Cardiff City 2K18 / 19 - A Season of L’s

Lots of shit is about to be pushed your way about the situation Cardiff City find themselves in. There will be a cacophony of negative media noise assaulting the senses from your devices spilling out into the streets. It doesn't matter who is creating this 'content' coming your way or whether you accept it. It's coming regardless. The doom mongering pricks who surround us and the beautiful game will be more prominent than usual in the next week. You may need to go on another unfollow cull again. Be aware, their noise will grind your soul down as you stare out the window wondering how it came to this.  

The situation we speak of is certain relegation from the Premier League (PL) after just one season (again) but who and what is to blame for these latest fails? There’s a long list of L’s but let’s break this shit the fuck down together here now so we can process our suffering clearly and move on. 

REALLY SHIT SUMMER RECRUITMENT: 

It all started in the summer of 2k18, Neil Warnock and his team have achieved an insane backs-against-wall ugly(af) promotion against all odds after another war of a season in the Championship uniting the club and city in the process striding forward together to a gripping and euphoric climax. Celebrating like children, we ran on the pitch skipping and threw champagne around. We took selfies for the 'gram with gleaming smiles basking in the wave of optimism, using the hashtag #CityAsOne and dreaming of our team of lunatics upsetting the establishment. 

The team had secured the bag in a big way giving the club hierarchy and self-branded ‘Recruitment Team’ a brimming treasure chest of money (reported to be around £180 million) to buy some shiny new squad upgrades to help keep us in the new league and build for a brighter future.

Spunking parachutes of pounds in the transfer window following promotion is never ever advised and will not promise success (see Fulham) but shrewd recruitment is absolutely critical to your survival and fans refreshed their timelines every 4 minutes for news of the clubs next move. Recruitment can go well if carried out properly (see Wolves) and can even be concluded sensibly too which appears to be the approach Vincent Tan and the club were aiming for after wasting mega dough and the epic facepalm that followed the last time we got promoted.

City started the summer with some astute shopping acquiring promising young Championship players Josh Murphy and Bobby Reid (for quite meaty fees by Cardiff standards) totaling around 20 million notes. The thinking behind both moves being each player could bloom in the glitz of the PL and become assets for the club. Fans approved hoping the club admin crew were warming up for the headline marquee transfers everyone knew we’d need. What followed though was... nothing. Absolutely nothing followed. 

Whilst rivals strengthened their ranks daily spunking obscene amounts of coinage around, there was radio silence in Cardiff until the dying minutes of #DeadlineDay when a last ditch fax was sent to strike panic loan deals to bring in Harry Arter from Bournemouth and Spanish dreamboat Victor Camarasa from Real Betis in Spain after a chance encounter in a pre-season friendly. 

The underwhelming summer work all smelt under cooked and ended up a bit embarrassing. Seasoned fans all did a collective Scooby and Shaggy ‘GULP!’ in fear of the daunting task ahead without the tools we so badly needed, but with a chipper attitude and still giddy off that promotion high (No ganja plants needed) we pressed on regardless, fuck it.  

ZOHORE ON THE SICK:

What the team really needed in that summer window of 2k18 was a street-wise number nine in the squad to accompany City’s star striker Kenneth Zohore. A Troy Deeny type of character who could guide the inexperienced in the trenches during dark times and squeeze more out of those around him. They'd be really annoying to work alongside, the type of colleague who demands you return from lunch 'on time' and tells your boss you're mowing the lawn instead of 'working from home'. He would tell you directly really close to your face if you'd had a shit game and you'd take it on board to try harder next time.

The striker City relied on so heavily for most parts of the last two seasons essentially just rung in sick every day in the Premier League. Ken Zohore, the soft monster who could potentially rip any defenders rep to shreds when confident (see John Terry) or likewise be timid and have a panic attack when unconfident. When we needed him most, instead of showing up for his big window of opportunity, he stayed home on the sofa watching Game of Thrones in his pants ordering UberEats using the disguised user name BenZohore10.

THE INFERIORITY COMPLEX: 

 Manager's use the media megamultiverse these days as a tool to manipulate a situation and push a message. Warnock has repeatedly used it to dampen expectations of any mad thoughts of things going well. Instead of hyping up the players potential to be able to win games in the PL, he'd big up the opposition, perhaps reference their plentiful resources and joke about us chasing shadows.  

