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Wales Online
2 days ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Cardiff City manager decision state of play as situation comes to a head
Cardiff City manager decision state of play as situation comes to a head The Bluebirds are closing in on the appointment of a new manager Nathan Jones, manager of Charlton Athletic (Image: Getty Images ) Cardiff City are hoping to announce their new manager in the coming days, putting weeks of speculation to bed. It has been six weeks since Omer Riza was sacked as Bluebirds boss and since then, Cardiff have suffered relegation, set up a task force to find a new manager and interviewed a handful of prospective candidates. And a decision is now close, however hopes that an announcement would be made on Monday, as per one hopeful source, appear to be ebbing away as the day goes on. The club wanted this done and dusted a while back and are keen to get a decision over the line, hence the rapidly changing, conflicting and sometimes confusing narratives playing out, with members of the board split on who they would want as the new boss. But is thought an announcement is finally set to be made this week, which will be music to the ears of Cardiff fans, who want to see their club kick on with plans for the season. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community At present, the waters are muddied, and the situation is still shrouded in uncertainty. We are told there are still things which need ironing out, while the phrase 'lots of moving parts' has been used on more than one occasion. This all appears to be coming to a head after news of Cardiff's admiration for Nathan Jones ramped up over the weekend. Article continues below Cardiff's board put through their recommendations for Vincent Tan's consideration following interviews with Mehmet Dalman and Ken Choo, however we were told at the time that one other potential candidate could still be in the mix. Given that news came just a couple of days before Charlton's triumph in the League One play-off final, it seems inconceivable that candidate wasn't boyhood City fan Jones. Jones has certainly been a contender, however the complication would clearly relate to the three years left on his deal at The Valley, which would require significant compensation for him and his backroom staff. Not to mention the fact that Charlton would be very reluctant to allow their promotion-winning manager to leave. Indeed even this morning, trusted south London journalist Rich Cawley appeared to rule out the notion that the 52-year-old would be allowed to leave – bluntly stating there was "no chance" the Welshman would be granted an exit. Charlton are playing hardball, it seems, and understandably so, too. The idea of capturing Jones excites Cardiff fans and would likely lead to a significant upsurge in season ticket sales. However, it is fraught with difficulty and Cardiff's hierarchy know there are easier, and cheaper, options to go for. So, who else is in the frame? Aaron Ramsey has had his boardroom backers from the very beginning and the notion of him becoming the next boss simply won't go away. Now, this also ties in with the fact there are many moving parts and complications with regards to the Wales midfielder, who returned from his family holiday late last week, not least that he is still a player. But it is also understood that Ramsey sought assurances over a number of things during the recruitment process, should he be given the green light, including but not limited to an experienced backroom team, player recruitment and the day-to-day running of the football operation at the club. Implementing someone to oversee that last point, in particular, would at least take the pressure off of Ramsey, who could then continue playing in a bid to reach that 2026 World Cup with Wales, which is still a burning ambition within him. Perhaps Mark Allen, a Cardiff man who was drafted in to oversee the recruitment process, might fit that bill? Ramsey's return to Cardiff in a playing sense has not been what he had envisaged, suffering both major injury bouts and relegation, but appointing him as a manager would represent the start of a major rebuild project, something many Cardiff fans believe is needed, and he could still make a real success of his most recent return in a hybrid role. Other more cautious or jaded fans, would ideally like a more experienced hand at the tiller. Brian Barry-Murphy would represent a similar appointment. He, like Ramsey, has had backers from the start and would also be less of a plug-in-and-play manager and more of a long-term appointment. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here. He is currently on the backroom staff at Leicester City along with Ruud van Nistelrooy, which might be categorised as a moving part, however far less complicated than Ramsey's situation. Article continues below The likes of Ian Evatt and Des Buckingham have also been interviewed for the post, however talk of them has quietened over the last few days, while candidates like Rob Edwards and Ruben Selles are thought to have made their desire for a job higher up the pyramid known earlier in the process.
