I’ve been quite critical of Cardiff City in recent weeks for a couple of reasons. First, even if you allow for the fact that, inevitably, the level of pressure that they are under currently means that it would be unfair and wrong to expect the sort of displaythat blew away Aston Villa in our first home game of the campaign, I’ve thought our general level of performance has been some way short of what you’d expect from a side chasing automatic promotion in late April.
Second, in two of our recent games, we have been involved in incidents and/or periods of play that you just don’t associate with sides that win automatic promotion. To miss two penalties in added time in our match with Champions Wolves was Keystone Cops stuff, but worse was what happened on Tuesday against Derby.
Thankfully, the computer problems I have encountered since my move house last month would seem to be a thing of the past, but a somewhat unfortunate by product of this is that I’ve now been able to watch highlights (although “highlights” is surely a complete inappropriate word under the circumstances!) of the 3-1 loss and I have to ask what on earth were our usually reliable defence doing!
Before I forget though, a word of praise to Callum Paterson for a fine goal which deserved better than to be remembered as something of an afterthought on a night where we collapsed in ignominious fashion. Listening to the game on the radio at the time, the impression I got was that Derby second goal, courtesy of Yanic Wildschut’s aberration was the prime contender for any compilation of prize bloopers, but it was as nothing compared to the catalogue of errors that was Derby’s equaliser!
However, Tuesday is over and done with now and things have moved on since then. I could go on at length about what has been wrong with us during April, but, to do so, would be to ignore what the 2-0 win over Hull in our last away game of the regular season means. The fact of the matter is that, with forty five out of forty six matches played, we find ourselves needing only to beat Reading at Cardiff City Stadium a week today to clinch second spot in the Championship and a return to the Premier League.
That last sentence puts everything else into perspective – a season which had some tipping us as possible dark horse candidates for a top six finish, is going to end with us either being runners up or, if we are pipped by Fulham and finish third, we would end up either sharing the highest points total by a third placed side with Brighton in the last twenty years if we lose to Reading and being the first team to reach ninety points in a Championship season and not go up automatically since Sunderland in 1997/98 if we draw with them.
In virtually any other season in recent memory, we would already be celebrating promotion with a points total like we have now – as it is, we two more points than the 12/13 Championship winning side managed and there’s still three more of them to play for.
A win in eight days time would see us averaging two points a game over a forty six match season and although comparisons are hard to make because of differences in the number of points given for a win and the number of matches played in a season, my hardly infallible research would seem to indicate that only 1946/47 would surpass that record in terms of points per game since we entered the Football League ninety eight years ago.
So, even if our regular season was to end in tears next week and then disappointment in the Play Offs, 2017/18 would be one of City’s best season’s ever in terms of their playing record, as opposed to finishing position.
My feeling is that it will turn out to be a difficult season to analyse in terms of trying to explain quite why we were as successful as we have been, but our record does show that critics like me (and there have been plenty of others on messageboards who have been downbeat since Tuesday) have been guilty of over emphasising the setbacks when they have come along and rather taking all of the wins for granted.
One conclusion I did reach around the time we were taking one point out of a possible nine in games against Sheffield United, Wolves and Villa is that by taking forty seven points from our first twenty two games and seventy nine points from our first thirty eight was that we had given ourselves a buffer. Our poor results in recent weeks against sides at or near the top of the table might have set a few alarm bells ringing regarding the size of the task we have if we do get to the Premier League, but, in truth, they were relatively unimportant as long as we kept on doing what we have been for most of the season – beating those sides that we should be seeing off when you look at the league table.
We may have been low in confidence after losing at Villa, but, Derby apart, our last five league games were made up of matches with sides that were likely to have little to play for – furthermore, they were all teams from the areas of the table that we had made a habit of beating.
Norwich, Forest, Hull and Reading are all sides that have barely been mentioned in terms of a top six challenge since the action started in August – indeed, only the first named have not been seen as relegation candidates at various times during the campaign.
