It is with some irony that on a day Cardiff City goalkeeper David Marshall withdrew from a Scotland international friendly squad with an elbow injury, days after boss Dave Jones tried to withdraw him but was denied, his Bluebirds rival between the sticks last term, Peter Enckleman, has headed that way signing a 2 year contract this evening with SPL side St Johnstone.
Enks -in his St Johnstone kit
"Enks" went for trial with the Saints last Friday, played in a 1-0 win over Spanish outfit Real Valadollid in a friendly on Staurday, agreed terms on Sunday and signed formally today with their boss Derek McInnes quite gushing about what he has seen. "He only joined us for training (Friday) but he wanted to play and was excellent. He had a bit more work to do than I would have liked, to be honest. He took crosses, made saves and kicked well. He deserved to be well pleased with his performance."
Good Luck to Enks but as Aston Villa and Cardiff City fans will testify, you're never too far away from a calamity with him as I'm sure St Johnstone fans will get to see the best and worst of him in time.
What's more noteworthy is that he joins a drain of yesterday's men who have moved North, none of whom would be regarded good enough to feature in the Championship. We're talking about a side captained by Jody Morris that also includes Walsall striker Sam Parkin, the veteran Michael Duberry, journeyman Scott Dobie and lower league specialist Cleveland Taylor who played for League Two Burton Albion last season.
Yet this side and these players are the kind of outfit Joe Ledley has opted to face most weeks with Celtic when he could, and should, be in the Premier League or in a better standard of football by staying with City. It's a sharp reminder that the move may be doing wonders for his bank balance but nothing for his football.
Joe Ledley seems determined to clock up air miles while he decides where his footballing future lies. After visiting Glasgow on Monday to see Celtic comes news that he's off to Rome and talks with AS Roma tomorrow.
No doubt his agent has been touting him and the attractiveness of no fee being involved for Cardiff City if he leaves for a new club in Scotland or Europe. I just hope Joe makes the right decision and it is a footballing one.
It must now be increasingly unlikely that he will stay at Cardiff. Both fans and the club would ideally like him to go to the Premier League where he has many admirers too so don't be surprised if he checks out more clubs before making a final decision.
As Cardiff City fans dream of the (still remote) possibility of Craig Bellamy donning a Bluebirds shirt next season, they may now have to face the nightmare of losing star and icon Joe Ledley to Celtic for nothing!
Ledley has been in VIP talks with the Scottish SPL side today and is already believed to be heading north to Celtic Park for a tour and further discussion.
Cardiff City would dearly like to keep Joe but he is out of contract and attracting the interest of several Premiership sides but it would cost them compensation which does not apply if Joe moves to Scottland. Celtic believe this gives them the edge as they can offer higher wages gambling that they can cash in by selling Joe to the Premiership in 12 months time. For Joe, Celtic offer Champions League football.
Scottish sources are very positive that a deal is very close.
Dave Jones told 8 players that they were not being offered and new contracts and they imeediately left the club.
Warren Feeney, Peter Enckleman, Aaron Morris, Josh Magennis and Tony Capaldi while Riccy Scimeca formally retired.
Tony Capaldi always seemed to be out of favour but was the only player to get a decent amount of firt team football this season and will surely get another Championship club quickly. Feeney's contribution was mostly laughable, he was a nice guy but a terrible signing and looks set to drop to League One football which is more at his level.
Joe Ledley is out of contract with a few Premiership clubs showing interest (they would have to pay compensation) and the Scottish "giants?" of Rangers and Celtic offering European football and they could take him for nothing. However City are making a concerted effort to keep the local lad and are reportedly willing to make him a supreme offer.
Miguel Comminges is recovering from major surgery but was allowed a 6 month contract to get fit and then enable him to find a new club and young keeper Santiago was given a 65 month pro contract to prove his case for being City's third keeper.
One final thing - Kelvin Etuhu's loan is over and he has been sent packing to Manchester City. An awful loan who promised much but delivered nothing.
Within 6 weeks of two major hip operations, Joe Ledley a.k.a. Mr. Cardiff City has been given the all clear to return to full running and training.
