Everyone's cup final, brutal football and why right manager is key – What Cardiff City can expect in League One
Everyone's cup final, brutal football and why right manager is key – What Cardiff City can expect in League One
The Bluebirds will be playing their football in the third tier next season
Cardiff players will play in League One next season
(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency )
League One will be a different beast next season from the last time Cardiff City were in it.
The Bluebirds previous stay in the third tier, which was then branded Division Two, was in the 2002/03 campaign, a season which culminated in Andy Campbell's heroic goal to seal promotion via the play-offs.
Cardiff have plied their trade in the top two tiers of English football ever since then, but next term will represent something different, a level of football that a generation of supporters will not have seen. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community.
Of course, the objective is simple: Get out of League One at the earliest possibility. But how do Cardiff do that? And just what can the club, and its fans, expect from the division next season?
We spoke to Alex Dicken, the Birmingham City correspondent for BirminghamLive, to gain a greater insight into League One and the lessons Cardiff can perhaps learn from Blues, who won the League and earned promotion at the first time of asking.
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Q. What's League One really like? It seems like a hard grind from the outside looking in...
AD: Well, Blues made light work of it in truth but the constant churn of games means it can become difficult if your squad isn't equipped. With the Vertu Trophy and a run to the FA Cup fourth round, Blues have played 60 games this season. Thankfully, they built a big, strong squad to cope with it.
Cardiff will face the same thing Blues had whenever they are on the road next season. They are every team's cup final and that can be draining. It probably explains why Blues haven't tanked many teams away from St Andrew's with only one of their away wins coming by more than a two-goal margin.
Q. What's the main differences between the Championship at League One?
AD: The physicality of it. The majority of Championship teams want to play football, whereas the overwhelming majority in League One favour a direct style of football. Blues signed a few six-foot-plus players to cope with the aerial onslaught, such as Austrian defender Christoph Klarer who has been absolutely immense.
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Q. What's the best part?
AD: You get to visit new stadiums, most of which are very hospitable, and it's a chance to reset. For clubs the size of Blues and Cardiff it very much is about getting out as quickly as possible. If you do it right, as Blues did, then you can use League One to develop a style of football that will set you up to compete properly in the Championship.
Q. What's the worst part?
AD: Blues had quite a straightforward experience so there wasn't much to moan about. One thing I will say is that you'll face a lot of similar games, particularly at home, where teams don't show much ambition and you have to try and break down their low-block. That became a little bit tedious at times.
Q. What do Cardiff have to do to ensure they bounce straight back up to the Championship?
AD: Get the managerial appointment and recruitment right. It takes a lot of joined up thinking. Chris Davies has been a great find for Blues and he has driven their success but people behind-the-scenes found the players for him. And make sure your home form is good, because it's not a given that you'll win 15 games away from home. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Temba Bavuma's gutsy fightback shows South Africa's never-say-die spirit
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Thomas Frank has TEN priorities to sort at Tottenham: Big decisions to be made over six key players... and the one star he could bring Brentford
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Early messages to fans will have to be pitched carefully, too, but he is an excellent communicator. Expect to see him praising Postecoglou for his work and promising to build on the foundations. Don't lose the flair… When he was promoted with Brentford in 2021, Frank prioritised three things: to be defensively tight, super fit and threaten from set pieces. This they did. They were big, physically imposing, aggressive in and out of possession and carried an aerial threat. They roughed up some of the elite clubs and survived despite one of the lowest budgets. Spurs are not newly promoted or low budget but after the wild inconsistencies of last season could do worse than adopt some of these basics for next season. They have been beset by injuries, fragile at the back and nothing special at set pieces for two years. At the same time, to lose the flair would be the fast lane to losing the fans, many of whom were disappointed to see Postecoglou sacked despite winning the Europa League. Frank must quickly strike a balance as he did last season when Brentford added new layers to their style. They were less direct, played out from the back, and increased their share of possession although it was still typically less than 50 per cent. They became more creative, had more efforts at goal and scored more. And remained excellent on set-pieces at both ends, spirited and tough to beat. There is plenty of adventure in the Tottenham squad, but two of the most creative players, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, are recovering from serious knee injuries. Kulusevski is expected to miss the start of the new season and Maddison's preseason could be delayed. Find the right tactical plan… Frank is not a coach wed to a strict tactical philosophy. The opposite, in fact. His past shows he can assess the capabilities of a squad and forge a plan to get the best from it. He is adaptable and flexible, but once he weighs it all up, his teams are well-drilled and organised. They know what they are trying to do. At