Goodbye Gary Medel!

A few of Cardiff City’s starting XI from last season have left in the last few weeks. 

I couldn't give a monkeys about losing Frazier Campbell and I even offered to give Steven Caulker a lift to QPR to get rid of him. Gary Medel though is different... 

His departure has become a summer ‘saga’ of twists and bulls**t following his phenomenal performances and tears at the World Cup for Chile. 

If you believe the media (always question them), Gary’s agent has in recent days supposedly informed Cardiff City that he wants to play for Inter Milan next season as negotiations between the clubs over the transfer drag on to yawn status.

Added to this was the announcement yesterday of City’s squad numbers for the new season whereby Medel has had his number eight jersey pinched by new lad Kagisho Dikgacoi and in turn had Don Cowie’s crusty old number nineteen jersey thrown at him.

That’s low... and perhaps the most obvious sign yet that the departure to Italy is imminent.  

So, will the Bluebirds miss Gary? 

Being a big fan of ‘El Pitbull’ after watching him cause havoc in Spanish football with Sevilla, his arrival at City this time last year blew my tiny mind. Brought in by Malky (above pic) to add some nasty bite to the midfield in the Premier League, he soon became a cult hero, bringing his rep of being a fully-fledged lunatic with him.

The Bluebirds started the season well and Gary was a big part of that but he did go missing in games, struggling to adapt to the pace of the English league. 

Malky's defensive tactics meant City played deep (very very deep) and Medel was a flicker of light in that darkness and when a tackle came along he'd throw his life into it. He can play too don't forget and in testing times never hid from taking the ball out from the back where others wouldn't.  

There were games in the first half of the campaign where we saw glimpses of Gary’s dark side too like the Manchester United home game where he swung a punch at Marouane Fellaini (a man double his size - above pic) but he appeared to have found a way to curb his infamous temper.

He was excellent in the first Swansea derby in November too and was looking like settling into his new surroundings. 

In the bleak winter of Malky Mackay's brutal fall out with Vincent Tan and Ole Gunnar Solskjær's subsequent appointment, City’s performances on the pitch were as shambolic as the behavior of their Directors running the club off it.

The wheels had come off and City were in trouble. 

Gary’s performances were becoming tepid and lacking in passion which was odd for a player whose whole game was based around intensity. In January and February most of his time was spent running after teams as they tore City apart.

This even included a humiliating defeat and grim day in Swansea where Gary was anonymous and perhaps the first day where relegation became a massive possibility. 

During this time I felt that City could have done with some vintage loco 'El Pitbull' action to breathe life into the battle they were clearly losing. 

Where was the lunatic we thought we'd signed who couldn't accept defeat? 

Where were the red cards and chairs being thrown?   

On no occasion was it necessary for Police to taser Gary in the stadium car park for completely losing his mind after a defeat. I think my Pops in the Grandstand was more likely to be restrained by authorities than Gary.  

The threat of relegation didn't seem to bother Gary, knowing a trip to the World Cup in Brazil was looming, serving as a shop window for a potential move to jump ship.   

Following the boardroom drama, City inevitably ended up relegated back to the Championship and Medel went to the World Cup, picked his face up and played a blinder for Chile sparking the current interest from Europe’s big boys Inter Milan, Galatasaray and Hamburg. 

Who could blame him.  

Knowing Gary will be off once the admin lads at City and Inter can complete a deal, Solskjær moved quickly this summer to find a cheap replacement in Kagisho Dikgacoi from Crystal Palace (a move met with a sigh from City supporters). 

Given the protracted transfer drama, it wouldn't be a shock if Medel was still around when City kick off their Championship season next Friday at Blackburn but he certainly wont play and will he be around in four weeks when the transfer window closes?  

No, he won’t. 

Goodbye Gary, thanks for having a go and good luck in Italy. 

One last plug for the CV Gary Medel fan site: vamosgarymedel.tumblr.com 

REPORT > CCFC New Stand Is Big + Red

I took the boy down to the Cardiff City Stadium this weekend for the players open training session and to check out the new stand. I even took the old man to get him out the house and give Mum some peace.

First impressions were that it looked impressive and humungous in the July sun.  And, in the most obvious news ever, the seats are indeed red. The talk of the ground seemed to be the seat colour but did anyone really expect blue ones? I didn’t.

Anyway, the new stand extension makes the whole ground feel different.

On entry, the walk up the steps to the seats was not for the feint hearted.

I did feel that we should’ve done a full warm up and stretch prior to the climb - I had a sweat on when we reached the top but my four year old ran the whole way. The old man suggested an installation of a stairlift to a nearby steward.

