This club, perhaps more than any other in the Football League, has experienced a huge change in personnel, both on and off the pitch.Ai?? As die-hard fans of the club noted at the beginning of the season and as new manager Malky Mackay was quick to mention, the club lost twelve players, its manager, coaching staff and Chief Executive between May and September of this year.Ai?? This left a significant job of rebuilding for the new manager and his staff to complete.
So, just how has this new dawn affected the club?Ai??It would have been simple for the new management to state that this season was a time of consolidation for the team, and that the fans shouldn’t expect too much, and most fans wouldai??i??ve accepted that. However, this wasn’t the case. Mr. Mackay stated that he thought the club could be, and should be, challenging for promotion, and went about acquiring what turned out to be ten new players and a new coaching staff.
From the very first day on the job, Malky Mackay has preached a new message.Ai?? One of hard work, team mates playing for each other, higher fitness levels and above all a passion for the club to succeed. Now, this mantra seems to have filtered right throughout the club. The team is fast developing a reputation for being hard to beat and itai??i??s easy to see just why that is.
The tactics employed by Mackay and his team are relatively simple. Itai??i??s generally a 4-4-2 formation with huge emphasis on pressing the opposition. The shape of the team is fluid and if necessary, the club has players that can play in multiple positions. Don Cowie, Craig Conway, Peter Whittingham, Joe Mason, Kevin McNaughton, Darcey Blake and Andrew Taylor can all play in more than one position. This flexibility allows Mackay to change formations when necessary, particularly if the team is on the back foot. However, all of this is always set on a foundation of hard work from front to back, right up until the final whistle.
Having mentioned the sheer flexibility that exists in the team, and explained how that has allowed the club to develop according to the challenges it faces, then itai??i??s important to look at individuals and just how theyai??i??re playing a part.Ai?? Joe Mason was signed without, it has to be said, much fanfare in the summer from Plymouth Argyle and the majority of the fansai??i?? reactions were ai???Joe who?ai??? This little known striker, only 20 years old, cost A?250,000 and beyond the City of Plymouth was almost an unknown quantity.Ai?? Mackay was quick to sing his praises and exclaimed that he was ai???One for the futureai???. Little did Cardiff City fans realize that the future was closer than they thought.
Joe Mason caught the eye of the Cardiff faithful with some stellar performances in pre-season and the message boards and forums were alight with excitement on what could turn out to be the bargain signing of the season. He has since gone on to score in consecutive games for Cardiff City including a vital goal against playoff rivals Leeds United. At the moment, the media beyond South Wales have not really highlighted just how exciting a prospect this player is, and Cardiff City fans will be hoping it stays that way.
So where does this leave Cardiff City Football Club?Ai?? After a season of disappointment and a summer of turmoil, things are definitely looking up for the club.Ai?? Malky Mackay has the team playing some attractive, high tempo football and the smiles are back on the faces of the 20,000 fans that turn up every week to watch their beloved Bluebirds.Ai?? The smiles are back because the unreal expectations of Premiership football have been extinguished, the goals are being scored from defense right through to attack and above all, the team is working harder than ever before from the first whistle to the last.
It would be prudent to note right now, that Cardiff City is a club on the rise.Ai?? The sleeping giant of South Wales is itching to join its bitterest rival Swansea City in the Premier League and it seems to have the means of doing it. Work hard, then harder, and harder still and maybe; just maybe, this time next year thereai??i??ll be a couple of South Wales derbies, in the Premier League. Now whoai??i??d have thought it?
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This article was written by our Cardiff-born guest author Paul Gronow
Follow Paul on twitter @Bluebirdblogger
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