Jose Semedo and Martin Cranie will battle it out for the right-back slot in the Welsh capital. Cranie was substituted at half-time against Ipswich with a knock, since recovering to train with England U21s in the intervening period, and Semedo impressed in his place.
With Zheng Zhi ruled out for at least two months with a foot problem, Matt Holland is set to return in midfield after dropping down to the bench against Ipswich.
Holland is poised to be partnered by Bailey after the former Southend United man resumed training after shaking off the hamstring strain he suffered against Ipswich.
Darren Ambrose could line up on the right after a good display against Ipswich, but could also move inside if Pardew fields the 4-5-1 formation he sometimes favours in away games. That would mean a possible recall for Lloyd Sam on the right, although Luke Varney can also play in that position if required.
With Svetoslav Todorov only returning to training on Thursday after a knock, and with two home games next week, Charlton's top scorer Andy Gray could start in attack as either a lone frontman or alongside Varney, who has also taken the solitary striker role away from home on occasion this term.
Izale McLeod scored for the reserves on Monday in his first game back from a knee ligament injury suffered in March, and with Pardew saying he would travel with the squad to Wales, could earn a surprise spot on the bench.
Jonathan Fortune (knee), Harry Arter (Achilles) and Therry Racon (foot) all remain sidelined.
AFTER the footballing equivalent of a half-term holiday, Cardiff City return to action today aiming to cement their place near the top of the class.
It’s back to school with a bang for Dave Jones’ side after the two-week international break, this afternoon’s home clash with Charlton Athletic (3pm) signalling the start of four Championship games in 11 days.
And Jones says his proteges are eager to return to work after a start to the season which saw them lose just once in 10 league matches.
“There’s definitely a feelgood factor around the place,” said the City boss.
“There’s a lot of laughing and joking, and that tells you that they’re feeling good and that they’re enjoying what we’re doing.
“What they’ve got to do now is transfer that from the training ground onto the pitch.”
But for an injury-time equaliser last time out at Blackpool, the Bluebirds would have spent the last fortnight flying high in fourth place.
That setback, though, has done little to affect the positive mood in the camp, according to Jones.
“It’s the staff that stew over things like that, not the players,” he said. “The players want to get back out there, they’re raring to go.
“You don’t want them coming in and being sulky and moody and not wanting to do things because that’s when your job’s really hard.
“And this bunch of players are a pleasure to work with. As one of the players who was brought into the club said, they are one of the hardest-working and driven groups of players he has been involved with.
“That’s the work ethic we’ve set up here. We’re within striking distance of the top places, which is good, but we’ve only played 10 games.
“There’s still a long, long way to go. That’s why it’s important we keep in the mix, because there are so many teams vying for the same places.”
Charlton are one such side, aiming to bounce back into the Premier League after a disappointing return to Championship football last term.
Their 11th-placed finish was below expectations after an eight-year stint in the top tier, and Alan Pardew’s side have failed to build any momentum this time around.
The Addicks are just two points worse off than City, though they have already lost five times in the league, including two of their last three.
But Jones said: “There’s not a big gap between near the bottom of the table and the top, just a couple of wins. And with all the games coming up, there’ll be a lot of movement and ups and downs.
“Charlton will be in there, and they need to get out of this division. They’ve still got their parachute payment and have still got the majority of their players from last season.
“And, with the talk of a foreign takeover, they’ll be buoyant.”
But even with a bottomless pit of money, Jones is sceptical of any club trying to buy their way out of the Championship.
“I haven’t seen anybody in this division go out and spend £5m or £6m on a Premiership striker or defender,” he said. “They just won’t come. Why would they? It just doesn’t happen.
“Clubs can’t afford to pay Premiership wages. It’s a misnomer that clubs have all this money at this level so are going to be successful.
“QPR have vast amounts of money, but I haven’t seen them go out and get top players who are supposedly available.
“The Premier League is the only place the top players want to be. And sometimes you can have money, but you can’t spend it.
“And it also comes with the burden that you can end up paying over the odds for Championship players – clubs know you’ve got money.
“There’s no magic formula – you’ve just got to find the players who will get you out of this division.”
The hamstring injury which forced Joe Ledley out of Wales’ World Cup qualifiers is set to keep him on the sidelines for today’s clash.
Midfielder Riccy Scimeca (ankle) and left-back Tony Capaldi (knee) return to the squad, but are unlikely to figure, though Mark Kennedy should start.
“We’re just waiting on Joe, but it’ll probably be a bit too soon for him,” said Jones.