Joe played through pain for many months with hip problems and found his best form of the season just as he was forced into the operating theatre. His last City appearance was in the magnificent 6-0 win at Bristol City on Jan 26th.
At that time, Joe said he hoped to return for the play-offs but most City followers were sceptical. Now comes news that he is aiming to be ready for the Reading home game on April 10th - that's in less than 3 weeks.
Cardiff City have somehow toughed it out in recent weeks but now buoyed by the return of Steve McPhail and, it seems, the imminent return of Mark Hudson and Joe Ledley, the timing for the run-in could hardly be better. Rumours also persist that M,an City loanee Kelvin Etuthu may be back soo too, I'll believe that one when I see it.
Cardiff City today revealed that Joe Ledley will enter hospital at the end of January for his delay hip operations - he will have ops on both hips within 10 days - which means that his season will be over in a couple of games ... and quite possibly, his time at Cardiff City too.
The club confirmed that Joe had played on for a while but that it could not be delayed any longer. They will hope to have ther return of Steve McPhail and possible new singings to cover him by month end.
However fans will question whether we will now be seeing his last moments for Cardiff City as he is out of contract this summer, can talk to other clubs now and can leave for compensation only in he stays in England or Wales or free if he goes abroad.
He had been linked with moves to Celtic, Stoke and Blackburn alrerady this month but this news will be the end of that.
Bluebirds boss Dave Jones said, "When the day comes for him to go in [for the surgery] I hope that won't be the last time we see him in a blue shirt, but if it is, that's football for you."
He may be having a poor season, he need need a hip op and a couple of months rest but JOE LEDLEY remains a good player and in demand.
It's a pity that his agent and himself allowed contracts talks to fester for over a year - although some will also blame Cardiff City for that - but he is free to talk to other clubs and arrange a move in the summer.
It is being reported in Lancashire that Big Sam Allardyce is ready to plot a £2M raid for the player valued at £6M by Stoke City last year to take him to Blackburn Rovers and will be making his move in the next 24 hours. Having been pasted 4-1 at Manchester City tonight and faced with arelegation scrap, it may not be a great move for Joe.
Others claim a deal is in the offeing with Birmingham City where one of his best mates, Cameron Jerome, and also Roger Johnson are performing wonders this season. Personally, I can see that happening.
Joe can go now for an agreed fee or leave for compensation in the summer but the nightmare is if he moves abroad as no fee would then be paid, his Scottish agent is mooted to have mentioned Celtic It may get Joe more money now but it's really not a wise football move.
Of course, there's a remote chance he could stay with City but I think the odds are greater than myself wanting to see Bristol City do well!
Leading scorer Peter Whittingham, key defender Kevin McNaughton and loanee forward Kelvin Etuhu all had to limp off during yesterday's brilliant but hard fought 1-0 victory for Cardiff City at Middlesbrough.
However the club had a boost today with news that "Whitts" and SuperKev sustained minor knocks only and both should be available for the home clash against Leicester City this Saturday.
It's not all good news though as Etuhu having just returned to the club after more than 2 months injured has been sent back to Manchester City for a scan and treatment with a badly swollen ankle. The club believe there is a problem and are preparing for a further lenghty absence of a player getting no luck at all at present.
Cardiff manager Dave Jones looks ahead to Tuesday's Championship clash with West Brom at the Hawthorns.
He confirms there are doubts over Quinn, McNaughton and Ledley while Bothroyd is suspended giving a likely opportuinity to Kevin Etutu. Ledley's injury is discussed as well as Michael Chopra's current goal drought.
However the win has come at a cost as Cardiff head to high fliers West Brom on Tuesday evening without Jay Bothroyd who has a 1 game ban for his 5th booking of the season and have major doubts over Michael Chopra who is unwell and Joe Ledley who suffered a groin injury in the victory.
It's a tough enough contest as it is but to go without 3 key players would be doubly damaging to their hopes.
When Peter Ridsdale, in a fan forum on Monday night, answered supporter questions about the form of Joe Ledley with the comment, "he's playing like he is somewhere else already", the sentiment was understandable.
