How on earth have Cardiff City reached two Cup Finals in the last eleven years?

I usually end up writing in the region of 2,000 words in my reaction pieces to City first team games, but, although I’ll refrain from my original intention of just typing “a team that could control and pass a football easily beat a team who could not control and pass a football”, I have no intention of this having more than a quarter of that number. If 2,000 words represent “normal” effort on my part, I think 500 is being a bit generous towards the Cardiff City side that, yet again, embarrassed themselves and the club in a cup competition by losing 3-0 at home to a Luton team that was some way short of being their strongest.

From memory, Vincent Tan watched his first game at Cardiff City Stadium when we beat Crystal Palace on penalties in the second leg of the League Cup Semi Final in 2012. The atmosphere that night was fantastic with a full house cheering the team on and then showing their appreciation for the man who had saved their club. This latest in a long line of cup humiliations for Mr Tan’s team came in front of the lowest ever crowd for a first team fixture at the stadium. There were just 4,111 mugs there to watch the game, the other 17,000 or so realised that the whole experience would be a waste of their money – that everyone at Cardiff among the Boardroom, in the dug out and on the pitch appears to prefer nights like the one I’ve just endured to ones like seven years ago is a genuine mystery to me.

There are probably ten or more pieces on here where I’ve railed at length at the club following couldn’t care less efforts by the team in cup matches, but I’m not going to do so here because the penny has finally dropped with me that nobody at Cardiff City is interested in them. They are seen as a complete irrelevance – maybe a few people should be shown videos of us going to Middlesbrough and playing a Premier League side off the park in 2008 to show them what Cup football is all about and while they’re at it, they can watch the final against Liverpool in 2012 again because they seem to have forgotten all about that great occasion.

Neil Warnock actually got around to picking some youngsters tonight with Cameron Coxe getting a second chance to impress in a home early round League Cup tie – obviously the poor lad has upset his manager somewhere along the line to have to suffer like that twice, but I see Wales Online made him City’s Man of the Match and, thinking about it, I’d say I’d go along with that judgement.

Shamar Moore, who was impressive in the Under 23 team’s game against Sheffield United earlier this month, didn’t do badly either when he came on at half time for what I presume was an injured Isaac Vassell and considering that he came on just as City were restarting the game after going 3-0 behind, James Waite didn’t let himself down.

No, it was the likes of Flint, Nelson, Vaulks, Paterson, Hoilett, Bogle, Whyte and Vassell that did that , because, after a lively first quarter of an hour or so, they all reverted to normal City senior squad members cup mode.

My mate said after about half an hour that Luton were passing the ball around quite nicely. My reply was everyone passes the ball around nicely compared to us, so it becomes difficult to figure out how “nicely” they were playing and, with the word counter showing 647, this seems a good time for me to finish – although I should just add how sorry I am to learn of Bury’s expulsion from the EPL tonight, I cannot begin to imagine how their fans must feel, although I’m sure it will be a lot worse than the money men responsible for their demise are.

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9 Responses to How on earth have Cardiff City reached two Cup Finals in the last eleven years?

  1. Adrian Lloyd Pickrell says:

    Good Morning Paul and Friends,
    just a short comment to say how I remember my heart thumping out of my chest back in 2002 in the FA Cup clash against the then high flying Leeds United. What a day that was and it was only the 3rd round!!!! Not even a semi or a final. What on earth has happened to Cardiffs attitude to cup games?…they were once the stuff of legends.

  2. Huw Evans says:

    Morning Paul, Warnock has undoubtedly been a good manager over the years but I would love to know his record in cup games both for us and generally with other clubs. For such a seasoned campaigner I can’t remember him ever taking a club on a lengthy cup run, my next door neighbour is a QPR fan and all he can remember was the hoops being victims of embarrassing cup defeats during Warnocks time in the hot seat. Warnock is starting to take us back very close to the position that he inherited unless the players and him buck up their ideas.

