We (Bulut) need to find another way of playing if we're going to make any sort of impact on this division this season. I've seen enough this first dozen games to believe we'll be playing Championship football next year - we're not going to drop out of it, but then again nor are we going to climb out of it. Our play is so predictable, the opposition doesn't need to do much thinking to work us out. There's no dynamic about our game plan which Bulut seems to be blaming on the squad available. Thinking outside the box rather than sticking to stale policies is risky but can have its' rewards - the downside is though it could all go tits up and that's what he's really scared of. January is going to be interesting but it needs to start now not wait for it to come around talking about what might be come then. We've got 13 more Championship games before the window opens and that's 39 points up for grabs. It's hard graft trying to make up ground later in the season from a lowly position whoever we bring in. It's obvious the basics are there but the quality isn't. Bemoaning the absence of Ramsey as an excuse won't change things on the pitch in the meantime. Time for Bulut and his coaching team to deliver fresh ideas and produce viable performances on the pitch. That should start at Huddersfield on Tuesday after that dreary showing yesterday against what was a very average side. I'm OK with him telling Robbo and Colwill his opinions of them and what they need to do, but for me, going up there with the same game plan will cast doubts on his tactical skills.
Below is my view after yesterday (and save the last sentence being a pop at the abysmal referee) could have equally applied to the Boro & Watford games. It’s a problem that Bulut needs to resolve to stop City being so easy to play against and to have more of an attacking style. Bulut publicly realises he has a problem as the article below makes plain. He’s therefore got to get the right balance from now until either Ramsey returns or the next window. He must have realised even if fit Ramsey wouldn’t be playing sat/tue/sat and needed a plan to play without him. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/erol-bulut-admits-cardiff-city-27957599
One player does not make a team and I doubt if Ramsey returned fit tomorrow it would make much difference. As Sparkey said there are 13 games until the transfer window, but how many points will we pick up? If we lose against Huddersfield and the carrot crunchers, which I suspect we might, we’ll be dropping way down the table. I’m not sure I agree with Nin’s point about playing Tanner and Bowler together unless one can play in the left. If so, who will play up the middle? Meite scored a lot of goals for Reading but did he play at centre forward? I don’t know the answer to this. Could Grant play in this role? Either way we are crying out for a front goal scorer and Etete and Ugbo are not the answer. Hopefully the management and scouting team have earmarked at least one good front player for the January window. Oh and some improvement in the other positions as well.
That Wol article is precisely what I'm concerned about. Waiting for the January window to happen is tantamount to saying there's nothing he can do at the moment - I don't believe that.
We appear to have done some good business, though Ugbo seems very one dimensional (I wonder if Erol has had the 'it's like playing with 10 men' conversation with him). Erol bemoaned the lack of attacking options, which now seems resolved. We do need to get a couple injuried players back however. But its the midfield he needs to get right now. The tools are there. He needs to work out how to use them. That's his job. Mid term report - good progress made, but now needs to do better with the resources available.
We started off scoring goals and Ugbo was scoring, now he has him running all over the pitch, he came on as a sub in one game had a header saved off the line which went to Ettete and then to NG. Meite has not scored to moan about him not a player who has scored. There was nothing wrong when we went 2-0 up at Leeds and Ipswich until Bulut took off attacking players for inferior defenders. Our back four is one of the best now that Goutas is playing well so there is no need to play three in midfield because they do nothing in attack of defence, we might as well play four at the back and six up front. Apart from the four in a row we won one from the other eight and the only lack of quality we have is this manager. This manager said if we played the three attacking players we could be losing 3-0, that is pathetic. However he then takes off Ralls and Wintle and plays the three attackers so surely he must now think we could lose 6-0. Wintle, Siopsis, Meite and Grant are a luxury we cannot aford. Colwill has not been given game time but has real potential Tanner is proving a gem and Ette has struck form, we know Robinson is a cool goals scorer and O`Dowder was a steal, Collins and NG get through a huge work load in defence and attack. As far as January goes we should worry about losing Collins and Tanner and even Colwill to a premier club.The only thing that needs strengthening is the manager, "they are nervous and passing the ball back too much" well don`t tell us ,tell the players not to do it! That is my opinion, we should be playing pressing attacking football and when we do we look as good as anyone.
In my humble opinion, Siopis isn't a luxury, he's a necessity. Erol needs to leverage the players he's got. Since Ramsey's injury he's not got the formula right. He needs to sort it. It's what he's paid to do.
Only an idiot repeats the same thing and expects a different result. I don't think Bulut falls into that category, but it's taken till now for him to admit it. We'll see what the team sheet says tomorrow evening.
I suggest tomorrow should be seen by Bulut as an opportunity to see if a more attacking set up is the way to go. Not quite a free hit but something not too remote from it. He can’t expect a repeat of the Sunderland away game every time. As OS infers tomorrow nights team sheet will tell us a lot.
Excellent thread Sparkey and some equally excellent comments. My view is probably going to look less than ambitious but my ambition for the club lies in the long term. For me this season was about stability and gentle improvement. As it stands, we seem to be on target for this meagre aim. Just getting to Christmas without having to replace the manager will be progress in itself. What happens in January may give us a better idea of where we're headed but that will be more down to the board in how much they trust Erol. Can he lay firm foundations for more ambition next season? I really don't know and I mean I don't know. For now, he's got us better than we were whilst making what look like glaring errors. Errors are ok if he learns. Now I'm just repeating others so I'll shut up.
A major concern though is unless he can find the right balance with the fit players at his disposal we’ll struggle to get points meaning we’ll start to slide down the table. There’s 14 games between now & Jan 1st when City can start to look to strengthen the squad.
You had to include the New Years Day game didn't you - I'll just remind you the window will be open by then............. I'll just confirm that there are 13 games before the window opens......
I guess the fear of a slide is present in all situations. It's possible that he will find the balance or not. Or find out that balance isn't there to be identified. So I'm sticking with I don't know.
It is easy to state in hindsight but a more attacking team away from home and eh Bob’s your uncle. Well done Bulut for changing it and equally well done to the players for a top performance.
Bulut found a way. That's all we've been asking of him. Top notch display that must lay down a blueprint of the way forward. Other than this forum this morning, haven't read any reports of the game yet but I watched it myself on City TV last night. Maybe the wrong thread to post this, but amongst the obvious pleasure derived from that victory I have to question Colwill's "fit for purpose" credentials. To me he was another Bacuna last night. When he got the ball he looked interested but slow - when he didn't have the ball he looked totally disinterested. Don't know what it is about him, but I can totally see why Bulut has formed his opinion about him. Looks like it was too much too early for him in his career.
It could be said in his defence that he was brought on for 20 odd minutes when the team was 4 up and coasting; just a thought?
