Latest news with #JoelColwill
BBC News
01-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Colwill succeeds Ramsey as Cardiff number 10
Cardiff City have a new number 10, with Rubin Colwill taking the jersey vacated by Aaron Ramsey for the 2025-26 23, was named Cardiff's new vice-captain on Friday and will lead the team in their League One opener against Peterborough United on Saturday because new skipper Calum Chambers is the Wales international will take to the field wearing 10, having previously worn number has now been passed to his younger brother, midfielderJoel announced their squad numbers on Friday, with the majority of players keeping the same numbers they had from last four, eight and nine are among the notable vacancies following a summer clearout which has has seen 11 senior players leave the club.
Wales Online
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Inside Cardiff City's pre-season: Senior trio absent as new youngsters and unseen star spotted
Inside Cardiff City's pre-season: Senior trio absent as new youngsters and unseen star spotted The Bluebirds are in their second week of pre-season as Brian Barry-Murphy gets to work ahead of the League One campaign Brian Barry-Murphy and Joel Colwill of Cardiff City (Image: Cardiff City TV ) Cardiff City players have been back at their Vale of Glamorgan training HQ for a week and a half now, with Brian Barry-Murphy gradually implementing his plans and strategy for the season. The Bluebirds players have undergone rigorous testing, while the new head coach has also made some changes to his backroom staff, with two new coaches — Lee Riley and Kevin Gibbins — having been added, as well as two analysts — Luke Foulkes and Rob Clarke — to the backroom team. The club have released training videos in order to keep fans engaged during the off-season. Here, we take a look at what's been spotted during week two of pre-season. Senior trio absent While all players, barring Roko Simic, reported for duty last week, the same cannot be said this week. In the latest video released by the club, there are three pretty notable absentees. Callum Robinson, Callum O'Dowda and Perry Ng have not been seen in the second week of training, leading to many supporters on social media speculating as to their whereabouts. All three are big earners and have admirers higher up the footballing pyramid; it's likely their absence from training is not simply a coincidence. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community. Article continues below Robinson has been linked with his former club, Preston North End, while reports suggest O'Dowda has also been courted by his ex-employers Oxford United. Ng is a two-time player of the season winner at Cardiff, but clubs were thought to be keen on taking him back in January, although a move never materialised. Fans were always braced for exits this summer, with chairman Mehmet Dalman confirming the squad had to be slimmed down. All nine out-of-contract players left, while Michael Reindorf and Simic are both also off the wage bill following loans to Newport County and Karlsruher respectively. And all signs point towards more exits, with the aforementioned trio attracting interest and not involved in pre-season training this week. It is likely, and understandably, frustrating for supporters to learn of more potential outgoings with little sign of incomings on the horizon. However, sources continue to acknowledge that additions are needed and areas of weakness within the squad still need to be addressed through recruitment, while more academy graduates are likely to be given their opportunities next season. Youngsters included As ever with pre-season, it's interesting to see which players from the under-21s, or younger, sometimes, are included in first-team training. It's even more intriguing when a new manager is at the helm. There are players in the fold who burst through last season and got their first senior appearances last season, like Tanatswa Nyakuhwa, Joel Colwill, Ronan Kpakio and Dylan Lawlor. There are a couple of new or uncapped faces, too. Dakarai Mafico has been on the first-team bench three times in all competitions, but the 18-year-old midfielder is yet to make an appearance. Goalkeeper Jake Dennis, who has had loan stints at Gloucester City and Oldham Athletic, was also training among the goalkeepers. Who Barry-Murphy deems good enough to make an impact regularly this season is as yet to be communicated, but not doubt the new head coach will be running the rule over these academy grads in the coming weeks as he settles into the job. Unseen player spotted A player as yet unseen by the Cardiff faithful has also been heavily involved in training in the first two weeks. Ryotaro Tsunoda has had a whirlwind 18 months since signing from Yokohama F. Marinos back in January last year. He was immediately sent out on loan to sister club KV Kortrijk and enjoyed a stellar few months in Belgium before sustaining a horrible hamstring injury, which took him months to recover from. When he was finally fit again, the Bluebirds sent him on loan again to KVK and he once again impressed, despite the club eventually falling to relegation. However he earned plaudits for his performances over two stints in the Belgian top flight. His style of play appears far more aligned with what Brian-Murphy is likely to want from a centre-back, while it is telling the head coach has kept the Japanese defender around and sent Simic out before even casting his eye over him. Tsunoda is also a left-footed centre-back which is a much-coveted player profile in the modern game. Whether he is too similar to Joel Bagan in that regard remains to be seen, but either way it's good to have options in an area in which the club are light. Add in the O'Dowda absence and suddenly he might have a more prominent role, should Barry-Murphy see enough in him during pre-season. Ryotaro Tsunoda and Ronan Kpakio of Cardiff City (Image: Cardiff City TV ) Barry-Murphy's hands-on style evident One of the most revealing things about these training videos is that it offers fans an insight into the new head coach's training ground methods. It's now easy to see why he opted for the "head coach" title in favour of the "manager" role, because the Irishman appears to be incredibly involved and hands-on during all training and drills. He's spotted, whistle in hand, trying to up the tempo of a passing drill, shouting, "quicker, quicker" and "break the lines, break the lines", which gives fans some sort of clue as to his footballing plans for the season ahead. In one clip he is also shown taking Joel Colwill, a player many fans think has a big role to play over the next 12 months, to one side to offer some advice. Brian Barry-Murphy speaks to Jeol Colwill during pre-season training (Image: Cardiff City TV ) Article continues below He did the same, too, with returning striker Kion Etete, who endured a nightmare loan at Bolton last season. Barry-Murphy was seen offering advice to the forward on the sidelines of one drill. Both Barry-Murphy and his assistant, Lee Riley, are seen getting stuck in with the drills, either taking part to make up numbers or offering constant communication on what needs to be done and the drill's objectives. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here.
