FLW’s Cardiff City fan pundit believes Craig Bellamy would be a great long-term appointment for Cardiff, should Erol Bulut leave the club this summer.
Cardiff City is one of three Championship teams that have nothing left to fight for in the remaining games of the current campaign; Erol Bulut’s team cannot be relegated or finish outside of the play-offs.
After finishing the previous two second-tier campaigns perilously close to the relegation zone and firing four permanent managers in the process, the Bluebirds will be grateful to have made significant progress this year.
After a difficult 2022–2023 season that saw the dismissal of Steve Morison and Mark Hudson before Sabri Lamouchi led the team to safety, the Welsh club managed to avoid relegation.
After being appointed, Bulut joined Cardiff in the EFL, taking on his first managerial position. Before this season, Bulut had been the manager of Gaziantep FK in Turkey. In his managerial career, he has also managed Fenerbahçe, the Turkish powerhouse.
In the summer, he had some support from additions, the most notable of which being the arrival of Aaron Ramsey, a former Arsenal star. With a two-year contract in hand, he went back to South Wales. The 33-year-old last appeared on the Cardiff pitch in 2011 during a brief loan period; nevertheless, he permanently left the Welsh city in 2008 to join the Gunners.
It’s hardly surprising that Bulut has become more at ease in the league given the resources at their disposal, but this has also raised expectations, as supporters are undoubtedly eager to witness an improvement over their league standing from the previous campaign.
Such an acquisition is usually enough to rekindle fan excitement, but after the team essentially faltered in recent weeks and flirted with the play-offs for much of the season, Bulut was going to be assessed and defined.
Craig Bellamy linked to Cardiff to replace Bulut
Since then, Bulut has been a candidate to succeed him at Besiktas, one of the biggest teams in Turkey, citing rumours from the Turkish publication Mackolik. He just signed a one-year contract at Cardiff City Stadium last summer, and the Bluebirds’ management has shown no indication that he will seek a contract extension. As a result, he might become a free agent at the conclusion of the current campaign.
Ben Johnsey, a Football League World analyst who supports Cardiff, has stated that while he would prefer to see Craig Bellamy take over in the event that Bulut leaves South Wales this summer, he is eager for Bulut to stay longer.
“I don’t see many options around if Bulut is to go, and I don’t want to see the merry-go-round of managers we so often see with other clubs,” he stated.
“Despite only being here 1 season, Bulut already ranks among the top ten Championship managers in terms of tenure.
“In my opinion, Bulut should remain and do his hardest once more.
“But, I’d prefer to support a long-term project with someone who is familiar with the club if he does decide to go or if his contract expires.
“I wouldn’t mind putting in a bid for Burnley’s current assistant, Craig Bellamy.
“I believe that if we gave him a long-term deal and the chance to start something at Cardiff, then I believe
“He was previously an academy coach as well, so he would be one that I think would get the fans onboard.
“He also knows exactly what is expected of the club and our goals and aspirations going forward.”
Cardiff’s association with Craig Bellamy
Although Bellamy was born in Cardiff, he didn’t play for the team until much later in his career. He first signed with the team on a loan in 2010–11 and stayed for the final two years of his career, from 2012–2014.
In addition to being Vincent Kompany’s assistant, he has been one of the most well-known members of his backroom staff in recent years. In fact, Kompany was suspended for one game on Saturday, and he was in the dugout for that game.
Johnsey also makes reference to his acquaintance with the club, which would naturally facilitate the process of Bellamy being the main guy and provide him with his first chance, which makes perfect sense in Bellamy’s eyes.
