 W24 D9 L26 WIN PERCENTAGE 40.68
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Burton Albion P210 W84 D 62 L64 WIN PERCENTAGE 40.0
Simon Weaver Harrowgate Town P574 W236 D 133 L205 WIN PERCENTAGE 41.11 (Mostly Non league)

I can remember the pre season friendlies with Exeter and Forest Green where they both played more football than us and there was a Harrogate game on Sky last season, at Bradford I think, I watched where they were very impressive. Trouble is, having gambled to some extent by appointing Trollope, appointing a young, up and coming manager whose side play attractive football seems too big a leap for Vincent Tan to make to me.

That's one of the things that gets me thinking, do we continue to appoint "pragmatic", old school managers with reputations for playing, to be charitable, functional football because that's the way the people in charge of the club like their football to be played, do they do it because they think the fanbase likes the way we've been playing for most of the past decade, do they think the players we have can only play one way, so they pick their managers accordingly (that one seems very unlikely to me) or are they always looking for "a safe pair of hands"?

I've struggled for years to see some logic in our policies for recruitment, youth development and style of play and have now given up. Hopefully, this is changing now, but we haven't been producing our own players so the Academy has, essentially, been a black hole we have ploughed millions into for very, very little return and our recruitment has seen us consistently signing players of an age which means they have little resale value. Is it any wonder we are forever being told that Vincent Tan is having to put in seven figures sums every month to make ends meet?

Furthermore we play in a manner that surely makes some clubs reluctant to loan their good young prospects to us and, if and when we do get someone in like a fit and firing Tomlin, a Harry Wilson or a Tom Lawrence even, we don't play in a manner designed to get the best out of them - if there has been a plan in place since Russell Slade was appointed, it's too cunning for me to figure out what it is.

[surge]

I'm so bored of the "style of football" and "longer term planning" conversations where I think the same points are being made - I am one of the worst offenders.

At this point the thing that is far more concerning and needs to be discussed is that:

1. Has there been a first half where we've played well this season? Didn't see Blackpool away but this is potentially the only game in seven.

2. Mick's comments about Colwill this morning (him being exhausted from emotion on weekend but would have been judged as mad not to start him) - what was that about? Is that a) Mick giving young players a hard lesson so they know they can't go into the red emotionally and perform next game which will benefit us/them longer term? Or is it b) really poor management and someone not thinking enough about how to win the next game?

Is Mick a reactive manager who does his best work at half-time? Can that fit into previous concerns about his game management and when he brings subs on - was that fair concern to begin with?

[City123]

I'm so bored of the "style of football" and "longer term planning" conversations where I think the same points are being made - I am one of the worst offenders.

At this point the thing that is far more concerning and needs to be discussed is that:

1. Has there been a first half where we've played well this season? Didn't see Blackpool away but this is potentially the only game in seven.

2. Mick's comments about Colwill this morning (him being exhausted from emotion on weekend but would have been judged as mad not to start him) - what was that about? Is that a) Mick giving young players a hard lesson so they know they can't go into the red emotionally and perform next game which will benefit us/them longer term? Or is it b) really poor management and someone not thinking enough about how to win the next game?

Is Mick a reactive manager who does his best work at half-time? Can that fit into previous concerns about his game management and when he brings subs on - was that fair concern to begin with?

I remember when he was appointed Ipswich fans mentioned Mick could be very stubborn and do a kind of "I told you so" routine to fans if players they wanted to see didn't play particularly well in a game. That's what that comment suggests to me.

Withdrawing those two struck me a poor management and a friend said Mick's basically "thrown them under the bus" and scapegoated them. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but they certainly weren't the problem in the first half

[City123]

I'm so bored of the "style of football" and "longer term planning" conversations where I think the same points are being made - I am one of the worst offenders.

At this point the thing that is far more concerning and needs to be discussed is that:

1. Has there been a first half where we've played well this season? Didn't see Blackpool away but this is potentially the only game in seven.

