Gary Field : Russell Slade – A man who goes the extra mile

By Gary Field

http://www.cardiffcityforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=149086

Russell Slade- A Man Who Goes The Extra Mile
and that’s something which is a minimum requirement for every player he selects for a match. RS is known for many things and from what I understand as a manager he is much closer to Dave Jones than either MM or OGS.

Just like DJ you won’t find him spending hours on the training ground coaching players, however his teams are always well prepared with one guiding principal above ALL else – WE NEVER GIVE UP.

Again like DJ he believes in a 4-4-2 system with “pairings” through defence, midfield and attack, subject to injury and suspension, and that fitness levels are as high as possible to ensure the players can cope with a Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday schedule. He is well known for being seen out with his players, not on the piss, but far more likely at a Chinese Restaurant and it’s this sort of involvement which has secured loyalty amongst his players, in particular Yeovil and Orient where he has had the most success.

Unlike OGS where it had become the norm for us to change our team becauseof the opposition, RS has a mindset which says let the opposition worry about us and he sends his teams out to impose themselves on the opposition. Again and unlike both MM & OGS his teams are known for pass and move football, getting the ball forward quickly without hoofing the ball over and over again.

RS has just under 680 games under his belt as a manager and whilst all of these have been in the lower divisions he has developed a very solid reputation and maybe, just maybe this is his time to have a go at a higher level.

We all know our club has become something of a circus of the last few seasons but hopefully in RS we at last have a manager with a solid grounding and a hunger to achieve at a higher level, certainly his first interviews have, in my opinion, shown him to be a confident man and if interviews are anything to go on I think he may well surprise many of us.

So welcome to the circus Russell and I for one cannot wait to see how you do, I’ve got a good feeling about this appointment and despite our worst start in 8 seasons at this level I fancy you will turn things around.

I hope as fans we go the extra mile and give him a chance to turn things around for us.