Could Morris step up to be a No.1 at Cardiff?
CARDIFF City have a big choice to make when it comes to appointing their next manager.
Do they go for a young, up-andcoming manager with a fresh approach or do they opt for experience?
Given their current plight - they stand 21st in the Championship, in horrible form and are “under siege” off the pitch - favouring a rookie coach could prove to be too much of a risk.
The two frontrunners to Mick McCarthy’s successor are currently Chris Wilder and Jody Morris.
Wilder would bring knowhow from his five years at Sheffield United and a wealth of knowledge from his 20-year coaching career, in which he masterminded promotion to the Premier League.
He would also command a hefty contract and with no funds available to the new man in January and likely the summer, it could prove difficult to snare the 54-year-old. So what about Morris, then? Vincent Tan, Mehmet Dalman and Ken Choo are currently chewing the fat over the youth-versusexperience debate.
If they opt for former Chelsea man Morris, this is what they’ll be getting.
We spoke to Stephen Nicholson from our sister site DerbyshireLive for a Rams insight into Morris the coach.
What is Jody Morris like as a coach? What sort of style does he favour?
Jody Morris made a positive impact as assistant to manager Frank Lampard in their one season together at Derby County.
The Rams, helped by key loan signings of Mason Mount, Harry Wilson and Fikayo Tomori, went agonisingly close to winning promotion. They reached the Championship play-off final where they lost 2-1 to Aston Villa.
The team’s style of play under Lampard and Morris was easy on the eye at times, purposeful, hard-working and on the front foot. Lampard and Morris, who was successful as youth-team coach at Chelsea, placed a lot of faith in the younger players, their enthusiasm and energy, and this produced a nice balance in the team.
Would he be suited to working at a club in a relegation fight?
I think if a coach or manager is right for a job, then they are the right person to tackle the situation that particular club finds itself in whether that is battling against relegation, hovering around mid-table or pushing up the table.
Is he ready to step up as a No.1?
There is really only one way a coach or manager can answer that question, and that is by being given the opportunity. Experienced manager or first-time manager? There are no guarantees with either.