The 42
2 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
'People saw a gentle giant. They had no idea behind closed doors what that Jekyll and Hyde was capable of doing'
IT'S AMID THE thrust and roil of Ireland's Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland in Celtic Park, and David Forde has just pushed up against the wall of noise with a sigh of relief. Having inexplicably rolled the ball directly to Steven Naismith, the Scottish forward mercifully pulled his snapshot wide of the post. Forde then glances to the Irish bench and sees Roy Keane sprung to attention: roaring, arms waving. What the fuck do ya think you're doing!? Forde isn't one for flight over fight. Do ya think I meant it, you silly p***k? Fuck off! Nor is Keane. Sort yourself out, who do you think you're talking to?! Forde finds himself in the crosshairs of Keane's icy stare during the half-time break and again after a defeat that looks to have dealt a concussive blow to Ireland's qualification hopes, condemned by Shaun Maloney's curling shot from Scotland's short corner routine. Forde can't stop Maloney's winning goal curling into the corner of the net. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO The following morning, Martin O'Neill assembles the squad for some rare video analysis. As they review the Scottish goal, a hand is raised. 'Take it back to the free kick that gives away the corner,' says Shay Given, who has found himself on the bench at Forde's expense. The footage shows the moment the corner was conceded: Jon Walters backtracks in his own penalty area to head an inswinging cross over his own crossbar. 'I think Fordey could have come for the cross,' says Given. The footage then rolls to the goal and Given's audio commentary continues. 'Fordey, why did you let Aiden McGeady leave the back post? He should have stayed there 'till the ball was cleared.' Forde tightens up and concentrates on his breathing until the moment safely passes. 'If that had happened earlier in my career', Forde tells the 42, 'I would have burned through that room.' ********** David Forde (file photo.) Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO Forde has written his autobiography, Being the One, in which the reader is strapped into the rollercoaster of a career at the sharper end of football. But ultimately there is one result that matters. 'The biggest win I had in my whole career', says Forde, was the 'win within.' Forde's early career was defined by frightening fits of wild rage. Playing with Barry Town in Wales, he was sent off for punching a team-mate during a game. He leaped on his room mate Jason Byrne when on a pre-season trip with Cardiff City after some silly, ice-tossing provocation. After a frustrating 2-2 draw against Peterborough, he jumped across the changing room to try and grab his Millwall manager Kenny Jackett by the throat, only to be intercepted by a couple of coaching staff in time. Advertisement Forde says he knows the meaning of the phrase blind rage. Some of these incidents are described in his book as akin to a blackout, as Forde asks team mates to recount and piece together his own actions. 'Outside people saw David Forde, a 6 ft 4, gentle giant', says Forde. They had no idea behind closed doors what that Jekyll and Hyde was capable of doing.' In his own words, Forde didn't just burn bridges. 'I packed the fuckers with dynamite and blew them to bits.' The emotional depths to which he sinks in the aftermath are vividly rendered in the book. After the set-to with Byrne, Forde sits up all night, asking whether he can trust himself. After trying to attack his own manager, he stood in the shower for 45 minutes to make sure everyone had left the dressing room before he emerged. But by the time he was a senior Irish international, he had learned to better regulate his emotions. He hasn't learned to control them because, he says, emotions are too powerful to control. Better instead to regulate their more negative effects, as he managed to do say when the Glasgow game became a tapestry of provocations. Ireland nonetheless qualified for Euro 2016. Given was included in the squad, but Forde was not, as he was among the wider squad players cut from the final selection after a friendly against Belarus at Turner's Cross. Forde hung back after learning of the news, signing autographs outside the ground as an Irish international, knowing inside that international career was over. Forde says he stayed back out of respect for supporters, but that he did so at his lowest moment was the sign that the full-time whistle had been blown on his inner game. Realising he had to get a handle on his anger, Forde studied psychology, read philosophy, practised meditation techniques and probed inward. 'We all have a shadow and we all have a light,' says Forde. 'The biggest problem is everybody wants to be seen in their light. Nobody wants to see their shadow.' He learned some emotional literacy, the starting point was realising that anger and rage are emotions, too. 'Anger is just an expression, it's a venting,' says Forde. 