A Hangover from Drinking in the Last Chance Saloon

The more I think about the signings Dave Jones made during the 2010/11 campaign, the more I am convinced he believed he would be shown the door if Cardiff City failed to gain promotion to the Premier League, regardless of how close his team came to achieving its goal. To describe the club’s recruitment policy last season as short-term would be something of an understatement. In retrospect, it seems certain the manager knew he was drinking in the Last Chance Saloon and now it is new boss Malky Mackay who is dealing with the hangover.

Following the Championship play-off final defeat to Blackpool in May 2010, many Bluebirds fans feared the side’s star players would be sold off, but that didn’t happen. Reserves Peter Enckelman, Tony Capaldi and Warren Feeney were released, Welsh international midfielder Joe Ledley signed for Celtic on a free transfer after his contract expired and veteran left-back Mark Kennedy was allowed to join Ipswich in a surprise £75,000 deal. However, substantial bids for striker Michael Chopra and top scorer Peter Whittingham were rejected by the club’s new board.

In fairness to Dave Jones, he was hampered by a transfer embargo during the summer of 2010, although it should be noted he’d effectively made four signings before the embargo was lifted in the first week of August and had added another five players to the squad before the transfer window closed. Meanwhile, defender Anthony Gerrard was sent to Hull on a season-long loan and forward Ross McCormack was sold to Leeds in a deal reported to be worth £300,000.

Jones was given a very healthy budget by comparison to most Championship managers but elected to spend the majority of it on wages for players who were either loanees or had no resale value. In a recent interview with the South Wales Echo, Chief Executive Gethin Jenkins revealed: “Ours was a relatively large payroll, even if it was not the most expensive in the league. But we did drive hard bargains to optimise the money we had available to us.”

While the embargo was undoubtedly a significant factor in the club’s transfer dealings, it doesn’t excuse the poor quality of some of the manager’s signings. Jones brought in no less than sixteen players during 2010/11, but just four remain at the club and it would be no surprise to see another one or two leave before the new campaign begins. Almost all of the signings he made last season were short-term gambles of one kind or another and in my opinion very few could be considered a success.

The sixteen players recruited by Jones were as follows:

Craig Bellamy – Signed from Manchester City on a sensational season-long loan deal in mid-August and was immediately handed the captain’s armband. Understandably, expectations rose dramatically as a result of Bellamy’s arrival. The 31 year-old Premier League superstar initially struggled to regain full fitness and his form was patchy for the first few months of the campaign. There were times when he looked every inch a top-class international, but others when his control and finishing were poor by his own high standards. He put in some superb performances during the second half of the season and led by example on the field, although his influence in the dressing room was questionable. Despite a sustained promotion challenge, spirit in the Cardiff City camp often seemed lacking during 2010/11. Was the presence of a high-profile individual who had his own fitness coach and earned so much more than the other players detrimental to team morale? Did the rest of the Bluebirds’ squad view Bellamy with admiration or envy? Given his notoriously volatile nature, was the Welshman a sensible choice for the role of captain? I don’t know the answers to those questions, but I think it’s fair to say that although he started more games than many people expected, Bellamy didn’t have the positive effect on the rest of the players that his manager had anticipated.

Jason Brown – Arrived on loan from Blackburn in early-March during the club’s goalkeeping crisis. Considering Stephen Bywater’s erratic form and Tom Heaton’s injury problems, it was amazing that Brown spent two and half months at the club without getting a game. He must have looked awful in training.

Stephen Bywater – Having fallen out of favour at Derby, Bywater surprisingly signed on loan the day after Brown arrived from Blackburn. Played ten games and appeared decidedly dodgy in the majority of them. Made very few saves and was at fault for several important goals, most notably Reading’s opener in the play-off semi-final second leg. All things considered, the Manchester-born keeper was a dreadful signing.

