More than one way to skin a cat.

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13 Responses to More than one way to skin a cat.

  1. David Howells says:

    Very thoughtful and interesting. Thanks.

    Just one minor thing – “It’s always a risk “ and “because it’s the nature….” are correct because it’s = it is.

    “From it’s usual level” and “disbanding it’s academy” are not because the possessive is “its”

    (Sorry!)

  2. Russell says:

    Thank you Paul great review good to here you made it back to the car in a no rain moment .

    I basically think we did a job and that is currently the Cardiff way,Brenford were tidy in possession bug perhaps lacked a killer touch in front of goal.

    My MOM would go to the keeper in such difficult circumstance weather wise.

    I think Ward is not lightweight for the Zohore role and woukd love to seen Fred on for a good 30 minutes, rather then 10 ,typically a no risk substitute .

    We will be in the hunt come the year ,the question is will Brentford?

  3. Jeff Blight says:

    Another enjoyable write up Paul. I was fearing the worst having seen our lineup and having watched the highlights of Brentford dismantling Leeds in their last outing. I’ve given up second guessing our manager’s team selections but yet again he came up trumps especially with Manga and Damour.

    Our strength in depth is proving invaluable this season although the sooner Laing and Zohore are fit the better, as they give us a cutting edge.

    Would be interested to hear your views on the Wales Manager vacancy.

  4. bja says:

    Good morning Paul – Such a thoughtful article as ever and there is not much I would disagree with except for the rating of Feeney who, in my opinion, would have rated no more than 5/10. I did not think his crossing was particularly clever and his silly challenge that brought a yellow was so unnecessary. He does not have the control of the ball when first received, and this often causes him to lose possession.
    When I first learned the team selected, I had hoped that Paterson would have taken Mendez-Laing place as he is clearly a better defender, and no mug as an attacker. But as I have stated previously in responses to your reviews, what do I know about the mind set of NW.
    Brentford, I believe, were the best visitors to the CCS this season. They kept their shape well with mid-fielders prepared, as you state, to pass the ball forward. I suspect on their journey back to West London they will be in dis-belief that they lost the match, but was that back to their own profligacy, or stout defending? The extraordinary miss of Maupay was the former, but all others the absolute latter. And that is now seven clean sheets in seventeen matches, quite impressive.
    Accepting that our defending is very much one of the plus features of our season, a negative must be the number of fouls we concede. Up to yesterday, we were giving away an average of 13,75 a game, superceded by only ‘Boro and Preston. But against that statistic, we have had more fouls against us then any other team and at a higher average. So when we learn that opponents anticipate a physical game against us, statistics seem to bear that out. I mention this information as it seemed to me that we gave away too many free kicks very close to our penalty area. I am not sure how often we can continue with this practice without being punished.
    I took my wife to the match yesterday for the first time since the opening game of last season which we lost ( QPR I think ). In view of the way yesterday’s events turned out, I regarded her attendance as a very lucky omen, so I may have to take her again. Perhaps a small price to pay!!!
    And now a tough week. Just hope that our injury list is receding and that we will be able to field more of our recognised first eleven, just as we did at the beginning of the season.

  5. The other Bob Wilson says:

    Although the message below appears under my name, it is in fact from regular contributor Anthony O’Brien who, like one or two others, has a problem with getting his messages to appear on here -I don’t think the problem is with him or the others who share the problem, but it’s to do with the WordPress software I use to manage the blog.

    “More than one way to skin a cat” is a perfect way of describing the way in which Cardiff City play. It’s not always pleasant to see, but it’s effective.

    Like Paul, I’m interested in finding out how the phrase originated. Various gruesome suggestions were made in the references he flagged up, but it suddenly struck me that the origin of the phrase could be somewhat different.

    I accept that human beings can be obscenely cruel to other living creatures, including fellow human beings. Just a couple of centuries ago it was common practice to blind birds with a red-hot needle in the belief that this would make them sing more sweetly! Other examples are manifold. As a friend of mine would say, it was PART of the course.

    My point is that “To skin a cat” sounds suspiciously like “to swing a cat” which itself derived from the traditional method of punishment on the limited space of the old fashioned sailing ships. The “cat” was actually the “CAT o’ Nine Tails”. It is PAR for the course that misheard phrases come into our language. For example, we all (including myself) might say that Hoilett runs “hell for leather” when the original phrase was or is the letter “L” for leather. And so on.

