There are few Cardiff City players who can divide opinion quite like Ollie Tanner.
When things are going well, there are few more entertaining sights. The nonchalance, the sudden change of pace, the ability to take an opponent on from seemingly impossible angles and the moments of genuine quality can make Tanner look like one of the most gifted players on the pitch.
But when things are not going well, those same characteristics can work against him.
Tanner’s style is unconventional. There is something raw or unhoned about the way he carries himself, whether he is in possession, chasing back or waiting for the ball to come his way. It can look effortless when it works, but when it does not, it can appear languid, careless or even disinterested.
That makes him something of a lightning rod when Cardiff are struggling.
And, with the Bluebirds now seven league games without a victory, Tanner has once again found himself under scrutiny. It is perhaps inevitable given the way he plays, although there is an argument that the 24-year-old receives a level of criticism that others do not when they produce similarly underwhelming performances.
The irony is that the very unpredictability which can frustrate supporters is also one of Tanner’s greatest assets.
Footballers at the highest level are increasingly coached to understand precisely where they should be, when they should move and what they should do with the ball. Tanner still has a rawness about him. He can attack in ways that are difficult to predict, and that can leave defenders guessing.
It can also leave Tanner guessing himself. When a full-back gets his measure, he can struggle to find a way through. But when he does find that spark, the results can be dazzling.
That is the conundrum Cardiff have been trying to solve.
Tanner was excellent in League One last season, contributing 15 goals and assists across 28 appearances despite missing a sizeable chunk of the opening half of the campaign through injury. His 12 assists were particularly notable as Cardiff surged back into the Championship at the first attempt.
The step up, however, has brought a rather different set of demands.
Tanner has now made 72 Championship appearances, with four goals and four assists to his name. Those numbers are some way short of the kind of output you would ideally want from your No.1 right winger.
Ultimately, the numbers do need to improve.
Tanner has been given his opportunity. He has started all seven Championship fixtures this term and there is a responsibility on him to turn his talent into more tangible production in the second tier.
But there is another side to the argument.
Look beyond the goals and assists and there are plenty of indicators suggesting Tanner is having more influence than his critics might believe. His FotMob rating currently sits at 7.08, while his wider statistical output compares favourably with many of his peers in the division.
That perhaps helps explain why Brian Barry-Murphy continues to trust him.
The Cardiff manager was asked by WalesOnline whether Tanner’s perhaps casual style meant his mistakes were more noticeable than those of other players.
“Yeah, possibly!” Barry-Murphy said. “I think sometimes his appearance can look that way.
“He can be a bit stroppy in training sometimes, but he’s one of the best lads you’ll ever meet and a brilliant player for us, hugely valuable.
“You will go a long way to find somebody as talented in the Championship to replace him, so we’re very grateful to have him and we’re trying to improve all those aspects of his game that are important, including body language and attitude.”
There is a lot packed into that answer.
The Bluebirds boss is not pretending Tanner is the finished article and he accepts there are things that need improving, including aspects that are often impossible to quantify. When you are playing for a club with expectations as high as Cardiff’s, how you respond when things are not going your way really does matter.
But the manager also sees something that makes Tanner difficult to leave out. His sheer talent. Raw talent it might be, but talent nonetheless.
And Barry-Murphy’s assessment of Tanner’s numbers is particularly interesting given the criticism surrounding his lack of goals and assists at Championship level.
“In cold, hard numbers, his stats in terms of goals and assists are pretty high-end,” the Cardiff boss said. “So he obviously has a chance to score or create.
“You always feel as if he can score a goal. He’s fully aware of the parts of his game that he has to improve, and he knows his competition for his place.
“But we leave him on the pitch as long as he deserves it, really, and as long as we think we need him because he can always affect the game.”
Tanner remains an enigma in many ways, even now. Cardiff supporters have seen enough flashes to know exactly what he can do, but they are still waiting for those flashes to become a consistent feature of his game at Championship level.
Last season offered a glimpse of what that could look like and this season is about proving it can translate.
The challenge for Tanner is not simply to produce more goals and assists, although that is undoubtedly part of it, it is to become more consistent without losing the unpredictability that makes him such an awkward opponent to defend against. Which, admittedly, is a tricky thing to balance.
Make him too structured and Cardiff risk losing the spontaneity that makes him dangerous. Give him too much freedom and the moments when things do not come off can become more frustrating for those watching.
For now, Barry-Murphy appears comfortable living with that contradiction. And he is backing him to the hilt, which has not always been the case. Mark Hudson shipped him out on loan to York City, Erol Bulut told Tanner to lose weight to earn a spot in his team.
Tanner also knows his place is not guaranteed now, of course. Barry-Murphy hinted that Cian Ashford is capable of being deployed on that right flank if needs must. But equally, the manager has demonstrated that he is prepared to stick with a player whose game can occasionally leave supporters pulling their hair out because he believes the upside is significant.
There is frustration, and there is expectation. There is also a recognition that genuinely gifted players do not grow on trees.
Barry-Murphy put it more bluntly than most managers would: “You will go a long way to find somebody as talented in the Championship to replace him.”
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