It’s been a tumultuous season, but it feels like Cardiff are finally turning a corner, so it was great to have the chance to speak to Ryan Wintle about it all and his Cardiff career as a whole.
Is it true that you only joined Cardiff to be closer to Perry Ng?
Haha! That’s probably what he’s telling everyone! It was good that he was here and it’s a big thing when you leave a club because I had never left Crewe, so it was good for me.
He’s exactly who I would have expected to put his hand up to go in goal! Are you guys close?
I think he’s always wanted to go in goal and play every position on the pitch. As soon as he had the chance to go in goal, he was buzzing. I’m sure he’s glad it was only a few minutes rather than 15, but he can tick it off now!
I joined Crewe when I was 17 and Perry was one year older than me, so I was a scholar and he was a pro, but I grew up playing in the Under-23’s with him and even though he was a year older, we ended up making the first team at the same time. We’re close mates and we probably got to know each other better here than we did at Crewe, as we’re both far from home and familiar faces to each other. We spend a lot of time together, which helps on the pitch as well.
That was the last Perry-related question. He’s just the man of the moment after Saturday! You signed for Cardiff when Mick McCarthy was in charge and were loaned out to Blackpool within a week. Was that always the plan, or was that as much of a surprise to you as it was to the rest of us?
It was a surprise and wasn’t planned, but football isn’t easy. When I signed for Cardiff, I knew it was a big club and the club I wanted to sign for. I had just come from League Two, then League One, so I knew it might take a little time, but I’m used to playing games and we had a chat about that. Mick said I wouldn’t be playing many games, so it might be better off if I went out on loan, rather than play for the Under-23’s. I was 24 and had been playing every week, so I didn’t want that. In the end, it worked out well because I went to Blackpool and enjoyed my time there, but I had signed for Cardiff and I was more than happy to come back in January.
You signed on a season-long loan, but were recalled in the January. Presumably that was due to your fine form there and a change of manager?
Yeah, I think so. Mark McGuinness recently did well at Sheffield Wednesday and your parent club is always monitoring you, so they must have seen I was doing well and getting plaudits. A new manager also came in with a different style of play, which suited me down to the ground. When I came back, I felt like I carried it on and did well until the end of the season.
Yourself, Perry, Eboue Adams, Kion Etete, Mark McGuinness and Gavin Whyte have all made the step up from playing in League One. In terms of standard and differences, how big a jump is it?
We were all quite young, so coming into the Championship is not going to be easy. There are a lot of experienced players and coaches who can stop you from doing what you want to do. The higher up you go, the better that teams are against you tactically. There are some massive clubs in League One, so its still a really good standard, but in the Championship, it’s more about how teams are going to stop you, not just about what you’re going to do to them.
What was it like working with Steve Morison? From the outside, he has a pretty fierce persona, but his footballing principles were noble and must have suited a technical player such as yourself.
That’s how he is and that was his personality as a player. You knew what you were getting and you knew exactly what he wanted from you. He may have looked hard from the outside looking in, but when you get to know him, he’s not as hard as people assume. I came from Crewe playing 4-3-3 and sitting in midfield. I did well there to get the move to Cardiff, so when he wanted to play that formation, it was perfect. The way we played was a joy to play in at times, dominating teams home and away. Everyone was enjoying it, but we weren’t winning games. We were creating chances, but were not clinical enough and it ultimately cost him his job. I think he did a world of good for my career though.
Cardiff are on their third manager of the season, which is never ideal. So much disruption tends to follow poor form and the combination of the two is demoralising for supporters. It must be demoralising for players too and difficult to find any rhythm or consistency.
Going through three managers is never ideal, but its as much our blame as it is theirs. Mark Hudson was similar to Morro, having worked together, but it was three managers with three different styles. You just have to stay positive and do what the manager asks of you because at the end of the day, he’s put you in the team and obviously trusts you, so you put everything into it and hopefully get the reward.
Sabri Lamouchi is in charge now and has had a very positive impact. He has a managerial air, speaking with a clarity and authority. What impression has he made on the players?
Sabri has made a good impression. He came in and has tried to make his mark. When he arrived, we weren’t in a good position and this club should never be where we are, especially where we were at the time. He knew that and has come in with authority, making sure there’s no slacking and keeping people on their toes. You don’t want anyone to be complacent because you’ll end up in the relegation zone and nobody wanted that. He’s added a bit of dominance and if you don’t do what he says, you won’t be anywhere near the team. Individually and as a group, we’ve all mucked together and we have to be on it.
You seem to be one of the players that has found their best form recently. What has Sabri changed?
I think he’s given us more clarity in what he wants. Romaine has come back in alongside me, so we’ve now got two in there that can dictate play and we’re taking less risks at the back. When you’re near the bottom of the league, you can’t afford to gift somebody a goal. He’s implemented the play a lot higher up the pitch and when you’re up there, he wants us to have more freedom and enjoy yourself. At the end of the day, if you’re happy playing football, you’ll have better results and if you’re not happy, you’ll never play well.
I know Sol Bamba played at the club before you joined, but he is one of the most beloved players in Cardiff’s recent history. I imagine he’s the sort of guy that would be great at picking you up after a defeat and the life of the party when you win. What has his influence been since arriving?
He’s a very loveable guy. He’s always smiling and picking people up if they’re not starting or involved. My car was in the garage the other day and I got a taxi in to town and the driver was talking about Sol, saying what a great guy he is, so it’s not just people within the club that value him, it’s people around the city too. It was a good appointment to bring him in, to help boost the morale around the squad. Sol has been around the club for years, so he can help the gaffer understand the club. The gaffer might angry about something, but because Sol is so loving, it levels out. It’s a good balance.
It’s been a strange season in that Cardiff haven’t played particularly badly, yet the league table doesn’t lie. In what areas do you feel that Cardiff have come up short at times this season?
It’s not the strikers, its not the wingers, it’s the group. As a group, we’ve got to be more clinical because we are creating chances. On the other hand, we’ve had a lot of clean sheets, so as a unit, the defence has been very good. It’s about trying to get both right.
Beyond this season, I believe your contract is heading into its final year next season. Are you keen to remain at the club long-term?
I signed for the club with that mindset. I’ve never thought about leaving the club and I’m contracted to play football at this club. I’m happy here and we’ll have to see what happens. Hopefully everything will get resolved.
The win against Bristol City felt like a rebirth. How has it felt in the dressing room this week and what are your hopes for the rest of the season?
Its always good to win a derby and to do it in that manner, two goals and a clean sheet. We haven’t won by a couple of goals enough this season. We’ve got to take the positives from that. We’ve won three out of four and we’ve got three big games ahead of the international break. After that, we’ve got Swansea, so we need to make sure we get as many points and as much confidence from these three games to try and win that derby as well.