I'm certain Cardiff City should appoint Des Buckingham over Nathan Jones - Here is why | OneFootball

This is why I believe Cardiff City should appoint Des Buckingham over popular choice Nathan Jones...

Cardiff City are closing in on their ninth permanent managerial appointment in just four years following the sacking of Omer Riza back in April and relegation to League One, and I really can't overstate the importance of finally getting this one right.

Since the start of 2021, Cardiff have had no fewer than eight managers in place on a permanent basis, with an incessant turnover in both individuals and coaching identities exposing the frailties in the club's so-called strategy, succession planning and ability to make big, yet successful decisions.

I don't really believe the job should have ever been given to Omer Riza full-time - it was a gig simply far, far too big for him - and that sentiment was long echoed by many skeptical supporters, too, but alas, Cardiff are still searching for his successor after he was relieved of his duties with three games to spare of the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

The search has been going on for some time, and, unless a decision is made imminently, Cardiff will be heading into their third straight summer of managerial flux after Erol Bulut's protracted contract dispute last time out, and the dismissal of Sabri Lamouchi two seasons ago.

The Bluebirds have called upon the assistance of former Swansea City sporting director Martin Allen along with a representative of globally-renowned sporting agency Wasserman to support their search for a new manager, and after a longlist of names was whittled down to a shortlist of six, controversial owner Vincent Tan is now set to make the final decision.

As first revealed exclusively by Football League World, both Des Buckingham and Ian Evatt have been interviewed for the role, while Brian Barry-Murphy and Aaron Ramsey - who is set to see his playing contract with the Bluebirds conclude next month after taking charge on an interim basis for the final three games of the season - are also in the running, and boyhood Cardiff fan Nathan Jones, having recently led Charlton Athletic back to the Championship, is believed to still be in contention.

Why I think Cardiff City should appoint Des Buckingham

I wanted to see Cardiff take a calculated gamble on Buckingham when he was dismissed by Oxford United back in December, in what felt like a contentious decision at the time. Of course, the U's played a blinder by appointing Gary Rowett and deservedly secured survival, so it's hard to really dispute the sacking of Buckingham now.

However, it is worth noting that he worked under an awfully-tight budget at Oxford and their survival in the Championship, without trying to downplay the achievement in any way, was something of a minor miracle as opposed to a base expectation.

Buckingham's dismissal came mere months after he had guided them to promotion to the second-tier for the first time in more than 20 years, with one such Josh Murphy - a player I have always been a huge fan of, for what it's worth, scoring an emphatic brace in the play-off final victory over Bolton Wanderers.

Now, with Buckingham still out of work and Cardiff gearing up for life in League One, it does feel like the perfect time to appoint the 40-year-old. I believe that Buckingham would tick most of the boxes as far as any appointment is concerned, and his coaching profile is hugely appealing to what myself, and a fair share of supporters, would want to see with a sustainable long-term project in mind.

He is a progressive and fluid coach with a profile molded in the prestige of the City Group conglomerate, having worked at Mumbai City and Melbourne City before heading back home to Oxford in November 2023. Buckingham has experience in youth football, which I think is a vital factor when you consider Cardiff's own added emphasis on bridging the gap between the academy and first-team in recent years and the influx of young players in the frame right now.

I also think his attack-minded, possession-based philosophy, meanwhile - honed from his experience in the City Group - is hugely-convincing, sustainable and suitable to what is an undoubtedly technically-gifted squad with real talent in the middle and final third such as Alex Robertson, Rubin and Joel Colwill, Cian Ashford, Isaak Davies and Yousef Salech.

During the 2023/24 third-tier campaign, Buckingham's promotion-winning Oxford side maintained an average of 52.3% possession while creating 56 big chances, posting the second-most shots on target per match (5.3) and scoring the fourth-most goals with 1.7 per match.

His philosophy alone would be a selling point if I was in charge of making such an important decision, but the fact that he has a League One promotion on his CV, in what was his only third-tier campaign to date, is the cherry on top.

He knows exactly what it takes to get out of this division, having impressively done so at a club with an inferior budget and, you would assume, a weaker playing squad than what Cardiff will be lining up with come August, and that's why I believe Tan should really be looking no further than Buckingham in his search for the perfect candidate to lead the club back to the Championship at the first attempt.

Why I think Des Buckingham would be a better appointment for Cardiff City than Nathan Jones

Now, I really do understand some of the clamour for Nathan Jones - a boyhood Cardiff fan who has previously made little secret of his own ambition to manage the Bluebirds, with the spirit and type of character which epitomises our fanbase.

Would Jones 'get it'? Obviously. Would Jones instil more fight, desire and passion into a squad long accused of lacking such core fundamentals? Quite possibly. He's hardly just a passion merchant, too, having led Luton Town up the divisions before rebuilding his stock to some extent by ending Charlton's exile from the Championship with their recent promotion through the third-tier play-offs.

Much like Buckingham, he too possesses experience - and a fair bit more of it, I will add - in taking teams through League One's promotion trapdoor. But, for me, promotion just isn't the be-all-and-end-all. What Cardiff need, after so many fragmented seasons of instability, is a coach in charge who can direct a long-term vision.

I must say that I'm not entirely sure you get that with Jones. Although pretty football alone does not get you results, his style brings precious little in the way of long-term foundations and would, in my view, stifle some of Cardiff's gifted, technical attackers who would benefit from a more progressive appointment.

In the season just gone, Jones' Charlton side were built on diligence and organisation out of possession, resulting in one of the division's leanest defensive records. They kept 20 clean sheets, and believe me, I do recognise just how important it is for Cardiff to appoint a manager who can organise and coordinate a backline given just how leaky the defence was last term, but the other numbers are a greater cause for concern.

Charlton averaged just 1.5 goals per match from an xG of 57.2, a metric which placed them 11th in the division. Their average possession of 49.5% - the 13th highest in League One - offers a pretty clear indicator of how Cardiff would set up under Jones, and I don't believe there is a strong and tangible alignment between his approach and where the club should be looking to build towards in the long run.

Another notable factor for me is how Jones has fared at clubs with a more significant budget and natural expectation and pressure, both internally and externally. That wasn't the case at Luton nor Charlton, and he has done a sterling job with both, but he did not fare well with Stoke City or Southampton when provided with greater resources, pressure and trickier, more expectant boardrooms.

The job at Cardiff is not an easy job, we know that much. Whoever comes in as manager will likely be backed with a sizeable warchest by League One standards, but there is a debate to be had about whether Jones really is the right man to capitalise on that and take his boyhood club back to the second-tier.

I'm not knocking Jones, by the way. I recognise and appreciate many of the reasons why he has so many backers in his corner among the fanbase, and there are obvious factors of his style which undoubtedly appeal - Cardiff have long needed someone of that strength of character in the dugout - but I find it rather difficult to look past the more progressive approach of someone like Buckingham.