There have been few tougher acts to follow as Cardiff City Under-23s manager in recent years than Steve Morison, but Darren Purse is now the man tasked with carrying the baton.
Following years of inefficiency and poor yield, Cardiff's academy is now viewed as a fit-for-purpose, fully-functioning machine with Purse tasked with shooing through the very best players into the first team, now managed by his predecessor Morison, of course.
There is a far greater emphasis placed on the work being done in the academy. A relatively small transfer and wage budget has played a large part in that being the case, but perhaps in many ways that is a good thing. The long-term sustainability of the football operation is now considered paramount and Purse, along with David Hughes, the head of the academy, and every other member of staff below the first team, have a part to play in that plan becoming reality.
