CARDIFF fans are awash with excitement heading into the new Championship campaign.
The Bluebirds are set to embark on their first full season under the experienced Neil Warnock and that alone has been enough to create great optimism in South Wales.
The 68-year-old completely changed Cardiff’s fortunes last season, finishing in the top half despite taking over a team sitting in the bottom three.
The Bluebirds’ form shifted in the hands of Warnock and that, as well as the manager’s burning desire to achieve a record-breaking eighth promotion, has instilled a confidence around the Cardiff City Stadium not seen since the days of promotion and Premier League.
Warnock has set about radically improving the squad over the summer with seven new signings to-date, including Neil Etheridge (Walsall), Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (free), Lee Camp (free), Callum Paterson (free), Danny Ward (Rotherham United), Loic Damour (free) and Lee Tomlin (Bristol City).
The latter set Cardiff back by almost £3million.
If that fee wasn’t pressure enough, Tomlin has big boots to fill with many expecting him to play a part in replacing long-serving midfielder Peter Whittingham.
A Bluebirds’ stalwart for more than a decade, Whittingham left the club in the summer for League One club Blackburn after his contract ran out.
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The 32-year-old was offered a new deal with reduced wages and playing time but – the true footballer he is – decided to head North in search of a fresh opportunity.
Replacing Whittingham, who has been the source or provider of so many Cardiff goals in the last ten years, will be one of Warnock’s crucial challenges.
Lee Tomlin arrives as a more attacking midfielder than the aforementioned Whittingham, but Warnock will be hoping he can step up and fill in the goals and assists which have left the team in the summer.
The arrival of Danny Ward hasn’t got too many excited in South Wales, especially with a fee of over £1m, despite the goals he managed in a dire Rotherham side last season.
Etheridge and Camp arrived to fill the void left by last season’s loan keepers Ben Amos and Allan McGregor who both returned to their clubs.
But arguably the most impressive signings have arrived on free transfers with Damour and Mendez-Laing looking very good in pre-season.
Callum Paterson is also tipped for big things at the age of 22, having scored nine goals from the full-back position with Hearts last season, but he is ruled out until October with a serious injury.
Warnock’s business seems to be done for now, but he is actively trying to offload Craig Noone, Declan John and perhaps even Stuart O’Keefe – their departures could change things.
The bookies and everyone else in the league are expecting little from Cardiff this season, pitching them at 15th favourites or thereabouts, but the attitude in South Wales is far more confident.
And it’s easy to see why – the Bluebirds have a manager who knows how to get promoted from the Championship better than anyone else and a reasonably strong squad despite not spending a great deal.
The bookies must be forgetting Kenneth Zohore as well, a man linked with a move to Hull for more than £10m in the summer.
Once another useless and lost Cardiff striker, Warnock’s arrival invigorated the 23-year-old who went on to score 11 goals in 17 games for a mid-table side last season.
He then travelled to the Under-21 Euros with Denmark where he netted twice and assisted as many in the group stage.
Huge hopes now lie on Zohore’s shoulders and a glimpse through some of his goals last season will tell you he has the confidence and ability to live up to them.
Ask a Cardiff fan how many they think Zohore will score this season and the answer will be somewhere in the 20s.
These supporters watched Zohore make Championship defenders look like training ground obstacles at times last season and there’s huge belief that’s how the striker, who is clearly destined for big things, will perform this season.
Cardiff are very much one of the underdogs this season and given the amount of money spent elsewhere in the division, that’s only right.
However, that’s just how Warnock will like it because he can get on with his work without too much excitement and do what he does best – getting teams promoted.
The Bluebirds’ defence was a clear weakness last season until Warnock arrived.
Pre-season with the boss, as well as maintaining star defender Bruno Ecuele-Manga, will certainly help stamp that out.
There seem to be far more positives than negatives for Cardiff heading into the new season and the expectation from fans is to at least compete for promotion, although many wholeheartedly believe a top six place is more than achievable.
An exciting season awaits Cardiff and they may just be that team who go under the radar, or at least that’s what everyone in the blue half of South Wales is hoping.
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