As ever in this game of extreme highs and sobering lows, the line between rampant expectation and exercising caution is an extremely thin one.
Last year, Cardiff City blooded a number of players in their first-team squad and there was a general acceptance that a bedding-in period was required in what was, by and large, their rookie campaigns. Well, where is that marker this time around?
Cardiff bringing through youngsters and academy products last year was one of the very few highs. They enjoyed different degrees of success, a few kicked on and made names for themselves while others had to take a step back and get football elsewhere.
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But with so many of Cardiff's academy products now filling the first-team roster, it's fair to presume the Bluebirds are expecting a more consistent output from their crop of promising youngsters this season. That comes with the territory.
Rubin Colwill is arguably the crown jewel in this young group. Clearly a gifted footballer, with the ability to hit teams with devastating effect on the counter-attack. He is technically excellent with the ball at his feet and has the ability to score and create from that No.10 or second striker spot.
It's safe to say there is more expectation on him next season after earning more Wales honours over the last 12 months. He needs to improve his work off the ball, that is a pre-requisite in the Championship, but it will be genuinely exciting to see what he will do when afforded the chance with the ball at his feet this season.
Whether he is a nailed-on starter yet is up for debate. Interestingly, having seen so many people select their ideal midfields on social media, very few fans seem to have him as a tip-of-a-midfield-three type of player. Some have touted him as a 'false 9', others would like to see him on the left as an inverted winger with a licence to cut inside and run at defenders.
He registered five goals for City last year and will be hopeful of improving that number, while he will certainly be looking to bump-up his one assist, if afforded ample opportunity to do so. A big year for the 20-year-old.
Isaak Davies is another who will look to build on last year. Unfortunately for him, he will miss all of pre-season with a knee injury, but let's hope that doesn't set him back too much. He enjoyed a golden patch between January and March time, but his challenge now is to stretch that out over the course of the season.
He has bags of potential and is naturally quick. But he is still raw when it comes to those crunch moments in front of goal and has snatched at a couple of chances. Having had nigh-on a full year of second-tier football under his belt, though, the club will be hoping for better numbers from the forward this term. Three goals and three assists last season, he will be looking at doubling both of those figures this season, even if he is potentially used a little wider.
Joel Bagan is another young player who will be hoping to produce a more consistent level of performances after his breakthrough campaign last year. He was handed the No.3 shirt after Joe Bennett's departure and showed in glimpses just what he could do, take those three goals in three games at crucial times, for instance.
He has added competition with Jamilu Collins now, which you can read more about here, but is still very much an important part of this squad. He was shot a little bit after the Swansea City drubbing at home and failed to recover fully before the season's end. Let's hope this season represents a clean slate and he will be a better player for having gone through the adversity.
It's a similar story with Mark McGuinness , too. Very little was expected of him after coming in, but he proved to be a useful asset when afforded the opportunity. He suffered dips in form, too, including after that Swansea game at home, but he remains an integral part of this City squad.
It's easy to forget he is just 21, which is young for a centre-back who is expected to play so many games in a brutal league. Given it is just him, Curtis Nelson, Perry Ng and Oliver Denham who are the fit centre-halves, expect McGuinness to have a big say in proceedings this year. He started last season with no expectations on his shoulders, but fans will rightly be hoping he kicks on after showing some positive signs last term.
And let's talk about Oliver Denham . He was brought in towards the tail end of last season and all the signs in pre-season seem to suggest he will be in the mix this year. One suspects this season will still be transitional for him, though, given how few games he played for the first team last year, but he looked decent with the ball at his feet and had an air of maturity about him which was encouraging.
It'll be interesting to see what happens to Eli King , too. He was given a couple of runouts last season and looked tidy enough, but whether he needs to go out on loan and have that initial rookie campaign elsewhere is yet to be decided, it seems. The rule will be run over him in these upcoming pre-season games, one suspects.
But it's clear to see now that Cardiff's squad has a hefty chunk of youngsters filling a number of spaces. While last year it was their aim to break into the side and simply get minutes into their legs, now the task is different.
No one is expecting them to come back the finished article, of course. But the challenge for them all now is to stamp their mark on things and prove they have what it takes to produce meaningful and consistent contributions in English football's second tier.
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