After all, Joe is the local hero turned bad. His form has been little sort of shocking for a long time, goals have dried up and the influential moments of Joe Ledley this season can be counted on one hand. Joe is struggling with injuries and apparently is in need of a hip operation at some point but he has not played good football for several months, since before the end of last season.
Fans are angered and upset that Joe has refused to take a new double your money contract - his present deal expires next summer and he is free to talk to any club in January - that has been on the table for many months or indicated any outright desire to stay or leave the club while he does appear to be very badly advised by his agent. This, many cite, has contributed to his loss of form to the extent that the £6M once offered by Stoke seems laughable, he doesn't look worth a place in any Premiership squad at present.
Joe has also been criticised at national level by Wales boss John Tosghack and he has lost captaincy of his country. It's a real down spirals for a player who careers was only ever full of highs and ups.
However Risdale's criticisms have not gone unnoticed byt eh playing squad and a public response has come from Mark Hudson, also under fire this season, but club captain who responded with, "We're together ... we have to stick up for players like him ... we take it personally if anyone gets singled out."
Joe is being urged by other players to get the op which would see him out for a while ... there's always a possibility however that would also hijack any hopes of him getting a move in January ... I suspect he secretly craves that now.
However, Joe is a great player and has been a brilliant servant for the club and was a fans' idol. I hope he can turn this around and show us the real Joe Ledley because the one we've been watching for far too logn, whether injured or not, is an imposter. Go show'em Joe!
CARDIFFCITY chairman Peter Ridsdale met with supporters at a packed Municipal Clun in City Road, Cardiff last night and declared, to quote Dad’s Army, “there’s no need for panic”.He’s also suggested a golden future may be close.
Publicity Pete or the Station Controller?
- A man of the people! -
I was unable to attend due to work and I’ve been to enough of these events to realise the chairman is polished, an accomplished performer and would be an outstanding politician as he says plenty but you learn little or nothing new. For someone who promises transparency, he falls well short of full disclosure but deserves credit for holding these sessions. I’m unaware of any other Championship chairman who does.
However these seem to be the key points:
On DAVE JONES (who is coming under pressure again recently)
Ridsdale offered a vote of confidence and intends to back him with money to buy players in January (wonder who is going then!)
On SAM HAMMAM (or LANGSTON)
Peter is confident a deal will be finalised by the end of the week.He said exactly the same thing a fortnight ago however so we’ll see.
A deal, rumoured to agree to pay Langston £10M, at £1M per year in monthly payments (that’s more than £83,000 per month!) is rumoured to be on the table although City are hoping to pay it in full by the end of next year.It is believed Hammam would also get £5M if City are successful in selling stadium naming rights and a similar amount if Premiership football is achieved in a certain time.
Hammam also enquired about rejoining the board as a director which was instantly refused as it should be.
OTHER DEBTORS
Ridders also outlined PMG (Paul Guy and this team) are owed £9M, more than £2M in extra costs for the new stadium and £1MN each to directors Steve Borley and Michael Isaacs.Ridsdale refused to reveal the debts to HMRC tax office which ended in court last week but remours have it at around £1.25N.
Put it all together and that means debts of at least £24M.
THAT TAX MATTER
He was unhappy with The Echo for revealing it and their sensationalised reporting of it but it is in the public domain.It does appear the club are resolving it but other than cause embarrassment and, I’d imagine, other debtors knocking hard on the door for their money back, it’s s situation the club created.
THE MALYSIANS
Ridders is genuinely excited about this development revealing that Dato Chan Tien Ghee has already invested an amount.He refused to reveal how much but hinted it is millions with more to follow this week.T.G. has been rumoured for some time to be a ‘front man’ for his boss, Vincent Tan, listed as one of the Top 10 richest Malasyians and worth a cool US $9 billion.Peter has confirmed meeting the main man, this does open the door to exciting times ahead but we’ll see.
Due diligence is currently underway with the Malaysians prepared to buy a chunk of the club or launch a full blown takeover but clearly providing the monies to deal with the debts.