Maintaining the agenda of the 'Underdog', almost mockingly the Manager will persistently remind us how hard the 'great group of lads' work on the pitch and supporters were often commended for their force of positivity from the stands but did we have a chance of winning an actual fucking game? Probably not. We'll 'have a go though' Warnock will exclaim through a wide weathered smile. 

Understandably he wants to zoom in on the enormity of the task ahead but at the same time a little smidgen of a motivational message wouldn't hurt would it? It’s an L before the game starts otherwise. Football is a game played with your head and your legs are there to help. 

THE TACTICS:  

Channeling the above, it was only fitting that City approached each game like we probably definitely couldn't win. The reliable direct physical style of play which earned us promotion was thought to be able to upset a few teams and it did but the Stoke-esque smash football will only get you so far. To compete there needs to be modern tweaks and fresh ideas to nick points when you may not deserve them. You need to out-fox your counterparts for an extra 1% 

The squad was thin though and the options limited. Almost more so than previous seasons playing at a lower level taking into account the injuries and out of form players adding to a bare cupboard. City did show strength and character in flashes but overall set up to approach too many games with the handbrake very much on almost writing off points when we needed to be positive and have some belief.

JANUARY WINDOW MAJOR L: 

Given the above, by the opening of the January 2k19 transfer window goals were in short supply to the point of near extinction and City were literally begging for the nourishment of a new striker. 

Sadly whilst the Emiliano Sala situation that followed was unprecedented and gravely upsetting, City failed to get the striker we needed in the building, instead settling for the budget option of Niasse. All the eggs were firmly in the Sala basket, what happened happened and we ended up taking backwards steps. 

A traumatising few weeks off the pitch took its toll on the club whilst I lay awake at 3AM every night refreshing Twitter for an image of the dude waving back at us on an island waiting for a chopper to pick him up. I held Instagram filtered dreams of him heroically joining up with the squad and coming off the bench to score the winner against Arsenal but it wasn't to be for reasons we dont need to detail here. 

I cant even…

LUCK:  

I believe in luck. Circa 1998 in a game for our school team I took (and missed) a vital penalty in a penalty shoot out in a cup semi final and cried all the way home. A game i'd been wrongly dropped for in my eyes, an important match where I felt the team needed me. When I eventually came off the bench, my legs couldn't move through all my sulking, I was a 3 or 4 out of ten at best that night producing multiple Gallic shrugs at my abject display. Being the usual team penalty taker I stepped up confidently for the last kick of the shoot-out to send us to the regional cup final but the strike hit the underside of the bar and bounced on the line and out. I raised my arms to the sky bemoaning my lack of luck but it was me who had created it in my head. At night I can still here the noise of the ball cracking that bar and the bouncing onto the muddy goal line while my teammates stared silently at me. 

It's not just the superstitions and tarot card reading poppycock bullshit. My belief is fortune does favour the brave and you will eventually get that refereeing decision or the bounce of the ball to go your way if you continue to do the right things. 

The refereeing decisions our team were dished out over the season have been cringey at times (see Chelsea H, Watford H & every time Sean Morrisson jumps for a header in the opposition's box) with the cave men in the pub shouting at a wall mounted TV demanding the unmasking of conspiracy theories immediately. Fellow fans in our row getting so red faced with rage they faced nuclear internal combustion and my Pops muttering 'These refs dont fucking like us' and shaking his head in disgust at every single moment a decision goes against us. 

It's true we've been denied vital points at times where Officials chose to favour bigger clubs and the myth of the decisions evening out over time is indeed a scam but what of those games of months prior and the points we pissed away? (see Burnley H. See Huddersfield A & H). Along with the aforementioned inferiority complex, It is these games that have cost us too not just corrupt refs. 

LOOKING FORWARD: 

We will all need time to reflect and grieve on this darkness. I will need to not look in the direction of the Bluebirds for a few weeks instead focusing on simpler things like coaching under 9s mini football and watching the Womens World Cup. Reminders that football was and could be fun again. 

The sun will come out and the grass will smell lush, luring us in with the warm glow of its lurid greens. Just as we show signs of psychological recovery City will release their fresh new kit for the 2019/2020 season. 

