The ex-Bluebirds player has identified the club’s sale of ‘keeper David Marshall as the biggest indicator that they are struggling.
Cardiff’s David Marshall
David Giles, a former player who played for Cardiff City in two spells in the 70’s and 80’s, has blasted the club for their imminent sale of David Marshall (BBC Sport).
Cardiff have agreed to sell their talisman to Hull, in a deal that could be worth up to £5 million, but Giles claims that this fee does not represent Marshall’s value.
The Scottish ‘keeper has made nearly 300 Cardiff appearances, but with the majority coming in the second tier of English football.
Marshall has been linked with moves to Premier League clubs before, however he now appears set to join the Tigers as they look to bolster their squad. Giles has described the move from Cardiff’s point of view as “a joke.”
When asked for his opinion on the deal, Giles said: “Personally I think David Marshall is worth £8m, probably more than that to any club. Football today, I hate it, all these stats – they keep going on with stats, but if you look at Marshall’s stats, they would without a doubt be better than anyone in the Championship and be a lot better than goalkeepers in the Premier League and they’ve let him go. Probably if Hull win the Premier League they’ll get £5m. They are going to get £3.5m and they’re selling him on the cheap. And that tells me where the club is going: nowhere.”
The Bluebirds have made an unremarkable start in the Championship, picking up five points from their first five games to leave them in 17th place. And clearly David Giles, like many other Cardiff fans, is fearful of a relegation scrap this year.
“We’re looking at a season where if they finish half way, they’ve done well,” he said. “Is that going to bring your fans back? You’ll always get your diehards going, but is that going to get enthusiastic people coming down to Cardiff City Stadium? It’s a poor Cardiff City when they’re watching second-rate football.”
With the club positioned precariously just four positions above the drop zone, now is not the time to be selling their stars at low prices.
Giles is one of a number of Cardiff fans who is not pleased with the departure of Marshall, and it is not just the former Bluebirds midfielder who has expressed his frustration with the club’s policy in the transfer market. Manager Paul Trollope has admitted that he might be unable to spend the fee recouped for keeper Marshall on additions to the squad.
Only time will tell if Cardiff City are indeed “going nowhere,” or if they can make a success of this season still, despite their notable departures.
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