As it turns out, we will be playing a side who will have something to play for next week, because Reading’s very poor form of late means that a fairly freakish set of results could still see them relegated next week.
It really will be a great end to the Championship season next week, because the only issues that are known for sure in terms of promotion and relegation with just one game left is that Wolves are going up and Sunderland are going down. Whichever one out of us and Fulham that comes third are assured of a Play Off place, as are Villa and Middlesbrough, but there are so many games besides ours which will hardly fall into the “quietly winding down for summer” category!
For example, Fulham, who were given a scare at Craven Cottage on Friday night by Sunderland before moving above us again thanks to a 2-1 win, have to go to a Birmingham side that can still go down after their 3-1 loss at QPR. Despite a series of heavy defeats (including an awful 4-0 home loss to mid table Ipswich yesterday), Reading’s goal difference is a lot better than Birmingham’s so, realistically, the only way the Brummies can finish above them is if they do us a huge favour by avoiding defeat against Fulham.
As someone who had a quiet fancy for Brentford squeezing into the top six, their 2-0 defeat at a Barnsley side that had looked virtual certs for the drop surprised me and it’s another season of Championship football next season now for the team that has had more shots at goal than anyone else this season. Barnsley now go to Derby where the home side will be favourites to take the last Play Off place, because, realistically, only Preston, who are two points behind them with a worse goal difference, have any hope of overhauling them now.
Remarkably, the sequence of matches with issues at the top and bottom of the league continues because Preston entertain Burton, who are making a great late bid to avoid the drop after recording a third consecutive win yesterday. Burton are still in the bottom three by virtue of Barnsley’s better goal difference, but things are looking bleak now for the team Burton beat, Bolton, who play Forest at home knowing that nothing but a win can give them a chance of staying up.
So, you can see that it will take a few shock results next weekend for Reading to suffer relegation a season after they had been beaten Play Off Finalists, but they will have to come to Cardiff next week with the attitude that Burton, Barnsley, Birmingham and Bolton could all end up winning.
Does that mean that City can start thinking in terms of the hard work being done already and they are as good as up? Of course they can’t – another penalty or defensive catastrophe may be just around the corner, but they can take some comfort from a home record which shows that Reading have to do what only Sheffield Wednesday out of the sides from Brentford in ninth place downwards have succeeded in doing this season in their visit to Cardiff – prevent City winning.
City can also take confidence from a good job done at Hull. With fives scored at Burton and Bristol City and fours in home matches with Norwich and QPR, the Humberside club have been in free scoring form recently, but we are not the sort of side that gets involved in 5-5 extravaganzas like the one seen at Ashton Gate last weekend. Given how poorly we defended at Pride Park, I’m pretty sure that there would have been plenty of time spent on the training pitch ironing out issues which, to be fair, have been rarities for the team over the past eight months.
Indeed, the BBC’s stats show that, as is usually the case when you’re playing Cardiff City, Hull had a lot more of the ball (67/33), but they didn’t manage a single effort on target, while up the other end, ex City loannee Alan McGregor had to make a series of sharp saves to keep us out.
Having been “bullied” by ex City striker Cameron Jerome for both of his goals for Derby on Tuesday, captain Sean Morrison was having to come back from what was a rare off night this season and it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone that the man who has been a serious candidate to be our best and most consistent performer this season would respond so well.
Anyone seeing that we had won 2-0 with a couple of Morrison goals would no doubt be thinking that both of the goals were like the first one – a close in header from a dead ball situation (a Joe Ralls corner (in other words, typical Cardiff!). This time however, they’d be wrong because, Morrison, who seems to enjoy the odd foray forward from open play, popped up to receive a cross from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (who, encouragingly, shows up quite frequently in these highlights) , step inside a defender and place a left foot shot into the net in a manner which a seasoned striker would have been well pleased with.
