League football back on Saturday

Back to real football after the international break with Bristol City making the short trip over the bridge. League football is the bread and butter of football and Cardiff City are on there on going quest for Premiership football. Cardiff manger Dave Jones as had two weeks to plan the next faze of the season leading up to the all important Christmas period.

Some good news is Michael Chopra is all but ready to enter back into to fray with the run-out at Bristol Rovers the final piece of the jigsaw after eight weeks out with rupturing ankle ligaments. He played a competitive 60 minutes yesterday and scoring a goal in the 5-1 win over Rovers. From this news he will definitely but playing his part in the Severnside derby with Bristol City Saturday.

Craig Bellamy has enjoyed a two week break and as been spending the time working on his problem knee and should be in line to start on Saturday. However, in today’s South Wales Echo there is a suggestion that Cardiff manager Dave Jones could rest his star player Saturday. Cardiff has an intensive period of games come up with two games over three days, Saturday Bristol and Coventry away Tuesday night.

The full schedule for the month,

Cardiff v

Bristol City, mid-day kick-off (home) Saturday, 16 Oct

Coventry, 7:45pm kick-off (away) Tuesday, 19 Oct

Leeds United, 7:45pm kick-off (away) Monday, 25 Oct

Norwich, 3pm kickoff (home) Saturday, 30 Oct

Swansea, 1.10pm kick-off (home) Sunday, 7 Nov

Reading, 8pm kick-off (away) Wednesday, 10 Nov

Scunthorpe, 3pm kick-off (away) Saturday, 13 Nov

With his knee trouble Cardiff fans have consigned themselves to the lost of Bellamy for certain games. Jones see’ the importance of rationing his on field time or the striker he could be out for much longer. What why he missed the Wales games, He would have probably started both games but how long before he would break down. He player for Cardiff at Barnsley but he would have probably have missed the next City game if there was no international break.

Jones is using Bellamy as a limited resource with the possibility of him player a game a week. If that was true, and he was to miss the game Saturday he would then under that plan would play Coventry, Norwich, and Reading on one game a week. But has a fan and if fit enough I would rather see him play Saturday mean he would be in contention for Leeds, Swansea and Scunthorpe.

In the championship it’s full on football where you need to plat your best eleven.

Of the other players on the injury list Manchester United loanee Danny Drinkwater is expected to be out for a while. He took no part the reserve game with Bristol Rovers, so it would be unlike to see him back or even on the bench for a while.

What is it with Jones and players from Manchester recently? Last season we had Manchester City midfielder Kelvin Etuhu on a season loan which was wrecked be injury. He played all a handful of game but end is time with the Bluebirds playing at Wembley, coming on for Jay Bothroyd after 15 minutes in the play-off final. How we have Danny Drinkwater out with thigh issues at has kept him out since the end of August just has he been forming a strong partnership in the centre of midfield with Seyi Olofinjana on loan from Hull City.

Then there is new signing Chris Riggott! Not involved in the Rovers game and yet to make is debut on the pitch or even on the bench. He is still out injured or not match fit, but one day we will see him.