RIDSDALE HIMSELF
Well he does like to do that and congratulate himself, doesn’t he?
He told the crowd he earned £350,000 a year, had a £500,000 bonus when the stadium was completed and, like L’Oreal, he’s worth it.
SEASON TICKETS
Ridders is disappointed by the take up of frozen prices for 5 years for supporters who renew before the end of this year for next season.It is believed just over 3,000 fans have done that – I’ve bought my 3, what a hero I am! :>)
LASTLY THE TEAM
The club were unable to bring in the quality they needed before the closing of the loan window last week and were better off waiting to make permanent signings in January for the quality of players we need.I just hope we’re still in contention by then as we’re currently slipping away fast.
However, a caveat, he is hopeful this will happen and is not guaranteeing it.“It will be tight but I’m very hopeful” he told them.
He said the side had lost all creation without Steven McPhail (although we did start the season on fire without him) , how last weekend’s performance against Ipswuich was completely unacceptable and in a barb aimed at one player, he declared that, “Joe Ledley is playing like he is somewhere else already.”Maybe he is … or soon will be anyway!
Joe Ledley's contract talks seems to have been running longer than Coronation Street but is there finally light at the end of the tunnel?
In the final year of his contract, Ledley's agent and the club have been unable to reach a suitable deal since early summer andn with a new transfer window looming, it is imperative to sort something out.
Many Cardiff City supporters - myself included - feel it has impacted on Joe's football. He has looked a shadow of the player that saw Stoke bid £6M for him last January. Maybe that was summed up by no bid being mad for him in the August window despite speculation.
Joe, unusually for him, has also found himself substitued or not selcted for games - injury not helping to a degree - and even had Wales national boss John Toshack commenting about his dip.
However with signs Joe is knuckl;ing down again and resdiscovering form, it is hoped there will be developments next week.
Cardiff City have offered to double Joe's pay but a sticking point is believed to be Cardiff City's insistenence of a contract trigger release fee, believed to be £5M. It is understood Joe's agent, David Baldwin who does appear to have been integral in this saga, is looking for a much lower price.
Bladwin, Peter Ridsdale and Joe are meeting next week. Encouragingly, Joe is now saying, "Hopefully it will be resolved as soon as possible and I'll stay and I'll be happy." However he did add the caveat, "We've been keen to get these talks underway for a long time but they will have their ideas and we will have ours but the only way we can sort them out is if we get together and talk about it"
A fortnight's break due to World Cup action has Cardiff City fans chomping at the bit to return to domestic football and a group of players wanting to build on their prime form following demolition jobs over Derby (6-1 at home) and Watford (4-0 away).
It would be understandable if Dave Jones is desparate to retain the same starting eleven used in both games but doubts persist over two players.
In midfield, news has emerged that Steve McPhail had a neck operation last week and, at present, still has the stitches inserted. He has been training and wants to play but it may be touch and go. If he is absent, Joe Ledley would be expected to start but he is a doubt too having missed Wales' games with a hip injury.
Meantime, at the back, Mark Kennedy is a doubt as well with continued hamstring twinges which has plagued him all season. However City have cover there as SuperKev - Kevin McNaughton - is ready to belatedly start the season and has successfully come through two reserve outings during the break.
Cardiff City are at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday and then Coventry City next Tuesday.
In the build up to tomorrow's big home sell out game versus Newcastle United, Cardiff City talisman JOE LEDLEY has turned down the club's latest contract offer.
Joe - with less than a year on his current deal - had been holding out for a Premiership move but with no club making a bid for him in the latest transfer window, he will remin at Cardiff for the time being. Rumour has it that Joe is on "just" (!) £7,000 a week, the result of turning down contract talks and offers for more than a year.
Cardiff City have offered to double his pay and insert a sale clause to a Premiership club for a release fee should the club languish in the Championship. The offer may seem good on the one hand but it would leave Joe well behind other players at the club and it would appear that Joe is seeking parity with the best paid players - which you can understand when he is one of the team's stars, has arguably been penalised for being a local boy and, if other rumours are true, could have been earning £25k weekly if City had agreed to sell him for £6M to Stocke City last January.