  3. Colin Phillips says:

    Cheers, Paul.

    Must have taken some effort on your part to produce that number of words on such an embarrassing “effort”.

    We are in dire need of astriker with composure, in the first quarter of the game there were chances on offer but our “stikers” either came up with a lame shot or a terrible choice of pass.

    For Luton’s second, the free kick (which shouldn’t have been awarded), just about everyone in the Ninian could see that the keeper hat got it wrong – I think even I (in my prime) could have beaten Joe Day.

    The third came from what looked like an excellent pass, to me, but you have to feel that one defender must have been at fault.

    I think Friday’s visit by Fulham will tell us a lot about Neil’s future at the club.

    Like Paul I think I have learned the lesson about cup ties and Neil Warnock sides. Never again – but I’ve said that before.

  4. Richard Holt says:

    Thanks Paul. I share your sympathies to the supporters of Bury. It did strike me though that the attitude of our club (and of many others as well) towards cup competitions stems from the same root cause that has led to the demise of Bury – the corrosive consequences of the financial obscenity found in the Premier League. I fear Bury’s story may become all too familiar over the coming years.

  5. Geoff Lewis says:

    Thanks Paul and friends
    Once again in the league cup a dire performance under Warnock. Our strikers lack composure in front of goal, midfield was a shambles(How Warnock could rave over Vaulks when he he brought him on board, is beyond me)
    Someone said that Vassell looked overweight and was huffing and puffing.
    Need some Agent players asap.

  6. ANTHONY O'BRIEN says:

    Perhaps to my shame I didn’t go to last night’s match and therefore am not in a position to say anything about the performance. Paul has expertly summed up many of the deficiencies by cleverly listing what he is not going to say, and the various contributors have highlighted other grounds for concern.
    But, I can nevertheless echo what is apparent in everyone’s remarks and that is genuine concern for the direction in which the team is going. As Colin Phillips puts it, Friday night’s match has become a matter of vital importance for the future.

  7. Lindsay Davies says:

    Pathetic – shameful.
    Our esteemed Blogmeister has probably always known that my dislike of Warnock lies only just below the surface, repressed by a grudging appreciation for his achievement in getting us to the Premiership.
    However, that was pretty swiftly dissipated by the half-baked summer ‘preparations’ for what became a totally predictable relegation.
    If I hear his whining,wheedling, voice actually speak the post-match words, as reported – “…so we move on to Fulham now. The lads are looking forward to that game…are really up for it.” (oh, yeah?), I’ll throw up, and dissolve into a metaphorical ball of disgust and disdain.
    He should be thoroughly ashamed of putting out a mis-match of deadbeats to play in front of 4,000 committed fans, who deserve so much more than his contempt, and that of the other saps-in-charge.
    Can he honestly believe that this ‘strategy’ is good for morale and for future performance?
    If so, then I’m a sun-dried tomato.
    Of course, if we thump Fulham, I’ll have to order myself to walk barefoot over hot coals, in an act red-faced contrition.
    We are all condemned to hold to our hearts the Club we first see in childhood, rain and shine. I’m angry with mine at the moment, but, at least, I’m not a Bury or a Trotters supporter – empathy and good wishes to all of them.

