MORRISON’S PROVING HIS TRUE WORTH
FEW sides are stronger for the loss of their skipper. Even fewer are as reliant on theirs as Cardiff City.
In the three years since he arrived from Reading, Sean Morrison has rarely been a favourite amongst Bluebirds fans.
Too slow. Too awkward. Not worth the hefty £4m outlay. When Sheffield Wednesday lodged a £5m bid this summer, most – including boss Neil Warnock - would have waved an appreciative goodbye.
After all, a pre-season poll in the local Press saw Sol Bamba and Bruno Manga named as the preferred central defensive pairing.
Morrison, though, wasn’t going anywhere. ”I told him he’d get a lot more money in Sheffield,” said Warnock. “But he came to me and said, ‘I think we have something special here, gaffer, I’d like to stay if it’s alright with you’. I said, ‘It’s alright with me son, yeah’.”
If Cardiff - currently second do win promotion to the Premier League, that exchange will be seen as a pivotal moment.
Aided by the intelligent and experienced Bamba, Morrison has bloomed into a commanding centre-back, his positioning and anticipation perfectly complementing his defensive partner’s physical power.
“He’s come through every challenge he’s faced,” said Warnock. “And he’s got better and better as the season’s gone on.”
At 27 and a veteran of 11 seasons as a pro, he is also the kind of dressing room lieutenant think Shaun Derry at QPR - that Warnock craves.
“He’s just a good leader, on and off the pitch,” added the Cardiff boss. “I have to do very little with the players disciplinewise.
“They sort it out themselves. Sean, Sol Bamba, Aron Gunnarsson. He sorts out all the problems before they develop. It’s great for a manager because there aren’t many of those old pros left anymore.”
Above all, the stats speak for themselves. Morrison missed five league games over the Christmas period. Cardiff lost four of them, letting Wolves streak clear.
Since his return, they have won five, drawn two and lost none. Along the way, Morrison has presided over five clean sheets and scored three times taking his tally for the Bluebirds to an impressive 17.
Little wonder, then, that his 40th-minute departure in Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Ipswich in midweek was greeted with trepidation by his boss.
“When he came off, I thought he might miss five or six weeks,” said Warnock. In the event, the adductor strain has healed so quickly that Cardiff’s unlikely totem is in line to face fellow promotion-chasers Bristol City today.
According to Warnock, the game is a clash of the Championship’s surprise packages. “We’ve both swum the channel to be up there, really,” he added.
“They’ve spent more money than us, but neither of us are anywhere near the likes of Aston Villa, Derby and Wolves.
“I think both teams can relax and enjoy the game because we’re not supposed to be up there. As I’ve said all along, our target is the play-offs.
“I’ve said from the start that 16 clean sheets generally gets you into the top six and if we keep one against Bristol City we’ll have reached that mark.”