As I watched Cardiff City on the weekend, memories of the last time the Bluebirds played at Bloomfield Road reappeared. Incidently they were on sky that Friday night, winning courtesy of Kim Bo Kyung’s strike. So why has Kim dropped off the radar from instrumental orchestrator in the promotion winning team and early Premier League success to reserve team obscurity?

Gunnarsson, Mutch and Kim were the first names on the team sheet in the second half of the season and were instrumental in forming a combative, slick and effective nucleus of the team. At Burnley Kim was the subject of Wallace’s trailing arm on more than one occasion and should have been dismissed. Why am I bringing this up? Well, for one it showed how much of a threat he was to teams that they doubled up on him and . Secondly it is form that is temporary and class, permananet and he wouldn’t have been dubbed the next Park Ji Sung if he wasn’t highly thought of.

Player Bio

Midfielder Korea South 

Name : Kim Bo-Kyung

Date of Birth : October 6, 1989

Place of birth : Gurye, Jeollanam-d0, South Korea

Career club :

  • 2008-2009: Hongik University (Junior)
  • 2010-2012: Cerezo Osaka (Senior, 41 appearances, 15 goals)
  • 2010: Oita Trinita (Senior, 27 appearances, 8 goals)
  • 2012-: Cardiff City (Senior, 56 appearances, 3 goals)

I screamed in frustration watching the South Korean flimsily fail to compete against Swansea in the South Wales derby and most recently thought that he flattered to deceive against Coventry in the League Cup. However he appears to be low on confidence and should be eased back into the starting line up in my opinion. Presumably the ongoing uncertainty over the management of the club would have hindered a player that arrived in South  Wales from South Korea, lets not forget. He learned English and adapted immediately when he was first introduced. So what if he has been out of form for the back end of last season and the start of this one. That doesn’t mean that he cannot be utilised again and help add some panache to a midfield that looks over reliant on the class of Ravel Morrison.

Mutch has since joined QPR so I am pinning my hopes on Tom Adeyemi being the one to add defensive solidarity to the midfield. To date he has been heavy footed and careless in possession. Like I say, this is more me hoping that he will perform in the way Lee Clarke stated he has on several occasions in the second city.

Creativity That Cardiff Are Missing

Kim assisted Aaron Gunnarsson for Cardiff’s first in a three two thriller in the Capital and notched a late equaliser against Manchester United.
Kim Bo-kyung is a footballer with self belief and put this across in an early interview at the club, “I want to play in the Premier League with Cardiff City. That is my first goal. Then, I want to be the best Asian player in Europe” . I am sure this was said as a marker to aim for moe than anything but right now the first team of Cardiff will be his aim. Kim won the hearts of many fans as he was awarded the fans’ ‘Man of the Match’ award after Cardiff City’s 3-0 win over Blackburn in March due to his David Silva esque close centre of gravity . He’s being recognised more and more as a player to watch and as a future Premier League star.

Kim was picked out as one of the Cardiff City players who could survive in the Premier League, and it’s even been said that “Kimbo [as he’s affectionately known] is the most gifted player at the club bar none, a real gem who will hold his own among the superior class of opponent he will be meeting” . There’s even been some criticism that Cardiff City manager, Malky Mackay, has been under-utilising Kim, who many see as one of the real stars of the team and is often viewed as a “highly-gifted individual” .

Kim Bo-kyung has big dreams and big talent, is a fan favourite and is sure to go far. Hopefully, he’ll have a chance to fully showcase his talents while at Cardiff City and achieve all his goals, both on the pitch and off! With his determination and skill, he’s a boon for Cardiff City and we’re sure to see much from him!

“I want to contribute as much as I can to our side in every way. I’m ambitious and want to prove to everyone I’m worth having at Cardiff City. I know that the division is tough, but I’m happy with that”. Malky Mackay reiterated the quality he possesses by explaining how, ”he reads the game better than anyone else and plays passes that other player’s simply wouldn’t see”.