  8. BJA says:

    Hello Paul and everyone – Late to comment this week, but from every reply so far, there is dismay and disgust at what we witnessed last evening. NW’s assembled eleven had little idea on how to overcome a team that we had beaten only some short weeks earlier. Only the two full backs had not appeared to date in any of our five league matches so far this season and they were probably two of our best performers (best is somewhat of a generous description). And at the start of this campaign we were advised that we probably have the strongest squad that NW has ever assembled!! Poppycock, or words to that effect.
    We must have the worst ever start/re-start approach that I have witnessed in my seventy years of watching the beautiful game. Plan A – the ball is passed back to a mid-fielder who lumps the ball to the wing where three or four of our attackers (a loose term) attempt the ball’s retrieval. However, if unsuccessful, the hope is that a defender heads the ball into touch so that our devilish plan B can take effect whereby one of our long throw experts (another loose term) can launch the missile (ball) into the opposition penalty area whereupon one of our giants, not too many on display last night, is able to win the ball and score, or create a scoring opportunity. Sophistication at its best!! Humbug. This tactic was tried four times last evening, three on the right wing and one on the left. The result of this……the answer is in the scoreline.
    For much of the latter part of second half, NW retreated to his seat, although on one occasion he did have a rant at the fourth official which resulted in the referee popping over for a chat. If our performances continue in this manner, I suspect Mr. Tan will be doing likewise for what was on display last night was totally unacceptable from a “team” (an even looser term) that only just lost its Premier League status four months ago.
    Was there any consolation – yes – lack of attendance meant an easier an earlier trip home. I’m not sure I’m looking forward to Friday.

  9. The other Bob Wilson says:

    Morning everyone, and especially to Huw who I believe made his first contribution to the Feedback section yesterday.In fact, I’ve been doing some research concerned with something he said;-

    first, since our appearance in the League Cup Final, our record in cup competitions has been;-
    12/13
    Northampton A League Cup L 1-2
    Macclesfield A FA Cup L 1-2
    13/14
    Accrington Stanley A League Cup 2-0 W
    West Ham A League Cup 2-3 L
    Newcastle A FA Cup 2-1 W
    Bolton A FA Cup 1-0 W
    Wigan H FA Cup 1-2
    14/15
    Coventry A League Cup W 2-1
    Port Vale A League Cup W 3-2
    Bournemouth H League Cup L 0-3
    Colchester H 3-1 FA Cup W 3-1
    Reading H FA Cup L 1-2
    15/16
    AFC Wimbledon H League Cup W 1-0
    MK Dons A League Cup L 1-2 L
    Shrewsbury H FA Cup 0-1 L
    16/17
    Bristol R A League Cup 0-1 L
    Fulham H FA Cup 1-2 L
    17/18
    Portsmouth H League Cup 2-1 W
    Burton H League Cup 1-2 L
    Mansfield H FA Cup 0-0 D
    Mansfield A FA Cup 4-1 W
    Man C H FA Cup 0-2 L
    18/19
    Norwich H League Cup 1-3 L
    Gillingham A FA Cup 0-1 L
    19/20
    Luton H League Cup 0-3 L

    All of that works out as Mackay, one win and three defeats, Ole four wins and one defeat, Gabbidon/Young one defeat, Slade two wins and three defeats, Trollope one defeat and Warnock two wins, one draw and six defeats. Overall, our record isn’t as bad as I expected it to be, but I think it’s fair to say much of that was to do with the fact that one of our managers in the past seven years took cup competitions pretty seriously and that our current manager seems to take them less seriously than any of the others.

    Huw also asks about Neil Warnock’s overall record in cup competitions. I can remember him being very unhappy with Graham Poll’s handling of an FA Cup Semi Final against Arsenal about fifteen years ago and there was that other controversial tie with the same opposition which was replayed after Arsenal played on with a Sheffield player down injured and scored – I.m pretty sure that was in something like the Fifth Round, so I think he used to take cup games pretty seriously in the past, but during this decade, he had one excellent season in the cups at Leeds (12/13) where they beat Shrewsbury, Oxford, Everton and Southampton in the League Cup before losing to Chelsea and they beat Birmingham and Spurs in the FA Cup before losing at Man City. His record at QPR was, indeed, poor with just a draw to show from four matches and he lost his only cup tie in his second spell as Palace manager, but he did have a run to the fifth round of the FA Cup in 2010 during the last few weeks of his first spell at Selhurst Park. So, again, his record isn’t as bad as I would have expected it to be – anyway, suffice it to say, I’m hoping for an away draw in the FA Cup third round!

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