How Neil Harris slashed Cardiff City's bloated squad, where every player is now and what the future holds for Bluebirds
The Bluebirds manager's remit was to cut down the squad size, promote from within and we are beginning to see what the future holds for Cardiff City
A torrent of water has passed underneath the Cardiff City bridge since Neil Warnock announced his shock departure 10 months ago.
It feels like a lot of time has passed since the legendary manager bid farewell to his adoring Bluebirds fans – the world, let alone football, was in a much different place back then.
Warnock's successor Neil Harris weathered a turbulent festive period and bounced back strongly to propel City to fifth in the table.
But while we might focus on results on the pitch and league positions, there is far more to what Harris has done behind the scenes in less than a year into the job.
The job remit
A big factor which impressed the board during Harris' interview was his vision for the future; a blueprint for the club to be more self-sustaining.
That was music to their ears, given they had just spent over £100m in transfers with Warnock at the helm, albeit that included readying their fight to stay in the Premier League.
But Cardiff knew they could not continue that pattern of spending, Premier League or not, for the foreseeable future.
Deciding to become an owner of a Championship club is like purchasing the most expensive lottery ticket in the world. Pumping money into something in the hope of securing that golden ticket to the Premier League.
City's accounts this year highlighted the same thing they have for a number of years – a heavy reliance on the backing of Vincent Tan.
He continues to dig deep into his pockets to help out his beloved City and, while to some extent that comes with the territory of being the owner of a football club, no one can bemoan Tan and the board wanting to tweak the model.
So Harris was tasked with three overarching aims, besides achieving promotion to the top flight, of course: Trim down the squad, lower the average age and create an environment in which the club's youth can thrive once again.
www.walesonline.co.uk
The Bluebirds manager's remit was to cut down the squad size, promote from within and we are beginning to see what the future holds for Cardiff City
A torrent of water has passed underneath the Cardiff City bridge since Neil Warnock announced his shock departure 10 months ago.
It feels like a lot of time has passed since the legendary manager bid farewell to his adoring Bluebirds fans – the world, let alone football, was in a much different place back then.
Warnock's successor Neil Harris weathered a turbulent festive period and bounced back strongly to propel City to fifth in the table.
But while we might focus on results on the pitch and league positions, there is far more to what Harris has done behind the scenes in less than a year into the job.
The job remit
A big factor which impressed the board during Harris' interview was his vision for the future; a blueprint for the club to be more self-sustaining.
That was music to their ears, given they had just spent over £100m in transfers with Warnock at the helm, albeit that included readying their fight to stay in the Premier League.
But Cardiff knew they could not continue that pattern of spending, Premier League or not, for the foreseeable future.
Deciding to become an owner of a Championship club is like purchasing the most expensive lottery ticket in the world. Pumping money into something in the hope of securing that golden ticket to the Premier League.
City's accounts this year highlighted the same thing they have for a number of years – a heavy reliance on the backing of Vincent Tan.
He continues to dig deep into his pockets to help out his beloved City and, while to some extent that comes with the territory of being the owner of a football club, no one can bemoan Tan and the board wanting to tweak the model.
So Harris was tasked with three overarching aims, besides achieving promotion to the top flight, of course: Trim down the squad, lower the average age and create an environment in which the club's youth can thrive once again.
Neil Harris' radical Cardiff City overhaul and what it means for club's future
The Bluebirds manager's remit was to cut down the squad size, promote from within and we are beginning to see what the future holds for Cardiff City
