WHY BRIAN BARRY-MURPHY HAS HAD SUCH A SUCCESSFUL START

Cardiff City have enjoyed their best start to a season for eight years, and a lot of that has to go down to City Head Coach Brian Barry-Murphy. The negative cloud over the club following relegation has began to fade, with the Irishman essential to that, so why has BBM had such a successful start at The Bluebirds?

Cardiff City Head Coach Brian Barry-Murphy.

It has been a sensational start to life under Brian Barry-Murphy with City top of the league, having won five of their first six fixtures, drawing the other and yet to concede a league goal from open play, as well as being in the Third Round of the Carabao Cup. It really has been an unimaginable start to life for BBM.

So let's delve deeper into some of the reasons Barry-Murphy has had so much early success, and has instantly won over the fan base.

Trusting the Academy:

This is the main point, and what drew many supporters towards the appointment of Barry-Murphy. For years managers, board members and fans have gone on and on about how good the Academy is and that there's so much talent in the ranks, and except for one or two each season, we've never seen these players actually be given a chance week in week out.

Barry-Murphy has given these 'kids' a platform to express themselves and everyone is reaping the rewards. Not only are they playing phenomenally, but Barry-Murphy is managing them to a tee. Take young Dak Mafico for example, the 18 year-old is taken off in the first half on his debut, and is met by a glowing review by BBM, giving Mafico the confidence to put in a stellar performance against Cheltenham. Dylan Lawlor also, Barry-Murphy has done an excellent job in protecting the 19 year-old in games when required.

These Academy players have reacted so well to the responsibility placed on them by Barry-Murphy. Ronan Kpakio has been simply brilliant, same goes for Lawlor, the Colwill's, Ashford, Davies and many others. Barry-Murphy is instilling confidence in these players and it's a joy to watch.

An Identity:

Cardiff City have long been seeking an identity on the pitch. City have moved like snails into modern football, and for such a long time Cardiff have been labelled a 'long ball' side, or in more recent years a passive and boring to watch side. Take the football under Barry-Murphy's predecessor Omer Riza for example, in too many games Cardiff had loads of the ball but did little to nothing with it, and that is the same for Erol Bulut, Mark Hudson and many others before the current City Head Coach.

City now are a progressive and intense side, midfielders in the half space bursting in behind, players for days in the box waiting. Cardiff are patient and calculated in their build up play, dominating possession in most games and making the most of it with their sharp and ruthless ways in the Final Third.

There seems to be far more attention to detail under Barry-Murphy, players know their roles, and when substitutes are made they just slot in perfectly to the game. Barry-Murphy has brought fast and aggressive football to Cardiff City, something it's been craving for years and years.

'He gets it':

Barry-Murphy seems to get the role he's in incredibly well. Look at Plymouth for example, at full-time holding up a scarf to respect the late great Sol Bamba, BBM understood just how important Sol is to the football club, and shared a touching moment with the fan base. BBM comes across as an extremely personable and likeable character, and it's help build that bond between him and the fans rapidly.

Granted there's always going to be that bond and joy when things are going as well as they are, but something just feels that little bit different with BBM. He's brought the football that everyone can get on board with and it gets fans off seats.

Barry-Murphy has made reference to letting the fans enjoy what has been an excellent start due to the lack of success in recent years, and again it just doubles down on that understanding on where the club has been for years and the affect that has had in supporters.

Quality over Quantity:

Some fans saw this as a down side to the window, with many believing Cardiff were too slow and needed five or six new additions after letting fourteen players depart. For years now Cardiff have gone for quantity over quality and it's led us to where we are today. Take that summer under Steve Morison for example, seventeen new players, three remain and those are the only three we payed fees for, we finished 21st.

Barry-Murphy has reiterated he wants a smaller squad full of quality, rather than a bigger squad with a mixed bag. Cardiff City have added three players of the highest quality for this level this summer. Nathan Trott has had a flawless start to the season, Gabe Osho spent the last two seasons in the Premier League and Ligue 1, and Omari Kellyman was bought for £19M just last summer and has impressed at a far higher level than League One.

Brian Barry-Murphy is precise in what he wants and Cardiff will only reap the rewards of that, getting the boss the players he wants to work with and he sees fit for his style, rather than the Recruitment Team signing players and the managers having no choice but to work with them.

No Player entitled to place in the Team:

This has definitely earned the City boss instant respect with the fans. For too long over-payed experienced players have just been entitled to places in the team because of how much they're payed on what they've done in their career.

I don't class Calum Chambers as that by a long stretch, but many thought once the 30 year-old was named club-captain that was Chambers' free ticket into the line-up every week, but after two below-par performances, Chambers is yet to start a league game since. Chambers did react well with an impressive display against Cheltenham (ignore the dodgy penalty), but it shows there's competition and that everyone is fighting, rather than kicking up a fuss and causing an issue. Last season's top scorer Callum Robinson has had a challenging start to the season, but is still showing glimpses and is clearly fighting for his place.

This shift makes for a more competitive squad where everyone is genuinely fighting for a place. Brian Barry-Murphy placed a heavy impetuous on training in his first few interviews, and said the team would be picked solely on how individuals did in training, and it has definitely played out that way, and it's extremely refreshing.

Brought back the feel-good factor:

There's no denying that winning games is the biggest confidence builder in football, and that's what Cardiff City are doing at the moment. What winning does do is bring a feel-good factor, something City fans have been craved of for years.

The feeling is back of being buzzing to see our team play again, and once the game is over you start the countdown for the next, and I can't remember the last time it was like that at Cardiff. Of course, there have been nice patches, and on paper that is what it is at the moment, but it comes back to that feeling of something under Barry-Murphy just being different.

Barry-Murphy has easily gained the backing of the fans because he's brought that feel-good factor back to the club, not only are Cardiff winning games but they're playing teams off the park, and that will always gain the backing of supporters.

Man-Management / Game-Management:

This point comes back to Brian Barry-Murphy coming across as a personable and likeable character. Barry-Murphy looks like an excellent man-manager, and looks to get on with each member of the squad. Take Plymouth for example, a lot has been made of Callum Robinson being on the bench for most games, and some suggesting it could lead to unhappiness, when Chris Willock scored for City just before the break, Robinson ran down the touchline and shared a big hug with the City boss, now that probably seems minor to some, but I'm not sure I've seen that too many times over the recent years from a substitute.

The man-management of the young players is also brilliant, knowing exactly where and when to take them in and out of the side. That also leans into game-management, BBM and Lee Riley have been really good at adapting in games so far this season, making subs at the right times in games, and subs that make sense for what us in the stands are seeing play out in front of us. Obviously this will be tested far more over the year, and they will get things wrong, it's the nature of the beast. However, the early signs are very promising.

Long-Term vision:

There's a feeling of something bubbling at Cardiff City, and that there's a long-term vision and goal at the football club. BBM is the first City gaffer to be handed a three-year deal since Malky Mackay all the way back in 2011, which in itself is a statement of intent.

BBM has got both Ollie Tanner and Dylan Lawlor to commit their long-term futures to the football club, with more hopefully to follow suite. It's a huge statement of intent to tie down young, exciting and sought after talents. It shows the internal excitement at what is being built, that these talented young players want to be part of.

Having the Head Coach and players commit their long-term future to the same project and the same cause is a reason to perhaps begin to get excited over what's to come.

Summary:

To put it simply, Barry-Murphy has had a successful start because he's winning games, but once you begin to peel back the layers you see that things are being put in place and Cardiff and BBM are attempting to build something special.

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