Cardiff City are considering appointing 31-year-old first-team coach James Rowberry as their new manager, so says Wales Online. The club are on the lookout for a new boss after it was decided Russell Slade would move into a Head of Football position.
A number of other candidates are still said to be under consideration, including fellow coach Paul Trollope. Whereas names like Craig Bellamy and Paul Clement have been heavily linked to the vacancy as well.
Previously a coach at Newport County, Rowberry made the move to the Cardiff City Stadium in 2013. After working within the Academy setup, before being promoted onto the first-team coaching staff. Aged 29, he became one of the youngest coaches in the game to achieve his UEFA Pro License. In the past he has also acted as a coach educator with the Welsh FA, working particularly closely with Chris Coleman’s assistant Osian Roberts.
In terms of qualifications, he is up there with the very best names in the game. However he is obviously a name that not many Cardiff fans will be aware of. He has worked closely with Russell Slade on the training aspects within the club ever since Ole Gunnar Solksjaer departed as manager. If appointed, he would become the youngest current manager in the English game, but not the youngest in history.
Nevertheless, he is someone who is well-respected within the club and that will stand him in good stead. Although the players take to him well as a coach for now, should he become the outright manager would require him to demand a different type of respect. Without a playing career to fall back on, that naturally makes it an even harder task for him. He would of course be judged on results, but is it too much of a risk for Cardiff to take?
