Jazz in ‘Ayatollah’ controversy

NEW Cardiff City signing Jazz Richards has found himself at the centre of controversy after allegedly refusing several requests from Bluebirds fans to perform the famous Ayatollah on his competitive debut.

Former Swansea City star Richards, who was part of Wales’ Euro 2016 squad, started for Cardiff in yesterday’s 0-0 draw at Birmingham City following his summer move from Fulham.

Several fans who were at the match claimed Richards refused repeated requests to ‘do the Ayatollah’ before being booed by his own supporters.

The Ayatollah has been used by Cardiff City fans since the 1990s and involves a player raising his hands above his head and repeatedly moving them up and down. It is regular- ly performed by Cardiff players in response to fans chanting ‘do the Ayatollah’.

Richards, who actually began his youth career at Cardiff, has long been associated with arch rivals Swansea after spending eight years at the Swans between 2007 and 2015.

ON the face of it, not a great deal seems to have changed.

Two evenly-matched teams, who finished the last campaign with a hard-fought draw to finish just short of the division’s finest, did pretty much the same again.

Again, a lack of cutting edge in the box cost both, and their managers will be concerned that those deficiencies are yet to have been addressed in the summer transfer market.

For Cardiff, however, this was an encouraging opening day. If this what we are to expect from Paul Trollope’s revamp, then this will be a journey worth following.

There was an impressive poise on the ball and a refreshing refusal to boot it away under pressure.

There were some spectacular long range efforts that could have settled the Goal of the Season debate on day one, and there were plenty of clearcut chances created from both openplay and set-pieces.

In fact, despite some early nerves, the Bluebirds’ were fairly dominant in a first-half that saw a conveyor belt of chances missed.

Immers headed well but was frustrated, Manga could have done better from a free-kick, and Frederic Gounongbe should have cored his first Cardiff City goal with ease.

So frustration will certainly be felt among the fans, with that lack of a killer instinct that saw the play-offs fall just beyond their reach last season seemingly still missing.

Gounongbe did well in parts and an excellent flick-on should have lead to Anthony Pilkington breaking the deadlock.

But on a day when the likes of Britt Assombalonga and Steven Naismith secured wins for their teams, it is hard not to hope that the board will find a way to back Trollope further between now and the end of the window.

These are very early days but the quality of football and the already clearer, better communicated game plan is already showing signs of coming to fruition.

Cardiff have rarely outpassed and outplayed opponents as they did today, even in games they won last season.

They rode their luck at times, certainly.

Birmingham adjusted to playing against the newly implemented back five by pushing another man up front and they certainly created plenty of chances.

As is so often the case, the Bluebirds’ were indebted to a pair of superb saves from David Marshall as the hosts turned the screw while Bruno Manga, still working his way back to full match fitness, was caught out once or twice more often than he would have liked.

Despite those slight errors, his aerial dominance was present and the rumours linking the missing Fabio with a move away will cause concern for Bluebirds’ over the next month. Despite the positives today Marshall in particular showed that he would be difficult to replace. Fabio, perhaps, less so. He is an excellent player who thrives in this formation and was probably the stand-out performer throughout the pre-season campaign.

Here, however, his qualities were more than adequately replaced by the excellent, effervescent Declan John.

The left-back completed a remarkable return to the first-team picture with a positive display here. David Cotterill was a lively, physical presence and it was encouraging to see the left-back go toe-to-toe.

He even caught out his more experienced team-mate to seize the ball and create the chance that Gounongbe should have converted.

Overall, this was a very promising day for Trollope and Cardiff.

There are issues to be ironed out, and transfer uncertainty is unlikely, but that can come with genuine optimism that this team is one that knows the identity it wants to have.

The progress has already been rapid.