I think MM will get rid of atleast 10 players in the summer, and talking about summer, let the transfer rumours begin. therefore i am going to try and NOT buy the echo until early August, but hopefully in the meantime we get a striker and 2 wingers in, sign Lawrence on a permanent, if Miller goes that will not bother me as i think there are better out there, as his returns are paltry.
Next year we should play reserves and youngsters in the cups and see how they do. We've had enough cup runs recently so it'll be nice to concentrate on one competition. Overall I'm very happy and proud of the team and Malky.
Nothing wrong with being proud of Malky and the boys, I am too, but there is another side to it. I don't know if some are keeping their heads below the parapet here, and toeing the party line in the cause of solidarity, but am I the only one on here that thinks we actually blew it? We were in prime position lying 3rd in the table after we beat Reading 3-1 at the CCS on New year's day. The management and players ran out of options and ideas through a lack of action in the New Year transfer/loan windows. We've not been made aware (and probably wont be) of any real reasons other than there was no one out there that Malky felt could improve things. The Carling Cup run didn't help with the small squad, but we knew we were in it and that was that. We slipped from genuine auto contenders to hopeful playoff hangers-on in the space of 10 weeks through understandable player tiredness. Although we all had our hopes and aspirations for the playoffs, we were never going to progress in reality - West Ham were far too strong having improved their squad, and the other two semi-finalists having done the same, would have been as well.
It was a penalty, and the one near the end probably was too. Wouldn't have changed the match though Dili. West Ham were way too good.
3rd place in January was so far beyond most of your expectations it isn't funny. To suggest they blew it, I feel, is a bit harsh on the team - as disappointing as it is that you threw away so many points with drawn games. It is of course possible Cardiff could have got some new players in January but that still would not necessarily ensure promotion. It's always a gamble bringing in a new player. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. If MM felt the side was settled enough then I think he was right to not get too involved with transfers that could disrupt to harmony.
Thai - did I say anything about the "team"? Please substitute "club" and you would more in tune with what I'm saying.
The club is another animal isn't it. Hard to really know what the ambitions of the club are. You only read and hear what they want to tell you, as with any other club but because that is what they said does not automatically translate in to what they really mean. It is very possible the club felt they were not in a good position to get promoted this season, a season (or two) too soon. I know that sounds bloody ridiculous because of the money in the PL but if they are not prepared to dip their hands in to their wealth to strengthen the team sufficiently to at least try and compete at the top level then there may be a hint of 'holding back' a bit. Perhaps none of us will ever know one way or the other but I wouldn't beat myself up over it. What our clubs do, is what they do and as long as they do not destroy it we learn to live with their actions
Sparkey, I agree to some extent though I don't think we could have finished better than 4th anyway, and would we have been able to beat West Ham at any stage of the playoffs? I do wonder why MM did not give more players a run at times. Blake, Kiss, Quinn, Dekel, Gerrarad, Earnie, Rails, all could have been used to rest some players because we really looked dead in the end. Whitts in particular looked half the player he had been. Nobody should play more than 40 games in a season I feel. We had 7 over 40. MM has been hard to judge. I love the way he has the team working hard and playing as a team. I don't think tactically he has shown that much, and he seems very keen to play HIS chosen 11 every week.
Siam The reason most of those players were not used were they were simply not good enough. Blake, I agree with you. Ralls and Kiss are for the future (as we have apparently paid £500k for Kiss - I am not sure just where his best role will be). Quinny didn't let us down when he played and could have had a game or 2 but then Darcy wouldn't be in and you can't fault Gezza for effort but lower Championship is about his level. Same for Keinan - did he get many games for the Wurzels or Palace when on loan? Earnie needed more game time to establish himself and may have done better as an out and out striker than Miller however the rest of his game (holding the ball and linking with others) just isn't good enough and those areas are important due to the way we play. Sparks - I recall similar conversations about Newport when they competed with City and Pompey for promotion from the old Div. 3 (was it 1983?). They were favourites to go up especially after beating City at Somerton but then fell away in the last few games. The rumour at the time was their board did not want promotion as they were not equipped financially or organisationally to go higher at that time. The rest is history after that but at least they are progressing back through the leagues and have a great trip to Wembley next weekend.
