Neil Warnock has taken the Cardiff City hot-seat but can he get the Bluebirds’ star men firing again?
New Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock
Cardiff City today announced Neil Warnock as their new boss, and he has a lot of work to do in order to get the key players at the club firing again.
Warnock has vast experience at this level and his man-management skills are second-to-none but which three players will thrive under the new boss?
Rickie Lambert
West Brom’s Rickie Lambert
The powerful striker joined to club to work with Paul Trollope after the pair enjoyed a successful spell at Bristol Rovers together just a few years ago.
However, if Warnock can get Lambert on-side then he’ll be the perfect man for him. Lambert is a powerful no-nonsense striker with bags of ability and that’s just the type of striker which will suit Warnock’s ‘old fashioned’ style.
The former England international has already scored twice since joining in the back-end of August and he’ll score many more if given the trust and opportunity by Warnock.
Peter Whittingham
The classy midfielder thrives under most to his credit but Warnock is apparently a big fan of his work and he’ll surely build the team around the creative ability of Peter Whittingham.
Whittingham remains a real danger-man for Cardiff and if Warnock can get the best out of him, he’ll get the best out of the team. The former Villa midfielder has taken a step back this season in a bid to have more control on the game and Warnock may still entertain that idea.
Warnock will be desperate to give his team a real injection of creativity and Peter Whittingham is the go-to man for assists and goals.
Stuart O’Keefe
Burnley’s Joey Barton and Cardiff City’s Stuart O’Keefe in action
Another player who is right up Warnock’s ally with his ‘no nonsense’ style of aggressive play from the midfield. O’Keefe has arguably been part of everything good which has come from Cardiff since January and he’ll surely keep his place going forward.
Despite some great form in recent months, there may be more to come from the former Palace midfielder and the new boss is just the man to get that from him.
O’Keefe, like any other player, will have to prove his worth under the new boss but his and Warnock’s ideas fit like a glove, and Cardiff could reap the rewards of that.
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