Danny Drinkwater – Signed from Manchester United on a season-long loan in early-July, but the deal wasn’t made official until the transfer embargo was lifted. The 20 year-old midfielder looked a bright prospect during his first six appearances, which culminated in an excellent performance as the Bluebirds won 2-0 at Portsmouth. However, he was sidelined for more than two months after aggravating a long-standing thigh injury at Fratton Park and subsequently started just three more games before being recalled by his parent club in late-January. Although he undoubtedly did well during the first month of the campaign, I feel that Drinkwater was made to appear better than he actually is by playing alongside Seyi Olofinjana, who was in excellent form at the time.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas – Another 20 year-old midfielder who signed on loan from Arsenal in January shortly before Drinkwater was recalled by Manchester United. To be honest, it was difficult to know what to make of Emmanuel-Thomas during his four-month spell at the club. The lanky England youth international seems to be one of those players without a natural position. By all accounts he played everywhere except goalkeeper during his apprenticeship in the Gunners’ academy, yet it still isn’t clear which role suits him best. Scored a couple of decent goals and showed some silky skills while at Cardiff, but often appeared lost or disinterested. Overall, his time in South Wales wasn’t a success.

Tom Heaton – The first player recruited by Dave Jones last summer and the one who may provide the club with the best long-term value. Heaton joined the Bluebirds on a free transfer from Manchester United in mid-June, having turned down the offer of a new contract at Old Trafford. The 25 year-old goalkeeper began the campaign as understudy to David Marshall but took over as first choice in late-September when Marshall was dropped following defeats at Leicester and Ipswich. He soon showed he had improved significantly since his loan spell here in 2008/09 and performed capably for much of the season despite being hampered by a series of injuries. A former England Under-21 international with a decent pedigree, Heaton is by no means the finished article but clearly has potential. He’s at a good age for a keeper and with further experience should have plenty of improvement in him. Now that Martyn Margetson has thankfully left the club, I believe the appointment of a decent goalkeeping coach will be the key to Heaton’s continued development, so let’s hope Malky Mackay finds the right man for the job.

Martin John – A 22 year-old London-born defender who initially joined the Bluebirds on trial in July and earned himself a one-year contract. John was a cheap gamble who made a solitary first team appearance against Burton in the Carling Cup before being released at the end of the season.

Dekel Keinan – Arrived in late-January from Blackpool in a deal reported to be worth £300,000. The 26 year-old Israeli international had started just five games during a six-month spell at Bloomfield Road, but despite his lack of experience in the British game he quickly adapted to the rigours of Championship football. Following an impressive debut in the 1-0 victory at Swansea, the former Maccabi Haifa centre-half was ever-present for the remainder of the campaign and was one of the side’s more consistent performers. Developed an effective partnership with Mark Hudson but didn’t seem as comfortable alongside Kevin McNaughton, which is understandable considering the Scotsman’s natural position is full-back. Keinan appears to be an extremely fit individual who will improve with further experience and better coaching. He could be a key player for City during the next couple of seasons.

Andy Keogh – Signed from Wolves on a season-long loan deal in late-August but recalled by his parent club in January due to a lack of first-team opportunities. Despite struggling to find a regular role in the side, the 25 year-old Irish international worked hard during his time at Cardiff. He chipped in with a couple of important goals but never looked a natural striker and some of his finishing was woeful. Keogh subsequently failed to make an impression at Bristol City, so it will be interesting to see where his career goes from here.

Jason Koumas – The mercurial midfielder arrived on a season-long loan from Wigan in early-August and hopes were high that he could repeat the heroics of 2005/06, when he was voted Cardiff’s player of the year. However, those hopes were quickly dashed when it became apparent the 31 year-old was a shadow of his former self. There’s no doubt Latics boss Roberto Martinez knew precisely what he was doing when he offloaded the Welsh international last summer. Apart from five magical minutes at Doncaster in April, Koumas proved a huge disappointment and a waste of wages.

Lee Naylor – Signed from Celtic on a free transfer in mid-August and rarely looked anything other than clueless. The 31 year-old left-back had played for Dave Jones throughout his tenure at Wolves and often did well by all accounts, but he made his old manager look a mug last season. Got slaughtered by Watford winger Will Buckley at Vicarage Road in late-December and it was a similar story in the return match a month later. Malky Mackay had obviously identified Naylor as a weak link and targeted him accordingly, so I’ll be amazed if the former England under-21 international has any sort of a future at Cardiff now the Scot has taken charge.

Seyi Olofinjana – The giant midfielder signed in mid-August on a season-long loan from Hull and was another player who was on the wrong side of 30 when he arrived at the club. There were games in which the Nigerian international was outstanding and others in which he was useless. Olofinjana had spent the previous two campaigns in the Premier League but was offloaded by Stoke at the end of the first and relegated with Hull at the end of the second. Although he showed plenty of ability by Championship standards last season, there was little evidence to suggest he could have made the grade in the top flight at the third attempt had the Bluebirds managed to get promoted.