    Cardiff’s performance yesterday was also par for the course. The team has a certain way of playing, and perhaps we are asking too much when we long for the cherry on the cake when the “cake” itself is sufficient. It was par for the course that our goalkeeper and a defender would, on one occasion, experience a mix-up, but we should also be delighted to see that keeper and defence performed so heroically and effectively. Midfield and attackers also “worked their socks off”. I hope that Danny Ward’s goal might also become “par for the course” — it was a real “poacher’s goal”, something we have tended to lack for too long. Nevertheless, I feel that Danny Ward would benefit if, on occasions, Cardiff would play him alongside a traditional old-fashioned centre forward. I have often mentioned here and to cynical fellow fans of Cardiff City that we have a good approximation of such a player in Frederic Gounongbe.

    A week ago I recalled the exploits of the very epitome of old fashioned brave and powerful centre forwards. This was Nat Lofthouse. Imagine therefore how pleased I was to discover that Neil Warnock had recently mentioned that very man and suggested that Gounongbe could be like him. This may be somewhat “over the top” but Gounongbe in his brief appearance did show flashes of huge potential yesterday, even though he also seemed at times to be somewhat “off the pace”. This, incidentally, does not refer to his running ability. What I hadn’t realised that he has the long stride and smooth locomotion found in top middle distance runners. If he is not quite “the Lion of Vienna”, as the press called Nat Lofthouse, he has what it takes to be an effective Bluebird. Like a lion, he has the right physical attributes.

    Talking of lions reminds me of what a friend of mine told me many years ago. He and some other teenage boys from Newport went on a visit to Bristol Zoo. In those days, I suppose, you could get closer to the animals than would now be the case. At any rate, they congregated close to the lion’s cage, where the “King of the Beasts” was stretched out in relaxation close to the bars. His testicles were actually on show just inside the cage. One of the boys then leaned over the barrier and sparked up his cigarette lighter just under the creature’s bollocks. The subsequent roar, I suppose, could be heard back in Newport. Was it cruel of me, I wonder, to laugh when I heard this story?

  6. HarryKirtley'sGhost says:

    So then…
    Now it is official.
    Arsenal’s distinguished ex goalkeeper, Bob Wilson, was not one of twins…but one of triplets…!!
    Who would have guessed that our dear AMO was brother number three…?!

    I always think that wonderful though Paul’s fantastic industry is (in giving us the kind of report that other football writers can only DREAM about), AMO’s contribution is invariably the salt and vinegar on Paul’s substantial portion of F&C.

    So I was enthralled by his meanderings down etymological lanes. And particularly struck by his final anecdote. Oh Marriott Edgar…thou shouldst be living at this hour…!!

    Surprised though that AMO did not pounce on Paul’s wonderful “shoe in” (sic) …what a glorious image that presents of a Jimmy Scoular type, getting his boot three laceholes up an opponent’s fundament…!!

    I am too tired to google* it, but I think that “shoo in” comes from horse racing. There is a word that has possibly got into Paul’s subconscious here as he wrote his charming “shoe in”…and that is the word used of thugs wearing Doc Martens, who give some poor victim a “good kicking”…and that is often referred to as a good SHOEING.

    But don’t worry Paul. You are Einstein compared to Chris Wathan…he is still trying to spell the term “a cappella”. He clearly cannot get Fabio Capello out of his head.
    * deliberate lower case…like “hoovering the carpet”.

  7. Barry Cole says:

    Well put Paul and a great option should we wish to skinn that cat. What happened yesterday I would take to the end of the season. Brentford are going to take a lot of points from our adversaries as we head towards may. Make no mistake they are a good team and had that silly mistake by Morrison and the lad put the ball inn the net instead of missing then I think we may have been discussing this in a different light.
    I love making commoarisons with what slade achieved with the players and it’s clear that the effort Fromm this team would never be met by a slade team.
    In regard to the warnock way I can only say that week in week out those players are giving their all and you can’t ask anymore. I will watch very closely over the next few games but I have noticed a few glaring mistakes by our central defenders over the last few weeks and although most have been rectified by good defending it does show that the centre backs are susceptible to a glaring mistake a game.
    Can’t make my mind out about feeney. I just see him as a stop gap and we won’t see anymore of him much passed the 1st Jan.
    One thing about yesterday’s team is that I would never have picked that team to beat Brentford and that’s why NW is manager. Having said that the bench looked very very strong and no matter which way the game would go we had the players on the bench to change the game. I say this on the benefit of hindsight when the open goal was missed it could have been the time to take the midfield
    I love the idea that teams are saying they are worried about playing us because they will know they have been in a game. But …… every so often we turn in an adject performance and these are the ones we have to reduce. Out three losses to teams we should beat on the basis that we have beaten a lot better teams than those.
    Still it’s good to be able to look at a few negatives when we are winning and against a really good football team that maybe will end up in the top six. If that happens then they will have helped us along the way by taking points off some good teams.
    I look forward to tuesdays trip to Barnsley one of my favourite grounds and supporters as this is near a home game for me and I am looking for another positive result with perhaps a slightly different team that should include tomlin, I will wait and see.
    Onwards and upwards

