Stress Is A 2-0 Lead

See this? This is the kind of behavior I was putting up with at the Sheffield Wednesday game this Saturday. After a late night before at the work party, the ol’ man was feeling tired and he didn’t mind letting people know about it. Fellow fans passing by chuckled to themselves observing him nod off during pre-game chat. As most parents with young children will testify though, patience for ‘tired’ moans is limited after your latest night in seven years of broken sleep. Thankfully, the game started and the Pops’ legs mustered the energy to get himself to his seat. 

The Sheffield Wednesday game was many things but most refreshingly it was certainly entertaining with crazy shifts in dominance, lots of chances and even a few knuckle ups. After a first half of enduring pressure and playing on the counter, City were playing effectively in the style of an away team as Wednesday pushed them back. The 2-0 score at the break didn't flatter the Bluebirds but after squandering what seemed like several thousand clear chances, the game wasn’t killed off and the Owls wormed their way back in. 

A few individual defensive errors later and shamefully the score was tied at 2-2. Fans can blame Russell Slade all they want but when players cant be arsed to track a runner and he walks into the box and scores, that’s the player’s fault (This time it was Aaron Gunnarsson). 

For the second home game in a row then a 2-0 lead and two points were let slip away, highlighting the team’s lack of ruthlessness and the need for more street-wise play to shut down games. Performing in patches as appose to seeing through a job has become a common theme... And speaking of that theme, on to Tuesday. 

Thankfully, prior to the Brentford game, the Pop arrived at the ground with his standard 12 hour sleep in the bag, ready for the game, with half time Toffee Crisps in his coat pocket. Like City, he needed to up his game too & he knew it.

The players came out of the tunnel to the Star Wars theme but with a few minutes to go, the fans wouldn't have minded being in a galaxy far, far away. Wild boos rang down from all corners of the stadium as Cardiff had, somehow, contrived to give away a two-goal lead for a third successive home game. Through excessive face palms my my forehead was hurting and the natives around us were losing their minds. 

Then, just as restlessness turned to rage and fans prepped to leave, little Fabio skips to the by-line and pulls one back for Kenwynne Jones to scuff one in off his shin for an injury time winner. Quite what the atmosphere would have been like for Russell Slade had Jones not scored when he did would have been interesting. 

That winner though only masks the problems on the pitch for City at the moment, and although he likes to pass the buck, the Manager himself is certainly not blameless with some odd substation decisions and lack of game management costing the Bluebirds. 

It's not often you win 3-2 in injury time but leave the stadium disheartened. 

Bluebirds 2 Burnley 2 > Unlucky or Naive?

It was the kind of rain that could get through to your pants if you’re not dressed appropriately. The kind of relentless downpour that favours slide tackles, long ball tactics and men rather than boys.

After a lame display up at Derby last week, City came out pumped for this one. Unlike recent weeks, the tempo was cranked right up and the ball was being knocked about in a slick fashion around the water logged pitch, with two touch and even one touch football! Not only was it a relief to see but it could even have been categorised as ‘entertainment’. For real - no joke. 

New loan player Tony Watt looked positive and carrying tools other current front players don’t have like pace, a directness and desire. City were not only creative and bright but dug in deep when needed in mental weather.

Sure, the result in the end felt like a cruel defeat but was it just bad luck or was it down to poor 'game management'?  

At 2-0 up, you could claim the substitutions could have been handled with a bit more care and perhaps the game could have been suffocated in midfield like most streetwise teams would. It’s clutching straws blaming Russell Slade for this one though after a rare piece of poor goalkeeping from Dave Marshall and a weird deflected injury time own goal from a usually reliable Matt Connelly. 

City need to move on though and take this performance to Bolton on Saturday, a team all over the place at the moment, and a winnable away game if we go there with ambition. Forget being functional on the road and looking for a ‘good point’ – Cardiff need to keep the tempo up, be ruthless and take the ‘W’.  

Shout out to the boy who attended his third City game with us and is yet to see a defeat. His reaction to conceding in injury time was of pure frustration as he prowled our empty seats angrily – This created mixed feelings for a Father who could be pleased to see he cared but also knowing he might need to get used to frustration.

On route home in car came some great quotes that only a six year who had just seen Cardiff could make:

‘Dad, why didn’t the defenders kick the ball away to stop the goal?’

‘Dad, why was Tony Watt subbed off?’

‘Shall we go out for tea?’ Was my response. 

Woah, Goals! > Bluebirds 2 Reading 0

Last time I brought Isaac along to watch the Bluebirds was the first game of the season, where City played out a cagey 1-1 draw with Fulham. What I’ll remember from that day was the boy being more absorbed in his sweets than the game and while he enjoyed visiting the stadium, he resorted to playing Angry Birds on my phone to null the boredom - I couldn’t blame him.  

It’s been tough trying to sell the game and Cardiff City FC to the boy without nudging him into a world we all know and (sometimes) love – particularly with City being quite unattractive these days and with Russell Slade in charge. 

With the wife away for the weekend though, this Saturday he was joining us again – this time armed with a comic, more sweets and my phone charged to the max. 

After a bleak midweek showing in Leeds, and a recent run of not scoring, I didn’t give Cardiff much chance of a win here. Nevermind scoring TWO goals and putting on a decent display for the boy!

