I think of myself as someone who knows a fair bit about football, but I honestly don’t think my knowledge of the game is better or more complete than many of the twenty odd thousand Cardiff City fans that used to turn up for home games until March of this year.
Besides that, I have always believed that those who earn or have earned money from playing the game have a big advantage over nearly all of those of us who have not done so, whether we be supporters, opinionated blog writers or professional journalists or workers in other media for all sorts of reasons. In general, I believe the pros know best and so, although I don’t always succeed in doing this, I try not to give the impression that I think I know better than the players and coaching and management staff at Cardiff City because the truth is that I don’t.
However, there are times when things which seem obvious to me, and thousands of other City fans I daresay, are either ignored or missed by the professionals which leave me scratching my head as to what the men in charge are trying to do.
To show you what I mean, let’s go back to March 2019 when Sol Bamba suffered the injury which it could be said virtually ended his career as a first teamer at City. Now, Sol wasn’t a bring it out from the back and dictate play type of centreback, but, as someone who had played in a defensive midfield role for substantial portions of his long career, he wasn’t afraid to have possession of the ball in potentially awkward areas and play fairly ambitious passes that came off pretty often.
Sol was able to make a success of his midfield role because he had more mobility and athleticism than your “traditional” centreback and, so, when paired with someone like Sean Morrison for example, there was a nice contrast between the two of them which helped cover all eventualities so to speak.
Sol’s injury meant that Bruno Manga, who had been playing at right back for much of the time moved across to the middle. Again Bruno had no great reputation as a ball playing defender, but he was another who was pretty comfortable with the ball at his feet and while he may not have had Bamba’s midfield experience, the fact he could make a decent fist of playing full back at Premier League level offered confirmation that he was another with the physical attributes to slot in well alongside the more statuesque, but physically stronger, Morrison.
So, why was it that Neil Warnock chose to sign Aden Flint as first choice centreback to step in alongside Morrison when Bruno decided to return to France that summer?
Anyone who had seen Flint play knew that he was a Morrison type centreback and we would have two in the middle of our defence who were unlikely to be comfortable against the sort of attacking play and players that had come to the fore in the Championship during our season away from it.
To Warnock’s credit, he did also bring in a free transfer player who was more of a Bamba/Bruno type defender in Curtis Nelson, but,he only broke into the side in a meaningful way when Morrison injured his arm in the derby game at Swansea almost a year ago to the day.
It was similar in midfield where we were left with Joe Ralls and the newly signed Leandro Bacuna, who Warnock described as a replacement for Aron Gunnarsson who would also be leaving the club in the summer. So, we were short of bodies in central midfield and our manager moved to address this by signing Will Vaulks. However, he then also signed Marlon Pack from Bristol City just before the window closed and in subsequent interviews almost made it sound as if he wouldn’t have bothered bringing Vaulks in if he had known that he would have been able to sign Pack a month or two later.
Warnock barely used Vaulks in league matches before he left the club, but new boss Neil Harris was more keen on him and over the second half of the season, we saw a degree of rotation in the central midfield area because we had four senior players in that area.
As I mentioned on here recently, Vaulks, Ralls, Pack and Bacuna all have different things they bring to the team, none of them are poor players at this level, but, nevertheless, they are all a bit samey.
If you were to try to devise the perfect central midfield player whereby you had physicality, durability, solidity, and work rate (all important considerations for the perfect central midfielder) as one extreme and technique, creativity, dynamism and flair as the other, I would say that all four of our central midfielders were be closer to the former than the latter – to repeat the term I used when describing the Morrison/Flint partnership again, we were not covering all eventualities in central midfield.
Knowing Neil Warnock’s methods and preferences, it was not really surprising that we ended up with the four central midfielders that we did, but, more relevant now, is that Neil Harris, clearly was happy to go with the previous manager’s choices last season. The fact that our manager, apparently, didn’t look to add to the ranks in that area this summer confirms that he was content to go into this season with a central midfield that doesn’t cover all eventualities.
