What next for Peter Whittingham?

At the beginning of the season I would never have imagined MM omitting Peter Whittingham from the starting XI. However after an indifferent period of form, Whitts was dropped and Kim Bo Kyung and Jordon Mutch were introduced into a revamped five man midfield. The improvement in City's attacking play in particular, has been quite remarkable since the change was made. Kimbo has been quite outstanding. So where does this leave Whittingham? Could it be, that after being the driving force in midfield and our outstanding player over the last three seasons, he will be simply be a bit part player when City finally take their place in the Premier League next season.

Good question Phil - it's difficult situation for the guy to be in. But at the end of the day, I have to go with what is good for the whole team and at the moment, Whitts doesn't fit in.

We all knew this day would come

Rhys wrote:Good question Phil - it's difficult situation for the guy to be in. But at the end of the day, I have to go with what is good for the whole team and at the moment, Whitts doesn't fit in.

We all knew this day would come

What's sad in my view, is the loyalty he has shown to the City when he could probably have moved on to a Premier League club on a number of occasions in the last few seasons. Then just when we're on the verge of promotion his form desserts him.

The roles he has been asked to play this season have not helped at all and he has been nowhere near his best for a long time.

On top form, I am sure he can fit into a midfield rotation with Kimbo, Mutch & Gunnarsson, but he will need to step up his game to something like it was a season or so back.

You aint seen the last of Whitts... the lad is knackered.... Whitts probably has more game time than any other player under Malky... back next season hopefully in the Prem doing whatever the f*ck he wants

Whitts will be an excellent option to rotate with Mutch and Kim, ensuring all three stay fairly fresh. I think Mutch and Kim have greater potential but Whitts has been chased by Fulham for a few years for a reason.

The only concern I have is that it's clear 4-5-1 suits us best, but to utilise it in the Prem, we need to really push for an excellent all-round striker. A lot hinges on that.

Valley Trash wrote:You aint seen the last of Whitts... the lad is knackered.... Whitts probably has more game time than any other player under Malky... back next season hopefully in the Prem doing whatever the f*ck he wants

I agree 100%. As the saying goes,'form is temporary, class is permanent'.

Slumdog's Son™ wrote:Whitts will be an excellent option to rotate with Mutch and Kim, ensuring all three stay fairly fresh. I think Mutch and Kim have greater potential but Whitts has been chased by Fulham for a few years for a reason.

The only concern I have is that it's clear 4-5-1 suits us best, but to utilise it in the Prem, we need to really push for an excellent all-round striker. A lot hinges on that.

Interesting point you make about a new striker because the name doing the rounds at the moment is Alfred Finnbogason of Heerenveen in the Dutch League. According to a number of reliable sources, MM has been watching him for quite a while.(So have other current Premier League clubs.)
He is from Iceland and has scored 27 goals in 29 games this season.
The interesting fact which might make him perfect for our formation is he plays as a lone striker for his club!
The only problem might be the fact that he signed a new 3-year contract at the beginning of this season, so we won't get him on the cheap.

Phil Blue/Red wrote:

Slumdog's Son wrote:Whitts will be an excellent option to rotate with Mutch and Kim, ensuring all three stay fairly fresh. I think Mutch and Kim have greater potential but Whitts has been chased by Fulham for a few years for a reason.

The only concern I have is that it's clear 4-5-1 suits us best, but to utilise it in the Prem, we need to really push for an excellent all-round striker. A lot hinges on that.

Interesting point you make about a new striker because the name doing the rounds at the moment is Alfred Finnbogason of Heerenveen in the Dutch League. According to a number of reliable sources, MM has been watching him for quite a while.(So have other current Premier League clubs.)
He is from Iceland and has scored 27 goals in 29 games this season.
The interesting fact which might make him perfect for our formation is he plays as a lone striker for his club!
The only problem might be the fact that he signed a new 3-year contract at the beginning of this season, so we won't get him on the cheap.

AC Milan actually watched him in November. But he is a good mate of Gunns and we seem to be very keen on the Icelanders so this may swing things...?!

I think we may be able to attract a better calibre of player than we give ourselves credit for in the summer though. Cardiff is a great City, we have a good, expandable stadium, potentially a move to top class training facilities, excellent off-field setup, Prem football and maybe huge exposure in Asia...? So I don't think we should rule the likes of Finbo or van Dijk out just because other Prem teams are interested...

So much of what has been good in recent years has stemmed from Whitts, now we have others that have been able to pick up the mantle. There is no question that he will need to up his game next season, but this is where true quality shines through. I don't doubt that he will meet the challenge, we are less reliant on single individuals, and that is positive.

A summer of training and no pressure could do him the world of good.

Welshineire wrote:So much of what has been good in recent years has stemmed from Whitts, now we have others that have been able to pick up the mantle. There is no question that he will need to up his game next season, but this is where true quality shines through. I don't doubt that he will meet the challenge, we are less reliant on single individuals, and that is positive.

Well said, and that's what has given us a bit of an edge this year. If we can make a couple of good signings we might stand a decent chance of staying up next year...

lottydottyblue wrote:I agree 100%. As the saying goes,'form is temporary, class is permanent'.

lotty, you have been reading too many books

He will shine again for us in the prem. Of that I have no doubt.

It would be lovely if we see a trademark Whitts 20 yarder tonight!