Russell Slade called for judgement on his performance as Cardiff City manager after 12 games of the 2015/2016 season, and, as a quarter of the Championship campaign has passed, Cardiff City are proving real contenders for a play-off place. After stating Slade was a man under pressure before the current bid started, it is clear to see he is absorbing and utilising that pressure to his advantage.
Russell Slade: 12-Game Judgement
The most prominent change brought in under the Slade era has been the stability to the match day squad; although sometimes predictable, each player is clear of the team’s match tactics as well as their individual responsibilities. This has been brought about by Slade’s use of the same starting eleven – 15 different outfield players in total – since the beginning of this season. This is a huge difference compared to the squad of last year, where over 30 players were involved.
A partnership has been prospering at the heart of the defence between Sean Morrison and Matthew Connolly; with both centre-backs starting every Championship match thus far, fans’ Player of the Year Bruno Ecuele Manga and long-term absentee, Ben Turner, have been awaiting a first match return from injury. With the current star choice pairing proving tough to beat in defence, and averaging 0.9 goals against so far, Manga and Turner may have to wait a little longer to feature in the first team.
Another developing duo, albeit not quite as profound as the centre-back partnership, is Kagisho Dikgacoi and Peter Whittingham. After a long-term injury last season, Dikgacoi has started all 12 Championship matches, spending the second longest amount of time on the pitch – 1,030 minutes – putting him just behind Matthew Connolly (1036 minutes). The defensive-minded 30-year-old has looked a little rusty in possession, but his tackling and closing down is second to none and has allowed the likes of Joe Ralls, Anthony Pilkington and Whittingham to maintain and utilise possession around him, contributing to the team’s spine being solidified under Slade. Despite the possession, the midfielders have only managed to muster three goals between them, which will be a concern if the team are to maintain a play-off push.
To complete the spine, Slade has started Joe Mason 12 times, again contributing to this continual starting eleven and he has been the reliable goal-scorer he proved to be prior to his loan spells at Bolton, with five goals in twelve appearances. He has had to adapt to having various partners alongside him, with Kenwyne Jones picking up a few niggling injuries already. Fans’ favourite, Mason, will be hoping to start the majority of the remaining games and should be targeting a tally of 20 goals this year. This is a feat a Cardiff striker hasn’t achieved since Ross McCormack back in 2008/2009.
The stand out man over the last month has been Fábio. The versatile full-back has been frightful in attack, especially paired with Ralls on the left, and is usually solid in defence. He has further won over a lot of sceptical fans who feared his defensive lapses proved too costly at times. His return from injury has seen him pip Scott Malone to the left-back position regularly, with Lee Peltier holding down the right-back slot.
With his squad looking very settled, the dressing room has been lifted massively, after Matthew Kennedy’s revelation that it was the ‘flattest dressing room’ he had been a part of, when joining from Everton in the 2015 January transfer window. The use of motivational posters is merely a subliminal assist to Slade’s effective man management skills, with all players improving their individual performances as the season progresses. It has not yet been enough to encourage the fans back to the Cardiff City stadium, though, with the average attendances still struggling around 14,341; the Bluebirds sit in 18th of the Championship attendance table.
With the team performing well, the only recommendations for Slade would be to bring in a midfield dynamo, capable of bagging 10-15 goals this season as Whittingham used to do before his goal-scoring flair dried up. The second pointer for Slade would be to get involved with the fans more, attending the supporters club and trust meetings – something Malky Mackay did well during his tenure.
Apart from those minor adjustments that could be made, the board, players and fans should be pleased with Slade’s contribution after the disastrous spell under Ole Gunnar Solskjær ending just over a year ago. In all, the changes made by Slade have been effective, if not sizeable.
Cardiff City face Bristol City in the Severn-side derby at the Cardiff City Stadium tonight at 19:45…
Main Photo
