Cardiff City’s second season in the Premier League is going to end in the same manner as their first one did with a relegation that was confirmed in their penultimate game of the campaign. Assuming City’s twelfth, and final, joust with a top six club at Old Trafford next weekend goes the way of the other eleven, we will end up with one more point and one more win than we did in 13/14 and, with Fulham’s 1-0 loss at Wolves this afternoon confirming that they cannot finish above us, we will, for what it’s worth, finish a couple of places higher, in eighteenth position, than we did five years ago.
In succumbing to what was almost inevitable following last week’s so disappointing loss at Fulham, Cardiff set a record which I’m sure they did not want. Tthey are now the only team in the Premier League era who, having had more than one season in the division, have a 100% relegation record – every other side that have spent a minimum of two years in the Premier League have had at least one season where they have survived.
Supporters of sides such as Bradford, Huddersfield and Hull know what it feels like to come through a season with their Premier League position intact, so, if they can manage it, why can’t we?
Although the outcome was the same and there is very little difference in terms of points gained between our two seasons in the Premier League, the contrast between them couldn’t be greater in terms of how the club went about them.
Although not in the Fulham summer 2018 league when it came to transfer outlay, we were the seventh highest spenders in 13/14. Notably, this was substantially more than Crystal Palace and Hull, the two sides that accompanied us up following our Championship title win in 2012, spent and yet they were able to survive that year relatively comfortably.
Failure to spend our transfer money as effectively as the teams that finished some distance behind us in the Championship was a big reason why we went down, but our cause was not helped by a clear personality clash between promotion winning manager and club owner and the bad feeling engendered by the rebranding of the club kit.
Nevertheless, it was that feeling that tens of millions of pounds had been wasted which had the biggest impact when it came to how we, firstly, went about trying to get back into the Premier League after the miserable failure of season 14/15 following another summer of big spending and then went about trying to stay there.
This time, spending was more controlled in terms of transfer fees, but it was probably on the wages front that the biggest difference was seen – this had the effect of us being forever seen as underdogs, while, inevitably, we were most people’s favourites to finish bottom of the table.
The fact that we came eighteenth out of twenty, rather than bottom of the pile has enabled some to portray our season as almost a triumph despite the fact that eighteenth or twentieth, it makes no difference – we are going down in 18/19, just like we did in 13/14.
As befits our media image this season, we went down “having a go” in a 3-2 defeat at Cardiff City Stadium by a Crystal Palace side that has had a superb away record over the second half of the season.
Having been put into a desperate situation by last week’s wasted opportunity against Fulham, we had to set up in a manner which played right into Palace’s counter attacking strengths and there were times in the first half in particular where we looked on the verge of a serious trouncing.
Perhaps it would have been different if Josh Murphy (in the starting eleven this time after his bewildering omission from the squad last week) had seen his deflected first minute shot bounce into the net off a post like Andros Townsend’s did in the second half to put Palace 3-1 up, rather than hit the woodwork and fly out for a corner, but the writing had been on the wall for a while before Wilfried Zaha silenced the boos completely predictably by putting his side ahead on twenty eight minutes.
City responding by showing what crisp and accurate passing could achieve when Murphy and Leandro Bacuna (on for Victor Camarasa who was a very early injury withdrawal) combined as the former’s crossfield ball and the latter’s fine, early low cross forced Martin Kelly into putting through his own net for an equaliser inside three minutes.
However, such quality passing was like an oasis in a desert of mediocrity for the home side, who were light years away from the sort of thing we saw from Palace which led to Michy Batshuayi restoring the visitor’s lead with a third goal in ten minutes – there may have been an element of luck in the way the ball found it’s way to the Belgian striker, but the quality of what had gone on in the build up earned that slice of good fortune.
Just as it has been for all of the season, the difference in basic techniques such as ball control and the ability to give and receive simple passes between City and their opponents was embarrassing at times, but we got to half time still just the goal behind in the manner of a boxer hanging on for the bell in the face of big assault by their opponent.
