At 6ft 2 will give us an option to counter hoofers. Plus will do so much for the squad in terms of character and optimism. I'd probably have rather Moore just because of his pace, but his experience makes him still a great loan signing. Obviously we await Fraizers RB's feedback though, to tell us how good he is, and how their La Liga striker sensation is getting on :naughty:
Totally agree with Unhappy Bunny. Lately our transfers seem really well thought out and just what the doctor ordered. Connolly should be a good pro both on and off the pitch. Strengthen from a position of strength not weakness. Welcome to the Champions Elect Matthew.
Really happy with this, we have a lot of quality at the back now with Cathcart, Hoban, Ekstrand, Angella and Connolly. Strength in depth is crucial at this part of the season.
Nice. - even better than Malky's 2 promotions when he joined us - helps with homegrown quota - payback for Cowie - gives us options at end of season Lloyd was always going, but maybe this hastens Ekstrands exit too.
How so? He's back in the team and playing as well as 2013 recently. If he can maintain that there's no reason to think he'll be going.
I think Slav likes Tommie but doesn't fully trust him at centre back yet. I'd say Joel is ahead of him still at the moment. I was a big critic of Ekstrand last season and the start of this but he's really cut out the mistakes since coming back into the side.
Ekstrand is above Hoban at CB, for me. Cathcart is an automatic choice, Angella and Ekstrand seem interchangable and Hoban comes in when one is unavailable.
Perhaps Joka sees Hoban as a left back/left wing back now? He certainly has the pace for it, as we saw. Interestingly, a person on the Cardiff forum has mentioned how this could mean Jazzi Barnum-Bobb will be in contention for Saturday. Swings and roundabouts eh?
Thinking about it this way... Cardiff are cutting costs massively, so it's possible we have some kind of option to sign him at the end of the season. If we're promoted, we can take that option or we can go elsewhere for better players if we feel we can. If we don't get promoted, we know that Angella will probably be leaving, so here's his ready made replacement. Win/Win.
I take it that this signing means Cathcart is out for a bit and jokka has seemingly decided vujadin savic does not have what it takes to be in contention?
I actually think Ekstrand is one of our most underrated players. Yes, he had a bad season last season but this year he has been fairly solid.
To be honest, Joka has said for some time that we wanted an additional centre-back. We had Zat Knight on trial but nothing came of that, so we got this guy instead.
I'm thinking Derby away in particular stinks of a back 4 of Connolly, Cathcart, Angella/Ekstrand and Hoban. Personally I can't wait. 2 years ago the lack of defensive cover caught up with us, you just don't know what is going to happen. One injury and Connolly steps in, seems like he's actually a decent player as well so this could be a great signing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/31984625 Cardiff City manager Russell Slade insists defender Matthew Connolly still has a future at the club despite joining Watford on loan until the rest of the season. The 26-year-old has started 22 games for Cardiff this season. Slade admits the move does leave him slightly short, but that it was a business rather than a football decision. "He'll come back, he's still a Cardiff City player," he said. "It's not for a footballing reason he's gone. "We don't look like we are going to make the play-offs and it also looks like we are not going to get relegated. "We're in the middle of the table so a business decision was made for the football club. "He knows the reasons for it [loan move] to be granted." Connolly joined Cardiff in August 2012 from Queens Park Rangers having been a member of the team that won the 2010-11 Championship. He won his second Championship winning medal with Cardiff City in 2013 and joins a Watford side currently on top of the division. "That was probably the attraction for Watford," Slade said of Connolly's previous promotions with QPR and Cardiff. "They showed a bit of interest in the January window. He will strengthen their squad in an attempt to get out of the division. "It's an opportunity for Matt because Watford are flying high at the minute."
Sounds like we're bunging them a wedge or promising loan players. Funilly enough out of all of our promotion rivals Carduff only need to play Ipschit, so weakening their team is not really going to affect us.
Ipswich will lump the ball up to their giant centre forward at every opportunity. To me it looks like a 1 match loan to counter this threat.
After all of the mass personnel changes of the last couple of seasons, we now seem to be cherry picking just the right players for just the right spots, Cathcart, Watson, Guads, and now this fella I trust our owners and have a little bit of man love going on for our manager.
We'll pay his wages and bung them £100k for his services, rising to £300k if promoted. Purely speculative mind.
Is it? He's placating the Cardiff fans by saying "we're doing it to save money considering we're not going up nor down." Seems a pragmatic statement to me, especially given that a section of the Cardiff fans were going into meltdown over this move.
Connelly on how it's been easy to settle in “Sean (Murray) I have seen on nights out and we got speaking to each other so I knew him before I arrived,” he explained. :drinking:
The whole squad probably says that. Everybody gives Zola credit for getting that team of loanees to gel so quickly in the 12/13 season, when really everybody bonded over a series of great bar crawls organised by Sean Murray.
How does this even happen? I mean, one footballer approaches another and says, 'Alright mate, you're a footballer yeah' and then they begin talking of shots and orgies?
