Cardiff star says toughest year led to crucial move as mixed injury news emerges (original) (raw)

Here are your Cardiff City headlines for Tuesday, October 8.

Bagan: My toughest year led to career-changing move

Joel Bagan believes his loan move to Belgium, off the back of his 'toughest season', has changed him for the good.

The left-back has really stood out when afforded the opportunity this year and he credits his early-season form to his year with Belgian second-tier side SV Zulte Waregem.

The 23-year-old made 24 appearances for his loan club last term, a welcome relief after making just four Bluebirds appearances the previous year, a season which saw Cardiff have three different managers.

That sort of upheaval, particularly when a player is still in his formative years as a professional footballer and is attempting to learn his trade, are so important. And Bagan had to learn some harsh lessons.

"It is tough," he said of the managerial upheaval during his time with Cardiff. "A new manager comes in and you don't know what they want from a player. Or you could be playing in a team and then a new manager can come in and wants something completely different, then you're not in the squad.

"That's part of football. As a player in the first team, you get used to it in a way. You just try and play your normal game and if it's not what the manager wants then you have to adapt.

"It's tough, but it's part of football. I made my debut with Neil Harris at 18, played a few games, had a loan with Notts County then came back and had a really good season. I think I played 30 games, then came back the following pre-season, hoped it would be the same but then we had two or three managers that season. It was a tough season, I think I only played three or four games.

"Then I had the loan last year and now I'm back at Cardiff. Having that season where I played only three or four games made me realise it's not as straightforward as you think.

"I came off that season where I played 30 games and then had the toughest year I've had in the first team. It shows you how quickly football can change."

A succession of Cardiff managers have sung Bagan's praises in recent seasons, but have always wanted him to show more aggression in order for him to make the grade at Championship level.

Going out on loan last season and feeling like a crucial part of the squad afforded him the opportunity to learn how to implement that aggression in his game and that, he believes, was the biggest benefit of his loan stint.

"I've spoken to managers before and it's difficult, you know? I don't want to go into training and start smashing my team-mates!" he said.

"But I think it comes with playing more regularly. You start to do things without thinking. And that's why I think (the loan to) Belgium was so important for me, just to get them run of games and I've come back feeling a lot more confident and a different player.

"When you're not playing games or in the squad, you don't feel as part of it as what you do when you're playing every week. That's an important part of it. Feeling part of the team."

Bluebird pulls out of international camp

Callum O'Dowda has pulled out of the Republic of Ireland's squad for the upcoming international break.

Ireland are due to take on Finland and Greece in their upcoming UEFA Nations League games and Cardiff winger O'Dowda was selected as a defender in Heimir Hallgrimsson's 24-player squad.

However, they will now go into the double-header with only 23 players, with O'Dowda having not met up with the team in Dublin due to injury.

O'Dowda has struggled with injuries over the last year, missing the vast majority of last season and was omitted from Cardiff's win over Millwall due to an issue, too.

Cardiff have been careful with the player's load and used him only off the bench in the second half in the 1-1 draw with his old club Bristol City on Sunday. Despite not looking like he had suffered any obvious injury, O'Dowda will have the next fortnight to rest and recuperate.

Whether there is a fresh injury concern after the Robins game or if it is simply to allow the player time to rest following a year of injury strife is yet to be confirmed.

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Ramsey trains with Wales

Aaron Ramsey has linked up with the Wales squad as he continues his rehabilitation.

The Cardiff playmaker has been out of action since the last international break in September, during which he sustained a hamstring injury. Sign up to our Cardiff City newsletter here.

Ramsey, who has continued to be Wales captain under Bellamy although will not take part in the upcoming games against Iceland and Montenegro in this window, is thought to be out of action for another month yet. But pictures from the FAW's training base have shown Ramsey with his fellow Wales players and out running on the grass at The Vale.

Speaking after the 1-1 draw with the Robins on Sunday, interim Cardiff boss Omer Riza said of Ramsey: "Rambo has still got three or four weeks of rehab.

"He has been out on the grass a couple of times, but it's a slow process. Rambo is a professional and wants to get himself fit and does it the way he needs to do it with the medical (staff) and he'll follow those guidelines to get himself back to full fitness."