Gould Goes
But you will still bump into him on the stairs.
It hasn't exactly ended in tears,
a few mild sniffles perhaps, and even some exasperated sighs.
But no tears. Bobby Gould has proved once again that as a team
manager he is hopeless. Although, I had little sympathy for Billy
Ayre, because I didn't like him and didn't think he was any good,
Gould used the opportunity of the first defeat of the season to
sack him.
Suddenly, the man who Gould said was invaluable to the success
of the club, was blamed for the shortcomings of the team Gould
picked against Hull. The tactics were simple: launch the ball
towards Fortune-West and see what happens. Unsuprisingly, it didn't
work and that was the end of Billy Ayre.
Gould's mistake was that he raised the stakes for failure to dangerously
high levels. When defeat followed in a particularly spineless
display at Orient, by his own logic Gould had to go. He has been
put in charge of "other football matters". In other
words, he has been told to stay as far away from first team affairs
as possible. Quite right, too! The net result is that City are
a laughing stock again. How many other teams go through three
managers in six games. The crowd for the Mansfield game dipped
under 5,000, less than half the figure that turned up for the
Blackpool opener in August to exhalt the new messiah of Sam Hamman.
Proof that all the mucking about with managers is eroding the
goodwill that Cardiff fans always extend to anyone prepared to
help the club.
The appointment of Gould was a major mistake in the first place
given his reputation in Wales. But credit to City fans, many were
prepared to forgive and forget as long as Gould turned City into
a winning team. But Gould made too many mistakes too quickly.
He has paid over the odds for players. Fortune-West is still in
his settling in period and may well prove a good signing but doubts
remain. How can a player who's last transfer fee was £35,000
suddenly be worth £300,000 - especially at his age? And
team performances were poor.
Alan Cork is now in charge of team affairs. In retrospect, his
appointment to head coach was probably a Hamman decision. In a
'love-in' in the press, Hamman described Cork as his 'football
son' and Cork returned the compliment, decribing Hamman as his
'football father'. There is now confusion. Will Cork stay in charge,
or will we have yet another new manager? Will Cork be sacked after
his first defeat, or be given an extended run at the job and perhaps
be allowed two, possibly, three defeats.
Speculation is rife. Mark Hughes has been installed as favourite
to be appointed manager (apparently on a whim by bookies, Jack
Brown's. Where is the evidence?) Roy Hodgson was ludicrously touted
for both the England and Cardiff City jobs in the same weeks.
Out of work managers are lining-up to tell the press that they
have not been approached by Cardiff City.
At the end of the day, why all the panic? It's only October. Eddie
May in 1992 turned a mediocre before Christmas City team into
Champions in the new year - albeit with a few classic signings.
And Frank Burrows proved that a promotion winning side can be
assembled very quickly and cheaply at this level if you have some
basic managerial ability.