It’s true to say though City coped better after the break as they still lived dangerously at times, but also were able to create chances of the sort you would expect to be scored in the Premier League about 50 per cent of the time. For example, Murphy and subs Kenneth Zohore and Junior Hoilett all had very presentable opportunities, while Nathaniel Mendez-Laing was more unfortunate when his well struck effort was cleared off the line and the winger saw another effort turned on to a post by keeper Guaita.
In truth, Townsend’s goal midway through the half signalled the end of any faint Cardiff hopes, but it was good to see Bobby Decordova-Reid crown a performance which made a mockery of the decision making which has kept him on the bench for long stretches of the campaign by scoring a fine goal just as three minutes added time was being signalled by the fourth official.
Given the number of times City were able to threaten the Palace goal, 3-2 was probably a fair scoreline, but the harsh truth is that, although this one was a lot more entertaining than most of our games this year, there was a Cup tie feel to so many of our matches with City cast in the role of doughty underdogs as they relied on effort and character to try and bridge the divide in class between the two sides.
Whereas Palace tended to be assured and confident in possession, the ball was forever getting away from City players as they gave away frequent free kicks in efforts to rectify basic mistakes. Too often this season there has been no need for opponents to “press” City in the manner favoured by so many sides at this level these days because they knew that, with our well below Premier League level ball retention skills, it would be coming back to them soon enough.
The popular perception of City as they got into a promotion position and then managed to hold on to it last season was that they were giving the Championship big boys a bloody nose – they bullied their way to promotion.
However the way we were seen in the top flight was different – our promotion is often seen now as something of a miracle with club employees seemingly happy to play along with this and the increasing notion that we are a team of plucky underdogs looking to slay a few giants,
The oft repeated early season phrase that supporters would “enjoy the ride” no matter what only added to the notion that we were on a season long loan from the Championship, as did pronouncements from our manager such as when he said he wouldn’t put money on us staying up.
Although I’m not aware of these actual words being used to describe us, the term “plucky little Cardiff City” first came into my mind early in the season and it was never far away in my thinking after that. Anything we achieved was seen as a big shock – far more so than any one else in the division. we were a David tweaking the nose of Goliath.
This should be borne in mind when considering just who we were playing today – the aforementioned Crystal Palace who trailed in some seventeen points behind us I believe it was in 12/13. Since surviving while we dropped in 13/14, Palace have slowly consolidated – it has been hard work much of the time,but, without breaking the bank, they have recruited well both on the playing and managerial front and from initially being pretty direct in their play have evolved into the slick counter attacking outfit that has won at Manchester City and Arsenal this season as well as scoring three times in defeat at Anfield.
Now if you put what teams such as Palace, Watford, Bournemouth and Burnley have done since being promoted with the news that, yet again, there was a crowd of over 32,000 at Cardiff City Stadium today making it a season’s average of 31,413 (the eleventh highest in the division), then why should we be seen as and, seemingly, be willing to accept the label “plucky little Cardiff City”?
I have to hold my hands up at this stage and acknowledge that I was wrong when I came to the conclusion, based on the sort of gates we got in my first fifty years or so supporting the club, that we would average something like 25,000 in the First division/Premier League. Such a figure would not be a bad one, but we are clearly well above that and I would now say that a few years of top flight football could result in it being considered at Board level whether a further, modest, increase in ground capacity would be required.
I always have to refer to the debt to equity commitments Vincent Tan has made in the last year or so when I try to analyse club policy on the non playing front, but, even so, I find myself wondering just what the plan is now as far as our owner is concerned.
Is he content with us continuing on as “plucky little Cardiff City” or does he feel a bit more is required in terms of us becoming another Palace or Watford?
A third possibility would be that Mr Tan would be happy to sell up, but, assuming he isn’t, it seems to me that spending a relatively small sum to bring in someone with the experience and skills to put together some coherent planning at the club, particularly in terms of Academy/youth development and transfer policy/scouting network, would be a good first step in taking us beyond the “plucky little Cardiff City” stage.