'It's someone just trying to say that they're either lonely or isolated or feeling separation, and it's a language we don't actually understand.' Forde then dug into what he was trying to articulate with his anger, eventually alighting on the power of shame. He dedicates a chapter of his book to his earliest encounter with shame, when his sister falls pregnant and breaks the habit of her lifetime by refusing to go to the shop for their grandmother, for fear of the whispers of the chattering neighbours. 'Shame is basically just the fear of judgment,' says Forde, who would go on to work in a sport in which careers are entirely the product of judgement. 'We're all a product of our circumstances and our environment,' he says, 'and then I find myself in football and what is football based off? Managers, coaches, peers, players, fans, press, media, television: everybody making judgments. 'My journey was to actually understand what I was actually dealing with, and what I was trying to break free from.' In the book, Forde delves into his relationship with his late father, who did not provide him with direct and positive judgements. Forde writes he was 'emotionally neglected', missing his father's approval. 'My father was my hero. He left me lonely,' writes Forde. While Forde's father didn't tell him directly of his pride, he could tell others of that pride in the local pub. Forde remembers getting slaps on the back from men around home, exclaiming, 'Jaysus, your father was delighted with ya!' 'During my career, yeah, if I do something great and I do something successful, that pat on the back might actually come,' says Forde. 'He probably did me a favour by not doing it! I'm only joking. It definitely played its part, in terms of, if I do well in my sport, I'll impress him.' Seeking the approval of surrogates in the realm of football was thus always going to be a thwarted exercise, and so certain criticisms were perceived as rejections, and were loaded with more meaning for Forde than was ever intended. Forde's inner game was to realise all of this. 'When I started to see that, I started to realise that my Dad was an amazing man,' says Forde. 'He did the best with what he had.' He recounts his final meeting with his father, as he lay in a hospital bed on St Enda's ward in Galway hospital. 'I said, 'Look Dad, when the light comes and the ancestors come, don't be afraid. You go. I want to thank you for everything you have done for me. You did your best.' He couldn't talk to me at the time, so he gave me a thumbs up. 'That moment allowed me [to have] no regret or remorse because I got to say what I had to say to my Dad. That's why I did this book, and why I began to change and transform. I didn't want to pass that down to my children. I can't protect them from everything, but I can give them a better start by communicating and being more open and transparent. 'I never heard my father say he was proud of me, but I am proud of him.' ********** Forde in action for West Ham in a pre-season friendly against Dagenham in 2003. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo In his book, Forde remembers a 2003 FA Cup tie with West Ham away to Manchester United. Forde was an unused substitute in a brutal 6-0 defeat, after which Gary Breen, who started at centre-half, stood up in the dressing room and said, 'I've no right to be in this team. I don't think I'm good enough to play at this level.' Breen had played and scored at a World Cup seven months earlier. Forde includes the moment as it was a rare moment of open vulnerability in a dressing room. 'It was true bravery in front of your peers,' writes Forde, as Breen 'held no shame that day.' This is not the typical stuff of dressing rooms, where each individual player is taught to believe they are a lion tamer, and the moment they show even the hint of weakness, they'll be eaten. This is a long-established environment, but not an especially healthy one. We turn back to the scene of Keane berating Forde from the sideline at Celtic Park. Forde made a mistake. Mistakes happen, and he didn't set out to make it. But in that moment, Forde perceived Keane's reaction not as a confrontational challenge not to repeat that mistake, but as a threat to his whole identity. It's an insight into the personal insecurity on which so much football is built. Forde had fought his whole career to play for Ireland, and now he feared it could be taken away. He saw threats everywhere. He was playing instead of Shay Given, but Given had recently started working with Keane at Aston Villa. Given is arguably Ireland's greatest goalkeeper, where Forde is 'only' playing at Millwall. Keane's maybe our greatest-ever player. Forde was named to start and did so, but before the game, the goalkeeper coach had taken the unusual step of warming up one of the reserve goalkeepers rather than the number one, as was custom. 'What does somebody do when their ego gets challenged, and their sense of identity?They go into fight mode,' says Forde. 'I didn't see it as a challenge. I saw that fundamentally as a threat. 