Brentford, he has deployed a back four (4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3) and a back three (3-4-3) and often flexing from a back four into a back three when in possession, releasing one full back more readily than the other with an aim to disrupt and overload opponents. This was effective with Keane Lewis-Potter and Kristoffer Ajer as his full backs and it is easy to envisage with Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven in similar roles. Van de Ven has all the attributes to play the Ajer role on the left of a back four but as one of Tottenham's bigger stars, will it be easy to dislodge him from the centre of defence? Probably not. Postecoglou's high defensive line is not likely to survive a summer of change. Nor the inverted full backs. Up front, Frank likes pace to enable a quick counterattack and will find plenty of that at his disposal from speed merchants like Heung-min Son, Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson. 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Kevin Danso's loan move from Lens has been made permanent, although, with Radu Dragusin out since January and still on his way back from a cruciate knee injury, Frank could do with reinforcements in central defence. It might provide the chance to sign someone who knows how he works, such as Nathan Collins, a centre-half who has grown in stature since his £23million move from Wolves to Brentford in 2023. Ben Davies is ready to leave in search of regular football. Wrexham are among those interested but Spurs triggered the clause for his contract to be extended by one more year and will want a fee. There is an option to sign Mathys Tel for £45m from Bayern Munich after his six months on loan. There have been reports Levy is trying to renegotiate the fee after Tel's underwhelming form while Bayern are not in a hurry to sell and it could all end with another loan deal. Hopefully, Frank will have some say. His background in youth development is an attraction for Tottenham as they follow a recruitment strategy to sign young players and improve them. Others on the periphery, coming into the club or returning from loan spells for the new boss to assess include Mikey Moore, Jamie Donley, Ashley Phillips, Alfie Dorrington, Luka Vuskovic, George Abbott and Yang Min-Hyeok. And one more, in goal… As a coach obsessed with set pieces, Frank will have analysed the perceived weaknesses of Guglielmo Vicario, including his inability to take control in the crowds at corners and free kicks. Vicario, one of Tottenham's few vocal leaders in the dressing room and a big personality has been prone to mistakes since his return from injury last season. Perhaps this is down to disruption in defence and his confidence could benefit if Frank moulds the team to give him more protection, with a deeper defensive line and less time with the ball at his feet. It will be interesting to see if he is prepared to back Vicario as the number one or turn to Antonin Kinsky or demand another new 'keeper. Recruitment strategy… Many years have passed since Frank and Johan Lange, Tottenham's technical director, worked together as coaches at Lyngby but they are expected to click back into a good working relationship. There will be similarities between Lange's studious data-led style and those at Brentford, another data-first club with a heavy Danish influence. Frank will expect to have his views heard but is accustomed to working with the players delivered by an effective recruitment process. At Spurs, however, it is a very different culture to Brentford and there are other forces at play. For one, they are expected to show more ambition in the market. Their target, despite only four major trophies in four decades, must be to win things on a regular basis. They must be careful not to simply become a club who buy promising talent to train on and sell for profit. They are very low on experience and leadership, and this will become more important if they are competing for big prizes. Another factor is always the conflicting interests. Levy likes to be central to the process, and the influence of former managing director Fabio Paratici, nearing the end of a FIFA ban, remains strong. Both have preferred agents and trade in favours. It is drastically different to Brentford's holistic culture and mastering this minefield has proved impossible for several of Frank's predecessors. Prepare for the Champions League… One glaring omission on the Frank resume is a lack of competitive experience in Europe. He took Brondby into the Europa League, although with little success. The first campaign ended at the first hurdle, beaten 5-0 on aggregate by Bruges. The second made it through three qualifying rounds before a 6-1 aggregate defeat against PAOK in the play-off tie. Combining the demands of the Premier League, two domestic knockout cups and the expectations to deliver an adventurous style of football while playing European football is arguably the toughest challenge. Postecoglou could not solve the puzzle with a squad lacking depth and there is a chance they will lose vital international experience if Romero and/or Son leave. The Champions League is a tougher challenge than the Europa League, with stronger opponents, greater emotional strain and fewer opportunities to rest, rotate and blood youngsters. There's a small compensation by way of an end to the gruelling Thursday-Sunday cycle. Build the backroom staff… Much of the discussion and delay after striking a deal with Frank has revolved around who can join him from Brentford. And how much will that cost Spurs. Postecoglou was an anomaly, but head coaches always want their own staff to help them instil their culture and beliefs. Frank always said 'the secret sauce is the people' when impressing what made Brentford tick and he would be keen to bring Claus Norgaard, his trusted Danish sidekick, and Justin Cochrane, a highly rated young coach who worked previously on Tottenham's academy staff, across London with him. His commitment to the power of set pieces means he will want a dedicated coach to work on them, whether that is Keith Andrews, who is one year into that role at Brentford, or someone else. Spurs have fired coaches Nick Montgomery, Sergio Raimundo and Mile Jedinak, but intend to keep Postecoglou's assistant Matt Wells and goalkeeping coach Rob Burch at the club. Finalise preseason preparation… Frank will be eager to start work. He usually takes a week to tie up loose ends at the end of a season, then a week or two on holiday before throwing himself back into summer planning. Tottenham have preseason friendlies in the calendar against Arsenal in Hong Kong and Newcastle in South Korea, in July, and one in Munich against Bayern in August before the UEFA Super Cup against PSG in Italy, three days before the Premier League kicks off.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Tottenham CONFIRM Thomas Frank as new manager after paying £10m to Brentford to replace axed Ange Postecoglou