Blue, Yeah, I understand that, and to be honest i am really talking about Whitts and Miller more than others. Whitts could have been given a game or two off when he looked like he was in decline. Miller really needed some time off. But as you say, if we had of played somebody else on lost, then MM would have been caned for that. Still, we will see if he rotates when he has a bigger squad. I don't see us having a bigger squad next year though. If 7 or 8 go out, do you think we will get 7 or 8 in who will challenge for a start...I don't. I had not heard that Newport story before Blue. It would be amazing to think any club would deliberately stay down!
Before the first whistle to start the Championship , I would have bet my house Cardiff wouldn't have booked a place in the playoffs and in another cup final ..... I would have been homeless ! The deck is always stacked in favor of teams with previous expierence that Premier League money brings . Teams like Reading , Southampton , West Ham , Blackpool & Birmingham . A good start to create a leveler playing field is the abandonment of parachute payments , with the money equally distributed amongst all Championship teams . Anyways , looking forward to " Malky's Mix & Match " over the summer , what he put together last summer, out of nothing , makes him & Rodgers neck & neck for manager of the year for all Leagues .
Without parachute payments though Cracker those clubs would be in a hell of a lot of trouble when they came down. I think one season is more than enough though not like the current four season system. Wish there was a payment for making the playoffs but not getting promoted....we would be rolling in it Respect for Rodgers, but Pardew is my manager of the season.
Time to release peripheral players and bring in better quality back up. Contentious maybe, but if a bid comes in for Miller get rid of him. Earnie cheers but good luck else where. We need a big lump of a target man for Mason, who also needs to eat three Shredded Wheat every day. We also need a mean bastard in midfield who bites everything in sight. We finished 4 places higher than I anticipated pre-season following a long grueling campaign and went up to HQ once again. Pleased overall.
disagree ITI, for the target man read gestede and hardman read gunnar or kiss. wide players, a centre back, another centre mid, and a goalscorer are needed imo, none of our strikers will score enough together to get us promoted next year. should have gone for maynard but he was snapped up by a bigger team offering bigger wages.
Disagree back Swamp. Gestede is a nice kid but he is like bamby on times and cannot take the knocks like an experienced pro. Gunnar and Kiss are not bruisers though Kiss is learning his trade. I mean someone who you would think twice about trying to pass. We are far too soft in the middle of the park. Agreed on Maynard.
Swampy - doubt Maynard would have come here anyway. He turned down loads of chances to move to Leicester for decent bucks at the start of the season when everyone was blowing their trumpet as promotion certainties. They kept after him even offering a reported 6 mill. Although it was the official line that Bristol City didn't want to sell him, the truth was that he didn't want to go there on the basis that a Prem club would come along. After no established Prem clubs came in for him, he saw West Ham as his best route to the Prem. Agree though, he would have snapped up quite a few of the chances that Kenny spurned.
One season of parachute payments is to much for my liking Siam . You get 50 million a season in the Premier , if you don't spent it well , to bad .. Respect your manager pick , but I'm a build out of nothing kinda of respecter & Malky set the bar pretty high . Looking at that list you posted on that other thread about ALL the new players brought in & at what cost .... it left my jaw on my chest . When you consider the players who abandon the team after last season , I am in awe of the effort put in by the team & the direction they were steered with most of these players playing together for the first time . Try not to be to disappointed , this wasn't a Jones team with a lot of big names . Cheers
I always thought the cup run killed your promotion chances, and we (West Ham) have, since April, been playing better than at any time over the last 3 seasons. I'd like to see a Welsh derby in the Prem, maybe next season a more season long view of cup competitions would be wiser, if the Prem is the goal.
Probably right Miggins with our small squad and little input in the window. Great name by the way, how's the pie shop doing and is Blackadder still a customer?
yea, he probably wouldnt have come to us but i would have enquired. his finish was top class against us and west ham have a good player on their hands for not much investment. gestede, i dont think he's good enough but the club do, maybe he can grow into the number 9 role. gunnarsson is a quality player and quite robust and well built, though another body is needed there perhaps cheers miggins