  8. Barry Cole says:

    I curse that iPad it’s still got a mind of its own
    I’ve managed to get ris of the no one problem but new ones appear and it’s difficult to go back in the little box supplied

  9. Clive Rymon says:

    Hi Paul,for me I looked at Brentford and saw a team that wanted to take us on and not “park the bus”unlike Derby and Millwall games where we struggled to score,consequently the game was more open especially when we took the lead.The fact we had quite a few players out also had a baring what I particularly noticed that when they were attacking we never stopped trying to stop the cross or shot,let’s be honest with the amount of possession they had that takes a lot of energy and they were still doing it till the final minutes.

    I thought Ralls had his best game for us,I was surprised that Patterson did not start especially with Laing out but hey Warnock knows best,because I am sure he could of played in the Feeney position as I think he gives more in an attacking sense,as I always say just my opinion and that’s what the game gives us opinions.

    On now to this weeks games two tricky ones on paper but hopefully a good return to set us up for Norwich and let’s hope Jerome does not get his customery goal against us

  10. MIKE HOPE says:

    Like most of our fans I was not enthused when I saw our starting line-up. In fact in a seven a side game I thought our bench could beat the pick of our starting eleven.
    It was hard to believe that we went in at half time leading 2-0.I thought how frustrating it must be to be a Brentford supporter watching your team move the ball skilfully and fluently through the field only to be so in incompetent in both penalty boxes.
    I thought we deserved the win because we were good in those vital areas where Brentford were weak.
    The mix-up between our goalkeeper and centre half (which will make this game famous for its miss of the century candidate ) would surely have made Dai’s ghost rush back to his grave so that he could turn in it!

  11. Stephen Fairhurst says:

    I think the Maupay miss and the save on the line come under ‘Tales of the Unexpected’. As each event unfolded I resigned myself to what I thought would be goals to overturn our well taken lead but they didn’t happen, in fact, the faces in our section were looking so gobsmacked with a look that could only be matched by the Rugby match day being moved to accommodate us! I felt in the second half there was an element of just getting rid of, like youngsters do which of course like for them it just keeps coming back. Perhaps not defending like that is akin to your thought of what you think a top three team should play like and the comment was raised in our area that a better side would have punished us. But as I too walked back to the car in the dry that a win always gives a warmer feeling inside on a cold night than a loss and when you look in the records the score all that’s recorded not how it was achieved. Following on from my left back comment last time we got in a full back but a right back. Is Neil trying to give competition to the person giving competition to the person in the team!

  12. The other Bob Wilson says:

    As always, thanks for the replies. Just a very quick response from me today because I should have started the various jobs I’ve got on this morning already – unfortunately, it appears Ive mislaid my shoos and so Im running late!
    Just to say, a particular thank you to bja for some interesting stats and to Anthony for his lion story! Also, to answer Jeff’s question about the Wales manager job, I’d go for Osian Roberts, while hoping that we don’t try to get Ryan Giggs or Tony Pulis – I see the latter has just been sacked by West Brom and I think he’s at an age where management of an international team might appeal to him, but, for me, the current Wales squad are totally unsuited to his style of football and I’ve never seen any evidence that he would change his approach to accommodate a squad he has inherited.

  13. HarryKirtley'sGhost says:

    Oh dear, just remembered re my contribution above, that the Other Bob Wilson does not refer to the retired Arsenal keeper, but to the retired BLUEBIRDS keeper, who doubtless never forgot that epic semi-final night against SV Hamburg.

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