'I am battling for my position, for my family, for a roof over my head, and I felt it being pulled away from me, brick-by-brick. It was a build-up, it was happening over time. 'I never felt that security. Maybe that was their style and fundamentally their style was not my style.' Forde also says his own ego prevented him from seeing it from Keane's side: he was under pressure to win, even moreso at Celtic Park as a former Celtic player and assistant to a former Celtic manager. Forde works as a performance coach now, and his clients include young footballers. He also spent some time on Stephen Kenny's staff with Ireland for emotional support. He says the modern game is changing now. After a 20-year revolution in physical preparation – led by the likes of Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson – he says the next 20 years will see a revolution in the mental side of the game. 'We are stepping into the next 20 years of the mind, and of understanding how the mind affects players and how they are affected by how coaches and managers and players are communicating, how they like to be motivated. 'I grew up in that generation that was motivated by fear. Now I look at my own children and the generation that's coming, they do not tolerate that. The generation now want to be inspired and motivated, that's what gives them momentum. They don't appreciate people who come to them with that aggressive approach. 'Going from being passive-aggressive to passive-assertive: that's really what a man is. Someone who will assertive themselves. There are many way to show bravery and courage on a football pitch. 'It's not about breaking legs and being a fucking tough man. They are the men who are afraid. It's those who can impose themselves on a game. Go and win a header, win a tackle, dive at someone's feet. It takes courage too to stand up and not tackle. It is all perception, and the perception of how the game is being played is being transformed.' Forde admits that writing a book was opening up to further judgement, but he has more than learned to deal with it. 'I'm secure physically. I'm secure mentally. I'm secure emotionally. I'm secure intellectually. What I believe about myself is true now. And what others think about me, is none of my business. That's called freedom.' Being the One by David Forde is published by Pathfinder Books and is available now For updates on book signing events, follow David Forde
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘We want to be pushing towards the top half, top 10'
MARK Harris hopes Oxford United can make a break for a top 10 spot in Sky Bet Championship next season. The U's finished 17th this year, four points above the relegation zone, but the club's form under Gary Rowett would've seen them finish 10th across the 25 matches he took charge of. READ ALSO:Six promising players United could snap up from League One Harris joined United from Cardiff City in July 2023, and has been with the club on its journey from League One to the Championship, scoring 25 goals in 102 games. He said: 'The last two seasons have been brilliant. To get promoted and then come into the league, and stay in it as well, we're all close enough now to realise what we're doing. 'It's about kicking on now next year. We want to be pushing towards the top half, top 10, and hopefully we get there. 'We got written off this season. Everyone but Oxford supporters and players had us 24th. We were written off last year and I'm sure we'll be written off again, but I'm fine with that.' CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE OXFORD MAIL ONLINE (Image: Newsquest) The Wales international striker added: 'The aim was when I came to Oxford to get promoted, but obviously you don't know whether that's going to happen or not. 'Last season was unbelievable and this year our aim was not just to be safe, but push as high as we can. 'We knew the situation we were in, we knew the league we were in, and we achieved what we set out to do. 'Coming in from pre-season, I thought we had the squad to do it, and I think we showed that over the 46 games. 'It was up and down, we knew that was going to happen, but I knew we had the fight and the determination, and also the quality in the dressing room. 'At times it was a bit worrying, but I never thought 'that's it, we're down'. 'We're all good mates, but we all know when something's not going right or something needs to be said, it's done and said, and it's said in the right way. 'After that, we're not sulking, we're not moaning, we're straight back at it trying to put things right, and I think throughout this season and last season, you've seen when times are tough, we battle through and come back. 'We have got quality in the team. Sometimes we do have to grind out results because of the league we're in and the situation that the Championship throws at you. 'Hopefully now we can add in the summer and go again next season.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Jones a contender as Cardiff hopeful on manager appointment