The suspicion that, in the same way it always seems to be one out of Kenneth Zohore and Gary Madine to play, only one out of Aron Gunnarsson or Marko Grujic to start in our midfield was given further credence yesterday when the Iceland captain sustained an early injury which it seems may be serious enough to put his World Cup Finals place in doubt this summer. Therefore, the young Serb came on in Gunnar’s place, but he was to only last until half time as Neil Warnock, not for the first time as I recall, decided he should take Grujic off before he was sent off.
Craig Bryson was Grujic’s half time replacement so, with only one sub left for the whole of the second half, the obligatory swapping of our strikers was delayed until the ninetieth minute as Madine was only given a few minutes to try to score that elusive first City goal.
Our manager has, probably rightly, pointed out the advantage Fulham have had by playing some of their recent games before us, but, as has usually been the case when this happened, City have responded by matching the Londoner’s win with one of their own – on the other hand, Fulham dropped points against Brentford when they played after our win at Norwich.
According to Neil Warnock, we are a “rash that won’t go away” when it comes to the top of the Championship table – it’s an apt description for a team who, as our manager must delight in noting, have been a right bloody nuisance to the more fancied outfits around them. Neil Warnock’s historic eighth promotion isn’t won yet and it shouldn’t be forgotten that we have looked much more fallible in recent weeks than the team that is contesting second place with us have, but we only need to do once more what we’ve been doing now for about a month – keeping Fulham at arm’s length.
It’s a side in dreadful form who their manager said were “shameful and embarrassing” in defeat by Ipswich yesterday who stand in our way, City need just the one more big push for that promotion and nearly all of the evidence of this season suggests they can do it.
Thanks, Paul.
What a pleasant surprise yesterday’s result was. I was one of the doubters after the Derby match. But this City side of ours just won’t lie down and die.
Can’t make any comment on the game, as all I’ve seen of the game is the goals. Morrison must be nearly our top scorer now and the composure he showed in putting that goal away is what has been missing with our strikers lately.
I wonder Manga and Bamba as central defenders with Captain Morrison leading the attack. It won’t happen will it?!
Thanks Colin, I thought of one of the regular contributors on here when I first saw Morrison’s goal – no doubt he’ll be reminding us pf what he has consistently said about our captain shortly!
Me again, I meant to bring up the unfairness of the play-off system. Whether it is us or Fulham have to settle for third place it seems ridiculous Derby or Middlesbrough could be promoted when they will have in the region of ten points less than the third side at the end of the league competition. And those last two words make the point, after slogging through 46 games you arrive at the finishing line well clear of the bunch. You are the third best side in the League (on results) and three go up. Simple isn’t it.
I’ve heard the pro-play-off arguments and we knew the situation back in August when the competition began but come on WTF is fair or common-sensible about that.
Wonderful write up and excellent summary of where we are ,and everyone else, leading up to black or bright ,delight or heartbreak Sunday.
Yesterday I had to suffer the awful North Walien, thank god for Rob Phillips eyes and unbiased view, they did salivate a bit on the Welsh lad in the Hull team , almost willing him to score , to enable a conversation about Wales rather than us, we will always suffer behind Wales footy and egg and plastic support ( we might even be 4th behind the Sterephonics ).
Yesterday saw our two wingers deliver , when we can apply that we usually win , Zohore worked tirelessly, he’s no holding forward though as per the great “” Game of Thorne “”.
Morrison cemented us player of the year me thinks he looked and sounded like a player on a mission .
Yesterday also proved to me that Ralls is more valuable to us than Aron, and of the two may deliver in the Premeirship.
Peltier as a real fullback and if that means no Manga so be it .
The Liverpool lad is a prospect but too young for this battle , Bryson ,Ralls and Patterson for me .
Part of me thinks Madine may play a part next week.
7 day wait Paul eeeeeeeeeeek.
Thanks again for all your effort this season ,your ability around knowing the game and placing it into a written piece is a true skill.