Sorry for this very long preamble, but I wanted to explain why I have spent significant portions of this season, and last, thinking “I don’t get what the plan is” to myself and it’s in this context that I come to today’s 3-2 defeat by QPR at Loftus Road, which is now approaching bogey ground status for us, and ask what are we trying to do this season?
For years now, we’ve insisted on having a big target man and two wingers. I’ve mentioned this a couple of times already this season, so I won’t spend too long on this, but why have wingers, who play on the “wrong” side, whose first instinct is to cut inside and shoot – if we’re going to do that, wouldn’t a striker who was more of a “fox in the box” be more appropriate?
We were promised more dynamic full backs and, so, presumably, this was supposed to mean full backs going outside our so called wingers and getting the crosses in that they were not providing but, so far, all I’ve seen is mostly more of the same from last season and far more injuries to said full backs.
At half time today, I asked if we have played “a bit of football” while playing well this season at all? We did pretty well against Bournemouth, but, in my opinion, were somewhat fortunate to draw – apart from that, it has been the grind that we have become all too used to in recent seasons.
People talked about us being awful in the first half on Wednesday at Derby, but we surely couldn’t have been as bad then as we were today against a team that had not won in seven matches could we (Neil Harris evidently didn’t think we were as he piled into his team in his post match interview today calling the first half display the worst he’s seen since he’s been at the club)?
The commentary in midweek talked about how slow we were in possession, well we were again this afternoon, but we were also very slow out of possession – we looked either knackered, disinterested or possibly both, how can this be?
Rangers were made to look devastating on the break and, certainly, last season they were capable of being that at times, but they’d not scored in four games before today! I would say that City were slightly unlucky in that the goals, particularly the brilliant late winner, had something of a “hit and hope” element to them and to lose a goal so late on is always very tough on the team conceding, but we got exactly what we deserved for our display over the ninenty minutes.
We were lucky to only be 2-0 down at half time (we NEVER dominate teams in the way QPR dominated us in the opening forty five minutes), but with Vaulks off, he’s just not got started this season yet, Ralls pushed back from the number ten position which he’s not suited to, Josh Murphy moving inside and Junior Hoilett on as one of our nominal wingers, we did improve after the break with Murphy soon providing the sort of pass we would never have played with our first half set up to enable Keiffer Moore, quickly learning how hard it is to play as a number nine for Cardiff City, in for the first of the two penalties he won.
Ralls put the first one away confidently, but I “had a feeling” before he took his second one, which was saved, only for our longest serving player to put away the rebound. Morrison and Moore came close to scoring as well, but we still didn’t really create much despite the big improvement on what had gone earlier.
Although our first substitution can be said to have worked, the decision to take Murphy, who was playing well in the second half, off for the second one had the feel of “I have to take him off because I always take him off” to it and giving young Mark Harris about a minute to come on and save the match for us was all a bit pointless.
Apart from an occasional moan, I’ve not been critical of Neil Harris at all really since his appointment nearly a year ago, but this is beginning to look like his biggest crisis at Cardiff so far and the lack of a response to the uninspired stuff seen at Derby in the first half today did not look good for him.
Our manager’s preference for midfield players who are more artisan than artist does not exactly invalidate his oft repeated claims that he wants to adopt a more of a passing approach at City, but the fact that he is content apparently to send out sides where so many players do not pass the ball well does rather tell a story.
Yes, we do have more of the ball than we did and we do look to play out from the back more, but that play is so laboured and our passing so unreliable that the suspicion grows that opponents are perfectly happy to let us have the ball because, as happened at Derby too often, there is a very fair chance that we will present it back to them in a dangerous position for us.
Our next opponents, Barnsley, had an impressive win over Watford today and are in good form, while a derby on Friday against Bristol City won’t be easy – they’ve been struggling in recent games, but we’ve been struggling all season.
Eight years ago this coming Friday, we went to Charlton and were beaten 5-4 in a crazy game – that was a seminal night for Cardiff City because, since then, we have become a different team from the scatty, inconsistent, often frustrating, but occasionally brilliant and hugely entertaining outfit that Dave Jones turned us into.
