OK we are just about one third of the way through the season, so the table is starting to have a "meaningful" look, we haven't lost many, but draws are costing us dearly. OK we have just battled hard to get a decent away point at Leeds, and are lying 9th in the table 3 points off the playoffs with a +4 goal difference...........a nice little Carling Cup run, quarters with a chance of a real money spinning tie if we get through the next round. OK we haven't had the best luck with injuries, but not really that much worse than other sides, lack of depth may have hampered us a bit, but what do you think of our progress? The "new players will take time to bed in" theme is starting to wear a bit now after the cup games and 14 league games..............we are just about where I expected us to be now TBH top ten, and with a bit of luck poised to gatecrash the playoffs.........so I'd give Malky and co 7 out of 10...............how would you rate them so far?
Proph, I hoped that we would be in the "play off" places by the January window and we are no track at the mo. The Carling Cup run is a bonus and IMO things are starting to fall into place. The 4-5-1 formation works better than I thought it would, it's given Macca a new lease of life. So all in all I'd give it 8 out of 10.
We ended last season as a total joke. Malky has done a magnificent job in rebuilding. Mason looks a future star. Players brought in on Bosmans who will have sell on values. Whittingham has signed a new long term deal. This season was about building and laying the foundations for the future. The division doesnt look particularly strong but it looks like we arent prepared to gamble financially anymore. Thats fair enough. Reduce debts and build the right way. We are 2 or 3 players short of a challenge. We need pace. The board have done a magnificent job after the previous mismanagement. If they want to spend money on players then great. If not patience while we clear out the players Malky doesnt want. 9/10 on and off the pitch for me.
7 from 10 is a fair reflection. We have sacrificed flair and goal threat in the last third for a much more solid midfield making us much harder to beat (Peterboro excepted ). However, while our passing and ball retention is much improved as is the ability to score from midfield we could use a more direct plan B. We have it to a certain extent with Rudi when we can revert to 4 - 4 - 2 but then we lack the ability to attack and get behind full backs. Yes, Kev can do it but his final ball is usually rubbish. As we have said all along we really need the option of a Burke like winger, fast and tricky to improve our options. Most other areas we seem well covered although it is frustrating when 2 of our 4 strikers are injured and Earnie appears a shadow of his former self although 4 - 5 - 1 doesn't work for him as he is not able to hold the ball up and turn defenders like Mason. One other point, I'm still not sure we have left back completely sorted. While Taylor is rarely beaten on the ground he doesn't get forward as much as Kev and looks weak in the air when defending - Leeds goal yesterday and away at Pompey as examples. A great improvement on Nayls (who has done okay when called upon this season and actually gets forward better than Taylor) but, to me, not the finished article. Does the loan window end today? Come on Malky there must be a little gem of a winger out there waiting for your call!!!!
for those who may have not read it, there was an article in the sunday times yesterday about malky mackay, heres my summary: as a young manager he is very much in touch of what is needed in todays game, he has 3 promotions on his CV as a player, with norwich, west ham and watford, and has created various departments to keep players fit and healthy for a rigorous championship campaign. he was wanted by newcastle last season as assistant manager but turned it down as he wanted to be a manager in his own right. he was entrusted to nurture tom cleverley and henri lansbury, a testament to how highly his modern managerial methods are regarded in the game. i'd give malky 7.5/10 so far, though he was dealt a difficult hand when he came here as he had hardly any players to work with and had to sign alot of players to simply replace those who left. there is loads of money being chucked around this league by the likes of leicester and west ham, and just look at 2 of the teams who were in the play offs last season, reading and nottingham who are 16th and 20th, thats the direction we could quite have easily gone if the board would have picked the wrong guy (like alan shearer for example). the players work hard and play for the manager, yes they lack star quality but they are doing everything asked of them and that work ethic and togetherness is down to mackay, well done to him. we're 9th and thats not bad at all. i'm still a bit disappointed how the expectations have been downgraged, though its not MM's fault at all, its dave jones' for leaving us in such a mess.
Jury still out for me i am afraid, Conway cannot beat a man, and we have no real pace in the side, sort that out with about 3 new players and we will be ok. We look solid enough but i thought we gave Leeds to much respect yesterday, when we did go forward we did look dangerous and we need to get the ball to Whitts in dangerous positions. 6 out of 10 so far.
I only saw the last 20 or so yesterday starting with Marshall's great save and then their goal, however, after that apart from 1 free header (wide thankfully) we were the bigger goal threat with Millar not quite able to turn for a shot on target twice and Gunnar having the ball nicked from his head about 2 feet out. As for Whitts, he seems to be doing things we never thought he was capable of, i.e. tacking and heading, he has probably won more ball so far this season than in the last 3 put together. Whether he gets more satisfaction from that or scoring I don't know. Although I know which makes us happier!!! Nevertheless, he continues to do a great job and remains a real goal threat when the opportunity arises. He seems to play deeper in rotation with Gunnar and Cowie and, at least, they are getting on the score sheet if not Whitts. I suppose that is the sort of flexibility a 5 man midfield creates with McPhail the only one not really pushing on.