We have a maximum of two years of substantial relegation parachute payments now along with a squad which is well equipped to cope in the Championship despite the need for an almost entirely new midfield. Five years ago, the parachute payments were largely wasted in putting together a squad that wasn’t suited to the Championship – let’s not waste things this time around, let’s also behave like a club with a fan base of 30,000 plus should do and get the sort of infrastructure that a club the size of the modern day Cardiff City really merits.
One thing I must do before finishing with the first team is to thank Aron Gunnarsson for eight years splendid service to the club and wish him all of the best in the next stage of his career. At a time when many, myself included, are questioning whether this is a good time for a change of direction in terms of the manager and the way the first team plays its football, Gunnar is one of a few people that the adage “we didn’t realise how important he was until he left” might apply to.
Finally, commiserations to the Under 18s who were beaten 3-2 at Hillsborough last night by Sheffield Wednesday in their Play Off Final. Dan Griffiths and Ben Margetson scored second half goals after we had trailed 2-0 at the break and their cause was not helped by the dismissals of Griffiths and Kieron Evans (who had hit the underside of the crossbar a few minutes earlier) late on for second yellow card offences.
This disappointment doesn’t alter the fact that it has been an excellent season for the Under 18s and, with, virtually the whole of the squad still eligible to play at this level next season the chance is there to do even better next year. That said, my own wish would be to see many of the lads moving out on loan to get first team experience somewhere or being included in the Under 23 squad in a move designed to getting back to what it should be doing – that is acting as the final stepping stone in a procedure which turns good teenage and younger local footballers into first team players at Cardiff City.
Morning all.
Spot on with your report on where we are as a club and team. I agree youth infrastructure must improve. Although what is the point if they are then not given the opportunity.
I have paid up for next season but I wonder why. I am totally despondent with football. This feelinfstems from the top. It filters down to the refs and they are RUINING/DESTROYING our game.
Lots of us pay our hard earned money to support our teams. Whatever the teams ability we are there shouting and supporting them.
Then against the odds with 6 minutes to go we are beating one of the countries elite teams.
Hang on, this is not in the script, I will ignore penalty claims, blatant offside goals as if they go on to win it puts them in with a chance of staying up.
We were poor but we also did not need refs to be so blatantly against us. It has not been too bad this season until we were in with a shout of staying up. Then it’s been one poor decision after another.
Ie. Chelsea, Burnley then Fulham. We do not know how much of an effect this has had on the players. I competed at karate at a reasonable level. Odd international and I know how my mental state would affect me. Sport is both mental and ability. I had one just not the ability so I won a lot of my fights but lost to top lads. At least refs were fair.
The media should have been slaughtering these officials and not just saying we were unlucky. Come on, the ref was looking at Morrison being thrown to floor v Fulham and ignored it. That is plain dishonest. How much did thay affect the team. It showed Fulham that they could do what they like as the ref was allowing them to get away with it.
We must strengthen so we can eliminate the refs from affecting the results. It will always go on but at least if we can score 3 goals from open play the dishonesty will be negated.
I know I will probably be criticised for this but I can accept a loss if it’s fair and deserved. Ie. Yesterday. I cannot accept Chelsea results and officials hiding behind the excuses of I missed it, my sight was blocked. We should all write to refs association and ask them what is going on. Let’s see how transparent they are.
Problem is they don’t care about us. They only care about their beloved top teams but we pay for entry and deserve an honest result as much as any other team.
Paul’s assessment of the game remains at its perpetual high standard, I, on the other hand, have to redefine slightly what has been a long-term adverse assessment of Kenneth Zohore. On yesterday’s showing I saw glimpses of what he is capable of producing. I would even go so far as to say that this was his best game ever for Cardiff City. He actually won some headers, was all right in his hold-up play, made some worthwhile passes, and almost scored. This is the level I hope he continues to show next season.