There is a lift facility though (albeit quite small) which we utilised for the way down.

Once you’re up, the concourse is the usual blank concrete bunker at the moment with a few kiosks for matchday drinks and toilets (which are painted blue by the way!) etc.

There’s also a quite tasteful panoramic window which looks out over the city. 

I stood inside the stand wondering how long it would be before City fill the ground again and hear the roar now including the new stand.

Then I realised I’d be at the Super Cup final between Real Madrid & Sevilla in a few weeks with @gavinbonson and went to check the view from our seats. Every seat in the new tier has a good view really, even the back row (which has black seats) and the sides are also unrestricted.  

What about the training then?

Well, although my boy got bored and asked to play ‘I Spy’, the training session was interesting, particularly to me given I’d taken part in a lot of football training recently. The standard at Llantwit Fardre FC training though isn't quite as high as what we saw Saturday.

The players touch and close control in tight drills was incredible at times with twinkle toes Mats Møller Dæhli pulling rabbits out of hats reminding us what a tiny genius he is. 

After some funky fitness drills then it was onto some crowd pleasing shot practice which was fun and Kenwyne Jones (yes, him) was looking sharp as a serpent tooth.  He even run a bit.

All in all, an entertaining couple of hours. 

Pre-Season Training - Part 2 (GAME TIME)

The pre-season training slog continues, but this week the Llantwit Fardre FC reserves squad were ‘treated’ to a friendly game against a team from the Rhondda valley called ‘AFC Hibs’.

You’d hope the first pre-season friendly of the season, and my first game since 2007, could be a tender easy-going affair. Perhaps on a neat small pitch against old fat blokes while a group of cheerleaders sing your name from the sidelines.

It turned out a bit different to that though. 

Firstly, the match was to be played on sandy astro turf, the kind that gives you a skin burn if you happen to fall down or slide about. The kind of surface so hard the ball bounces at least double the height it does on grass.  

Then, the football fate gods and ‘Derrick the Weather Man’ decided to send down the hottest most punishing sun of the year for us (cheers lads). 

An embarrassing lack of logistical pre match preparation and coaching came and went and it was on to the game. With no warm up or tactical instructions our philosophy was loosely based around hoping for the best. 

We did have a kit though, which had to go down as a bonus.

I’d been asked to start the game from the bench, but was assured that I’d get on at some point in a midfield role or along the back line. Given that my days of chasing long balls as a striker were over, I breathed a sigh of relief that my legs had been sparred all the running.  

Twenty minutes in and our striker asked to come off as he needed a leg transplant and before you could blink I was brought on to replace him… as a striker.

Pre game I’d predicted I was carrying approx 45 minutes worth of running in my tank but now I would have to give 70 in a position that demands running. A lot of running. Sometimes for pointless reasons. In the sun. With blisters on my feet. For the first time since 2007. 

I was fed to wolves.

Llantwit started well and we went in 3-1 up at half time, playing some neat football. The second half appeared a step too far though and with a lack of coaching from the sidelines and a flurry of unsettling substitutions, the lead was let slip. 

To be fair, AFC Hibs had played several friendlies leading up to the game and fizzed the ball around us with gusto. The show offs even appeared to all know each others names, which was a cunning tactic our squad could take note from for future games.  

The game ended 3-5 with the majority of the players on the pitch begging the ref for the final whistle for relief from the sun. In fact, at one point, the ref did ask me politely to stop asking him how much time was remaining.    

So, lots of work to be done but getting the Llantwit Fardre FC shirt back on and linking up with old friends was special.  

More to follow. 

CCFC Squad 2014/15 > Strikers… Lots of Strikers

Forget stylish playmakers and chic false nines, when it comes to strikers (or, ‘proper’ number nines) Cardiff City have now got ten on their books.  Ten.

Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer loves goals more than he loves United and Norway and wants his Cardiff team to score some in a new free-flowing swash-buckling style to boot. 

Whereas last season the Bluebirds set up for games in the Premier League cowering in the corner with just one lonely front man, this season could see a change in ethos.  

Ole has highlighted this area of the squad as his starting point in an overhaul, bringing in three strikers so far during the summer adding to the group already here.

Assuming that he won’t choose to play all ten with David Marshall backing up the rear, you would think that only a max of two can start each game with perhaps two joining in from the bench.

