Why it was right that Whittingham went

On Tuesday the 13th June 2017, a dark cloud descended on the city of Cardiff as a club icon and modern-day legend Peter Whittingham announced he was to leave the club and sign for Blackburn Rovers on a two year deal.

                                               Doesn't look right does it?


This brought to an end a 10 and a half year association with the Welsh capital that had seen cup finals (two), playoff's (numerous), a title-winning season followed by disappointing relegation and mid-table mediocrity which ironically is exactly where Cardiff City were when Peter Whittingham joined.


Peter Whittingham had become the anchor in stormy seas for Bluebirds everywhere as scandal after scandal threatened to sink the club into oblivion.  No matter what happened off the pitch, Whitts was fantastic on it and this is why so many fans came to see him as the embodiment of Cardiff's good times.


The sad fact of life is, the good times don't last forever and this is why, the time was right for Whittingham to leave.  There are two main reasons why the decision to let him leave was the right one...

                                     Peter deserves all of the plaudits he ever earned


Financial


Peter Whittingham (possibly along with Manga) was one of the last remaining big-time earners from the Premier League and Ole era where silly money was spent on silly players generally achieving poor results.


If we assume that Whitts was earning £20,000 per week (which is not that unrealistic), this would mean that if given the 2 year contract he was seeking at the same money, Cardiff City FC would have paid £2.8 million over the two year deal. 


If he was paid just half his original wage, then I'm sure you don't need an abacus to work out that the club would have spent £1.4 million on wages alone plus any incentives for goals/assists etc. I am not convinced this would be a wise investment on someone entering the twilight of his career that probably doesn't fit the manager's system, more on that next.


Warnock's method


Neil Warnock has made it clear since he arrived at Cardiff City FC that he requires blood, sweat and sometimes stitches from every single one of his players and Whittingham is just not that type of player.


For a manager looking for a Land Rover, Peter Whittingham is a Rolls-Royce, don't misunderstand me here, I ADORED his languid style at times and he was Mr Reliable when it came to set pieces and penalties BUT my God he could be frustrating.


I have lost count over the years of the amount of times I have seen players just glide past him in centre midfield, he would hover around the opposition and on the rare occasion he did put a foot in, he invariably ended up giving away a free kick for fouling the opposition.


Ultimately, Warnock wants dynamic, enthusiastic hard workers who will run until they collapse and I am not sure he was ever going to be that type of player.


In summary


There is a huge chunk of my heart that will forever be Peter Whittingham, but, for too long bluebirds have been looking back on the "good ole days" when the time has firmly come for them to look forward.


The past has gone, just like all of the great players we will look back with fondness and tell our grandchildren of their greatness but the time has come to say, thanks for the memories Peter and all the best.

                                                     Here's to you Mr Whittingham

Season of safety leaves City fans muted

As another season draws to a close, it is time for Cardiff City fans everywhere to take a good, long look at how their team has fared over the last 9 months.  

Close inspection will confirm what fans everywhere seem to be saying, this has been a frustratingly poor season that whilst occasionally peppered with sporadic moments of real hope; the true story is one riddled with inconsistency and a distinct lack of excitement on the pitch.

Let's go back to May 2016.

Paul Trollope unveiled as the next Cardiff City manager, May 2016

It would be fair to say that the air of excitement surrounding the new season was in the very least tainted with disappointment when Paul Trollope was announced as the new permanent manager of Cardiff City FC. 

The escapades of the Welsh national team which involved the new manager as a coach, seemed to placate some fans who were pleased to hear the new man promise that he was looking to implement the "Wales Way" of playing with fast full-backs in a 5-3-2 formation.

I was one of the lone voices on social media that begged fellow bluebirds everywhere to give the man a chance and get behind him, something that a lot of fans did do especially when the team won a pre-season tournament in Germany; it seemed the good times were back to stay.  Sadly I couldn't have been more wrong...

Less than 5 months later and the Welsh dream turned into a nightmare, only 2 wins in 11 games and a series of abject performances on the pitch had left the club floundering in the relegation places in danger of getting pulled into a real relegation battle, Cardiff had a difficult choice to make, or did they?

Neil Warnock hired as new Cardiff City manager, October 2016

The immediate popular choice was affable Yorkshireman Neil Warnock who had been out of work since finishing the rescue job at Rotherham in the previous season.  Here was a manager with a proven pedigree but it would be fair to say that his appointment was not met with universal approval, the questions began immediately.

1. Could Neil Warnock work with the enigmatic owner Vincent Tan?
2. Could Cardiff City FC afford to hire him and his staff?
3. What about the long-term plan Cardiff City FC were hoping to implement?

Radio phone-ins and social media were littered with people questioning the above, not to mention, would Mr Warnock want to come to Cardiff?  The answer was swift and authoritative, he would love to be given a chance to manage the Welsh capital.  Within 24 hours it was a done deal, a new dawn had begun.

Just two weeks and 3 new free-signings later and Bristol City arrive in Cardiff on the crest of a wave, looking to maintain their playoff place and further compound their Severnside rivals...

Sol Bamba scores the winning goal for Cardiff City on his debut

Much to the Robins' chagrin, and much to Warnock's delight, his City side was off to a dream start, Bamba had become a cult-hero and Bristol were about to plummet down the table faster than a Clarkes pie on the Ninian Stand.

It would be fair to say that the first half of the season had become a battle to ensure the Bluebirds would not be caught up in a relegation battle, the second half of the season was to see the emergence of a player that almost no one had seen coming....

Albin Kenneth Dahrup Zohore or "Big Ken" to the bluebirds had signed on a 3 year deal (without much fanfare) in pre-season and most fans had consigned him to the rather large vat of failed strikers at Cardiff City FC, how wrong we all were.

With 13 goals to his name and a player of the season nomination, bluebirds everywhere finally have someone to believe in for the 2017-18 season.

Whilst Warnock has restored hope and many bluebirds are now looking forward eagerly to the new season, there can be no denying that the 2016-17 season will be consigned to the history books as "the one that got away".