WHILST Mick McCarthy will take the plaudits for the revival of Cardiff City’s season, second-in-charge Terry Connor should be in the conversation, too.
The pair took over at the Cardiff City Stadium towards the end of January and have changed the fortunes of the Bluebirds, going unbeaten since their announcement.
Their six games have included two draws and then four wins on the bounce which has seen them move up the table to seventh, only three points off Bournemouth a place above them in the final playoff spot.
We know all about Mick McCarthy but who is Terry Connor?
The Englishman has been involved on both sides of the ball. He had a 15-year playing career spanning from 1979 with Leeds through to 1994 where he would finish his career with Yeovil.
TC, as he’s known as to his boss McCarthy, would make over 150 appearances for Brighton, and would also don the blue of Portsmouth and play further down the M4 – than he is now – with Swansea.
His coaching career began not long after he hung up his boots. Connor took jobs on Swindon Town’s coaching staff before joining up with Bristol Rovers only to move across the city later on to work with Bristol City.
In 1999, Connor would be recruited to Wolves’ coaching staff, working at youth, reserve and first team level and under a number of managers before becoming assistant manager under McCarthy in 2008.
The 58 year-old has been McCarthy’s right hand man since then. After a brief spell of being the man in charge following McCarthy’s sacking, Conner was unable to keep Wolves in the Premier League in 2012 and was relieved of his duties thereafter.
It would be long before the pair were reunited however, as they headed east to Ipswich. The two were in charge for six years until 2018 where they moved on to take the Republic of Ireland job. That lasted two years and then they headed to Cyprus and APOEL before ending up in Cardiff.
We knew MM and TC would do a good job at turning this side around but I don’t think any Cardiff fan expected this.
3 points off Bournemouth in sixth and we are at the Vitality in 2 weeks 👀 https://t.co/tBP1XZAX5B
— Iwan A.D James 🏴 (@Iwanjames17) February 16, 2021
If you’ve been working with someone for over a decade, it means that you more than likely get on well with one another and that was shown when the duo took the APOEL job.
“I rang [Connor] on Wednesday when the deal was further down the line and asked him if he’d be interested and he just said yes straight away” McCarthy said to TalkSport.
“I said to him have you got your passport? Yes. Are you sure? Yes. Like myself, TC was very excited about the challenge ahead.
“We were both running around to get a COVID-19 test sorted last week.”
Even following Tuesday night’s win away win against Luton, McCarthy still had time to praise his assistant manager Conner’s work.
“I’ve had a really good response from them. They’ve certainly responded to everything we’ve asked of them, myself and TC. We’re getting the best out of them, and let’s hope it continues, because the other games are going to be tough.”
What does that say about Connor as a person and not just a football coach? It shows that he is loyal and that he is obviously good at what he does but also that he’s ready for a challenge wherever he heads, with or without McCarthy.
Great honest post match interview from Mick Mccarthy… none of the usual clichés. Love the way he also always gives TC a mention… A class act #cardiffcity #LUTCAR
— you knows it (@youknowsitclart) February 16, 2021
Black coaches are under-represented in English football’s top flight and Connor is one of just nine black managers to have taken charge of a Premier League club, albeit on an interim basis.
How can it be that even now, in 2021, there is minimal BAME coaches in charge of a professional football team, at any level?
Speaking to Sky Sports, the 58 year-old discussed the lack of diversity in English football’s management roles as well as his personal experiences throughout his years and what the state of play is now.
“There seems to be a feeling of good-will in the football fraternity now for that element of change” he said to Sky’s Rob Dorsett.
“I see Raheem Sterling, I see Marcus Rashford, speaking out about things, and when they do that, they continue carrying that flame of hope that change can occur.
“The (black) players in my generation, and before and since, have given the players of now a voice, a better platform to speak out on things.
“You’ll always need someone to be the first, to break down the barriers, or someone to climb on someone else’s shoulders until we get to the top of the mountain, and maybe we’ve got to that point where we are the backs, if you like, for future generations to come through, and have the equality to be able to succeed on a level playing-field.”
So side by side with McCarthy, Connor is slowly reinvigorating Cardiff’s season. Everything that the duo seem to be doing on the training pitch is transferring over to match days, and it’s safe to say that the Bluebirds’ fans are enjoying it.