Dear Paul,
Before I start, let me jump the gun and herald the thanks of your readership that hopefully will descend on you soon when our season closes (and let’s pray it is next Sunday…!!)
So let me say that I salute you for a season of wondefully thoughtful reports. It is positively therapeutic for me to read your reports, as they are the total antithesis of the simple boring “in the tenth minute, in the twentieth minute, in the twenty fourth minute”, incident-by-incident type football report that sends me and others to sleep.
Your blog entries have been particularly appreciated this past month, given the trauma of you losing your dear cat Felix …which has compounded an already stressful house move. They do say, do they not, that moving house is the most stressful event in one’s life apart from close bereavement…and add to all this you have had gremlins with your broadband connection.
So, like I say…we are all in your debt.
A great result yesterday, as you suggest, Paul. And you (and our friend Colin Phillips) are so right: Sean Morrison is a tremendous player in the opposition penalty area. That footwork for the second goal…wow…it was worthy of Harry Kane…!!
I have been saying for over three years on your blog that he could have been centre forward for England…if only his primary school teacher in Plymouth had not said “You are a tall lad…I will make you our centre half”…and so it came to pass, that his future path in footballing life was decided as arbitrarily and alas as unalterably as if it were the Eleven Plus.
If City go up, buy Aiden Flint as centre back, and offer Mozza a John Charles route to play 9 or 5.
But enough of my musings…
We had a referee yesterday who officiated in a professional manner. Let us hope for similar on Sunday. Let him hold no animus toward Neil…or rather, he can hold it if he wants, but he must not give in to it
I note that my esteemed MAYA brother Mike Herbert (who down the years has contributed much wisdom in these pages) said last time out that he disagreed that decisions going against Cardiff were part of a conspiracy on the part of referees…!!!
Eh?
“Conspiracy”, Mike..?
Who mentioned “conspiracy”…? Not me.
I join you in believing that referees are honest men.
What I was talking about was a mindset.
And that is quite a different thing.
I am suggesting that many referees expect a tongue-lashing from NW, and so the majority say to themselves “I will not be intimidated, and I’ll be blowed if I will give any decisions in his ream’s favour, unless they are obvious ones…lest people think I am intimidated by him”.
There is no “conspiracy” there. Words are meant to mean something. And conspiracy does not mean mindset. Never has, never will.
And heaven knows, even without extraneous factors, decisions can come out wrong enough, as it is.
Take Fulham v Sunderland on Friday night. I was watching it LIVE on SKY. When Mitrovic scored that header for Fulham, it looked offside to me …immediately I saw it.
I thought…it is incredibly close, but the linesman/assistant referee is wrong. Linesmen are trained to look along that line like a hawk, and spot the fact that an attacker is making his move a nanosecond early. I regret to say that the linesman has bottled it. Because the Serb’s shoulder and leg and boot were clearly “off”.
Astonishingly, it took ten minutes for the SKY commentary team to see what I saw instantly…and one fancies that they only spotted it all, because their producer was in their ear telling them that analysts Micky Gray and Keith Andrews behind-the-scenes, were adamant the goal should not have been allowed.
(But lest you think that I am some eagle-eyed genius, I will now identify myself as a total dunce, because conversely, I now want to cut the referee some slack over the Sunderland penalty they had turned down just before half time.)
At first sight, I thought it a bit dubious…had the Sunderland player left his leg in? And additionally, had he then fallen a bit dramatically?
Can you really blame the referee? I am not sure. Unless he is certain, he cannot give a penalty.
Of course, once you saw the replay, it became apparent that the Sunderland player had indeed been fouled. But on the one view that only a referee has, there was a significant element of doubt.
And the moral of it all…? Please bring in VAR everywhere as soon as possible. It is disgraceful that the EPL have pushed it back for another year in the hope that it be refined somewhat.