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TOTTENHAM have confirmed Thomas Frank as their new manager. The Dane, 51, replaces Ange Postecoglou, who was axed just 16 days after winning the Europa League with Spurs. 7 Thomas Frank has left Brentford to join Tottenham Credit: Getty 7 Ange Postecoglou was sacked by Spurs 16 days after winning the Europa League Credit: Getty Tottenham quickly identified Brentford boss Frank as their primary target following Postecoglou's dismissal. Spurs have paid around £10million in compensation for Frank, who has signed a contract until 2028. SunSport revealed at the weekend that Frank had given the move the green light before Tottenham had even formally approached Brentford. The switch took time to be completed due to negotiations over backroom staff - specifically highly-rated head of coaching Justin Cochrane. The Bees wanted to keep the 43-year-old and were even prepared to consider him as a candidate to take over from Frank. But Cochrane, who previously worked as a youth coach at Spurs, has decided to leave the G-tech to join Frank as his assistant, along with head of performance Chris Haslam and analyst Joe Newton. Set-piece specialist Andreas Georgson arrives from Manchester United as a first-team coach. Cochrane is also a coach with England and has been working alongside Thomas Tuchel over the past week - and FA sources are expecting him to continue in that role. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Spurs confirmed the appointment in a statement, which read: "Thomas has extensive experience in English football having joined Brentford in 2016 - since becoming one of the longest-serving current managers in the Premier League. "During his time at Brentford he transformed the Club, moving them up from the Championship to an established Premier League side, consistently and significantly outperforming expectations for an extended period of time. Ange Postecoglou's BEST Press Conference Moments 7 "In Thomas we are appointing one of the most progressive and innovative head coaches within the game. "He has a proven track record in player and squad development and we look forward to him leading the team as we prepare for the season ahead." Frank took over at Brentford in 2018 after two years as assistant. He guided them to the Premier League in his second full season, and has since established them in the top flight. Under Frank's astute management, the Bees achieved a tenth placed finish last term. Brentford finished seven places and a whopping 18 points above Postecoglou's Spurs. The Aussie boss saw Tottenham fall all the way to 17th in the Premier League. But his sacking still raised several eyebrows due to his Europa League triumph in Bilbao. Despite ending Spurs' 17-year trophy drought, securing Champions League qualification in the process, Postecoglou was axed 16 days on from beating Manchester United in the Europa League final. 7 Frank, 51, will now have an opportunity to manage in Europe Credit: Alamy 7 Justin Cochrane makes the move to N17 with Thomas Frank Credit: Getty 7 Postecoglou, 59, was axed despite ending Spurs' 17-year wait for a trophy Credit: Alamy An excerpt of Spurs' statement read: "Ange will always be remembered as only the third manager in our history to deliver a European trophy, alongside legendary figures Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw. "However, the Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place. "Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. "This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season. At times there were extenuating circumstances - injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign. "Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club's greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph." 7 Spurs yesterday today that Postecoglou's assistant coaches Mile Jedinak, Nick Montgomery and Sergio Raimundo have all left. Ryan Mason has already left to take the reins at West Brom, but Ange's No2 Matt Wells and goalkeeping coach Rob Burch remain at Spurs. FRANK 'PERFECT' FOR SPURS Frank's move comes after nearly seven years with Brentford. During that time, the Dane managed Christian Eriksen for a successful six months in 2022 before the 33-year-old midfielder joined Manchester United. Eriksen, who spent seven seasons at Spurs between 2013-2020, said: 'Thomas is the right coach for Tottenham. 'I had Thomas at various times and I think he is the perfect match for Tottenham. It would be great if he takes on that challenge. 'His personality, his way of playing and his way of being make him a good fit. 'And the club, considering where they were last season - they won a trophy of course - but they are in the process of building something and I am sure that Thomas is a good man to bring in.' Eriksen's link-up with Frank three years ago saw him return to football seven months after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch playing for Denmark at the delayed Euro 2020. He moved on to United the following summer, but is leaving Old Trafford following three years there. The 144-cap Denmark star has stated he fancies a new challenge away from England, feeling he has 'had my turn' in the Premier League.
