Are Kim and Velikonja future prospects?

I it thinking last night after the match that something doesn't quite add up when it comes to our transfers this season. Excluding Noone and Bellamy, Malky has filled the first team squad with battle hardened championship players who unfortunately have failed to cut it when their squad has reached the premiership. Connoly is most definetely a championship hatchet man, being in the first team defence of both QPR and Reading in the last two seasons but failing to then make it in the premiership. Smith, Helguson, and to a slightly different extent Maynard were all sidelined upon promotion for more premiership capable players.

This clearly works since we are currently top of the league playing fine football. But doesn't it then stick out as odd that Kim and Velikonja were recruited in the same season, considering neither of them have British football experience, let alone Championship experience. An awful lot of money was spent on them, yet Velikonja gets no game time at all and Kim is lucky to get ten minutes. In my opinion, it only makes sense in two scenarios -

1. They have been catastrophic flops thus far (I really hope not)

2. They are developing into first team premiership players. Neither of them have figured out British football just yet but their talent is undeniable. Kim in particular impressed us all at the Olympics and he's garnered international praise l, even being called CL quality in waiting. Velikonja has had a quieter reception but could still make a mark for himself in the future, and has some impressive goals to his name. Both of them are destined for much more than bench cover, and were too expensive for it anyway.

Obviously, I'm going with 2 and I think what Malky is doing is simply giving them run outs when possible simply to keep them match fit. But what do you think?

My fear is that Kimbo is indeed a dud and Velikonja doesn't fit in with Malky's preferred style of play... I sincerely hope Kimbo isn't just getting game time to satisfy Asian market...

Yes, I agree - it is a concern.

What slightly bugs me is that the local journo's appear too scared to ask Malky about it - he does have this intense look to his face in the pre/post match interviews.

All they need to ask is where he thinks they are and how are they fitting into the squad?

I guess that is indeed option three - he realised he'd screwed up buying those two and then panic bought the rest. Gulp.

I think if we had signed Noone and Maynard earlier into the summer, Kim and Velikonja wouldn't be here right now.

I just think they are slowly (very slowly in Velikonja's case) being bedded into British football. The team has started really well without Kim bo so there hasn't been a call for him to start, Malky isn't going to change a winning team just to give him a game, it just wouldn't make sense, so at the moment he's just giving him a few minutes here and there, slowly bringing him up to the speed of the British game. I mean the bloke has never lived in the UK before, can barely speak a word of English (if his twitter feed is anything to go by) so he could be struggling to adapt a little bit. He's highly rated and by all accounts (I didnt see him play at all) had a good Olympics. He's also been capped 10 times by South Korea, who are ranked 25th in the world.

Similarly with Velikonja, he is living in a new country and possibly taking time to adapt. Being a striker in this squad he was obviously quite low down in the pecking order. Helguson and Bellamy are seasoned pro's, Maynard is proven in the Championship and Mason was arguably our best player last season.

Give it time, the Championship season is a long, arduous affair and we might just be thankful for some fresh legs come the middle to latter parts of the season.

Red614 wrote:I it thinking last night after the match that something doesn't quite add up when it comes to our transfers this season. Excluding Noone and Bellamy, Malky has filled the first team squad with battle hardened championship players who unfortunately have failed to cut it when their squad has reached the premiership. Connoly is most definetely a championship hatchet man, being in the first team defence of both QPR and Reading in the last two seasons but failing to then make it in the premiership. Smith, Helguson, and to a slightly different extent Maynard were all sidelined upon promotion for more premiership capable players.

This clearly works since we are currently top of the league playing fine football. But doesn't it then stick out as odd that Kim and Velikonja were recruited in the same season, considering neither of them have British football experience, let alone Championship experience. An awful lot of money was spent on them, yet Velikonja gets no game time at all and Kim is lucky to get ten minutes. In my opinion, it only makes sense in two scenarios -

1. They have been catastrophic flops thus far (I really hope not)

2. They are developing into first team premiership players. Neither of them have figured out British football just yet but their talent is undeniable. Kim in particular impressed us all at the Olympics and he's garnered international praise l, even being called CL quality in waiting. Velikonja has had a quieter reception but could still make a mark for himself in the future, and has some impressive goals to his name. Both of them are destined for much more than bench cover, and were too expensive for it anyway.