Hey guys, how we all doing? Not been getting on here much as work have now filtered the board and I can only acess from home Have to say that so far it is a 7 out of 10 for me. We are proving difficult to beat and some of our displays this year look far more accomplished than last despite losing all that flair and pzazz. (Thinking Blackpool away, Brizzle home, Barnsley home (last few minutes aside). We are only a couple of players and a bit of luck short of being serious play-off contenders, which, after the summer upheaval is a very pleasant surprise. I honestly don't think we'll gatecrash the top 2 this year as clubs like Southampton, West Ham and (dare I say it) Leicester are probably all better positioned to jocky for those spots. Whatever happens we will have given it our all which is the most we can ask for, and after last year where we spent so often thinking "if only" with regards to work rate it will be a welcome feeling.
For me Mcfail has been great for us so far, he pulls the strings and has a good pass on him, it will be players like him who will get us there in the end. We just need a few Speedy Gonzales on the wing and we will be ok.
I'm giving 5/10 as Malky has not brought in anything other than average players and still no signs of any loan signings at the moment Too many draws and "lucky" goals against us, can do better.
Im giving an 8/10 for the season so far, will have to echo Hilts comment regarding the rebuilding of the squad and happy to see the club being run sensibly. Still need as others have said a tricky winger with pace (damn you burke for wanting to move closer to scotland)
I think Malky has done an excellent job so far with the resources he has available. We are not automatic promotion material at the moment but we might just sneak into the play-offs with the help of a couple of new decent players in midfield and up front. Got to agree with isawronnymoorescore about McPhail. I've always rated him as a controlling midfielder and it's like we've got a new player. However we are still scratching out results except for a few (eg Barnsley) and as I've said before on here, I believe we are still rebuilding and it might be next season before we are knocking on the premier league door. As for Malky you have got to admire his enthusiasm and his ability to get us into the quarter finals of the Carling which should hopefully give us a financial boost to kick on. 7/10 for me.
I've got to admit even over the last few years with the team we have had, I did not think we would have been promoted. In my eyes Cardiff, under many chairmen have been willing to fall just short, good crowds and big season ticket sales without the fear of Prem football. I don't think that the board we have now will be happy with also runs. We have a different sense of who we are and who we can be. Malky did not come to Cardiff to be a mid-table manager, he could have done that were he was. In the January Window I think there will be quite a few going and even more coming. I've not given up automatic promotion.
when you think that cardiff lost some high profile players and bring in a new manager who has had to settle in and bring in his own brand of football then i must give credit when credit is due, i would say that given a bit more time with a few more players in January then cardiff will have a fantastic chance of the playoffs, OK i do think that the saints and west ham will walk the league this season but there is no reason why you cant win the playoffs. so in my humble opinion M.M gets a 9/10 for the way he has kept cardiff as one of the better sides in the championship in his first season. i did not think he was any good but i was wrong......and he will get better....
He's just missing out on 8/10 for me. I think he's installed some passion, common sense and a work ethic that we've seen little of in the past few seasons. I love the way he gets involved, in stark contrast to the resigned, slouching, lip flapping, DJ - and I was a fan. It's a very different experience and I'll forgive this tema a lot, particularly given that they've not been together that long. I want to like Hudson and he does well, often. BUT, he's missing pace. I have a feeling that MM is on some kind of parole and if he's seen to be doing werll enough in Jan. . . he may even get some decent money. Good luck to him. HAd a couple of results gone our way, ahd we not given a couple of silly goals away, we'd be much higher. I know, if and buts. . . But I think he could be with us for a while. All the best MM.
All the talk of Saints, W ham and Leicester, no one is talking about Brum, they'll be right up there imo. 7/10 for the job so far. A bit of action in Jan could make our season get us in as play off contenders. If our squad is not strengthened I'm afraid we'll run out of legs and slide to a lowish mid table finish.
Brizzle "Hey guys, how we all doing? Not been getting on here much as work have now filtered the board and I can only acess from home" They have done the same in work with me, when I clicked on the link it comes up as "Tasteless" which I thought was a bit harsh. Missed the prediction league v Leeds because of it.
7/10 for me. If we can hang on to the top 10 by the end of the year I can see a playoff finish. I had us just outside the playoffs at the start of the season given all the changes. If we can get TWO F**K*** WIDE MEN PLEASE!!!!!!!! I think we can push on and with a bit of luck make the playoffs.
Hi Sayer - I get exactly the same thing.. totally gutted as I used to while away hours at work on here, now I have to go and be productive instead! Agree that the terminology is a bit harsh, especially when you consider that the board is now banded in the same category as the News of The World was!!
