Transfer ploy Cardiff City would be 'daft' not to use as Brian Barry-Murphy's major skill emerges

Wales Online

2 days ago

Transfer ploy Cardiff City would be 'daft' not to use as Brian Barry-Murphy's major skill emerges
We spoke to the Manchester Evening News' Manchester City correspondent for insight into the new Cardiff City boss
New Cardiff City manager Brian Barry-Murphy
(Image: Cardiff City FC )
We are now just over a week into Brian Barry-Murphy's Cardiff City tenure, however Bluebirds fans could still be forgiven for not knowing a huge deal about what to expect from the Irishman over the coming season - or three, for that matter.
The 46-year-old penned a three-year contract in the Welsh capital, a sizeable commitment from the club and the first three-year managerial contract they've handed out in a decade since the days of Malky Mackay. Some might believe it to be something of a gamble and, of course, the appointment comes with risk, but the Cardiff board believed he was the right man to start this new project.
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After two years at Rochdale, three years heading up Manchester City's academy coaching team and a brief spell on Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City coaching staff, Barry-Murphy starts this new challenge with the immediate task of getting back into the Championship at the first time of asking very much top of the agenda.
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We spoke to the Manchester Evening News' Manchester City correspondent, Simon Bajkowski, for insight into the new Cardiff boss, having covered his three-year stint with the Premier League giants' youth sides. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community.
Bajkowski believes Barry-Murphy would be "daft" not to tap into his Man City connections this summer, with Cardiff doubtless having to bring in a few new bodies to address key weaknesses in the side over the coming months. They will likely seek some loan additions to bolster the squad.
However, Bajkowski is a firm believer that Cardiff fans are likely to see the biggest positive coming from Barry-Murphy working on the players already in situ, believing the Bluebirds head coach has a real skill in making players better - a criticism which has been levelled at the Cardiff coaching teams of recent years.
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Here is what Cardiff fans can expect from Brian Barry-Murphy....
1) What can Cardiff City fans expect from a Brian Barry-Murphy side?
Hopefully, a team that plays good football and plays for each other. Part of his attraction to City when he was at Rochdale was his total commitment to positive football, and his young City teams scored plenty of goals and always looked to play on the front foot. Obviously blind copies don't work but you'd expect Cardiff to look more like Pep Guardiola's City do with passing out from the back and looking to dominate possession in order to create chances and score goals.
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2) How did he evolve during his time at Manchester City?
I think Brian arrived at City as an idealist and left as a pragmatist. Something that is often forgotten about City's football is that it is fundamentally about winning rather than pretty football. Having won praise for his work at Rochdale despite them being relegated and then taking the Under-21s job at City, he better came to appreciate the balance between development and winning - and how important the latter is for the former. He also grew to learn what it takes to succeed as a Guardiola player, which is actually more about attitude and application than footballing ability. All of this brought the tactical and man-management aspects of his coaching on.
3) What can we expect from him in the press? Is he outspoken and honest or more reserved?
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Cardiff fans should enjoy listening to his press conference answers, with his answers open, honest, and informative. He was a sponge at City soaking up every single thing that Guardiola did as much in the press conference room as on the training pitch, so there may be the odd mind game in there but generally he says it as it is. At City, he was honest enough to admit when players were challenging his ability to coach and openly called out changes to the Under-21 format that he didn't like.
4) Presumably he would have had a hand in transfers for the academy while at City. Can you give us some insight into his transfer strategy and/or ability to improve players?
He was obviously involved in transfers at City but there was also a big recruitment team that covered the academy so his remit was more coaching. Each season and also within them, there would be first-team needs that had to be prioritised in terms of developing individual players. That meant that as well as preparing his teams for matches, there would be specific work with individuals on certain skills - such as pressing off the ball - that would be incorporated into the games. Often, that individual work would be more important in terms of improving players for the first team.
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5) Do you expect him to lean on his City connections in the transfer window?
He would be daft not to. City obviously have a network of their own clubs that they like to send on loan to but the chance to have a club in a competitive league where the manager knows their football intrinsically is definitely appealing. There have been a few loans in recent years down the leagues in England that really haven't worked out, so it could be mutually beneficial if Barry-Murphy can get some of City's youngsters to shine in senior football.
6) Finally, Lee Riley has been appointed his assistant. He is a bit of an unknown quantity. Could you give us some information on him and what he is likely to bring to the setup and project?
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Lee moved across from Rochdale as Brian's trusted lieutenant and continued in that role before staying at the club last year when Brian left. Every coach needs a No.2 they can trust and bounce ideas off in order to work better and Lee should make Brian a better coach. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here.