Hopefully the club and player could find a happy balance soon as Joe has confirmed that he is more than happy to pen a new deal while Peter Ridsdale and Dave Jones want to sort it out but Ledley told the South Wales Echo, ""It's down to the club. If they want me to sign, they have got to put a contract to me. I want to remain here and if the contract is right, I will sign it. At the moment the contract is not right. If it's good enough, I will sign it. At the moment, I'm still trying to sort one out."
CARDIFF CITY star Joe Ledley faces playing in the next few weeks wearing a cast ... but he's used to it having done it last season.
Then it was a finger dislocation in a home game with Crystal Palace. This time it was a holiday mishap as Joe slipped in Paris on a mini break with his girlfriend as Ctiy players were given 4 days off last week.
Ledley's cast is being prepared and, with referee approval, he will wear it when Wales play Russia on Wednesday night at Millennium Stadium.
There may have been some anticipation, there may have been some fear but, as Peter Ridsdale suspected, the current transfer window closed today with no deals involving Cardiff City and very few in general. None of the big clubs made any move and the biggest transfer was ex-City man James Collins moving from West Ham to Aston Villa for £5M.
Of course, there were rumours during the day - the biggest reported by newspapers and websites was that Wolves were offering £5.5M plus Sam Vokes on loan for Joe Ledley but that turned out to be nonsense. It would appear there were no enquiries for any Cardiff City main player although rumours would have it that Riccy Scimeca declined a loan move to League One Brentford.
One deal did affect City. Polish goalkeeper Erwin Sak left the club by agreement and promptly signed for Conference fellow Welsh side Wrexham. Sak, at 19, had been with the club for 3 years but never got close to a breakthrough leaving cynics to suggest we don't need Poles as stadium construction is complete!
So City will face Newcastle next game with the same squad but have been buoyed by the news that Jay Bothroyd is likely to be available after his injury scare.
Cardiff City and Joe Ledley are finally in discussions and believed to be close to completing a deal for a new contract ... one that it would be appear has been conducted without the meddling of Joe's agent.
Dave Jones has described Joe's impact at Cardiff City as being similar to Steve Gerrard at Liverpool so is desperate for him to stay at the club.With the transfer window set to close on Tuesday but no offers or enquiries yet from an Premiership club, Welsh Captain Joe is set to stay with the club anyway so a deal will offer him more money and allow City the security of having Joe under contract.
The deal is there to be done and needs to be sorted for the sake of player and club.
DAVE JONES' THOUGHTS ON JOE ABOUT TO TAKE A NEW CONTRACT AT CITY
Somehow I don't think it's my perception over reality but Cardiff City players do seem to suffer more injuries than the average club, especially injuries where players just pull up.
Yesterday at Blackpool saw Ross McCormack stretchered off after he heard his hamstring "ping" while Paul Quinn also pulled up with a leg strain. Steve McPhail completed a hat-trick of Bluebirds who went off injured.
Add to that Mark Kennedy being absent after after a hamstring strain in the Scunthorpe match last week and recall how Bothroyd, McCormack, Ledley, Kennedy and Chopra were all absent at the tail end of last season with hamstring pulls and you do wonder what is going on.
One of City's problems is its small squad which forces players to play while not 100% fit, the Blackpool game saw Joe Ledley and Chris Burke have to perform after being unwell all week.
However it doesn't explain why so many Cardiff men suffer with hamstring trouble.
McCormack could join Kevin McNaughton spending several weeks out of action, there is no news on Quinn but he may be absent as well leaving City's resources vastly depleted heading to Plymouth on Tuesday night.
McCormack's dream of Premiership football will surely now go on ice as well as Hull have ended their interest while other clubs would surely not take a player who will be injured for some time and that creates another problem.
Cardiff clearly need 4 new faces but it's well known they need to move players out and had been hoping to sell McCormack or Ledley before the transfer window closes in a fortnight - their departure is looking very remote at present.
Enks -in his St Johnstone kit
