ALL HAIL THE COMEBACK KINGS!
Whittingham pulls the strings and secures Bluebirds’ comeback win over Brentford with super strike
IN 43 second-half minutes, Peter Whittingham cast a nice shadow over Cardiff City Stadium again.
The elegance of his movement, the precision of his passing – for a while it all came flooding back as the Bluebirds came from behind to beat Brentford 2-1.
For some supporters, his performance evoked memories of years gone by. The vintage Whittingham years.
Can Whittingham play consistently to that level any more and thus be involved in Neil Warnock’s ambitious bid for promotion next season?
It’s a debate that has split thousands of Cardiff City fans in recent months.
The pendulum swung again after Whittingham’s arcing corner found Sean Morrison’s head on 47 minutes (not that his set-piece delivery has been in doubt), followed by the club stalwart’s impudent half-volley with his unfavoured right foot for the Bluebirds’ winner.
This second-half showing epitomised everything good about the 32-year-old and what, in the eyes of his backers, he can potentially offer the Bluebirds in 2017-18.
Pushed higher up the pitch, with Joe Ralls and Aron Gunnarsson stationed behind patrolling midfield, it was the ideal environment for Whittingham to thrive.
Brentford weren’t robust, nor resolute, and the old adage round Ninian Park that Whittingham played best against “pretty teams” was playing out on the pitch a few years on at Cardiff City Stadium.
There won’t be too many games against ‘pretty teams’ next season. That said, there will be enough fixtures when the delicate touches and x-ray vision of Whittingham will be necessary.
For large periods in the first half against Brentford, Whittingham was a spectator as the Bees buzzed about and pressed for an opener, unable to influence the proceedings in the manner he would have liked.
Cardiff were penned back, as they often have been at home this season. Without the talismanic Sol Bamba in the back four, worries were rife whether the Bluebirds could cope with Jota, Lasse Vibe and Sergi Canos, Brentford’s fleet-footed foreign legion up front.
Sean Morrison gave a timely reminder of his leadership qualities with a totemic performance, while another man whose future at the club is unclear, Bruno Manga, was dominant beside his captain.
Put together, it enabled Cardiff to win.
What matters most, however, is what happens next season.
Warnock claims to have 90 per cent of his plans in place for a potential promotion push. One presumes that unknown 10 per cent includes the futures of Whittingham, Manga and Kadeem Harris, another yet to sign a new contract.
Ask many Cardiff fans and they would hastily advise Warnock to sign them up. Particularly Manga and young Harris.
With Whittingham, it’s probably more of a grey area.
As such, if anything, his display against Brentford could cause more problems for the veteran boss, who last week appeared to be ushering the 10-year servant out of the door.
“We had discussions and couldn’t quite reach an agreement,” said Warnock on March 31.
“We’ve spoken to Peter about a compromised contract and until I know the figures, I don’t know what we can offer.”
So if that press conference was a bid to brace fans for Whittingham’s impending departure (and the possible exits of Harris and Manga, too) perhaps the Brentford game has thrown up an element of doubt again.
Warnock will be aware of what Whittingham can do for the Bluebirds next season, even if it is in far more of a bit-part role.
Nor will he want Harris to slip through his grasp and play football for a different Championship club.
Nor Manga, though admittedly the Gabon international’s wage demands may prove impossible to meet, despite the fact he’s fast becoming a prime candidate to partner Bamba in Cardiff’s first-choice defence. The three questions remain. As satisfying it was to end a streak of just one win in seven games against the Bees, there is a sting in the tale in terms of these contract uncertainties.
If Warnock is to lose the three players, fans will expect quality replacements.
And that Whittingham still remains a cog in the Bluebirds machine after 10 years of comings and goings is indicative of the club’s travails in the transfer market.
January didn’t convince, despite the arrivals of Allan McGregor and Greg Halford, so the pressure on Warnock to overhaul his playing staff and build a squad capable of promotion will rise in the summer.
He must make good decisions. And a midfield kingpin, if Whittingham goes, will be key.
Ralls divides opinion among the Bluebirds but even his biggest fans would admit he lacks the passing range of Whittingham.
The same can be said of Gunnarsson, while doubt hangs over the futures of loaned-out duo Emyr Huws and Stuart O’Keefe.
Warnock must have creativity to call upon in order to challenge for the top six next year.
The best Championship sides this season have midfield maestros you might term ‘luxury players’: Jonjo Shelvey, Pablo Hernandez and Aaron Mooy to name a few.
Can Whittingham fit that bill over the course of a whole campaign? He has his backers who will argue, yes.
Is it time to find a dynamic new man to make the play and give the Bluebirds a cutting edge, instead? There are many fans who feel that is the case, too.
So the Brentford win – 2-1, three points, the satisfaction of the performance – is overshadowed.
It was gratifying to watch the Bluebirds register a rampant second-half display to cap another fightback and claim victory from a losing position, but there was an elephant in the room.