But there was another aspect to that Fulham offside goal that maddens me as a Cardiff fan
Typical of clueless Cookie, that he chooses to mark the aerial threat of the Serb, with the utterly useless on the night (and lazy) Ashley Fletcher, who turns his back on Mitrovic. The boy Fletcher is an irritating footballer at the best of times. He is a chap who never seems to break out of a casual stroll, and makes Kenneth Zohore look like he has the work ethic of a Rafael Nadal or a Novak Djokovic.
And why oh why Coleman could not have arranged for Kone or O’Shea to mark Mitrovic, I do not know. But Cookie has “form” remember, in this department. Do you recall the Portugal semi final when he foolishly let James Chester mark the player with the best natural “standing spring” in world football… Cristiano Ronaldo? James Collins or Ashley Williams should have been designated to mark him, touch tight, at corners.
I commend Cookie for his sterling efforts and striking success at following on John Toshack and Gary Speed’s accomplishments in building team spirit …and it was this quality that took Wales so far in Euro 2016. But thank heavens Cookie has relinquished the reins of the Wales team. I feel certain that Giggsy must have more tactical nous.
And now a final word that brings my piece full circle and back to our dear MAYA colleague Mike Herbert. I note that his memory of the Bard of Pwllgwaun, Anthony “AMO” O’Brien as a player is not quite in line with AMO’s own memory…!! Now, who is right? Well…I never saw AMO play, so it is not me here, with the casting vote.
But here’s the thing…I have a friend living in the Llantrisant area, who remembers playing centre half against AMO on several occasions, and AMO always getting the better of him and usually scoring. I asked him how he would describe AMO’s playing style. Was he a Trevor Ford/Alan Shearer type, or a deep lying Don Revie type?
“Neither” said my pal. “More an Anthony O’Brien type. For periods of the game, he would be seemingly anonymous, but then would pop up with a goal. You had to concentrate defending against him for 90 minutes. I often thought he might have made it professionally, and I am sure someone once told me that he had a trial with The Bluebirds.”
Eh? Can this last bit really be right, AMO…? I think our MAYA community need to know. Are you keeping your light under a bushel…? I think we should be told.
One thing for sure…you must have been a hundred times better player than I was in my undistinguished few years as a number 8 for both Porth YMCA and Porth Grammar Tech (I was in their inaugural football team, the brainchild of the physics master, Mr. Lawtham).
But from the ridiculous (me) to the sublime (Neil Warnock)…all the best for next Sunday. And if ever a manager deserved his million quid bonus, it is Neil. What he has done to heal the self inflicted wounds of the Malky-the-Shafter/Grinning Kamikaze era, is nothing short of a miracle.
All Malaysia will be watching. And if we win, most of all I will be pleased for dear Vincent Tan. Many owners given the level of abuse hurled at him, would have upped sticks and returned home…after having had a fire-sale, and then licked their wounds caused by their massive financial loss.
But “Sir” Vincent Tan is made of sterner stuff. And it will be a pleasure to see the “Vincent’s Vision” stand extension opened on a regular basis…as it surely will be next Sunday.
What a fantastic result yesterday. I’m already excited by Sunday’s prospect.
In response to Dai’s query about my playing history, I began playing for Llantwit Fardre youth team in my early teens and eventually progressed to the first team in my later teens..
At the age of about sixteen I was invited to have a trial with Cardiff City. I think I may have mentioned this some time previously, remarking it turned out to be one of the worst performances of my life. I was told to play at centre half (presumably because I already had a reputation of being good with my head). We played on a mudbath of a pitch a short distance from Ninian Park (Coronation Park?) and I made inadequate headed contact in the first few minutes with a heavy ball which left me seeing double for the rest of the game. Suffice to say: no more invites from Cardiff City.
I continued to play for Llantwit Fardre for a number of years even after I went to university, where I played in the midweek league and was for several seasons the top scorer.