2. Mick's comments about Colwill this morning (him being exhausted from emotion on weekend but would have been judged as mad not to start him) - what was that about? Is that a) Mick giving young players a hard lesson so they know they can't go into the red emotionally and perform next game which will benefit us/them longer term? Or is it b) really poor management and someone not thinking enough about how to win the next game?

Is Mick a reactive manager who does his best work at half-time? Can that fit into previous concerns about his game management and when he brings subs on - was that fair concern to begin with?

I've thought about that comment again and it really has baffled me because looking at last night's squad who starts over him, Collins? He's a completely different player and position. Bowen? Completely different player and position. Evans is the one closest to him I'd guess but I'd be surprised if Mick was thinking of starting him

[City123]

City have been in a dilemma for a few seasons. You start to tinker with a machine that had brought moderate Championship success over the past 3 seasons and you risk the wheels coming off. It's been made harder with the departure of Mendez-Laing, Hoillet, Murphy, Wilson, the absence of Tomlin. With a remaining established squad strong on, strength, commitment, fitness, but not very quick by Championship standards, and certainly lacking the speed and control on the ball to cause sides problems, it's not wonder we often look like Desperate Dans versus the Road Runner.
Sadly, I think they hype surrounding our younger, newer players is a bit over-played. It's giving the impression the club is 'investing in youth', but honestly, they all look like a slower, less sharp, less skillful, to make a long term impact at this level.

Less skilful than who, the rest of our squad?

Of course they aren't as sharp, they've barely played senior football, never mind at this level and are still getting used to it. Did you really expect a teenager to come in and look like a seasoned Championship campaigner straight away?

[A Quiet Monkfish]

Less skilful than who, the rest of our squad?

Of course they aren't as sharp, they've barely played senior football, never mind at this level and are still getting used to it. Did you really expect a teenager to come in and look like a seasoned Championship campaigner straight away?

Just saying the hype has been over-played. They may come good, but at the moment I'd say Bagan is the only one who looks easy at this level. Recently we've had 5 'raw' players on the pitch at the same time. That's desperation.

[City123]

Just saying the hype has been over-played. They may come good, but at the moment I'd say Bagan is the only one who looks easy at this level. Recently we've had 5 'raw' players on the pitch at the same time. That's desperation.

I agree to a point, I do think the likes of Evans & Bowen being in squads is out of necessity rather than some grand plan, but I do take issue with the "less skilful" point. From what I've seen of them Colwill, Bowen & Evans certainly aren't less skilful than the likes of Vaulks & Ralls, never mind the players at the back like Nelson & Flint. I can't see Vaulks scoring in the manner Colwill did at Forest

Bagan has been around the squad a fair bit longer than Colwill, Bowen etc. Bagan was involved back in Harris' first season in charge which is a help for him. I'm not sure I completely agree that he's the only one who looks easy at this level, Bagan's had a few poor games this season much like Colwill & Harris, Harris for instance looks far more like a Championship footballer than James Collins has this season. I'd also say those two definitely don't look out of place at this level and are often let down by the service to them, there's only so much they can do with the poor service provided to them.

I think the only player with substantial "hype" is Colwill, which has come mainly from being in the Wales squad. There's obviously talent in there, the goal at Forest showed that, so I think it's harsh to say he isn't going to make a long term impact so soon in his career

[Rjk]

Just saying the hype has been over-played. They may come good, but at the moment I'd say Bagan is the only one who looks easy at this level. Recently we've had 5 'raw' players on the pitch at the same time. That's desperation.

it's not desparation, it's something you have to go through if you want to bring players through regularly.
it's not a novel experience for a lot of other clubs in this division, it just seems bizarre to us because it has been so long.

[A Quiet Monkfish]

it's not desparation, it's something you have to go through if you want to bring players through regularly.
it's not a novel experience for a lot of other clubs in this division, it just seems bizarre to us because it has been so long.

You bring a young inexperienced player into a Championship side. He looks around and there's Nelson, Flint, Morrison, Pack, Bacuna, Collins, Vaulks, Ralls. He's probably - in the case of Colwill for example - the only who could be classed as someone who's comfortable on the ball. Then on comes Bowen, etc. That's pretty desperate, for a young inexperienced player to develop into something better.