You'll ignore the sponsor logo font on the front of the shirt and you'll start thinking 'maybe...' again because like 2Pac said, life goes on.

It's Trollope Time

Time will tell on this one. 

Change is Coming

A new era coming soon :) 

Cardiff City 0 v QPR 0 > Keeping Up With Wednesday

Quite how Cardiff City’s play-off dream is still alive I do not know. After a season of dropped points from winnable situations and snatching draws from the jaws of victories, it’s always looked like a tall order to reach the top six.

The Bluebirds finished the day in the same state they were in before kick-off, five points behind sixth place Sheffield Wednesday and still in with a chance… but another game has bitten the dust and just four remain. With Wednesday only managing a limp draw themselves though, another opportunity for Cardiff to claw back ground was let by but City fans do cling onto the fact that Wednesday face a trip to Derby on Saturday where points dropping is very likely.  

With 12 points left to play for, Cardiff need every single inch of them.

Saturdays game was a dire non-event with both teams happy to spa and cancel each other out in the first half but City did up the levels of huff and puff in the second.

The home side crafted a few precious opportunities, but again lacked the nous to finish (A common theme this season). Headers from Anthony Pilkington and Sean Morrison came closest and Kenneth Zohore (& his huge legs) saw a reluctant effort hacked off the line after trickling the ball under the QPR keeper agonisingly. Lack of creativity aside though, the Bluebirds should have been awarded a penalty when Grant Hall appeared to wrestle Pilkington to the floor WWE style in the box late on to which the referee chose to ignore. It was that kind of frustrating afternoon where you storm out of the ground in a strop upon full time. 

Cardiff are not losing out on a top-six finish because of now really, If they do miss out its down to wastefulness, a lack of creativity and the poor recruitment which has littered the entire campaign like pollution. Still, at this stage last year the whole season was over as City drifted aimlessly into mid table abyss – it is mild fun for games to still matter. Is there hope? Yes, there is still hope. 

Below: Kenneth Zohore's big legs (side view).   

Cardiff City 2 v Derby 1 > Ruthless Bluebirds Grind It Out

Cardiff City are slowly sorting their s**t out.

After a well-documented dark period over the last 3 seasons, with supporters enduring the owners complete disregard for the fan-base, soap opera style politics and a relegation, the club are clawing their way back to the light - both on and off the pitch. This latest bridge rebuilt by the club this week saw a successful ticket giveaway prior to the match seeing supporters flood back to the stadium – 28,000 of them (13,500 more than the last attendance against Ipswich).  

It was a far cry from the drab atmospheres fans have become accustomed to in recent times too, even seeing the new Ninian stand extension in use and in full voice. Russell Slade said before the game that the record crowd could get his team over the line, and in the end, they really did.

(Shout out to my father-in-law John and sister-in-law Charlotte who each made their full debuts at the Cardiff City Stadium - below). 

A clinical, ruthless Cardiff, controlled the first half against one of the division’s most dangerous (and expensively assembled) sides. After going in 1-0 up after a cagey first half though the crowd came to life in the second half offering thunderous support not seen at this ground for way too long. It was Derby who equalised with a scrappy goal but the Bluebirds dug deep, tightened up at the back and grinded out a few chances.

The stadium upped the noise switching from mild encouragement to vein bulging support and City responded deservedly bundling home a Peter Whittingham curling corner for a 2-1 lead. 

It was surprising, but entirely fitting, that Stuart O'Keefe was the man to pop up in the box and nick Cardiff's crucial winner. He may not have a rep for being a poacher, but he’s developed a knack of being in the right place at the right time. Saturday he was all over everything, breaking up Derby attacks, flying into tackles and generally bringing the ruckus with every inch of his being. No one symbolises Cardiff's transformation in recent months more than O'Keefe. This may not be the most talented side in the division, but their confidence is growing and the desire and commitment is there for all to see.

(Respect to O'Keefe for getting in the mix at this ruck - below)  

So, this vital victory keeps City in contention for a play-off finish and drags both Derby and Sheffield Wednesday that bit closer in the table (just 2 points now). Before Christmas this kind of run was unthinkable to the City regulars and credit must go to Slade and the team for building this momentum. 