Malky Mackay decided that things needed to “tighten up” and, with occasional diversions which never lasted long, that’s how we’ve been for the last eight years. We’re physical, defensive minded, set piece orientated, direct, reliant on two or three to provide some creativity, we don’t trust youth and generally speaking, “keeping our shape” is more important than having “runners” from central areas joining up with our single striker.
This approach has been successful at times – we ended up winning the Championship comfortably after Mackay’s shake up and, after a start where we did play some exciting football, we ground our way to another promotion under Warnock three seasons ago. For the rest of those eight years though, we’ve been a dull, take it to the corners when you’re 2-0 up in added time (even the Under 23’s we’re doing that last Tuesday!), let’s keep it tight even at home type of outfit where skill and panache are, if not exactly frowned at, not heavily encouraged. Whitts always provided some stardust, Lee Tomlin did at times last season and, hopefully, Harry Wilson will this time around, but we’re really heavy going most of the time and, in these times when life is, let’s face it, pretty miserable, I for one am wanting more from my football team..
There was some better news for the Under 18s at least as they won for the first time since their opening game of the season this lunchtime when they beat Coventry 4-1. Three first half goals in ten minutes put them well on the way to victory as Caleb Hughes, with a penalty, Siyabonga Ligendza and Taylor Jones gave us a lead which, even with the teams unwelcome recent habit of losing games they were leading at the interval in, looked big enough to guarantee the win. A penalty for the visitors on the hour mark caused some alarm, but a last minute goal by Taz Mayembe, playing for the first time since the opening day of the campaign, confirmed their second 4-1 win of 20/21.
Can I also remind you about my recently published book Real Madrid and all that which is available in e book and paperback formats and can only be purchased from Amazon.
I’d like to thank all of those who have posted a review of the book so far – it goes without saying that I’m very pleased with what the feedback has been like up to now!
Once again, can I finish by making a request for support from readers by them becoming my Patrons through Patreon. Full details of this scheme and the reasons why I decided to introduce it can be found here, but I should say that the feedback I have got in the past couple of years has indicated a reluctance from some to use Patreon as they prefer to opt for a direct payment to me. If you are interested in becoming a patron and would prefer to make a direct contribution, please contact me at paul.evans8153@hotmail.com or in the Feedback section of the blog and I will send you my bank/PayPal details.
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Just want to say that your write up today was absolutely spot on and I agree with everything you have said,i too cannot see what they are trying to do on and off the pitch at the moment and although a fair bit of this has to be placed on the coach and his staff (which I don’t really want to say as I feel Harris has done an amazing job to have got that team to the playoffs last season).I have felt this period we are going though at the moment has been along time coming as regarding our football we are being found out far to easily for our inept,sloppy and at times our complete lack of football skills,apart from the first 45 at forest we have laboured, stumbled and relied heavily on our opposition not taking their chances or smithes pulling off some fantastic saves to grind out draws or 1 goal wins.city will forever be my team no matter what but sadly today I found myself thinking,as we stood off the qpr midfielder to score the screamer and win the game,I’m glad that happened as it’s time for Harris to show that he’s not afraid to drop some key players in that team, introduced some youth or fringe players and see if we can’t get our season started before we get the inevitable sacking.
Paul you are not on your own,
The performances over this season has been diabolical especially in the first half of games. At that time we are always behind and deserve to be and we tend to improve in the second half, but wait.
Even when we do we only create one or two chances simply because and you’ve said it above, we have a big centre forward who does not receive a supply of the ball.
Not only that we pass the ball to players who are already marked so it’s just a matter of time until we hand the ball back either by them easily closing down the player receiving the ball or we hand it to them with a bad pass. This is not just once but nearly every time.
That’s of course if we haven’t passed it square or backwards or back to the goalkeeper.
We do this because we are trying to get players to keep more posssesion but it’s not working. And why is it not working, simply the players wait for the ball instead of creating their own space making it so easy for them to be marked and worse still no midfielder (tomlin excepted) can actually see a defence splitting pass.
