Interesting to see Desmond's already been given Peltier's vacant No.2 shirt rather than just a squad number.
Makes a statement. Still need cover in that space. That and a backup playmaker off the striker and time to offload 3 or 4. Job done.
Noticed Bacuna wearing Tomlin's No.17 shirt instead of the No. 7 he wore last season. Wasn't there talk of the No.7 shirt being suspended in honour of Peter Whittingham? Vassell wore the No.10 shirt last season (for about 5 minuntes) - maybe Tomlin is getting that instead unless there's someone else lined up.
Apparently Moore wore 10 against Newport. To be honest, numbers on shirts dont mean a lot these days. Bellamy wore 39 when with us. Pretty sure he could have taken his pick. There was mention of retiring No 7. A great gesture, and no doubt Whitts deserves a tribute, though not sure I agree with the principle. 50 years there'll be no numbers 1 to 11 on the pitch.
There'll be a pitch? It will all be virtual or robot players - no stadiums - and no fans attending. Clubs raise money through betting income. What a dire set of circumstances. Supporters only able to converse online. OMG we are halfway there already.
Another false dawn or a genuine challenger? https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport...nown-cardiff-city-teenager-seriously-18825389
Swansea chucked in a rookie kid (from Cardiff) into their back 4 last season and he’s now in the Wales squad. Warnock seemed wary of putting rookies into the first team. The average age of our team is too high. City need to give the youngsters a chance so I hope he is a genuine challenger like that young winger Mayembe who was on the bench v WBA last season but never saw the first team squad again.
I agree about the age thing Nin, but I think Harris has been positive in changing the approach since his refusal to award Peltier a new contract. Up until then, Pelts and Flint at the back either side of Morro made for a solid but pedestrian approach. That's changed since with the inclusion of the younger and quicker Nelson and Sanderson last season - Tutu is further evidence of that policy for this season. Going back a bit, in the middle of the park Gunnarsson was showing his age at the time and Hoilett certainly is now. Pack is fairly solid but too slow. Vaulks and Ralls have the energy to produce. In front of them Tomlin is no spring chicken and has the ability but not the legs - for how long will he last in a game? Proven early/mid twenties playmakers can cost an arm and a leg, but that's the route we need to go down. Murphy, Whyte and Glatzel are all the right age but all of them need to up their game or be replaced. Mendez Laing is a harum-scarum type of player who can dazzle or bomb out - lack of consistency lets him down a bit. Overall, the squad is not a bad average age and even if a bit on the high side need not be a problem. West Brom managed it with the likes of 30+'s Robson Kanu, Charlie Austin, Jake Livermore, Grosicki an even Gareth Barry in his late 30's doing the business - you just need the right mix. Still say quality counts as much as age, but we need to move forward with a plan to achieve the right squad balance.
We are probably good to go now with the current squad. Ideally we get a few out and then replace likewise. Id like a better back up striker for Moore. Cover for Tomlin. Maybe another right back as well. I was against this but maybe give Gunter a year deal.
Im hoping we see a slightly smaller squad this year so coaches can spend quality time with all squad members, and with the youngsters training with the first team squad. Togetherness and a standard approach whoever is on the field as plan A. Plans B and C would be nice, but everyone understanding and able to play to Plan A is a must. Too often in the past we get an injury and have to change plan. Looking forward to getting started now
Who else do we need do we reckon? Another RB, creative CM (Tomlin backup) and another striker to replace Ward?
OK - for what it's worth. First chance to post today. Was in Bargain Booze this morning (just getting lottery tickets honest!) and bumped into a guy I worked with 30 years ago. He still lives in Porthcawl and a massive City fan, but I haven't seen him for at least 10 years. He was ITK back then - I remember him telling me we had to sell Kav for the dosh before it suddenly happened. Had a chat and he came out with something very interesting. Now apart from Jason Bowen and Andy Legg historically, what do the following have in common? Adam Le Fondre Sean Morrison Leandro Bacuna Jordi Osei-Tutu John Swift? 4 mill from the Blades refused and I can't honestly see Tan sploshing out that sort of money, but he's a "Whitts" type of guy who could make all the difference to our squad. Don't shoot the messenger, it's possibly just fan talk and more bollocks than Masky's got, but watch this space.