In terms of next season and of this I was reminded of something I read many decades ago. It referred to some Buddhist monks who had to cross a rope bridge every day, As time went by the rope would fray and break and at least one of the monks would fall to his death. Only then would the other monks do something about replacing the ropes. This almost seems a metaphor for Cardiff’s personnel, tactics and management so far.
So this time the rope must be repaired before it frays. In other words, preparations for success next season have to be geared to avoid the mistakes of this season. I think that Neil Warnock is old enough and wise enough to learn from this season’s experience. even at his advancing years, and with money to spend and a clear plan of action, plus adequate financial support, we can all look forward to a successful season with no fraying of the rope.
One final comment. I consider the booing of Zaha because of his brief sojourn on loan at Cardiff was totally unfair and embarrassing. There was a kind of poetic justice, therefore, in the way his skill on the ball bemused our defence. But there again, it might also be seen as a learning curve and evidence of what lesser players should aspire to.
Let’s all look forward to next season and cherish the hope it will be successful.
Thanks, Paul, a very thought-provoking article.
I feel yesterday’s game was decided in the early minutes, when Murphy’s effort was narrowly defied and the injury to Victor Camarasa. I wish he had tried harder to continue, perhaps I’m being unfair but earlier issues about his fitness put this in my head.
So our already threadbare midfield became completely nekkid. With a line-up that looked a touch 4-2-4 became 4-1.5- 4 and poor old Gunnarson on his last home appearance proceeded to be swamped in mid-field. Obviously not Warnock’s fault because injuries severely restricted his choices.
Once again we persisted with the high balls up to the strikers where Ward hardly got a touch. We struggled to win a second ball. When we did have the ball in mid-field and played it wide a threat was created.
Thought the back four did a decent job except for their third goal, surely every defender in the country knows that Andros Townsend likes to cut inside and shoot with his left foot. Lately, from what I’ve seen of him on television, he hasn’t been able to execute that move but yesterday what happens?
So we go back home to the Championship. Our true level? Certainly on recent evidence we are not a top-level side.
One thought that struck me during yesterday’s game was how comfortable our captain looked on his expeditions into the Palace half. I have heard it suggested before that he is happier under the high ball in the opponents area rather than in our own. Is he the target man we have been looking for?
You know that thing when you’re young and you do something wrong, your Dad (or, indeed, your Mum) says “I’m not angry, I’m disappointed”.
I was going to reverse that on this Blog – “I’m not disappointed, I’m angry” – but, in light of Paul’s thoughtful and informed words, and having read today’s Observer’s report that the crowd afforded Warnock such a heart-warming reception, I’ve decided to err on the side of generosity…and devoutly wish that the next time we work so hard to achieve promotion, we work more creatively and imaginatively at STAYING up.
Good words on the Academy and the whole concept of player development.
I agree, too, with AO’B about the booing of Zaha – but, I stick to the spirit of my rather lame joke of the time – for us, he was more Wilfred Pickles than Wilfried Zaha.
Thanks Paul et al for all the informed comments. You have said it all.
We gave it a go but too little too late unfortunately. In the end our limitations were laid bare with the performance and result being s microcosm of our season + but what a ride. It had everything – just not quite the final outcome we all desired. If only matches against Chelsea, Fulham, Huddersfield had gone our way and what about the poor start where we were slow out of blocks etc etc – a few points left behind across that lot!
Re yesterday’s game.
If only the Murphy shot had gone in and our mini revival in the second half had seen some of those half chances put away. However, not to be and Palace were very comfortable to soak up any pressure and break at speed and with no little skill.
Very impressed with their attack and Zaha put the pathetic booing into perspective with complete nonchalance in taking his chance and generally causing chaos.
For us it was good to see Bobby DR pick up in the second half and score a fine late goal.
Also thought Ken played well – great chest pass especially – just shame he didn’t put that chance away. Suppose if he had gone round the keeper he would have been on his weaker right foot.