My mother had always cherished a report on me by the Pontypridd Observer where I was described as “the ebullient O’Brien”. The student newspaper (“Crefft”) described me as “a bustling old fashioned centre forward” after a reporter saw me race in on goal through a melee to score with my head. This report pleased me in one way, but enabled my college friends to “take the Michael” even though they also acknowledged that I had more to offer than just putting my head on the line.
By this time I had ankle problem, and even though I continued to play when I moved to teach in Handsworth Grammar School, Birmingham, my golden age was definitely over.
By the time I was thirty, continuous (and I use the word deliberately) hamstring problems forced me to give up the game I loved.
I feel somewhat embarrassed to write about myself and my inauspicious career — but there you have it in a nutshell.
My greatest hope remains that Cardiff City will become an established and successful Premiership team.
Oliver Holt is one of the UK’s best football journalists.
He is also I believe a friend of the Warnock family.
He was at our game against Hull and his report makes brilliant reading for all MAYA contributors.
I am sorry that I do not have the expertise to give a link to the article(although I am sure that our blogmeister and one or two others do) but it is available on this Cardiff News site under the Mail(sorry!) on line heading timed at 18.39 on Saturday
Yes Mike (Hope).
I agree with you. I too was impressed by it when I read it last night just before midnight.
It is a very sound piece of copy indeed.
https://dailym.ai/2HDCu6q
Btw…apols for my slipshod typos in my piece above (on “wonderfully” and “team”).
Another brilliant piece of analysis of both City and the championship, Paul. Were you previously employed as a systems analyst? Many thanks from a distant supporter once again! Your criticism of the level of performance in recent games completely mirrors what I have been able to watch on Sky and/or channel 5 highlights and the nervousness felt by the players and the fans in the ground is perfectly understandable. I am, however, asking myself why I haven’t made the effort this year to get to a live match this year when I did last (and most of the 50 years I have been in exile in various parts of England). Linked with the “getting older” aspect is the fact that we have been on TV much more than usual this year and linked with that seems to be the impression gained from watching them on Sky that they have not played well when we have been on; so not making the journey as enticing. In fact I am a bit worried by the fact that we are to be the live match next Sunday. I am not normally a superstitious person and I suppose it’s only the result that matters and not how well we play but I am a bit worried despite your confidence that we have such a good record against teams in the middle/lower areas of the table.
I stand corrected by our colleague Dai Woosnam. My translation of his “mindset” into “conspiracy theory” last time was unfair; indeed I had to retread his comment to see why I had misinterpreted him and can only conclude that it was his use of “officials” in the plural that led me to that. It is, of course, perfectly possible for lots of officials to end up with a similar mindset re NW’s perceived intimidation without them conspiring together to do so. Apologies Dai!
Finally, re our mutual friend AMO: my comment about his playing style was only a bit of banter based on playing against each other in the Pontypridd Under 19 league. I played football in Cardiff after that and then in local leagues in Essex so have no memory of his playing senior football at all. AMO will remember we spent most of our 6th form together at a table for four with Dai Watkins and Martyn Powell so banter was commonplace (Do you have any knowledge/ contact with Dai and Martyn now AMO?). As for a trial with the bluebirds, I am not aware of that but lots of Ponty league players did have trials with various clubs. I recall that one of these took my place in the YM side and then went to City where he only played reserve team football and retired at an early age to take up refereeing. He quickly progressed through the local leagues and made it to the very top: that was Keith Cooper. Welsh international Ken Leek, who came from these parts, was older than us but in our time his father acted as an unofficial scout and could be seen at lots of local league matches so it may well have been through him that AMO got his trial.
Cheers Paul and notice again that you filed your copy whilst most of us were still basking in the satisfaction of the result. Hard to sleep when ie the nerves have been jangling!
I too had to endure the Radio Wales commentary. That was an effort given that most of my modern devices seemed to default to the Rugby Judgement Day – as opposed to our very real City version.
