Watching the Bluebirds Fly | Cardiff City
Having bemoaned the lack of recent transfer activity at the
club, at last, this week there are finally some developments, and for a change
there are some reasons to be cheerful for Bluebirds fans.
Ok, so the departure of Roger Johnson to Birmingham City is
a huge blow. To be honest it has been expected, and for them to shell out
£5million – of which, a large proportion is in a lump sum upfront – is
defintely a bonus. For a player who cost just £275,000 from Wycombe a couple of
years ago, it's very good business indeed.
Birmingham will be getting a committed, tough, consistent
and powerful defender, with a knack for scoring goals. He's probably been, week
in week out, our best player of the last two seasons, but he's not without his
faults, and these just might be exposed at the top level.
Johnson's distribution is frankly, shocking, and his ego is
said to be a bit of a problem in the dressing room too. His lack of pace is
made-up-for by an excellent sense of positioning, but against the more
intelligent marksmen he'll be up against in the Premier League, this could also
prove a problem. But, for the most part he'll be missed at Cardiff and a few
improvements to his game will see him succeed at Birmingham I'm sure.
The void left by 'Big Rog' has been filled by Mark Hudson,
with the club confirming yesterday that he has signed for an undisclosed fee –
believed to be around £800,000, plus add-ons – from League One outfit Charlton.
The 27-year-old, former Crystal Palace man, was the club captain at The Valley,
and Jones's record with signing defenders at the club is pretty top-notch. A third centre-back is still needed for cover
for Hudson and Gyepes, but it's good to see that the club have secured a ready-made
replacement for Johnson so quickly.
Hudson becomes the second signing of the summer after David
Marshall arrived from Norwich. It seems as if the club are specialising in
raiding last season's relegated Championship squads as a transfer policy. I'll
reserve judgement on this and wait for the results to speak for themselves.
Other good news, and with the transfer window finally
opening yesterday, Michael Chopra completed his switch from Sunderland, for a
fee of £4m. It sounds a lot, but the Black Cats hadn't paid up the £5million
they owed us for the original deal that took place two years ago in full. So,
if Chops can return to the form he showed for us in the 2006-7 season, it will
prove to be an excellent acquisition.
It's all gone quiet on the Joe Ledley front. Ridsdale has
said we haven't any offers for the midfielde - which undoubtedly means he's
desperate to put him in the shop window and alert clubs as to his definite
availability. But it does seem a bit strange though. Stoke City were willing to
pay £6million in January, but now they aren't interested? Ok, so Joe lost a bit
of form towards the end of last season, but he's still a great player and
capable of performing in the top-flight.
As for Ross McCormack, he's signed a new four-year-deal at
the club, which in theory is great news. He says he wants to stay with us and
gain promotion to the Premier League, and insists that there is no sell-on
clause written into the contract. Cynics will just see it as the club covering
themselves, by ensuring they get a good price for the Scottish hitman, when
other teams come calling. But if he really doesn't want to leave, and the club
don't want to sell him, then it is indeed fantastic news for Cardiff fans.