City managers in 2014/15.

3 Responses to City managers in 2014/15.

1. Anthony O'Brien says:

   May 7, 2015 at 3:26 pm

   Does it really matter if a manager comes from the lower leagues to a higher one? Human nature is much the same at all levels?- and the key element in being a manager is — MAN MANAGEMENT in any occupation. Did Arsene Wenger, for example, have a brilliant playing career at the very top level, or experience of handling premiership players? I don’t think so, and neither did his good friend(?) at Chelsea, or Eddie Howe, and many others? And how many world=class players failed utterly as managers? I accept that Russll Slade could find it difficult when players ask him how many international caps and other medals he had to his name, or how many promotions he has to his CV, et cetera, but that is not a major obstacle. His biggest problem, I think, is that he was effectively appointed by Vincent Tan and is thus seen by many as Vincemt Tan’s yes-man, which is a despicable slur on anyone’s character, and does not chime with what people who know Russell Slade have said about him. And for his part, Vincent Tan has the great disadvantage of admitting that he knew nothing about football, and even worse, that he comes from a faraway country where very few people look as if they hail originally from South Wales! Therein lies the arrogance of Old Imperialism – self-satisfied, insular, brainless, and unjustified. At least give him and his money, plus the manager a chance to prove all the jump-on-the bandwagon Mafiosi utterly wrong. Roll on next season!
2. Dai Woosnam says:

   May 7, 2015 at 10:35 pm

   Thanks Paul for a very thoughtful piece, as usual. And your kind mention of me at the end.

   As you suggest, we do not always agree, but we always agree to disagree in an AGREEABLE way …and even though I favour otiose exclamation marks, I try not to let my language get too excitable !!

   As do you normally: I say “normally” because my eyebrow was raised somewhat when I noted your use of the word “crap”!!

   It is funny ain’t it, how when Joe Soap hits a 70 yard pass it is called “hoofing it” or “long ball crap”, but when Glenn Hoddle or Charlie Adam does it, it is called VISION ?!!

   But hey…we will agree to differ there. Thanks again, Paul, for the positive name-check you gave me.

   Loved the wisdom of AMO’s comment above: he is spot-on in his assertion that several top managers could never “cut it” as players (and conversely of course, many top players could never “cut it” as managers: Tony Adams, Bobby Charlton and Bobby Moore, to name just three).

   Think about it folks: you do not have to be a top chef to know that the fish is off and reeking to high heaven. Or be a master carpenter to know that the table wobbles.

   And a final thought from me on Russell Slade. He is a safe pair of hands: nothing more, nothing less.

   Hey…STRIKE those last 4 words!

   He is a LOT more.

   He is a man of unimpeachable moral fibre. Don’t take my word for it: take Barry Hearn’s.

   Hearn is some shrewd cookie. He knows CHARACTER in a person when he sees it. He has met enough bad-uns in the murky world of boxing (not to mention, snooker and darts!)

   Take these remarks uttered a few days before Orient fell at the final hurdle:

   http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27517961

   Get these tweets, just as he sold Leyton Orient to the Italians, and they were threatening RS with the sack:

   https://twitter.com/barryhearn/status/510959142660751360

   And look what has just happened to Orient without Russell Slade.

   Relegation.

   Hearn is one of the most streetwise people around. He knows integrity when he sees it, and the LAST thing a man like him respects is a YES man.

   But by the same token, he does not want someone whose people leak a vital email to make that manager seem badly treated, and his owner appear a villain in the Court of Public Opinion.

   Russell Slade is an honest – if not exactly INSPIRED – man. He has steadied a violently rocking ship, after crazy forays into the transfer market by the two previous managers. And had to tread the most delicate line through the dangerous minefield of the shirt colour issue. And on that last subject, he never once put a foot wrong: he ALWAYS talked of bringing fans and owner more in harmony. We all knew what this meant: a tacit acceptance that the “blue” fans were probably right, but that harsh attitudes were not of themselves going to make a proud owner capitulate/see sense (take your pick of those two!)

   We should salute Russell Slade…and all be thankful for his qualities.

   And only think of dispensing with his services if a fantastic manager became available. And sorry Tony Pulis: I am on record as wanting you from the Gills in 1999, but you disappointed me by saying after RS was appointed, that you would have “listened to Cardiff had they contacted me”.

   Eh? You professed to be a fan in the John Toshack/Brian Clark days!* Why did you not pick up the phone? You were out of work at the time.

   But hey…

   “If ifs and ands were pots and pans
   We’d have no use for a tinkerman”.

   * Before signing off…I had never seen this interview before. Here is Tosh reacting honestly, without any hyperbole, and clearly having to feel his way for the right words (and thus somehow making it all the more touching and sincere) to Brian’s death:

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/cardiff_city/8902350.stm

   Kindest,
   Dai.
3. The other Bob Wilson says:

   May 8, 2015 at 6:47 am

   Thank you both for your replies. Dai, I used the word “crap” because that’s exactly what was being served up to supporters in home games in the winter. You mention Glenn Hoddle, but Cardiff have had their own, albeit inferior, version of him for nearly a decade in Peter Whittingham. Hoddle was my favourite player in the early 80s and was a truly great long passer of the ball – I also can still see the volleyed pass Whittinhgam played down the touchline to provide Jay Bothroyd with his first Cardiff goal in a win over Coventry back in 2008, it was probably the best assist I’ve seen from a Cardiff player. Whittingham and Hoddle’s best long passes split defences and enabled a winger or striker to run on to them with a goal often resulting, The hoofs we were playing upfield from November to February were aimed vaguely in the direction of the head of one of Kenwyne Jones or Alex Revell (I still have nightmares about the matches where they were both playing) in the hope that a corner or free kick could be won, or, failing that, a throw in where we could send a couple of giant centrebacks forward to make it even more of an aerial assault – sadly, Whittingham has largely lost the knack of playing such passes (or our front men for most of the season were too static or lazy to show his passing ability in it’s best light) and so we saw very few Hoddle type passes from him – Hoddle and Whittingham were artists, there is a no way what we had to endure through the winter months was artistic.
   As for John Toshack and Brian Clark, I’ve seen that video and was impressed at the time, but the version of events I heard at a Trust night where a member of that side and a journalist who covered the City in those days were present painted Toshack in a different light – it seems his former team mates are not impressed by the fact that he did not turn up for Clarkie’s funeral.
   Anthony, I’ll be very surprised if Russell Slade is not given at least a couple of months of the new season to show what he can do with a side full of his players who are, hopefully, quite a bit fitter than the ones who started this season for us. The problem he has though is that even if we come flying out of the traps like we did in 06/07 in Michael Chopra’s first season with us, there are still going to be a fairly substantial number of fans who won’t give him any credit for it – I don’t see that ever changing for him at Cardiff. For myself, I’ll be hoping that he proves me wrong – I’ve got to say I don’t have a great deal of confidence in the man though and, if I had to predict what his future holds, I’d say he won’t be here this time next year.

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