Other than that a big shift from Gunnarsson but he was over-run and struggled with his touch , although never stopped trying. Great send off to him at the end and he has been a great servant over the years.
Where next? Don’t know really. Can see online comments and newspaper journalists now taking sides on whether NW should stay or go and pros and cons both ways. Sure that speculation will keep us entertained over the next few weeks!
Personally I think he has done a great job in uniting the club, building a functioning team that has held its own in the Premier League and giving us hope. It might not be pretty but effective – up to a point. Big spending not the answer, but a refinement of tactics would be appreciated – but can a 70 year old leopard change its spots?
Either way, I’ll be there and sure all bloggers on this site – and our estimable blogmeister – will be too.
Thanks for the report Paul and your pertinent comments as usual.
The fact that my sixtieth season as a City fan has ended with the tenth relegation I’ve endured, doesn’t make it any less painful. Maybe it’s just my age, but for me relegation from whatever division ultimately means a season of failure which should lead to not only feelings of disappointment and perhaps anger but real ‘what went wrong ?’ discussions. I certainly feel disappointment and the list of ‘what went wrongs’ is fairly obvious – poor pre-season preparation, misuse of our (admittedly modest) transfer budget, lack of tactical nouse and a residue of players who despite spirit and determination, lack the technical skills required at this level. Yes there was some bad luck with injuries, poor refereeing decisions and of course the Sala tragedy along the way, but in the end we were never anything other than a bottom three club.
The real issue of course is that I somehow feel that my feelings of disappointment over our relegation are not necessarily shared by those running the club, those managing the team or indeed by much of our fan-base. The narrative from the club seems to have been from the outset that we are, as you say Paul, some plucky little team who should be grateful to be just sharing a pitch each week with such illustrious opponents.
I’m not sure whether this is just the deflective spin of our manager who just as last season proved what great strengths he has in managing teams in the championship and below, proved this season how inadequate he is at the top level.
I’m also not sure though what the aims of our owner really are. As a fan, I aspire to us being a top-flight club at least on a par with clubs like Palace, Southampton and others, but I do wonder whether the aspirations of the ownership a more in terms of finding the appropriate business model for the club which may be that of an upper mid-table championship club with odd forays into the top-tier for a timely cash top-up.
Anyway, I’ve just realised that the ten relegations have been matched by ten promotions in those sixty years. That means that we’ve changed divisions on average one season in three – experiences poor deprived fans of the ‘top six’ teams can not even imagine.
Good morning Paul and fellow bloggers – Nothing to add really but have deliberately waited to file my comments until after the Brighton performance against the Arsenal. Congratulations to them for their result for they showed a determination and resolve to achieve something again as they have done since we beat them. And what about Huddersfield holding the “mighty” Man U for only their fifteenth point of the season, that too was pretty special. NW made the comment that we had six winnable games at the end of the season – well we have lost four of them and although we are aware of incidents going against us, we have still lost. I am somewhat sad to state that we have lost because we have patently not really been good enough. I think we know the reasons.
Paul, in your report you mention the support that we are able to attract if we were to achieve Premiership status once more and consolidate such a position. After Saturday, I have some reservations. Firstly the crowd was reported as being 32,000 plus. There were not that many in the ground for such a big match as from my vantage position I could see many gaps. And also, when the team paraded around the ground to thank our so called supporters with our Iceman leading the way, the ground was only half full. Supporters? I would have hoped that genuine fans would have stayed to applaud our team for their efforts and particularly Gunnars. I suspect we will be lucky to have crowds of 20,000 next year.
So what next. There was the comment made by some of the local pundits that we will have a squad capable of doing well again in the Championship were we to be relegated. Maybe, but we know already of changes to our playing personnel and unless we recruit an effective and combative midfield including a Camarasaesque member, we will be an also ran. I was appreciative of NW’s ability in attaining last season’s promotion, but reports currently circulating seem to cast doubt as to whether he will be with us next year. So perhaps changes at Management level as well.
