Football Season Guide

The 2023/24 season was a case of “one step forward, two steps back” for Cardiff at times. A mid-table finish represented huge progress in Erol Bulut’s first season in charge, having barely survived relegation in the previous two campaigns. The charismatic Turkish coach immediately endeared himself to the supporters with a first home win over bitter rivals Swansea in a decade and his popularity remained high, despite inconsistent results and some turgid performances. Cardiff may have finished in the middle of the standings, but there was rarely any middle ground in their results. It was almost always either joy or despair. Only one team in the Championship had fewer draws and only two had more losses. The Bluebirds scored the most goals from set-pieces in the league but that masked an underlying struggle to create chances in open play. An injury-riddled season for star signing Aaron Ramsey didn’t help in that regard and relying on the Wales captain to stay fit for an entire campaign would be short-sighted. The club have signed another former Arsenal player in Chris Willock to help fill the create void, whilst Calum Chambers has also played at the highest level for the Gunners and adds some much-needed quality to a defence that conceded 70 goals in the league last season. Ivorian striker Wilfried Kanga arrives from France for a first taste of English football, but winger Anwar El Ghazi does bring Premier League experience having played for both Everton and Aston Villa. Bulut expects more signings to arrive, having committed his future to the club after months of speculation and uncertainty. The ownership are notoriously trigger-happy when it comes to managers but now that they have decided to keep the “Bulut” in the chamber so to speak. Now they must back him with the right ammunition.