Experience of Premier will be the key for Cardiff survival – McNaughton
CARDIFF City legend Kevin McNaughton believes signing players with Premier League experience will be key for the Bluebirds’ survival hopes next season.
Neil Warnock stressed that he will continue to put his faith in the stars who guided Cardiff to promotion last term when it comes to playing in England’s top flight, although the Yorkshireman admitted he was hoping to make no fewer than six signings to bolster his squad ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.
And McNaughton – who was part of the Cardiff side that gained promotion under Malky Mackay in the 2012-13 season – believes Warnock’s men have what it takes to stay up if they can add some much-needed top-flight experience to their ranks in the summer.
When asked if he think the Bluebirds will stay up next term, McNaughton responded: “I think so.
“Signings are going to be massive. If they can get that early win and build a bit of momentum early on in the season so they’re not scrapping away under pressure then they can stay up.
“He’s got a group of guys who will work their socks off for each other. He’s got the right mix and balance in that they’re a physical side.
“But the work-rate is second to none. You look at the stats this season in terms of their passing and things like that, they’re a more direct team than anything else, but they just know what they are, make no bones about it, and they get the job done.
“You can see the way the fans were after the Reading game and how they celebrated. That’s been brilliant and it’s great to watch. It’s thoroughly deserved, so you’ve got to keep that togetherness because it’ll be important to help them stay in the league.
“The season we got promoted, we didn’t have any stand-out goalscorers, everybody chipped in. It was a real squad effort when we got over the line. It’s the squad that gets you promoted at the end of the day, so in that sense there are a lot of similarities (between the two promotionwinning sides).
“We then went down the foreign approach (with signings) and it didn’t really work out, to be honest with you. Our identity was lost.
“But looking at the current crop, I think they’ve got to bring in some experience of Premier League football into the side, maybe guys who are out of favour in one or two of the clubs already in the Premier League.
“I think that’d be a bonus to get a few players in who have been there and done it. I think that’s something that, looking at our squad then, we didn’t have.
“The other two teams who got promoted at the time, Hull and Crystal Palace, they probably looked at that and brought in the experience.”
Warnock was quick to tie key players down to new contracts ahead of the promotion-winning campaign, with stars including Junior Hoilett and Sol Bamba among those to pen new deals to remain in the Welsh capital last summer.
He was also able fight off Premier League interest to convince Kenneth Zohore to stay at Cardiff City Stadium at the back end of the 2016-17 season as well as bringing in Scotland international Callum Paterson