Mr.Tan was a spectator on Saturday. He will have been impressed by the vocal support his Manager received, but yet again he has seen a business that he has bank-rolled fail. I just wonder if he will find that acceptable.
Morning everyone, I’d like to start by informing you that, if you were not aware of them, the main winners in the club’s award night held over the weekend were – Player of the Year Neil Etheridge, Players, Player of the Year, Victor Camarasa, Goal of the Year, Camarasa at Leicester and Young Player of the Year Callum Paterson (!!!!!).
P, while I don’t share many of your opinions about referees in general, I would say a couple of things. First, could it be that we’ve suffered because of run ins with some of the officials to have done our matches this season that Neil Warnock has had at other clubs down the years? I’m not really suggesting that they have deliberately been anti Cardiff, but maybe, almost subconsciously, they’ve been reluctant to do a man they don’t have much time for any favours? Second, I’d support the club completely if they decided that they will refuse to have Craig Pawson and Eddie Smart officiate at their games in the future. For me, although there have been other matches where we’ve been hard done by, what happened against Chelsea was a disgrace and it stinks that Neil Warnock got such a heavy fine for being critical of officials who were shown to have made a series of dreadful blunders.
Anthony, I remarked during the game that it may well have been the best performance I’d ever seen from Zohore in terms of winning headers – can’t help thinking though that this should be put down to the failings of the Palace centrebacks rather than anything on his part!
Townsend’s goal looked better on the video than it did at the ground Colin, but, you’re right – I’ve always thought of him as a talented, but very predictable player – Joe Bennett has improved defensively as the season has gone on I believe, but he has to shoulder some of the blame for that goal (awkward I know because we were chasing the game at the time, but might he have had a bit more support?).
Lindsay, you and one or two others mentioned the booing of Zaha – my reason for condemning it was not very noble (I thought it might make him angry!), but, seriously, I didn’t like it. Zaha at Cardiff was an odd one, because I thought he was nearly always hopeless for us at home, but he had a few very good games away from Cardiff City Stadium – I can remember that he played a big part in turning a losing situation at West Brom into a 3-3 draw when he came on at half time for us.
Huw, I don’t think this leopard can change his spots – my feelings on Neil Warnock are very mixed at the moment, because, now our relegation has been confirmed, I’m probably more annoyed at the gross ineptitude he showed in so many ways at Fulham, but there is still a part of me that can see that we would lose an awful lot in other respects if he left, I’ll probably write a piece on him sometime in the next two or three weeks where I’ll go into a lot more detail, but, as of now, I wouldn’t be too disappointed to see him leave the club.
Richard, I think that, on balance, promotions have always been more enjoyable experiences then relegations have been sad ones if you see what I mean. As mentioned above, I still get annoyed when I think about the Fulham game and it wrankles a bit when I see TV presenters talking about us going down, but it’s not that difficult to take. Mind you, another source of irritation is this “plucky little Cardiff” mentality which I’m disappointed to see so many on the messageboard sharing. Your assessment of our manager in terms of the Championship v Premier League is quite brutal, but it’s also accurate and I’m sorry, but I can’t see this “maybe my best ever season” stuff as anything more than a lot of old guff.
BJA, I’m not expecting us to average anything like 31,500 in the Championship next season, my point was that this season has proved to me that we have the potential to draw crowds of 30,000 plus on a regular basis if we could establish ourselves in the Premier League. Indeed, we’ve done that while being relegated, so is it too much of a pipe dream, to claim we could get, say, 35,000 each week with a bit of ground improvement if we became a Watford type Premier League size club? As it is, I could see us getting regular crowds in the 25 to 27k range if we make a good start next season and establish ourselves as promotion candidates. However, it just seems to me that we would stand a much better chance of seeing those sort of crowds at the ground if we employed someone who would improve the footballing infrastructure at the club.