Compared to last Tuesday, where I wanted to throw the radio out of the window, yesterday’s commentary – and my associated reactions – were fairly calm. Yes, Harry Wilson was regularly name-checked as a threat, but it did come across as a thoroughly professional performance by the City.
Sounds like all our key performers turned up and midfield functioned well with real attacking threat. Hope Gunnar ok for World Cup.
So, all roads lead to next weeks showdown. We would never have believed it a year ago so full credit to the team, manager and coaches for giving us a great opportunity. Full house would be great, with fingers and everything else crossed.
Like others, I was saving my end of season praise for Paul until after next week, but can only endorse views of others expressed above. A real tonic of expert analysis – always delivered promptly and despite numerous technical challenges in recent weeks. Thank you so much Paul for adding that extra dimension to my enjoyment of this season.
Thanks as always for your great report Paul.
This really has been the most extraordinary season – certainly in near 60 years that I’ve been supporting City. Simultaneously exciting, baffling, surprising, jubilant and frustrating. How will it all end ? Either outcome next Sunday would fit appropriately into the nature of this season. Certainly glory or despair are the only two emotions on the menu next week and I sense there’ll be twists and turns and probably late drama during a tortuous Sunday lunch-time.
Only twice in our history have we clinched automatic promotion in the last match of the season – at Bury in 1976 and in 1952 when we beat Leeds at home to clinch our second ever promotion to the top flight. My Dad often used to talk about that game. We were the team making a late run then and we got two early goals to settle our nerves and eventually claim a comfortable 3-1 win. If only we could do that next week.
Not sure if I’m the ‘Morrison man’. I must admit that my choice for him as POTY was beginning to wane after the Forest game when his distribution from defence was often wayward and then there was his Derby performance. Yesterday restored his dominance however.
Paul – Thanks once again for your views on yesterday’s proceedings, and, of course, for thoughts on all things blue since August.
I was golfing yesterday with my son and without news until just after half-time. The fact that we led through the captain’s goal had me imagining how he had scored, and yes, I was correct in the manner of the method, a corner and a towering header.
So my son and I sat having a quiet beer with his ‘phone placed between us waiting for further news from Yorkshire. And when the further good tidings arrived with another Morrison goal, I could not believe that the Hull defence would let him have another run at the ball to get his forehead on the ball. Seeing the goal later on, I was surprised how it was scored and now wonder if those of your devotees who have been suggesting that Morrison move permanently to the attack may have a point.
In my response to your Derby comments, I suggested a make up of the team that I would have considered selecting against yesterday’s opponents. Thank goodness he paid no attention. Apart from Paterson for Damour, it was the team NW favoured at the start of the season and clearly they are his preferred lot. And if Gunnars recovers, no doubt they will be his selection against Reading.
I did watch Fulham’s battle with Sunderland, and they were fortunate with two favourable decisions. Had the officials been a little sharper, we might have been celebrating already. So our fate does go the last 9o minutes, and we are on TV once again. Another £100,000 in the bank, but that will be petty cash compared to the riches that a victory will bring. Am I confident – more so than I was at 3.00 p.m. on Saturday.
Oh, and by the way, I still think Etheridge has been the player of the year.
Postscript: I must have been writing my previous piece at the same time that Anthony O Brien was posting his so I hadn’t read his account of his trial. This rang two bells for me: 1) remembering I was aware of AMO’ s trial but it must have been very deep down in my memory bank! 2) how heavy were those footballs in the 60’s!
Bja is spot-on. Etheridge should be the clear POTY…with Paterson and Bamba given honourable mentions.
Thanks Mike (Herbert) for your gracious apology above. That is what marks us out as a Band of Men. Our civilised discourse…and our ability to occasionally disagree in an agreeable way.
Of course we are shown the way by the example of our blogmeister. He is the most civilised of fellows, and we all set out not to bring shame to his blog and lower its standards. Alas the internet is full of chat rooms and blogs where DOGS’ ABUSE is the Order of the Day.