Obviously, I'm going with 2 and I think what Malky is doing is simply giving them run outs when possible simply to keep them match fit. But what do you think?

The old "Liverpool" way. Players were bought and then bedded into the Liverpool way of playing before making their first team debut. It could take 6-8 months and sometimes longer. Ian Rush was a case in point; bought from Chester's midfield for £300K, IR did not make much of an impression, so they tried him up front, he made his debut after about eight months, it may have been longer and the rest is history.

Kim and Velikonja; there does seem to be a bit of a wall of silence surrounding the development of these two players; which is slightly unsettling.

Everton bought a Scandinavian International defender, who they discovered, to their horror, couldn't really head the ball. That was not the public reason he was moved on, but I think he only played once or twice for Everton. His international career continued.

So "Catastrophic flops" can happen

Caldi Blue wrote:I just think they are slowly (very slowly in Velikonja's case) being bedded into British football. The team has started really well without Kim bo so there hasn't been a call for him to start, Malky isn't going to change a winning team just to give him a game, it just wouldn't make sense, so at the moment he's just giving him a few minutes here and there, slowly bringing him up to the speed of the British game. I mean the bloke has never lived in the UK before, can barely speak a word of English (if his twitter feed is anything to go by) so he could be struggling to adapt a little bit. He's highly rated and by all accounts (I didnt see him play at all) had a good Olympics. He's also been capped 10 times by South Korea, who are ranked 25th in the world.

Similarly with Velikonja, he is living in a new country and possibly taking time to adapt. Being a striker in this squad he was obviously quite low down in the pecking order. Helguson and Bellamy are seasoned pro's, Maynard is proven in the Championship and Mason was arguably our best player last season.

Give it time, the Championship season is a long, arduous affair and we might just be thankful for some fresh legs come the middle to latter parts of the season.

Waaaaaay to early to be calling this in my opinion. By all accounts Velcro had a good pre-season with us and Kimbo showed some real potential at the Olympics. Yes, I would like to see them but not at the expense of breaking up a winning side. Regardless of what anyone else thinks of Helguson (I'm sat on the fence - it's painful and I have a bloody anus), Malky clearly thinks he's doing a job up front and using his experience (something neither one of Velcro or Kimbo have just yet).

Last season, our auto campaign faltered through sheer lack of squad numbers - this time we have secret weapons in reserve and that could really tell, especially around Christmas and Easter time when games stack up. Ironically, it would almost be better to have a cup run this season just so these guys and those on the bench could get some game time, but in the meantime consider the words of the Hitchhikers Guide...

DON'T PANIC!

Thanks Arkay, he is now doomed to be known as Velcro in my mind for the length of his Cardiff career. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, but hey.

Yeah, me too and sorry about that. I just got bored of typing all those randomly ordered vowels and silent Js

Red614 wrote:Thanks Arkay, he is now doomed to be known as Velcro in my mind for the length of his Cardiff career. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, but hey.

This nickname is bound to stick.

Caldi Blue wrote:

Red614 wrote:Thanks Arkay, he is now doomed to be known as Velcro in my mind for the length of his Cardiff career. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, but hey.

This nickname is bound to stick.

I think this deserves some flair...I think

These are very early days and no doubt whilst they are both a little frustrated their time will come and we will then see how good they are...

No one can seriously think that the team playing now will be the team playing in April - there are bound to be several changes due to form, suspensions and injuries over the next 7 months.

I would like to see Filip Kiss and Ben Turner given a run too but again they have to be patient and wait their opportunity - it will come....

I don't rate Kiss, I rate him less than I rate Gunnarsson (never sure how many n's, r's and s's) and I think he (Gunarrson) is a liability. Turner can count himself unlucky, but with the lack of defenders we have in the squad he will get his chance.