So, who’s going to play and who will be warming the bench in a trackie? Who will be left in the house and who will Ole try and get rid of? Here’s the CV take on tings: 

Starters:

It’s likely that Ole will give his new boys the responsibility of getting goals. Javi Guerra has joined for free from Real Valladolid after scoring goals in La Liga – looks like a tall and strong old school centre forward who enjoys a header.   

Then there’s 22-year-old Italian Frederico Macheda also joining on a free after being released by Manchester United. ‘Kiko’ burst onto the scene in 2009 but has since been on loan at several hundred clubs including Sampdoria, Stuttgart, QPR and Birmingham City. Time will tell on what he can offer City in the Championship but he should get game time under Ole who knows him from his time coaching him at United reserves.

Then there’s Adam Le Fondre who joined from Reading (top pic), the most exciting signing of the lot. City have been lacking a true predator for years, a real box striker who only cares about goals. 'Alfie' has twisted defenders blood every time I’ve seen the scamp play and he’s known (like his coach) for making an impact from the bench. His goals will be pivotal - scored 15 in the Championship last year.  

These three should have a healthy fight for two spots up front. 

In The Background:

Lurking in and around the subs bench will be the big fella Kenwyne Jones, brought in as part of what at the time seemed a good swap deal with Peter Odemwingie. It turned out to be a pretty weak deal for City with Ken scoring just once between January and the end of the season. 

He can be handy winning lots of aerial balls in both boxes but that’s about it. Ken doesn’t run, has the touch of a camel and takes home a reported 37k a week salary – what were the City officials thinking when setting up this contract, the mind boggles. His Excellency Sir Vincent of Tan himself is even said to be keen on shifting big lazy Ken off the wage bill but he appears to have a fifty year contract.

Ole seems to like him and he might get to play a bit here and there (if he can be bothered). If he’s fit he could be a real threat in the Championship. He probably won’t be though. Hope I’m wrong but I’m probably not. 

Then there’s Norwegian Jo Inge Berget (below right) who Ole brought in from former club Molde FK in January. Jo hasn’t really been given anything like a chance yet and the fact that Ole wouldn't let him near the field last season told its own story. Needs game time but can’t see him getting it unless City get injuries or he goes out on loan. 

Looks like a clever player but he needs to smash a goal in from at least forty yards when he gets his chance. He did bag one in pre-season at Bath of course.  

Similar to Jo is another Joe.

Young pup Joe Mason had shown mega potential when Malky signed the boy from Plymouth, even being referred to as ‘Joe Messi’ at one point by my friend Steve off the back of some slick performances in the hole behind Kenny Miller. Had a strong 2011-2012 season and who could forget his smooth CarlingCup Final goal against Liverpool? 

Since City had Tan's cash to throw around circa summer 2012 though, Joe has been a bit neglected like a plant wilting. He’s been out on loan at Bolton but could sneak into a few squads this season before probably definitely going out on loan again.  

Shame, because CV rates Joe Messi. 

At the bottom of this pile is 19 year old academy prodigy (and goal machine) Rhys Healey (above pic left) who made his debut from the bench on the last day of the season against Chelsea. Recently rewarded with a new contract after scoring 18 in 22 games for the under 21s last season, Rhys is highly-regarded within the corridors of power at City. 

This season could see him play a few cup games but sending the kid out on loan wouldn't be the worst idea in the world. 

On their way?:

Frazier Campbell worked hard for City in his short time here but looks likely to move back to the Premier League with Crystal Palace after being left behind from Cardiff’s pre-season trip to Austria. 

Although some fans seem to love that he ran around a lot, I never thought he scored enough and needs three chances to hit the net. 

Nicky Maynard’s City career has never really got going has it? First was his cruciate knee injury that kept him out for a season and then last year Ole farmed him out on loan to Wigan where he didn’t do a great deal except maybe eat pies. Now we’re hearing from the City pre-season camp that Nicky’s returned carrying some holiday weight after presumably spending his summer at KFC.

Can see him leaving before the window shuts.  

The Weird One:

Etien Velikonja is an enigma. He signed for City two years ago for £1.5 million bucks, but made only three league appearances under Malky and rumour has it that football genius Vincent Tan signed him himself off the back of a corrupt recommendation from his friend Jose Mourinho.

What a weird and disturbing story this is.

Anyway, when Solskjaer took charge at the start of this year he sent Velikonja out on loan to Portuguese club Rio Ave, presumably to remember what football was. Now he’s back with City for pre-season and Ole has even claimed he’ll get a chance. Whether he was poker faced or laughing at the time is unconfirmed. 

Although he looks like a bit of a lost soul, Etien knows where the net is and looks like a better option than a few of the above. You’d have to think he’ll be off though. Either that or he’ll score 30 next season.

