Perhaps the best way of emphasising the Marlon Pack discourse is by illustrating two tweets posted within a few minutes of each other in responding to the story that Bristol City are one of three clubs known to have made contact with the veteran midfielder.
To the question, "would this make sense?", Kory @korc07 responded with an emphatic “yes” while his fellow Robins fan Ben @bennzky delivered an equally definite “[expletive] no”. The 40-odd other replies to Bristol Live’s tweet, plus 22 others on Facebook, ran along similar lines - you’re either in or you’re out, when it comes to Pack, there isn’t much room for nuance. He is a footballer very much for our times.
Certainly the age-old football cliché of “never go back” is at play here, albeit a statement without much empirical evidence outside of a few anecdotal examples that fit the very obvious confirmation bias at the heart of that saying.
But also, adding greater context, a feeling lingers than when Pack left the club in 2019, after six years of exemplary service, that represented a sense of moving on and a new chapter (if you want to be corny) and to then return to such a fundamental individual of a previous era, represents a backward step.
That is a perfectly understandable position but City in 2022 are a different beast to where the club was in 2019 - needing to make that jump from play-off wannabes to top six certainties, which they ultimately fell short and have since been in decline.
The dynamic is the same, of course, in the sense that City need to improve from their 17th place last season and progression on the pitch under Nigel Pearson has to be achieved, but the tangible goals of three years ago (essentially play-offs or bust as Lee Johnson was to discover) are still sufficiently advanced from the position now, as annoying as that may be.
Ultimately, whether or not City will sign Pack is unclear; he was identified as a possible target several weeks ago and it’s since been reported City, Shrewsbury Town under Steve Cotterill and hometown club Portsmouth have all made contact with the 31-year-old, offering intriguing options for him, both personal and professional.
Does he play more in League One than in the Championship? You’d imagine so, but equally he has the prestige (and potential salary) of remaining in the second tier plus at a club as close to home as he can get.
We’ve tried to distil both sides of the debate across a number of talking points as to the possible positives and pitfalls of bringing Pack back across the Severn Bridge; an analogy that doesn’t quite work because we all know he still lives in Portishead, but work with us on this…
The case for
It’s a boring place to start but logistically it’s a deal that is very easy to conclude; you have an experienced Championship-level midfielder, who you’ll pay a relatively low wage, living in the area who is already settled and is also available on a free transfer so there’s no negotiating with another club at the end of the line.
Granted, Pack will have other offers which could create a back-and-forth but, really, it’s one that can be concluded relatively quickly which may not seem a reason to sign a player - and of course isn’t in of itself - but if Nigel Pearson wants that type of experienced figure (a debate on its own) it’s one that can be boxed off quickly so attentions can be focused elsewhere on more time-consuming and complex targets.
The obvious lead off from that is why Pearson would like to sign him. Firstly, from a strategic point of view, as Pack created by his departure, City haven’t had his type of tactical holding player since he abruptly left on deadline day in 2019 - a patient and efficient passer, providing a defensive shield who’s tactical excellent, can transfer a manager’s game time onto the field and problem solve in real time.
Now, obviously you’d prefer the 2017 or 2018 version of Pack but, sorry, he doesn’t exist and perhaps the man three years on isn’t quite in decline as you think because he hasn’t played that much football for Cardiff - making just 53 starts over the last two seasons.
He isn’t going to be a first-team regular, he probably isn’t going to exceed his gametime at Cardiff but as Andy King moves towards the coaching side of things, he can occupy those 10 starts the 33-year-old made last season.
Josh Owers and Dylan Kadji are first-team options for the future but it’s a stretch to expect them to play that volume of minutes with no senior experience; not everyone is Alex Scott and time away on loan for a season may be the best policy for a long-term succession plan.
Pack, on a short-term deal, answers a small need in the squad. And that’s before we’ve discussed his positive character traits, professionalism, attitude and leadership which fans whinge when they hear about because a) they’re not exactly sexy aspects of being a footballer and b) they don’t spend every day at the Robins High Performance Centre so can only view the team through a matchday lens, rather than the wider picture.
Owers and Kadji are two examples of what remains a young squad, which is progressing in experience - Rob Atkinson, Cam Pring, Antoine Semenyo, Scott and Ayman Benarous are all examples - but still perhaps requires a certain character as a guiding hand.