“We don’t want to rush him back before he’s ready. With the injury he’s got, if he’s not right and we play him, it’ll only make it 10 times worse.
“A lot of it is down to Joe. We can only go by what he says. If he feels he can give it a go against Charlton – fine, but, if not, we’ll have another look before the Watford game on Tuesday.
“And, for Tony and Ricky, it’s just about games. They’ve done all the training, we can’t get them any fitter.
“We’ve arranged some reserve games, so if they’re not involved against Charlton, they’ll be playing in those, starting next week.”
Charlton are without Chinese international Zheng Zhi, who has a foot injury, so midfielder Nicky Bailey should return to the starting line-up.
Striker Svetoslav Todorov is struggling to be fit after picking up a knock in the 2-1 win over Ipswich Town, so his replacement, Andy Gray, will continue to deputise.
City themselves have hardly set the goal-scoring charts alight so far this season, but at least Ross McCormack has taken to Championship football like the proverbial duck to water.
The 22-year-old Scot has found the net six times in the league – more than half of his team’s total – and Jones is naturally delighted at his progress.
“Ross has got all the attributes to go on and be another fine player from this football club,” he said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if, come January, we have interest from other clubs because he’s in the top three goalscorers in this division.
“He’s got a long way to go, but he’s hard-working with bags of energy. He does things in training that make you think – that’s something special.
“And he’s shown that in games. Now if he wants to improve and move on to the next stage, he has to keep doing that.”
"I can't believe Cranie got in ahead of Semedo. Pardew must have shit in his eyes."
I rather suspect that there's an understanding with Harry Rednapp that he will play more often than not. Not saying it's right to pick him but, from a Portsmouth perspective, if he's not playing, they might just as well have him in their Reserves.
[cite]Posted By: Addick Addict[/cite]"I can't believe Cranie got in ahead of Semedo. Pardew must have shit in his eyes."
I rather suspect that there's an understanding with Harry Rednapp that he will play more often than not. Not saying it's right to pick him but, from a Portsmouth perspective, if he's not playing, they might just as well have him in their Reserves.
That's the feeling I get. Don't see what Cranie offers that Semedo can't offer.
I think they should just send Cranie back. It's pointless having a player on loan who is worse than both our right backs which we own. No way should he be playing today because Semedo is a much better option. If the agreement is that Cranie has to play then it's a crap agreement.
Comments
Jose Semedo and Martin Cranie will battle it out for the right-back slot in the Welsh capital. Cranie was substituted at half-time against Ipswich with a knock, since recovering to train with England U21s in the intervening period, and Semedo impressed in his place.
With Zheng Zhi ruled out for at least two months with a foot problem, Matt Holland is set to return in midfield after dropping down to the bench against Ipswich.
Holland is poised to be partnered by Bailey after the former Southend United man resumed training after shaking off the hamstring strain he suffered against Ipswich.
Darren Ambrose could line up on the right after a good display against Ipswich, but could also move inside if Pardew fields the 4-5-1 formation he sometimes favours in away games. That would mean a possible recall for Lloyd Sam on the right, although Luke Varney can also play in that position if required.
With Svetoslav Todorov only returning to training on Thursday after a knock, and with two home games next week, Charlton's top scorer Andy Gray could start in attack as either a lone frontman or alongside Varney, who has also taken the solitary striker role away from home on occasion this term.
Izale McLeod scored for the reserves on Monday in his first game back from a knee ligament injury suffered in March, and with Pardew saying he would travel with the squad to Wales, could earn a surprise spot on the bench.
Jonathan Fortune (knee), Harry Arter (Achilles) and Therry Racon (foot) all remain sidelined.
Cardiff City v Charlton, Ninian Park, 3pm
AFTER the footballing equivalent of a half-term holiday, Cardiff City return to action today aiming to cement their place near the top of the class.
It’s back to school with a bang for Dave Jones’ side after the two-week international break, this afternoon’s home clash with Charlton Athletic (3pm) signalling the start of four Championship games in 11 days.
And Jones says his proteges are eager to return to work after a start to the season which saw them lose just once in 10 league matches.
“There’s definitely a feelgood factor around the place,” said the City boss.
“There’s a lot of laughing and joking, and that tells you that they’re feeling good and that they’re enjoying what we’re doing.
“What they’ve got to do now is transfer that from the training ground onto the pitch.”
But for an injury-time equaliser last time out at Blackpool, the Bluebirds would have spent the last fortnight flying high in fourth place.
