Goodbye 'Joe Messi'

At one point Joe Mason we referred to you as ‘Joe Messi’ with your interesting pirouettes and close ball tekkers but eventually that youthful energy went missing and you became a bit of a wimp.

City fans refer to Mason as a ‘goal scorer’ and a ‘number nine’ but he’s bagged just 6 in 24 games this season and brought little else to the table in terms of performance. 

Whether or not he will return to the ‘Joe Messi’ days of old at Wolves remains to be seen…  and what happens to that incoming transfer cash is also of concern for supporters. Time will tell. 

Bluebirds 2 v Rotherham 2 > One Step Forward, Multiple Steps Back

Cardiff City is now officially a club that drives its season ticket holders to golf.

Instead of attending the glitz and glam of the Rotherham home game on Saturday, my Pop instead turned his back on the Bluebirds and opted for the peaceful greens at the Vale Resort. All the while mumbling some obscenities about Russell Slade (above) and the current state of the club in the process - He would neither confirm nor deny whether this decision was related to me forgetting half time chocolate last time out.  

Anyway, shout out to my neighbour Sammy Larks who joined me last minute for what turned out to be a weird but entertaining (ish) game, one that displayed the frailties and inconsistencies it has become normal and boring to point out in a Cardiff side playing under Russell Slade.

Firstly, we have to start with Dave Marshall’s weird afternoon in goal. Usually a rock for City, Dave looked very anxious for some reason, strangely electing to rush out of his box and gift Rotherham their first goal just before half time. A widespread look of ‘W T F’ spread around the stadium at this point as Joe Newell slid the ball into an empty net. Moments later, the referees blowing of the half time whistle seemed startle Russell Slade (reportedly suffering from Man Flu) in his dugout seat - Perhaps he was taking a nap (?). 

It was Anthony Pilkington though, a winger now deployed up front by Slade all of a sudden, who carried hope for the Bluebirds. This was some performance from Pilkington, who was never out of the game and took two cute goals neatly and should have had another.  Good in the air, pretty and strong on the ball, Pilkington looks a better option up front than every striker on the books at City right now. 

Another limp showing from Joe Mason highlighting again (it does every week) that City still need to upgrade in this department. It’s been said before but Mason is a wimp and, although he can finish, wind could blow him over. 

New fella on loan from Feyenoord Lex Immers is supposedly a ‘number ten’ by trade but even he (on his debut) was sent up front in an attempt to make something happen. Lex looked like he’s got some tools and played a role in making Pilkington’s equaliser but he did fluff his lines when put through on goal minutes later. In his first game in the Championship, Lex learnt that dawdling usually results in you getting munched. With a few more games to settle though, Lex could be a big bonus for Cardiff. 

It wasn’t the strikers or Dave Marshall’s weird day that was most frustrating though. Neither was it a glaring unforgivable miss from Lee Peltier which I’m confident my Wife would have scored, or the general half arsed midfield pressing. Overall, the most frustrating thing is that Cardiff are still too flaky to follow up a good result or put a run together. That they have only won back-to-back games in the Championship this season ONCE (way back in September) tells us all we need to know about this weak season as a whole. 

This Rotherham match and the giant step backwards it represented following the good performance and win at Wolves previously, again nudges Vincent Tan and his Admin crew at the club to replace Russell Slade or face treading water like this until the summer. 

In a gloriously heavy weekend of sport, Sunday night also saw a crew of us take in the Cardiff Devils v Fife Flyers game (see above). Kudos to the Devils for putting in a face melting performance, going 3-0 up in the first few minutes and effectively ending the game. Unfortunately, this time we didn’t get to see any classic hockey knuckle-ups, the ones which lured my wife to the sport in the first place. There’s always next time though and there’s always hot dogs, foam fingers and good vibes. 

WARNING - Disturbing Image Below.

That's the photo not many City fans wanted to see. 

After another doom-fest of a week following the Bluebirds, where the clubs state of affairs became so bleak that most fans would have preferred to see City loose at Wolves on the weekend if only to force the boards hand in ending Russell Slade's dismal reign.  

