Championship - Countdown: Cardiff City

Eurosport - Mon, 03 Aug 15:09:00 2009

Eurosport.yahoo.com continues its countdown to the Championship season with a look at Cardiff City.

FOOTBALL Cardiff boss Dave Jones, who dismissed reports that he was set to be named West Brom manager - 0

Manager: Dave Jones (pictured)

Last 10 Seasons

(1999/2000 to 2008/2009): -/-/-/-/13/16/11/13/12/7

POSSIBLE STARTING XI:

David Marshall

Kevin McNaughton - Mark Hudson - Miguel Comminges - Anthony Gerrard

Gavin Rae - Paul Parry - Stephen McPhail - Joe Ledley

Ross McCormack - Michael Chopra

BACK-UPS FROM: Peter Enckelman - Gabor Gyepes - Aaron Morris - Tony Capaldi - Peter Whittingham - Riccardo Scimeca - Mark Kennedy - Darcy Blake - Paul Quinn - Chris Burke - Adam Matthews - Jay Bothroyd

TRANSFERS:

In - Paul Quinn (Motherwell, undisclosed) - Anthony Gerrard (Walsall, undisclosed) - Mark Hudson (Charlton, undisclosed) - David Marshall (Norwich, undisclosed) - Michael Chopra (Sunderland, £4m)

Out - Darren Purse (Sheffield Wednesday, free) - Roger Johnson (Birmingham City, £5m)

POSITIVES: With a new stadium in place these are certainly exciting times for Cardiff City. Dave Jones has built himself a strong side which narrowly missed out on the play-offs last season and he's added to an already decent squad with the likes of David Marshall, Anthony Gerrard and the returning Michael Chopra.

NEGATIVES: It could well be that the Bluebirds take time to settle into their new surroundings after leaving Ninian Park. Losing experienced duo Darren Purse and Roger Johnson could also prove costly as the defensive duo were rocks at the back last season.

VERDICT: Jones is an astute manager with a decent squad at his disposal. With their new stadium in place, it is likely to be a season of transition for Cardiff and a play-off place might prove a little too much to expect. 8th.

Mario Hajiloizis / Eurosport

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