Cardiff’s strikers should be embarrassed – Blake
FORMER Cardiff City striker Nathan Blake says the squad’s current crop of forwards should be ‘embarrassed’ by the selection of utility man Callum Paterson at No.9 for their Premier League defeat at Tottenham.
The Scotland intertnational was chosen to start up front in the 1-0 reverse, with manager Neil Warnock opting not to call on Kenneth Zohore, Danny Ward, Gary Madine or Bobby Reid at Wembley.
And, with the international break over, Blake feels Paterson may also get the nod tomorrow against Fulham at the Cardiff City Stadium unless one of the quartet has impressed Warnock in training,
“Presumably, as the man with the shirt, Paterson will get the nod again this weekend,” said Blake.
“If so, the regular strikers on Cardiff’s books need to be taking a hard look at themselves.
“If I were one of them, I would be embarrassed and insulted that a fullback-cum-midfielder, who can play No.9 in an emergency, was playing ahead of me.
“That would get me fired up, more than anything else, to prove a point to the manager myself in training and during games.
“This is nothing against Paterson, let me stress. I rate him highly, but that’s when utilised in the way he was last season when he offered support to Zohore and proved hugely effective and influential in the Championship.
“But one thing Callum Paterson is not is a centre-forward himself. No, no, no, no. And no again. And I say that as someone who played the role myself, understands what is required there.
“If Cardiff are in a position where Paterson is the No.9 because he wins flick-ons and is a bit physical, then part of me fears the writing might be on the wall already. The Bluebirds cannot be pinning goal hopes in the Premier League on someone who joined the club as a right-back. They just can’t.”
The former Wales striker, writing in regular WalesOnline column added: “Surely this needs to be a light-bulb moment for the other forwards.
“My issue is not whether Paterson is a striker or not – I’ve made it abundantly clear in my own eyes that he isn’t – but more the form of those at Warnock’s disposal who should be nailing that centre-forward berth down.
“None of them have done enough to warrant the shirt, hence Warnock turning elsewhere. But it’s not the solution, he needs his proper strikers firing.
“Trouble is they’re not, are they? “It’s not happening for any of them, hence the manager’s Paterson decision at Wembley and, most probably, versus Fulham this weekend.
“You just sense Warnock is desperate for Kenneth Zohore to get going. He’s always been his real first choice, but it’s been fits and starts at best this season. Loss of form can happen to anyone, but Warnock must have seen things in training and made calls based upon that.
Trouble is it’s square pegs in round holes. Cardiff don’t have a regular starting XI, are chopping and changing. Hopefully this’ll work, or that’ll be OK.
What they need is a settled team so players can build partnerships, but having Paterson as the focal point of that side is not the way forward.”
Blake says he’d be more comfortable with Paterson playing in a No.10 role, though Spaniard Victor Camarasa would get his vote against Fulham.
He added: “I’d be happy enough to see Paterson just behind Zohore, where he played last season and took the pressure off by winning aerial duels, for tough away games at places like Spurs and Chelsea. But for home matches versus teams like Fulham, we need Camarasa in the No.10 role to probe and open up defences.
“I’d like to see Zohore properly nail down the centre-forward role again and put the debate to bed. Of the strikers available, he is the one with most attributes who you’d fancy to tear up the Premier League.”