Cardiff City hope to announce their new manager this week, with Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones still in contention. The Bluebirds are looking for a ninth manager in four years as they prepare for life in League One following their relegation from the Championship this season. Advertisement After a sub-committee compiled a shortlist of around six, chairman Mehmet Dalman and chief executive Ken Choo have spoken to the candidates and presented their recommendations to owner Vincent Tan, who will have the final say. Jones has been a leading contender since Cardiff sacked previous manager Omer Riza in April, but hiring the Welshman would mean having to pay Charlton a significant compensation fee. Matters are further complicated by the fact Jones led the Addicks to promotion to the Championship last month, meaning they will start next season a division above Cardiff. But Jones is a lifelong Bluebirds fan and has spoken openly about his desire to manage the club one day. Advertisement Des Buckingham and Ian Evatt, former bosses of Oxford United and Bolton Wanderers respectively, have both been interviewed. Cardiff have also held talks with Leicester City assistant coach Brian Barry-Murphy and Wales captain Aaron Ramsey, who took charge of the Welsh club's final three games of this season on a caretaker basis. But Ruben Selles, who was considered for the job when Cardiff sacked Erol Bulut last year, has ruled himself out as he wants to stay in the Championship following his recent dismissal by Hull City. Sources have indicated to BBC Sport Wales that some board members would like to see Tan appoint an experienced manager with a proven track record at this level, such as Jones or Buckingham, who led Oxford to promotion from League One last season. Advertisement Others would favour a different route, with ex-Manchester City academy coach Barry-Murphy and Ramsey still in the frame. Ramsey, whose Cardiff contract expires this summer, has still not decided whether or not he will continue playing next season. The 34-year-old former Arsenal midfielder enjoyed his brief stint in charge of his boyhood club, where he was assisted by his ex-Cardiff and Wales team-mate Chris Gunter among others. If Cardiff were to choose Ramsey or Barry-Murphy, whose only managerial experience came at Rochdale between 2019 and 2021, it has been suggested the club would need to revamp its structure. Advertisement The Bluebirds have been heavily criticised for their perceived lack of football knowledge at board level, with fans and former players calling on Tan to appoint a sporting director or someone of similar standing between the head coach and the board.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Jones a contender as Cardiff hopeful on manager appointment
Cardiff City hope to announce their new manager this week, with Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones still in Bluebirds are looking for a ninth manager in four years as they prepare for life in League One following their relegation from the Championship this a sub-committee compiled a shortlist of around six, chairman Mehmet Dalman and chief executive Ken Choo have spoken to the candidates and presented their recommendations to owner Vincent Tan, who will have the final has been a leading contender since Cardiff sacked previous manager Omer Riza in April, but hiring the Welshman would mean having to pay Charlton a significant compensation are further complicated by the fact Jones led the Addicks to promotion to the Championship last month, meaning they will start next season a division above Jones is a lifelong Bluebirds fan and has spoken openly about his desire to manage the club one day. Des Buckingham and Ian Evatt, former bosses of Oxford United and Bolton Wanderers respectively, have both been have also held talks with Leicester City assistant coach Brian Barry-Murphy and Wales captain Aaron Ramsey, who took charge of the Welsh club's final three games of this season on a caretaker Ruben Selles, who was considered for the job when Cardiff sacked Erol Bulut last year, has ruled himself out as he wants to stay in the Championship following his recent dismissal by Hull have indicated to BBC Sport Wales that some board members would like to see Tan appoint an experienced manager with a proven track record at this level, such as Jones or Buckingham, who led Oxford to promotion from League One last would favour a different route, with ex-Manchester City academy coach Barry-Murphy and Ramsey still in the whose Cardiff contract expires this summer, has still not decided whether or not he will continue playing next 34-year-old former Arsenal midfielder enjoyed his brief stint in charge of his boyhood club, where he was assisted by his ex-Cardiff and Wales team-mate Chris Gunter among Cardiff were to choose Ramsey or Barry-Murphy, whose only managerial experience came at Rochdale between 2019 and 2021, it has been suggested the club would need to revamp its Bluebirds have been heavily criticised for their perceived lack of football knowledge at board level, with fans and former players calling on Tan to appoint a sporting director or someone of similar standing between the head coach and the board.