A degree of chill is advised though as a bitch of a match away at Burnley awaits tomorrow night and plenty more twists and turns lurk ahead in the next month. City may drop points along the way but so will their rivals and ultimately it looks like it could go down to the wire and those final two colossal AF games up at Sheffield Wednesday and at home to Birmingham.

I was pleased the first time fans got treated to not only a win but a classic Peter Whittingham scissor leg smash tackle slam whereby Whitts halts an opposition fast break by wiping out a player. That was cool. 

With more beastly home games on the horizon, it wouldn’t surprise us if the club ran more offers for tickets to bring as much of this crowd back. We’ll see.  

Also shout out to the Cardiff City Hospitality resident magician Adam James Reeves who twisted our minds pre-game with some sickening close-up magic.  

But mostly, kudos to Stuart O’Keefe. He wants your ball. 

Cardiff City 1 v Ipswich 0 > Bluebirds Getting It Done (Ugly)

There are big wins and there are big, BIG wins and this one over Ipswich ranks as one of them BIG ones. It keeps the Bluebirds, as it did, just shy of the top-six and opening up a three point gap over the visitors who had started the day level on points with City. It may have been a grind, but it was a colossal step towards a play-off finish. It was an ugly win too and an uneventful few hours but at this time of year it’s about taking care of business and results, not tika tika or entertainment.

The recent run of form and the hinting of progress on the pitch is slowly turning the tide at Cardiff City, with the rebooted fan-base coming to life again at the right time.  With injuries and no captain David Marshall in goal (out due to Man Flu) – City were up against it on Saturday and not at their best but a tight defence saw them to full time.  

Destiny is very much in the Bluebirds hands now with games against play-off rivals on the line including Derby, Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham all looming in April. If they can handle the other games (particularly at Reading away this Saturday) then these cup finals should determine City’s fate and ensure a pumped up CCS (not seen since the Malky era) for the play-offs. 

At this point a major shout out needs to be directed at Cardiff Devils Ice Hockey organisation and their new sexy arena which we visited on Saturday night (see above / below snaps). Ice Arena Wales is next level with panoramic sight lines throughout, clean white lines and big noise.

It’s another world from their previous stadium which barely had walls or a roof. The new swish arena has fan friendly facilities aplenty, including toilets that don’t reek like the old ones, multiple bar options and the acclaimed hot dogs also remain (phew!). The atmosphere generated by 3k plus inside #IAW put the one we’d experience earlier in the afternoon at the football to shame – the arena was rocking. We'll be back. 

Cardiff City 0 v Leeds 2 > A Stadium Rebooted

On the face of it, this was an opportunity wasted as Leeds shut down the Bluebirds recent run (one defeat in nine) and any efforts of edging into them elusive play-off spots. Walking into work on Wednesday, the cave dwellers I work with who bask in the glory of any CCFC failing were quick to gloat that the result of the night prior wasn’t ideal. They were right too, it wasn’t, but that wasn’t the whole story was it? Hell no... Hell no. 

Under the radar to some, things have been improving slowly at City for a while and off the back of the recent run, even the fans turned up last night - Not just in numbers (15k) but also in voice. For the first time in Russell Slade’s reign the CCS came to life and the volume was cranked up backing the team. 

Much of the outcome of this game was down to Marco Silvestri in goal for the visitors, a man on a mission to keep a clean sheet making insane mega saves all night with limbs you didn’t know he had. Cardiff playing with a man down after Fabio's 64^th minute red card, pummelled Leeds in the second half raining shots on Silvestri’s goal. The bar was shaken, the post clipped and Craig Noone’s pile driver free kick even appeared to be clawed out from the net.

Respect is due to Silvestri for this performance and it was City’s ambition to go forward that ultimately cost them late on as Leeds got their chance on the counter and killed the game with a cruel sucker-punch. After this first loss at our house in 14 games though City can take heart from their shift which deserved so much more. 

The recent run of form and solid home record went with the final whistle, but this time the default boos were replaced with applause for the team’s efforts. If Russell Slade didn’t know what to make of it all, the supporters certainly did. City fans are back and we’re up for these remaining ten games.

Shout out to the Middlesborough scout sat next to us during the game (see below). This boffin drew pictures on a pad of where goalkeeper’s goal kicks landed and took photos on an underpixelated ipad of where markers stood at set pieces (all for his report apparently). He did laugh louder than expected at my Slade v Guardiola next season gag mind.