Furthermore the defence and its record is being helped by 3 midfield players nearly always behind the ball ensuring that we don’t come out of defence as quick as Warnock teams did. We are hiding the fact that the defence isn’t anywhere near as good as it is made out to be.
Like you logic would tell me that this is a problem and it needs putting right and bamba is a case in mind. Bacuna is no right back and I think he has been unfortunate in having some very poor games there. What is the manager thinking. It was always on the cards that back up was needed but that didn’t happen why?
The midfield I hope will sort itself out when Wilson returns but honestly we have much the same players for each position and the lack of skills creating for the forwards has been our problem right from that useless slade turned up.
Unable to get the creative passes the forwards are forever chasing the ball usually put to them where they have to really work hard to create themselves.
I am not a fan of Murphy because I can see the talent but he is his own worse enemy that said he is probably on his last injection of development having had all his talent knocked out of him by two managers that don’t see it.
I could add that Hoilett and ojo do get themselves into dead ends but that’s simply because they have either had a pass where they are heavily marked or they are at least trying to create something.
So now to the manager, I think that I have been reasonable in my support for him over the last 12 months but like you I just don’t get what we are doing. Game after game we allow the opposition to score and once that happens we are going to either draw or lose because we are so predictable. At no time yesterday even when we pulled back to 2-2 did I think we were going to win, simply we didn’t deserve it.
The players themselves have shown they can play better so this is a managerial problem.
We have let some good man managers slip by because everybody deserves a chance but this football team is going nowhere as we are not using that skill otherwise the best would be coming out of those players.
If we are to challenge for a top six position this year, when in fact with the team we have it should be top two then something has to give. 12 months to change the team is enough time develop your own style , that is not happening and therefore if we are to do anything thought has to be whether we have the right manager to do that. I never like the idea of changing managers in short periods but where it is safe to say that improvement hasn’t happened then we need someone who can make it happen
The next two games are vital and if we continue the lethargic way we are playing then the top six will soon be out of sight and mr tans money would not have been well spent.
Ps 2/3 through the book and some great memories there Paul.
Paul and everyone – Good morning and thank you, and Barry, for a most thoughtful summary of where we are at the moment. I completely agree. Why is it that we wait until the half-time interval for the Manager to give a verbal lashing and then produce a better showing in the second forty-five? Of the goals scored so far this year, am I correct in believing that only two have been scored in the first half, and those against Forest, some seven games ago. If that is correct, some five hours plus when players are are at their freshest without reward – not a statistic to be proud of if I were Manager. Top six will not happen if these situations continue.
I was “angry” on Wednesday against Derby, but this turned to “dismay” yesterday. We should have been three or four down by half time. Our full backs were poor, and the mid-field without shape and seemingly purpose. Happy days for Rangers. Somehow we managed parity, but Ball’s excellent strike ( a defender apparently ) only prompted Mr Harris to introduce his namesake with two minutes remaining – bizarre.
Much as I wish to return to the CCS to see games for myself, I fear that if we had been able to attend in recent weeks, the Manager would have been treated to a few choruses of “You don’t know what you’re doing”, and in the context of your report, and I suspect others, they could well have been justified.
What’s Pochettino doing?
Ta, too Paul, for your write up. Reasoned and fair as ever. It is much appreciated. Apologies for not starting my post with this acknowledgement but when copying and pasting I failed to insert my thanks.
In 1971 The Band, on their fine album called, “Cahoots,” featured the excellent and most appropriate song for this season if you are a Cardiff City fan entitled: “Where do we go from Here?” The song posed some questions concerning how the passage of time ravaged the land to be called America. I’ll give you a flavour by quoting the first verse:
“Did you hear about the eagle of distinction
The one that came on every Friday afternoon
Well, it seems that eagle has near flown into extinction
Descending to the sand
His biggest enemy being man
Have you ever seen the freedom on the wing?”