Brayford - Try Again John

This time last year John Brayford (above) had developed to become one of the standout players in the Championship for Derby County and, in turn, Malky Mackay gathered up another bag of Vincent Tan’s money to sign him. 

Seemingly Malky’s plan was to make John Brayford City’s right back for The Bluebirds forthcoming first ever season in the Premier League.

This is standard procedure for a player to be recruited for his footballing abilities unless perhaps he has other skills such as folding kit really well or making excellent sandwiches. Mostly though, footballers are signed to play football. During games. For clubs. For money.  

Cue pictures online of John holding up his new shirt at the training ground all excited at the prospect of a new challenge.

Also cue a massive standard over-hype from Cardiff City support on social media excited about their new defender and his well-groomed beard.

John trained and featured in a few pre-season games and then something mysterious happened…

Nobody saw John for three months.

Maybe his missus caught a glimpse of him at some point or perhaps his Mum knew his whereabouts but City fans didn’t. And he was certainly nowhere near a football pitch or playing football on one.

‘Is he injured?’ the media bellends asked Malky during tense press conferences.

‘No!’ came a blunt response with accompanying steely scots laser eye stare.

The season was underway and City were playing with a tree-trunk on the right side of its defence where John would have been. His replacement Matt Connolly likes headers but couldn't run. The coach was now opting for playing players out of position over picking John.

To top that Mackay even signed French defender Kevin Theophille to fill the role and Brayford wasn't even given a trackie for a stint on the bench neither. 

Dark times for him. 

Soon after, I did actually see him at a City game around November time suited, booted and very well groomed queuing for a coffee in the corporate bit of the stadium. 

A young fan pointed a tiny finger at his face and asked 'why aren't you playing?' to which John mumbled  'Don't know' with a wry hairy grin. 

The season rumbled on leaving John behind as the fans and media drew conclusions of there being a falling out between coach and player to which both Malky and Brayford ignored and denied a bit.  

So, either a blanket is being thrown on the truth or the coach spent a bag of £1.5 million pounds, changed his mind and lost the receipt. 

The stench of mystery and conspiracy was in the air.    

Had John romanced the coach’s lady with his aforementioned beard? 

Had John been told by owner Vincent Tan his date of birth isn’t lucky enough in Malaysian culture? 

Had John just gone on a really long caravan holiday and lost track of time?

Who knows…

Next, one thing led to another and the coach got fired. Ole Solskjaer replaced him in January and (as if by magic) John was spotted training again, this time regenerated with a beard upgrade.

He was then sent on loan to Sheffield United where they reached the semi-final of the FA Cup. Not bad for a league one side.

This was a step forward for John. People were now acknowledging his presence and letting him play. He seemed happy to be off the naughty step and even did some jumps and that type of thing (see below).

The season finished and Cardiff City were relegated with the full back area of the pitch one of several weakest links.

John watched on presumably chuckling smugly under his exceptionally groomed beard.  

Time has moved on and this summer has seen a fresh start for the Bluebirds with Ole encouraging players who found themselves frozen out on loan last season to return and fight for a place in his team.

This has included other unfortunate players like Slovak nutter Filip Kiss, young striker Joe Mason and Joe Ralls.  

Other new players have come in, some have jumped ship and some were pushed off the ship as Ole begins to shape the squad.  

With fellow right back Kevin McNaughton being allowed to leave recently and Brayford featuring in both pre season games so far, it looks increasingly likely that Brayford, who has a contract at Cardiff that runs for another three years, could be charged with proving just how good he is in the second-flight as City prepare for life following their relegation and the gloom of last year.

Brayford the enigma has essentially not really played for City properly yet so his pace and guts could feel like the new signing we were supposed to have last season.

Come back in from the cold John and have a cwtch. Welcome aboard. 

Pre-Season Training - Part 1

Folk say that the two main obstacles for a football career are beer and girls.

I’m 32 and married now and am just recovering psychologically and physically from the effects of both these demons.

Curse them… even Brains SA.

(No, wait. Take that last one back). 

I even had a few extra difficulties thrown in the mix for my (non) football career including inbuilt laziness, Chinese Takeaway love and a time eating Cardiff City season ticket.

The 2007/2008 season was the last time I played a full ‘proper’ eleven a side game, which at that time was for Llantwit Fardre FC Reserves.  

My hiatus from the game has spanned six seasons.

After these awol years of missing playing the game and persuasion from old teammates reminiscing about events on the pitch ‘back in the day’, this week I returned for pre-season training with my old club.

