Can someone please start some? It's deadly quiet on here with us having nothing to talk about except last year's kit at sale prices and Turner's release. It will be much more fun when we have some names to conjure with and research their rights and wrongs. I guess Trollope sunning himself on the Algarve with the Welsh team doesn't help. Surely Russell can start the ball rolling in Troloppe's absence. We all know how good his signings have been.
I can think of a couple to start the ball rolling - no substance in these just my little bit of inside knowledge from Bournemouth. While not on their released list I have it on good authority that the Cherries would look at reasonable offers for Tokelo Rantie (who we apparently looked at last year) and Glenn Murray - both surplus to requirements especially with Bournemouth looking to sign higher quality players with their Prem windfall. The sticking point could be Prem wages but Rantie only played once last season and Murray 10 times so they are hardly Prem regulars and that might water down their negotiating position. Other negatives - Rantie is not a regular scorer (far from it) but has frightening pace which could blow holes in Championship defences and create chances for others - Murray is 32 so how long has he got? He has a good scoring record of 159 goals in 439 matches (1 in 3). Certainly a good old fashioned type of centre forward who is good at holding up the ball and bringing others into play as well as a regular scorer at this level. Eddie Howe has a track record of letting go at reasonable prices people who have been loyal and done a good job where they may not fit his structure going forward. Got to be worth us looking at them. Thoughts ladies and gentlemen? And now City confirm a pre-season friendly at Bournemouth again. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/...ardiff-city-confirm-friendly-against-11392865 No smoke without fire? Try before you buy? Although I hope we have most of our signings in the bag by then.
Slightly off topic (already) but it concerns movements - managers not players. Reading have sacked McDermott after 6 months: - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36398215 Could be a nice job for Russell? On the contrary, WoL says he is linked with Charlton: - http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/...s/cardiff-city-head-football-russell-11393128
Niklas Bendtner was thrown out of Wolfsburg the other week and needs a new club Probably too expensive for Cardiff and still a Bad Boy but sure to score lots of goals at championship level. Would be a test of Trollopes man management skills too
Thanks for joining in Danablu. However, Bendtner is way too high maintenance and an ignorant, arrogant sod to boot. It would be like us signing Trundle. He would have to pay us to like him. Apparently he can afford that!!! Could always try Balotelli instead?
Wasn't Jay Bothroyd in that same high maintenance, bad boy category when we signed him. That didn't work out so bad.
True but he was Championship bad boy level, Bendtner is a Premier and Champions League ar$ehole. Also, DJ knew how to handle Bothroyd.
Slade interviewed for Blackburn job: - http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/former-cardiff-city-manager-russell-11398196 Please let it be true and, if so, good luck Russell!!!
If nothing else, it's an indication that he wants away - he won't be around for much longer. The move "upstairs" was clearly cosmetic and no more than a face saving exercise for all concerned.
Bendtner is sh!t. I would bring in Tom Lawrence. Offer big money for Chris Gunter and make him captain and then look at PL loans.
Gunter wouldn't cost much. I'd go for Matthews. Priorities have to be a left back, pacy box to box midfielder, a midfield boss type, 2 strikers plus keeper if Marshall goes. John & Kennedy hopefully will be given a chance. Need though probably to have to offload Malone, Le Fondre, Doyle etc. ps. Slade surely will get offers & won't be able to resist putting on his tracksuit & cap again!
Underwhelming if true. http://www.nottinghampost.com/Notti...ilson-linked/story-29334563-detail/story.html
A few years ago on a wet and windy Tuesday night at Ninian v. Forest, for some reason I never got to the bottom of, we all started chanting, "Wilson, Wilson" . He was totally bemused and didn't have a clue what was going on. Almost as good as the "Do the Hussey, Hussey" chant against Coventry.
Hoping Trollope gets his business done early. We could do with a full pre-season with the whole squad. Be interesting to see who leads that pre-season though. Not inspired by the above, but then, not inspired by Trollope. Hoping to be pleasantly surprised. They do say the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. We're going to need it to be true. A tough season ahead methinks.
Does anyone know if Trollope has a transfer budget, or do we just have to get by on Journeymen bargains ?
Nothing's emerged in the media that I've seen but I doubt he'll get much cash up front to spend. I'd have thought paying large transfer fees is not a road Tan will want to go down again. It may make more sense to pick up out of contract players and use the purchase cash saved as decent wages to attract the right guys to the club or even loanees who actually want to play for us not just pick up a wage packet. The point is, who are the right guys? Immers apart, we haven't had a particularly good track record recently. I hope Trollope has got a plan in place that Tan will support, otherwise we're going to tread water again next season in what's going to be a much more difficult division.
Interesting that Trollope sought out Tan for a meeting. Apparently previous managers had a bit of await to meet with him. Hopefully the wage bill and transfer budget were topics discussed. If we could spend £5-10M total for players and trim a few off the squad that would send a positive message. I would see 3-4 players a £1-3M as a sign of commitment by Tan. Hopefully, Trollope would use it wisely. Though as Sparky said, there will be plenty out of contract players that would enhance the squad, as long as they aren't on silly wages.
He probably has to offload a number of poor signings over the last couple of years. We know who they are but for the record my list would include Le Fondre, Doyle, Macheda, Dikgacoi and possibly Malone, Kennedy and Harris. I couldn't see us recouping much of our outlay for those where we spent good money but 2 or 3 of those are on good wages which could be put to better use to improve the squad. The pity is it will have to wait until Trollope returns from the Euros in the latter third of June unless Choo and Dalman take responsibility for off loading the deadwood in his absence. Can they also be trusted with recruitment?
We can only hope that lessons of the past have been learned. I would expect Trollope to have created a 'keep list' and a 'get rid of list' and that the transfer committee will be working on the latter. Similarly there should be a 'shopping list' which at least includes positions / types of players required and possibly a short list of possible candidates. On the latter, with current technology, Trollope must remain in daily contact with the club to discuss progress. Not happy with the situation but I can see how it can be made to work. Trollope needs to do some scouting while he is at the Euros as well. If we're in the market for 5 players (my number not the club's) we need 3 of those in before pre-season starts so Trollope can go fishing for the other 2.
You mean like the pre Hamman days? I recall the 82-83 season when Ashurst had a host of journeymen come in like Mullen, Hemmerman, Hatton, Tong, Gibbins etc. They were more than useful and resulted in a promotion. What I'm saying is there are some quality journeymen out there, whom could do a better job than some of the garbage City have paid money for in recent years. Mind you in later years City had their fair share of total duffs.