On Friday morning City were reportedly closing in on spending some cash on Tony Watt, but by the end of the day we ended up being served the news that the club were being slapped with a Transfer Embargo preventing us from making improvements to the squad. 

So, after a season of inconsistency, most fans latched onto the Wolves game and the fact that with Russell under pressure and snide comments from the Chairman, if we did loose we would be rid of him. It was hope to cling on to. 

What happened though? We frickin' won! 

Of all the times to lay on our most imaginative and exciting display of the season, the team chose Saturday. Fair play to Russell, he always seems to pull a result out of the bag when the storm clouds gather but this result only papers over the cracks.  

Minecraft Cardiff City Stadium

Yup. 

The Gift That Keeps On Giving - Cardiff City 0 v Shrewsbury 1

It was a weird game, at a weird time and a spineless way to piss away another opportunity. 

The latest in a long line of embarrassing insults from the club to its support, testing patience inch by inch by maintaining the current Coach in employment. Damn them all.  

The Pop (below) was disgusted. Not only by the game but by the fact I'd forgotten half time chocolate (not cool) 

Most supporters couldn't stretch their patience to what was rightly predicted as a lame snooze-fest and cup exit.  We couldn't blame them. 

How this nodding dog (below) manages to keep his job is another matter. 

Safe Hands

David Marshall 

Cardiff City Festive Blues

It only truly feels like the festive season when Cardiff City FC start disappointing you.  Whether it’s the owner embarrassing fans, or sacking Managers and hiring idiot replacements, or simply just being rubbish at football. City do seem to save their darkest times for this time of year.

With limp defeats at Birmingham and MK Dons in the books and a lifeless home draw with a dire Nottingham Forest side, this year fans we served up a run of poor results with only a 1-0 bore win against Blackburn to cheer.

Now, as we move into 2016, Cardiff appear to have shot themselves in the foot at a key time, loosening their grip on their goal of a top six play-off finish. 

Whilst some fans may revel in the negative drama, there are positives to draw upon though and mild hope for the new year.  

I've even decided to list the positives in a user friendly way because it can be tough to dig these ones out. 

Tony Watt

It’s taken waaaaaay too long but City have finally signed a forward with a brain who can do more than one thing. He’s not a ‘big man’ (Kenwyne Jones) or ‘little man’ but he could do both and he’s not a ‘fox in the box’ (Adam Le Fondre) or a ‘number ten’ (Mats Daehli) but he can do either. Not since Ross McCormack have we had a front man with pace, a trick and a bit of spunk. Get this too… he can score frickin’ goals!

With his loan deal looking set to be made permanent, young Watt (he’s only 22) is good to watch and City look better with him in the team. Given the tactics and playing style are well documented as being mundane under Russell Slade’s stewardship, a bit of rouge creativity is to be cherished at the moment. 

January Transfer Window is Open

Firstly, let us celebrate that Kenwyne Jones is leaving this week – Not only is his contribution outlandishly over paid weekly but there is no excuse for his lack of effort in a Cardiff shirt, particularly this season.  With Jones’ carthorse backside out the door, this frees up some cash for new faces and hopefully a reluctance to play the dreaded long ball football.

With the window now open and City reportedly looking for the classic ‘one or two’ signings, this latest roll of the dice could bring fresh impetus to the team.

Russell Slade and the club’s transfer committee may have less football knowledge than my Mum but you never know – they could get lucky and bring in another Watt as appose to a Doyle or a Revel :) 

There’s Always Ice Hockey

This festive season I once again turned to Cardiff Devils to remind my blood it can still pump at a sports arena. The Devils dug deep to swarm back from a 0-2 deficit to maul their opponents 5-2 in a fun game full of heart, speed and proper hard Canadian blokes smashing each other. Like a sporting hangover cure, a trip to the Big Blue Tent can lift the spirits after a lifeless outing at the Cardiff City Stadium.