“The best coaches are players” is a Pearson favourite, and adding another coach-type figure may not be such a bad thing. We have to remember in all this that Pearson is not a regular on-the-grass type of manager, he leaves a lot of the day-to-day stuff to Curtis Fleming, Pat Mountain, Alex Ball and Paddy Orme. Hopefully King will be in tow for next season but maybe another figure like Pack will add to that.
Then there’s the area of the pitch that he plays, City are reasonably well stocked with Joe Williams, Matty James, Scott (we hope) and King (likely in a reduced) role, but are a man down with Han-Noah Massengo expected to move on and time needed to potentially introduce Owers and/or Kadji. Pack can compensate for Williams’ injury absences, which hopefully won’t occur but could still happen, and also James, who missed 13 games last season and is now very much in his 30s.
Pack could also act, and we’re sorry to coin a rugby term here, as a late finisher, using his nous and on-pitch management off the bench to help see games out. Something, which I’m sure you’re aware, City struggled to do throughout most of 2021/22.
He’s not a marquee signing, nor will he likely be the only central midfield arrival if he was to return. He’s not going to be “the difference maker” in terms of noticeably improving City but for a low-cost, low-risk acquisition who will cover a number of gaps in the squad, both tangible and intangible, we’re all ears to the other options out there.
The case against
Starting with the obvious, City moved Pack on for a reason, far beyond the agreeable transfer fee Cardiff City were willing to pay. That 3-1 defeat to Leeds United on the opening day of the 2019/20 season was a gut punch at how far behind the Robins were to the Championship elite - having gone toe-to-toe with them five months earlier in the previous campaign - and the way Marcelo Bielsa’s side swarmed City’s midfield, left Pack looking culpable and part of a much wider issue.
It was a good time to bid farewell, he earned a good Championship move and contract, and financially it made sense for all concerned (except maybe Cardiff).
From a stylistic point of view, City have evolved under Pearson from a slightly ponderous and predictable direct team to a vicious counter-attacking side, playing off the cuff and driving forward with speed.
Pack’s more measured approach, as was often the case under Johnson, is at odds to that. City operate best when they’re free flowing and moving downfield with minimal touches - into Williams or Massengo, a quick pass out to Weimann or Semenyo, advance downfield, one or two passes later and then a shot at goal.
A break from a set-piece could land at Pack’s feet and those extra few seconds taken to move the ball on then reduces an opportunity in transition to a simple period of possession in which the opposition has time to regroup.
Cardiff aren’t the most dynamic of Championship teams, as robust and structured as they come, in fact, but Steve Morrison increasingly saw the lack of value in fielding Pack because it slowed them down as they tried to progress up the pitch.
On the other side of the ball, his lack of athleticism could render the concept of a shield increasingly redundant given how quick the best Championship outfits play at; it’s no coincidence that King tended to struggle against those teams that moved the ball the quickest, namely Bournemouth and Fulham.
With Norwich City, Watford (under Rob Edwards), QPR (under Michael Beale), Huddersfield Town and Coventry City among those who are likely to be possession-focused sides, for City to be among that conversation, they’ll need to have suitable counter-measures to compete against them.
There are legs in this City midfield with Williams, Scott and Massengo to mitigate Pack’s weaknesses. But the latter increasingly doesn’t look like he’ll be here next season, Scott’s situation is difficult to forecast given interest from above and, as fine a footballer as he is, hoping for 40+ appearances from Williams, without back-up, is a gamble.
On the subject of leadership, there’s no questioning Pack’s credentials in that department but James, King, Dan Bentley, Timm Klose, Tomas Kalas, Chris Martin, Andi Weimann… it’s not as if City don’t already have senior players who can provide such guidance.
The simple fact is Pack is not the same player of three years ago, and that’s perfectly understandable, it’s the natural progression all players - particularly midfielders who have a lot of minutes under their belt - go through and while there’s no doubt he would be influential “behind the scenes”, City need more than just that and contribution on the pitch, if they are to be distinctly better than they were last term.
Given his other offers (that we know of) are from League One clubs, admittedly one with desires on promotion, should illustrate the fact further and that although he will be a low-cost, low-risk signing, it’s still a squad place and a wage being occupied that could be used on a more impactful individual, at least at 3pm on a Saturday.
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