After 16 league games, more than a third of the season, most people are starting to form (or have formed already) concrete ideas on both the team and each individual new player. It has now been long enough to go beyond mere first impressions and has been enough time to offer a cautious initial evaluation of the players signed by Malky Mackay and Cardiff City over the summer. Of course, while most fans have already formed opinions on the players, it’s still far too early to be definite about them, there is plenty of time to prove any doubts wrong (or indeed for performance levels to drop off). It’s also important to remember that the disintegration of Dave Jones’ squad at the end of last season necessitated a lot of signings (10 have been made in total so far) and also meant that the club perhaps needed to buy more players to go immediately into the first team than they might do normally.
(part one of ‘Mackay’s buys’ can be found here.)
Filip Kiss (Season-Long Loan)
Another young midfielder, Kiss came to Cardiff as current captain of the Slovakia Under-21 side. However, despite his youth he’s certainly not lacking in confidence on the pitch, flying around snapping at the heels of the opposition to the extent that despite starting fewer than half the league games so far, he has committed more fouls than any other Bluebirds player. Kiss’ aggressive style has won him friends amongst the fanbase but it has to be said a number of his tackles are excessive and he definitely looks like walking the disciplinary tightrope on numerous occasions this season.
His ability on the ball has also been questioned, though in certain games, particularly away from home, he has impressed: scoring his first goal at Derby while also driving a depleted team forwards at times in the second half at Hull. Kiss is very much a rough diamond at the moment, but if we harness his ability and aggression correctly he should prove a valuable addition to the squad, as he adds a bite that our midfield can otherwise sometimes lack.
Joe Mason (£200,000)
A relatively unheralded signing from crisis-club Plymouth Argyle, Mason’s impact has surprised and impressed many. Making his debut as an early substitute against Bristol City, Mason was superb, running the Robins ragged all game. A creative player, capable of playing up front or behind a striker, Mason likes to control the ball before looking for a clever pass, while his movement is also impressively intelligent for one so relatively inexperienced.
There are some reservations to be made though – he does not look ready to play up front against some of the better defences in the league (his best performances have been against woeful Bristol City and Barnsley sides) and his finishing is far less impressive than his build up play. The advantage is that for one so young he has plenty of time to improve, experience tends to be a great aid to creative players and he has experienced players around him at the club to help him improve further. He has already shown more than enough to suggest that years down the line we could be looking back as his signing as an outstanding bargain.
Kenny Miller (£750,000-ish)
The most high profile (and oldest) of our summer signings, Scotland striker Miller initially struggled badly for form and confidence, despite the perfect start of the opening day, Robert Green assisted, winner at Upton Park. However, as he was late into pre-season and playing catch-up somewhat, particularly when dealing with the transition from another country, that was not entirely unexpected and some of the criticism received was unwarranted.
Hopefully, in recent weeks he has really seemed to hit his stride, becoming our leading scorer with 5 league goals and exhibiting the type of finishing that has made him sought-after throughout his career. His movement is outstanding, as is his work-rate, though his all-round game outside of the penalty area leaves a lot to be desired. Established as the focal point of the side, leading the line alone, he has thrived on the chances being provided from midfield. If he stays injury-free, which has been something of a problem so far, he looks like being the regular goal scorer all good teams need as well as justifying his price-tag.
Andrew Taylor (Free Transfer)
A cynic might say that Andrew Taylor’s greatest asset is not being Lee Naylor, but snideness aside; he certainly seems to be the long term filler of a left-back position that proved consistently problematic last season. After playing under Mackay at Watford, Taylor chose to join the Bluebirds despite numerous offers from other clubs and has cemented his position in the side. Clearly a player who fits into what Mackay wants from his full backs, Taylor can also play in midfield as is clear from his comfort higher up the pitch. Having already scored once from open play and provided a number of assists, Taylor’s attacking threat from full back offers a very useful outlet for the Bluebirds.
However, there is a downside in that the defensive side of his game is less impressive. Taylor looks very uncomfortable against wingers who run at him, backing off an alarming amount, and this is a very definite vulnerability in the Bluebirds defence. However, his positive impact on the team certainly outweighs the negatives at the moment and as long as this stays the case, he looks to be another very good value signing.
Ben Turner (750,000)
The last of the summer signings and frankly the strangest. Turner looks potentially a very good player – he is a big, dominant presence at the centre of the defence and his form since becoming first choice has gradually improved and is more impressive when considering his nine months out of action through injury. The question surrounding this signing though is that in a summer when relatively little money was spent (Turner is one of only 3 signings who came with a fee), why was so much money spent on a centre half when the first team squad already had 6 player who’d proved themselves capable of playing that position at Championship level (Hudson, Gerrard, Keinan, Blake, Gyepes, McNaughton and possibly a 7th in Quinn).
It is also reasonable to suggest that Turner doesn’t seem to add anything particularly lacking in the squad: he is a very similar player to Hudson and Gerrard. Evaluating his signing is therefore quite complicated: he looks a perfectly good player, but perhaps not at this stage good enough to justify spending money on a player in a position already so thoroughly covered when other clear gaps remain in the squad.
So in summary, it’s fair to say that Malky’s forays into the transfer market have so far been a great success. While none of the 10 signings have been an unmitigated success, it would be very, very harsh to describe any of them as failures. All have already made important contributions to the side and/or look capable of doing so later in the season. It is also important to note that, perhaps due to having to replace so much of the first team squad, all have already seen considerable amounts of action, there have been no instances of players signing, then seemingly disappearing off the face of the Earth (Martin John, anyone?).
The consistency in performance and lack of weak links when analysing the signings is exceptional, and if Malky is able to strengthen the squad while maintaining these high standards, and the current new boys continue or even improve their current level, the Bluebirds could be in for a very exciting season.
Tags: Andrew Taylor, Ben Turner, Filip Kiss, Joe Mason, Kenny Miller, Malky Mackay