With growing knowledge, this time Isaac took the game in, commenting sagely on how good City were at getting corners and even applauding substitutions! Granted, he shielded his ears from the noise when City scored but progress must have been made as Angry Birds was surplus to requirements. The amount of treats consumed on the day though reached phenomenal levels and will remain between us for fear of his Mum finding out and getting me in a head-lock.  

Saturday saw a refreshing shift from young urchin Joe Ralls who finally got to play in his preferred central role, after the Manager had the change forced on him with injuries and the ever-present Peter Whittingham suspended.  

Fans had been calling for this for months of watching Slade expect Whittingham to run every game. What Whitts brings to the table is clear but picking him persistently unmerited for his set play delivery alone and expecting his legs to dominate the midfield sluggers of the Championship every week (when we’re usually overrun in the middle) is asking for trouble. Whittingham is a gem who needs some thought and wiser management could see him play less and deliver more.

His understudy and potential heir Joe Ralls embodies the modern midfielder who runs around a lot and can do lots of things pretty well, without excelling at anything (Think Jordan Henderson). Ralls is clever, can see a pass, he’s got iron lungs and doesn’t shy away from a tackle either. Then there’s his set play delivery which led to two assists on Saturday. Slade has a decision to make for the next game at Derby as to whether Ralls stays central or Whittingham returns. I speak for most in saying I would like to see Whitts fight for his spot and keep Ralls in. 

Another rough win for City against a quality side even saw a begrudged change in formation towards the end as shape changed to a shutdown 4-5-1. The goals again came from set plays though (two headers) with City looking far from creative - albeit with a higher tempo. What most fans were discussing though was where we would be without David Marshall who was quite unreal… again. 

The criticism for the Manager from both the support and the media remains unrelenting, and even when we win 2-0, it’s our goalkeeper’s performance that got the praise, not Russell Slade. His pursuit of praise may never come though as anything but a top-six finish for Cardiff is a failure this year and that’s what Slade will be judged on. Whether the bald one likes that or not, that’s what it boils down to. It’s time for him to let the results like this one do the talking, ignore social media and stop getting so defensive when asked tough questions. 

Slade and the team's biggest achievement on the day was the one that pleased me most though and that’s Isaac asking to come again. He assures me he still prefers, NFL, Wrestling and Basketball, but the victory worked for him. Best get the sweets in. 

THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE AIMING FOR

Lots of hype about City's back line at the moment but it seems like the whole team has forgotten how to create and most importantly... hit the onion bag.  

Cardiff City 0 Wurzels 0 - Drab AF

Attendances may be LOW at the moment with games looking like they’re being played behind closed doors as backdated punishment for an owner killing supporter’s souls. BUT… we’re always in the house and this Monday we saw the Bluebirds take on our carrot crunching tractor driving neighbors from across the Severn River.

In a lifeless 0-0 derby, City could still have nicked all 3 points at the death when Sammy Ameobi outrageously missed an open goal, failing to wrap his stick insect legs around a cross. With the hair of a strong independent black woman, Sammy ghosted into the box as the stadium arose in unison to celebrate the winner, only to see the ball smash against the advertising boards to a collective groan / mass facepalm. 

Seriously though, Ameobi's hair does need looking at. Credit him for being bold but the Flock of Seagulls roadkill vibe clearly isn't working. 

In a match which gave so little, we could still have gone home buzzing though. Fine margins define success in this sport, and if that chance was converted, fans would be amped and talking about promotion. Instead though I sat forlorn in the old man’s car on route home silent as the Lighthouse Family came out the boombox. 

It’s frustrating games like this where football tests you, toying with your emotions and patience. You take whatever positives you can though and ours were based around half time burgers and Moam sweets.  

City aren’t scoring goals but the defence has been tight. It’s hard to buy into what Russel Slade has been banging on about in the press though claiming that over a season '15 clean sheets will get you in the play-offs’. We’ve got six so far but wouldn’t it just be easier to score a f**king goal Russ?    

At least there was the Cardiff Devils. On Sunday night watching ice hockey in a tent in front of 3,500 people the noise was at least a hundred times louder, the game was faster and we left smiling.

With a tricky schedule in November, it’s time for the Bluebirds to step things up or it’ll be treading water in mid table again.  

#FacePalm 

Cardiff City 1 Boro 0 > Bluebirds Get It Done Ugly

Most things I wasn’t expecting last night happened.

Firstly, the bluebirds, facing a mean Middlesbrough defence and a team on the charge for promotion dug deep. In a scrappy game City went ugly drawing upon all the team spirit they gained from orienteering in the summer to get the ‘W’ via a weird own goal.

This kind of gross win is a pleasant indicator as to where the team are at heading into winter. Last year they may have had their pants pulled down - this term though they appear a tougher cookie fighting in the mud. 

This guy (below) was at the game with me. Occasionally he would look up from his phone to ask me for a sweet. At 59 years old the Pops has discovered social media and is loving life in this respect. 

When Cardiff got the ball bundled in the net in the 86th minute the bench went crazy and Russell Slade appeared to be turning to make a point to a section of fans sat behind his technical area with a 'I told you so' finger wag and some beef.  

Whoever rattled Russell's cage did a decent job as it didn't stop four minutes later at full time with Slade appearing to ask the fan (or fans) to make their way to pitch level so he could presumably headbutt them. 

Whatever the circumstances, many City supporters around us were loving Russ losing his s**t and showing some passion. 

If anyone knows the story please get in touch.

Respect to Trolls

Paul Trollope.