What followed this week felt like a sledge hammer to the face, a reminder that even during my youth, when I was at least half fit, I still hated pre-season training.  

Much like infamous non trainers Carlos Tevez and Matt Le Tissier, my brain just wants a proper game to get the juices flowing. 

‘Please can we stop running?’ I panted as people looked on concerned for my health.

You see, in a game situation you can learn the art of not looking like you're spent and the adrenaline can see you through on times. 

At pre-season though there’s nowhere to hide. Oh no.  

When the grass is cut the snakes will show.

Thankfully much of the feared bits of training like road running and bleep tests have been shelved in favour of more modern and intense continental style ball work. The need to hide one’s self in a bush has slightly decreased.

Only slightly.

32 is old in many ways but none more so than football. A factor I didn’t consider before returning however was that I’d now form part of 'veterans' section of the squad, the experienced heads who supposedly guide the youth whippersnappers through into senior football.  

There are now lads in the squad over ten years my junior. A few are just 18. 

Does that mean we don’t need to do as many sprints as them in training? Hell no.

Shouldn’t they be downing yards of ale, playing Xbox and chasing girls instead? Don’t answer that.  

I’m pleased (ish) to report here that I’ve slogged through the first phase of training thus far. It may hurt to lift my arms as I type this and my left leg appears to have had a panic attack with both hamstring and calf seizing up but I’ve got through.

That’s the goal at this point – get through it.    

Stay tuned for more sarcastic reports from the pre-season training pitch.

#LlantwitFardreFC

@Llantwitfootball 

To soundtrack your own pre season work outs check out the CVDJs free MP3 Pre Season Mix here

Kit Based Excitement!

The launch of a new kit is supposed to be fun with optimism and a sense of pride hanging in the air prompting both club and supporters to unite for the cause and visualise their dreams for the coming season.

Perhaps a smart modern design from a renowned prestigious global kit supplier can get the blood flowing? Perhaps even a well-crafted slick image of a new signing modelling said kit could raise hope and sell more shirts.

That’s other clubs though, not Cardiff City FC.

City fans now dread the images of the new shirt, shorts and socks appearing on their Twitter feed, instead viewing the new kit as another opportunity for the club to not only humiliate them but also another indication that the current owner couldn’t give a rats' hairy arse about them and their petty silky threads. 

Notorious owner (& fruitcake Bond Villain goon) Sir Vincent of Tan has taken things to the next level with the new shirts this time by not only having a say in the colours but now overseeing the whole design and having his company manufacturing it.

As normal at this time of year, It remains a mystery as to what the club's plan is here other than the owner getting his own way and alienating the club's biggest asset of all, the fan base.

The dude with the cheddar always gets bowed down to. 

A club owned kit manufacturer CAN be a good thing though with potentially higher profit margins and money pumped back into the club. It’s not a complete doom-fest here and kudos to the club for giving it thought instead of signing a deal with Macron or equally lame equivalent. 
Nike would've been nice mind. 

My honest first thoughts were that the design could’ve been worse and if you swapped the home and away kits then most fans would be happy enough.

You do feel though that Peter Whittingham's day may have been interrupted for the photoshoot (above pic). Perhaps Whitts had a day of XBox planned when the club rung.  

Even the shorts are red now then, replacing the black ones from the previous two ‘rebranded’ seasons... erasing another two years of history (in terms of shorts). #Outrage #History #Shorts #Etc

Surely a protest regarding this shorts outrage will be arranged imminently?  

If you’re thinking from a positive disposition (some people do), there is a glimpse of CCFC in that blue away kit. You may need to squint and use your imagination but it’s there.  

Added to all this new kit based enthusiasm is the movement from the Cardiff City Supporters Trust to design their own pro blue shirt for those fans who sternly oppose the current owner and the whole evil ‘rebrand’ of the club to red issue thing.

Various other fan groups have also highlighted a gap in the market and knocked up some shirts of their own, all of equally questionable design, presumably with the help of Microsoft Paint 97’.

The thing is, although it’s encouraging to see groups making noise, standing up for the clubs traditions and trying to stick it to the owner, the shirts they've designed are also a tacky affair. 

As heart-warming as the idea is, the rebel fans shirts are in some eyes not unlike the fake football shirts available for €5 at Mediterranean holiday resorts missing an Umbro sign or baring a misspelled player name on its back.  

It’s likely then that this season the stadium will be a confused miss-mash of unofficial tacky blue City merch and this new ‘Cosway Sports’ gear. 

I, for one, am excited about the actual football.