Jon Parkin – Arrived from Preston on New Year’s Day in a deal worth £100,000 and was given a two-and-a-half year contract. With all due respect to the Beast, he’s not exactly what could be described as one for the future. It was difficult to imagine what sort of role Dave Jones had in mind for the 29 year-old forward when he purchased him and if the truth be told the manager never seemed sure himself. Parkin appeared to be a short-term gamble and it was one that rarely looked like paying off. Hopefully, new boss Malky Mackay will be able to make more use of the huge Yorkshireman during the forthcoming campaign, but I won’t hold my breath.

Aaron Ramsey – Returned on loan from Arsenal in late-January and stayed for a month, during which he made six appearances and looked top class. It was no coincidence that the team was unbeaten in the six games Ramsey played but failed to win any of the next four after he left. The Welsh international put in some fine performances and made a considerable difference to the shape of the side. An excellent signing but one who was always destined to return to his parent club as soon as his fitness levels improved.

Chris Riggott – A 30 year-old centre-half who joined the club during the summer after being released by Middlesbrough and was given ample time to get fit by the coaching staff. Sadly, however, he couldn’t overcome the injury problems that have blighted his career. Looked pretty decent for an hour against Coventry on Boxing Day, but broke down at Bristol six days later and was released soon afterwards. Clearly a talented defender, but if Riggott was a racehorse they’d have shot him by now.

JLloyd Samuel – Arrived from Bolton in March shortly before the emergency loan window closed. At a time when the squad badly needed another centre-half, the signing of a 30 year-old left-back who hadn’t played a competitive game in almost a year appeared a desperate one, and so it proved. To say the Trinidad & Tobago international looked rusty is putting it mildly. The team won four of the first five games Samuel played, but in truth his contribution to those victories was minimal. He was eventually found out in the catastrophic home defeat to Middlesbrough, during which he was hauled off the field after just thirty minutes while the score stood at 3-0 to the visitors. With his contract at Bolton coming to an end, Samuel was given an opportunity to impress potential employers during his two-month stint at Cardiff, but he did nothing of the sort.

Soon after Dave Jones was sacked, Daily Mail journalist Neil Moxley claimed a clause in the manager’s contract which entitled him to a twelve-month notice period with full pay had been revoked when the new regime assumed control in May 2010. Moxley suggested the board had saved approximately £780,000 in compensation payments by taking such action.

I don’t know if Moxley’s report was accurate and I suspect it wasn’t, but Jones definitely seems to have believed it was a case of promotion or bust as far as his job was concerned. During a function I attended at the Cardiff City Stadium last September, the manager told the audience he didn’t expect to be talking to them at the same time this year if the Bluebirds weren’t in the Premier League. He expressed similar sentiments during a meeting with members of the Supporters’ Trust in November. My guess is the new board agreed to give him one last chance and backed him with high-profile signings like Bellamy, Koumas and Olofinjana on the understanding that he would almost certainly be shown the door if he failed to lead his side into the top flight.

Whatever the situation was, the nature of his signings last season indicates that Jones was thinking only about the immediate future. Due to the number of loanees he recruited, he will have known the team was going to need a complete overhaul this summer regardless of which division it was in. If he had secured promotion, Jones was safe in the knowledge that players such as Bothroyd, Burke and Chopra would probably have stayed and funds would have been made available to strengthen the rest of the squad. If he failed, he knew it would be somebody else’s job to pick up the pieces.

There’s no doubt that clearing up the mess Jones left behind will be a difficult task for Malky Mackay. I reckon it may take a couple of years for the club to fully recover from last season’s flop and consequently I’m not expecting a promotion bid this time around. Having said that, I’ve been hugely encouraged by the type of players the new manager has been signing and also by the fact that he has chosen to bring in his own backroom staff. I believe the club needed a major shake-up and that’s what it appears to be getting.

Amazingly, a small number of Bluebirds fans have been moaning on the message boards about the signings Mackay has made so far. One or two have even suggested the club has been going backwards since Jones left. Perhaps they wanted to see another bunch of expensive Premier League cast-offs arrive on loan this summer, but I’m glad the new boss appears to be a little more forward-thinking than his predecessor. Last season’s short-term strategy was a failure. It doesn’t need to be repeated.