Cardiff City have today confirmed the departures of Neil Harris and his Assistant Manager David Livermore with immediate effect.
Cardiff appointed Harris in November 2019. In his first half season at the club he’d claimed an unexpected play-off spot, falling out of the semi-finals at the hands of eventual winners Fulham.
He oversaw 62 games in charge – winning 24, drawing 18 and losing 20 – with his last being a 1-0 defeat at home to QPR in the Championship last night.
After five-straight defeats in the league, Harris leaves Cardiff City in 15th-place of the Championship table.
His departure has been coming this season and fans have long had their first-choice replacement in mind – former Bluebird and Cardiff boy Craig Bellamy.
The 41-year-old is currently working as the U21 coach for Anderlecht with former Manchester City teammate Vincent Kompany as first-team manager.
Retiring in 2014, Bellamy would return to Cardiff City in 2016 to work as an U18 coach. In January 2019 though, Bellamy would step down amid accusations of bullying, which the club would choose to investigate. Bellamy told the BBC:
“I categorically refute them. I fully expect to return to my coaching role and have sought legal advice.
“I understand the need for Cardiff City to undertake a full investigation in response to these allegations and – at my own suggestion – I have temporarily removed myself from my coaching position in order to cooperate fully with the club’s inquiry.”
READ: ‘Get him in’ – Cardiff City fans call for Bellamy appointment after QPR defeat
Bellamy wouldn’t return though and six month later he landed his current role at Anderlecht. He broke his silence on his Cardiff City exit early last year in an interview with The Athletic. He said:
“I loved Cardiff. I took two wage cuts to go to the club, I paid for funerals of people who worked at the club — a cleaning lady; I donated money to the statue.
“I gave back to the club, I worked there for three years without pay, and even when I did get paid, I didn’t claim an expense. I was passionate about it. But I knew I had to come away.”
Cardiff City fans have been calling for his appointment and now with Harris having departed, both Bellamy and Tan will no doubt be mulling over those fans who are calling for Bellamy’s return to Cardiff.
But given Bellamy’s recent history at the club, it already makes his potential appointment a controversial one and whether or not he’d want to return after the allegations remains to be seen.
Still an unproven coach in football as well, it’d be a huge risk for Tan to take. But it seems to be what a lot of fans want – there’s a definite trend in appointing former players and there’s plenty of success stories to compliment it.
Cardiff City could be the next club to follow suit and be it the right appointment or not, it’s one that would certainly bring a lot passion back to the club.