That setback, though, has done little to affect the positive mood in the camp, according to Jones.
“It’s the staff that stew over things like that, not the players,” he said. “The players want to get back out there, they’re raring to go.
“You don’t want them coming in and being sulky and moody and not wanting to do things because that’s when your job’s really hard.
“And this bunch of players are a pleasure to work with. As one of the players who was brought into the club said, they are one of the hardest-working and driven groups of players he has been involved with.
“That’s the work ethic we’ve set up here. We’re within striking distance of the top places, which is good, but we’ve only played 10 games.
“There’s still a long, long way to go. That’s why it’s important we keep in the mix, because there are so many teams vying for the same places.”
Charlton are one such side, aiming to bounce back into the Premier League after a disappointing return to Championship football last term.
Their 11th-placed finish was below expectations after an eight-year stint in the top tier, and Alan Pardew’s side have failed to build any momentum this time around.
The Addicks are just two points worse off than City, though they have already lost five times in the league, including two of their last three.
But Jones said: “There’s not a big gap between near the bottom of the table and the top, just a couple of wins. And with all the games coming up, there’ll be a lot of movement and ups and downs.
“Charlton will be in there, and they need to get out of this division. They’ve still got their parachute payment and have still got the majority of their players from last season.
“And, with the talk of a foreign takeover, they’ll be buoyant.”
But even with a bottomless pit of money, Jones is sceptical of any club trying to buy their way out of the Championship.
“I haven’t seen anybody in this division go out and spend £5m or £6m on a Premiership striker or defender,” he said. “They just won’t come. Why would they? It just doesn’t happen.
“Clubs can’t afford to pay Premiership wages. It’s a misnomer that clubs have all this money at this level so are going to be successful.
“QPR have vast amounts of money, but I haven’t seen them go out and get top players who are supposedly available.
“The Premier League is the only place the top players want to be. And sometimes you can have money, but you can’t spend it.
“And it also comes with the burden that you can end up paying over the odds for Championship players – clubs know you’ve got money.
“There’s no magic formula – you’ve just got to find the players who will get you out of this division.”
The hamstring injury which forced Joe Ledley out of Wales’ World Cup qualifiers is set to keep him on the sidelines for today’s clash.
Midfielder Riccy Scimeca (ankle) and left-back Tony Capaldi (knee) return to the squad, but are unlikely to figure, though Mark Kennedy should start.
“We’re just waiting on Joe, but it’ll probably be a bit too soon for him,” said Jones.
“We don’t want to rush him back before he’s ready. With the injury he’s got, if he’s not right and we play him, it’ll only make it 10 times worse.
“A lot of it is down to Joe. We can only go by what he says. If he feels he can give it a go against Charlton – fine, but, if not, we’ll have another look before the Watford game on Tuesday.
“And, for Tony and Ricky, it’s just about games. They’ve done all the training, we can’t get them any fitter.
“We’ve arranged some reserve games, so if they’re not involved against Charlton, they’ll be playing in those, starting next week.”
Charlton are without Chinese international Zheng Zhi, who has a foot injury, so midfielder Nicky Bailey should return to the starting line-up.
Striker Svetoslav Todorov is struggling to be fit after picking up a knock in the 2-1 win over Ipswich Town, so his replacement, Andy Gray, will continue to deputise.
City themselves have hardly set the goal-scoring charts alight so far this season, but at least Ross McCormack has taken to Championship football like the proverbial duck to water.
The 22-year-old Scot has found the net six times in the league – more than half of his team’s total – and Jones is naturally delighted at his progress.
“Ross has got all the attributes to go on and be another fine player from this football club,” he said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if, come January, we have interest from other clubs because he’s in the top three goalscorers in this division.
“He’s got a long way to go, but he’s hard-working with bags of energy. He does things in training that make you think – that’s something special.
“And he’s shown that in games. Now if he wants to improve and move on to the next stage, he has to keep doing that.”
come on charlton
Subs: Elliot, Basey, Semedo, Sam, Todorov.
poor decision on Cranie for me but time will tell
COME ON YOU ADDICKS!!!
I rather suspect that there's an understanding with Harry Rednapp that he will play more often than not. Not saying it's right to pick him but, from a Portsmouth perspective, if he's not playing, they might just as well have him in their Reserves.
That's the feeling I get. Don't see what Cranie offers that Semedo can't offer.
Anyone got a radio link for overseas listeners??
Cheers
seconded!?
heres a link guys.... click on the very thin grey bit under the cerdiff badge and your off....