And you sometimes find that intemperance in the most unlikely of places. Take YouTube and its myriad classical music clips.
Quite often some scholarly guy will wax lyrical about the way a pianist plays the slow movement of a particular piano concerto…only for another scholarly guy to tell him that he does not know Sweet Fanny Adams about the subject, and adds that this pianist isn’t fit to even have turned the pages for a Rubenstein or a Horowitz. And very soon the “conversation” in the comments column, descends into four letter words. Stunning really.
Well it does not happen here, and we are all thankful for civilised people like Paul Evans and Mike Herbert.
Just one other thing Mike, to clear up the mindset versus conspiracy thing. You say…
‘…
It is, of course, perfectly possible for lots of officials to end up with a similar mindset re NW’s perceived intimidation without them conspiring together to do so.
…’
Of course, you are right. But here is how to get a bizarre number of obvious errors by all three officials go against your club (as happened at Pride Park). I wouldn’t mind betting that the ref briefed his two linesmen as follows prior to the game…”Remember, you will have Neil Warnock and his two henchmen in your ear, appealing for everything. It is vital that you stay strong.”
So what happens.? Simple. 50/50 decisions then ended up going Derby’s way, including three clear City throws.
It is not that the linesmen were dishonest. Far from it. Rather, best liken it to a judge leading his jury a certain way.
It occurs to me that it is seven years since the dreadful disappointment of that 0-3 home defeat against Reading in that Play Off semi-final.
Neil must ensure that we have nobody put their hands on Reading attackers at corners/free kicks.
Remember our daft Israeli, and then Matt Mills throwing himself to the floor…and Howard Webb buying it…?!
Apologies for the late acknowledgment of your messages in reply to mine. I’m having a new boiler and radiators fitted and so the room where my computer is has not been available since Monday and won’t be again soon for a couple of hours this morning. Just a few quick words on Sunday – anyone else not liking the fact that it’s a game we really, really should win and I can’t help thinking we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves if it all goes pear shaped!
You are so right Paul re the fact that we are big favourites.
But we were big favourites in that 2011 second leg semi, just referred to above by HKG.
All of England will be rooting for Reading…none of the Championship clubs want Fulham up against them next season.
It is “who can keep his nerve”, that will be the decisive factor. Not who plays better on the day.
And let us hope for a set of officials who are not suffering in their subconscious from the “Warnock” syndrome.
This game is far from a gimme.
Remember that play off game against Stoke in 2002, where we were 2-1 up from the away leg…then incredibly bottled it in the second leg at home, and lost 0-2 and …on top of being knocked out on aggregate (2-3), we had the indignity of seeing Spencer Prior red carded.
So we have quite a degree of “form” here…we have blown it several times before, when victory seemed almost a formality.
If we lose to a better side, so be it. But if we lose to a lack of discipline or stupid back passes, then we all be gutted.
And be prepared for the possibility of a referee who realises that it is his chance to show his authority. (Remember Paul Taylor sending off two City players in an important 2009 game that we lost against The Blades? Is Paul Taylor still going? Pleasing that he never hit the refereeing heights anyway.)
Sunday’s game could end up 4-0 to us…or 0-2 to them. I would not bet a penny on the result.
I have been checking Reading fans’ comments online…many of them remember 7 years ago, and think we are bottlers.
It is for Neil and his team to show that we are not.
Come on boys…do it for Vincent. That man has done so much for our club.
It is time to let him hold his head up high again in Malaysia. He has had dogs’ abuse from many Cardiff “fans”…totally unjustified.
Ellis Short never deigned to speak to Cookie. Neil speaks to “Sir” Vincent almost weekly.
And if we do go up on Sunday, can I ask any Cardiff councillors reading this, to recommend that Mr Tan be given the “Freedom of the City of Cardiff”