Cardiff don’t need a new manager, they need a hero.
They’re not like other clubs. They don’t operate the same way, unfortunately, and its just a different proposition, in every sense. You’re on your own out there. The mouthpiece for the whole operation. You have to mange upwards, outwards, inwards. Every word is poured over because they’re the only words coming out of the club.
It’s a bastard-hard role and whenever I look at the betting odds once the position becomes available once again, I don’t think most of the suggestions could do it. They’re either not a big enough personality, too thin skinned, too inexperienced. It’s a job that will chew you up and spit you out. You need the skin of a rhino, with the drive and confidence to do it all on your own. A unicorn, essentially.
In terms of where we go from here, there are certain choices that have already emerged as fan favourites. Firstly, everyone has their own personal principles and mine include not entertaining either Sam Allardyce or Ryan Giggs. You may think differently, but each to their own. Also, while I too think that David Moyes would be absolutely ideal, there is zero chance. He is well and truly out of our league.
Embed from Getty ImagesLet’s address Nathan Jones first.
The appeal is obvious, being from the area, passionate and a supporter of the club. Currently doing a good job at Charlton, I’m sure he would also jump at the chance. It would represent an almighty leap of faith though. It would be a hire of potential extremes. It would either click and be an amazing fit, or it could go badly wrong and finish off Cardiff’s Championship status, with nothing in between. He was an amazing manager at Luton, twice, but his time at Stoke and Southampton was a bin fire. Maybe its mad enough to work, or maybe it’s just mad.
Its almost like a tradition that I champion Thierry Henry when Cardiff sack a manager, but I’m always semi-serious. My favourite ever player, he has an incredible aura and would be a box office hire. One of the game’s most celebrated figures, he would elevate the status of the club and excite supporters.
Henry’s CV is mixed, but that’s why there is any chance at all of him taking over a Championship club. Like Patrick Vieira, he needs to establish himself as a manager and is unlikely to land a Premier League job as it currently stands. Vincent Kompany wouldn’t be managing Bayern now if he didn’t first succeed at Burnley. Everyone has to start somewhere.
Osian Roberts, despite his limited managerial experience, is sure to be another name touted. Currently overseeing operations at Serie A side Como, he has aspirations as a manager and was again recently overlooked for the Wales job. With vast experience and likely extensive contacts, there’s a lot to like and it would probably unite supporters.
Embed from Getty ImagesFor me, maybe the most intriguing option is Brian Barry-Murphy. Despite having the sort of name you would expect from a darts player, he is actually one of the most highly-regarded coaching minds in the game. He recently left Manchester City’s academy after a successful three-year spell in charge of their Under-23 side. Having picked Pep Guardiola’s brains on a daily basis, he is ready to strike out on his own with designs on the second tier. A football purist, he had his Rochdale side playing the sort of football that attracted the interest of the best team in the world and won’t be available for long.
Ryan Lowe and Steven Schumacher, who used to be manager and assistant together at Plymouth, are both no available and likely in the running. Gary Rowett will be peddling his gruff wares and a convenient option like KV Kortrijk manager Freyr Alexandersson is bound to be a consideration.
The reality is this though. Cardiff are not as attractive now as they would have been six games ago.
Were the post available in the summer, and we now know that it should have been, they would have been inundated with offers. I’m sure they still will be, but maybe not the same calibre of candidate because no one wants a relegation on their CV.
Embed from Getty ImagesMehmet Dalman and Vincent Tan seem to take it in turns choosing managers and Erol Bulut was very much Dalman’s pick. Tan, who will rightly be livid at sacking a manager six weeks into a new two-year deal, favours youthful promise, whereas Dalman prefers the safety of experience. He also doesn’t tend to buy employed managers out of their contracts.
It was for this reason that I half expected Tan to try Aaron Ramsey, who is injured for the foreseeable future and ticks many of his boxes. I envisaged him and his best mate Chris Gunter, both with freshly minted coaching badges and aspirations, expanding their Cardiff legacies, but it was not to be.
As embarrassing as it is to sack a manager after six games, it was the right call because the players did not appear to be behind him and one point was bad enough, but a solitary goal was beyond the pale. The search for a successor begins, again, with Cardiff seemingly unprepared, again. Its not an easy task though because its not just the league position that needs a lift, it’s the whole mood of the club. Their season needs a saviour.