Is Erol Bulut gone for good, or coming back for more?

It’s that time of year again. Almost twelve months to the day, we were put out of our misery having waited beyond the conclusion of the season for confirmation of Sabri Lamouchi’s new deal, or departure. It was the latter, at a time when the general mood was that most were happy for him to remain in situ.

Most people tend to get bored quickly and favour the new. The transfer window is the most obvious example of that. Some froth at the mouth for new signings, which may or may not be better than what you already have, but they haven’t had chance to let us down yet, so are deemed preferable. Managers are slightly different. Patience often wears thin and sometimes a reset is necessary, but if you keeping chopping and changing, its unsettling, it takes its toll on everyone involved and you end up with a Frankenstein’s monster of a squad.

After a few years of flux, the last thing anything wants is another new manager at Cardiff. It has been a season of progress, both on and off the pitch, finishing a lot higher up the table and going a whole campaign with the same man in charge, but once again, we’re refreshing social media as we await updates.

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Frankly, that’s not good enough.

I know the club remain at the mercy of one man’s whim. I also know that the owner and the chairman take it in turns to choose the manager, with one favouring youth and potential, while the other prefers wisdom and experience. This ongoing indecision is harmful though. At a time when Cardiff should be planning the summer and beyond, they’re once again losing ground and wasting time.

We’re waiting for official confirmation, but the club probably are too and that is not a healthy situation. It’s also incredibly disrespectful to Erol Bulut and his staff. You’ve done a good job, but I still haven’t made my mind up. It doesn’t bode well, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it leaves the club in a vulnerable position. While the manager is effectively between jobs, he is attainable to other clubs and can decide or be tempted to walk away. In fairness, who could blame him if he did. Even if he does get a new deal at this point, its hardly a ringing endorsement. It feels like it will have been grudgingly awarded, as if someone has twisted Tan’s arm, against his better judgement.

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This may feel like the worst-case scenario, but it’s not. That would be if Bulut got an extension, started the season badly and got sacked in the autumn. That would undermine the new season and represent a wasted transfer window, neither of which Cardiff can afford. That was the Steve Morison situation when he left in September, while Paul Trollope and Mick McCarthy were both dismissed in October.

This actually feels similar to the Morison situation because having ended the season in poor form, he started the next season under pressure and never managed to recover. Off the back of a home thumping by Middlesbrough and perhaps their worst performance of the season at Rotherham, Bulut ended the season with a whimper rather than a statement of intent. There were mitigating factors in terms of injuries and nothing left to play for, but it was terrible timing in terms of his long-term job prospects.

The vast majority appear to be in favour of Bulut staying and that support should make the decision an easy one, but here we still are. The general consensus is that he deserves another crack at it, but I do wonder if the appeal of stability is greater than the appeal of Bulut. Do people really want more Erol, or just the continuity that he brings?

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This is where my conflict lies. I remain pretty 50/50 on Bulut. For every gutsy win, there is at least one shambolic defeat. They win narrowly, but lose heavily. That may change with better players, but I don’t expect his conservative nature to change, so if you don’t like the football now, you probably need to amend your expectations accordingly. The start of the season showed what Cardiff can be under Bulut, with all the pieces available and in the right places. I still cling to that, as we all do, but that is starting to feel like a long time ago.

Bulut and his team represented a big commitment from the club and that is an ongoing commitment. If the owner is questioning that outlay, I can to some extent understand why. Finishing 12^th is a big improvement, but the numbers are often conflicting. They won 19 games, but lost 22. More goals were scored, but more were conceded too and the goal difference was worse that of relegated Birmingham.

All things considered, I think Bulut should remain and things will likely turn toxic if he doesn’t, but I feel like the best hope of keeping him was reaching an agreement before he left the country to return home. Maybe a deal is in place and the details are being ironed out, but for now, we wait and as usual, the silence is deafening.