Here are your Cardiff City headlines for Friday, September 23.
Whittingham was lined up for Cardiff coaching role
Cardiff City had held discussions with Peter Whittingham about returning to the club as a coach before his tragic death, according to The Athletic.
The former midfielder, who finished his career at Blackburn Rovers in 2018, passed away in March 2020 at the age of 35.
He had moved back to the Welsh capital with his wife, Amanda, with whom he had one son with another on the way before his saddening death.
And The Athletic reports that Cardiff had held talks with the club legend about returning to the Bluebirds in a coaching capacity, claiming the Championship club were ready to welcome him back 'with open arms'.
Whittingham's brother, James, told the outlet: "He was a real student of the game and I used to say to him that he should write a book about tactics, formations and ways to beat opposition teams. He used to just laugh it off.”
The article also highlights the two occasions he almost left Cardiff. The first was in 2012 when Southampton won promotion to the Premier League. Saints reportedly offered far higher wages and a chance to play in the top flight.
Malky Mackay told Whittingham of his importance to the team and, sure enough, the midfielder helped the Bluebirds gain promotion the following season.
Shortly after that, Martin Jol's Fulham came in for Whittingham, but Cardiff fought tooth and nail and he stayed with the Bluebirds, cementing his status as a club icon.
To celebrate Whittingham's life and launch the PW7 Foundation, Cardiff are hosting Aston Villa on November 30 in a memorial match. If you would like to attend the match, you can buy tickets here.
Huge King praise from Crewe coach
Crewe Alexandra assistant boss Lee Bell has heaped praise on Bluebirds youngster Eli King, citing his "class on the ball".
Many thought King, 19, might have a part to play in the Bluebirds' first team this season, but the club felt it right to send him on loan to the League Two side until at least January, when Cardiff will make a decision on whether to recall him or not.
King has played four times for Crewe and Bell said his class is already clear for all to see.
“He has had a calming influence, in terms of what he offers different to the other midfield players," he said, as quoted by CheshireLive.
"From the Bradford game, he adapted really well to the tactics we were asking of him, but also implemented his game. You could see he has some class on the ball.
“We are delighted with him. He is a really humble lad who wants to improve and work hard. If we can get him just slightly higher with the ball, I think he will cause some real damage.”
King himself looks to be having the time of his life on loan there, too, saying: “I’m loving it, really, really loving it. I love playing the games and training, it’s a really good group of lads – I mean that. I’m enjoying myself and I can’t wait to just keep playing.
“We prepare for every individual game in a very specific way, and that really helps us on the pitch. We all feel prepared when we step on to the pitch.
“In the games I’ve played before, we’ve just lacked that last little bit to get that win. So it was great to get that done. I think we deserved it. We showed we can do that, even when we were tired and had to defend for our lives near the end. We stuck together.
“Four points from the last two games is positive, a draw away and a win at home, we can’t complain about that. We have to just keep ticking along.”
Bluebirds announce new academy boss
Cardiff City have appointed Gavin Chesterfield as their new academy manager.
The Bluebirds have been on the lookout for a replacement for David Hughes, who oversaw a successful period for the Bluebirds youth system before it was announced earlier in the summer he would be leaving for Manchester United's academy.
Hughes, 44, will join the Old Trafford club as a professional development phase coach, tasked largely with aiding the under-21s but also with a wider remit throughout the programme.
But as one door closes another opens and that is certainly the case for Chesterfield, who has built his reputation for player development within the FAW and as a football manager for more than 15 years at Barry Town United.
Chesterfield was also course director for the University of South Wales’ MSc advanced performance football coaching degree and as FAW coach educator training manager.
Chesterfield, who will begin his new job on November 14, said he was excited to help coax through the next generation of Cardiff City stars. Read the full story here.
Mini South Wales derby build-up
Cardiff City under-18s take on their Swansea City counterparts on Saturday morning.
Ahead of the weekend's fixture, U18s manager Steve Jenkins said: "It was a difficult game away at Hull last time out. But we stuck to our task and got the result. It's given the lads a big confidence boost going into the game on the weekend, and that's been clear in preparation this week.
"A lot of the players have been within the Academy for a number of years, so they know the importance of this game on Saturday. It's one that we all look forward to, and all of the boys want to start.
"There will be some disappointed faces from some of the lads who aren't in that starting eleven, but that just shows how desperate everyone is to play."
Cardiff take on the Swans at 11am at Cardiff International Sports Campus on Saturday, September 24.
READ NEXT
- Peter Whittingham's brother reveals the pain still suffered by his family after Cardiff City legend's tragic death
- Cardiff City news as Mark Hudson takes first training session and ex-Bluebird reveals sympathy for Steve Morison
- The major Cardiff City changes Mark Hudson could make as he auditions for top job
- Cardiff City headlines as Gavin Chesterfield poised to take over as new head of academy and new name enters Bluebirds running