The one time beautiful sight of eagles in flight, “on the wing,” now gone as the quest for progress remorselessly ground on. The new is not necessarily better just as these new fangled wingers, who continually cut inside and never reach the bye-line, are not a patch on the Jimmy Johnston’s, John Robertson’s and Willie Anderson’s of a bye-gone era. They may be lost to the modern game, like the many eagles in The Band’s lyrics, but they are not forgotten to this football fan. Can we imagine for one moment what a proper winger would do against these new full backs who have never had to defend against a winger who takes them on?
How exasperating it is watching this 2020-2021 Cardiff City team. Going into this season I felt we had the basis of progression but then players left and a few came in. Now after further thought, it must be stated that we are making hard work of trying to overcome even ordinary teams at home, even when we have more of the ball. It also seems that if our Manager’s team can’t catch the opposition on the break, away from home, we are stymied there, too.
I have not written a response for each of the last few games so permit me time to muse over our recent games. Below are some notes made during:
Middlesbrough (h)
Ojo had a nice little purple patch of form but one incident characterised this City team. Breaking quickly from defence on 32 mins, Ojo, with the ball at his feet on the right wing (level with the 18 yd line and midway between it and the touchline) and facing the left-back, rather than getting to the bye-line, chose to come onto his favoured left foot. This single act brought a second defender back into the equation. The attack came to nothing when City had players in the box. It’s not as if he lacked power in his right foot. Witness his fine goal at Preston. That said it was good seeing Ojo get first to a loose ball to stab home the equaliser in the second half.
Wilson is a fine prospect but are we getting the most out of him? Do we know how to get the most out of him?
Derby Co (a)
Abject, dire fare from Cardiff City. I’ll even refrain from commenting on Harris’ continued ploy of playing Ralls in the Tomlin role or mentioning wingers and the bye-line. Even paupers would have turned up their noses at this meal. Some text messages, to a friend during the Sky Sports’ transmission, summed up my absolute frustration:
“Awful. We look like a team of centre halves.”
“Clueless. Passionless. Visionless. Any professional club would not have appointed Harris if they wanted to progress.”
“It’s the Ronnie Moore syndrome all over again. You get a striker because he can do one thing and then play in a way completely different from that.”
“A cheap club chooses cheap options and it shows on the pitch. City had no vision. We’d never want to be a Wolves, would we?
“In a sentence: ‘We got out of jail at Derby,’ and never deserved to.”
Yes, sadly, it was that bad.
QPR (a)
Little did I think things could conceivably get worse than that Derby effort. I was wrong. They did. City’s first half showing in London bore little relationship to the game of football. It was woeful. This selection, with the first choice central midfield pairing (Bacuna & Ralls) deployed elsewhere, created nothing in the first period. Suffice to say in Ralls’ 6 games this season he has only once lined up to start a match in his natural central midfield role. Crazy.
True Pack had one of his better games, but this pacey QPR side stretched City with movement as the Bluebirds spent the first 45 mins seeking to stem the tide. Add to that Ralls not offering anything in support of Moore and it made very hard watching if you were a City fan.
It was not until Hoilett’s introduction at half time, a move that allowed Ralls to join Pack in central midfield and Murphy belatedly playing in the Tomlin role, that City made a contest of it. Is this the first time Murphy has played in the #10 position when he’s a natural for it? Is it so difficult to see the plainly obvious?
For the first time in a long time it seemed City could score with virtually every attack. True there was a perversity about the goals: a penalty and a rebound from a saved penalty but 2-2 it was on 85 mins. If there was to be a winner then City were surely to be them. Sadly it wasn’t to be. A wonder strike into added time and hope was shattered. The jailor who left the keys outside the cell at Derby was not so profligate in London.
We can but think what would have happened had City actually started with the personnel and formation from the 46th minute against QPR (a team that had not scored in 4; were winless in 7 and had 3 changes in defence). But this is safety-first Harris we are talking about. Fear is a destructive force and none reach their potential when that emotion pervades thinking. A fearful young beau rarely gets the girl. Cardiff City 2020-2021 are the embodiment of that fact. There is ability, clearly, but that fear results in the sum of the parts being far less than the individuals.
Another verse of the song quoted above contrasts the once heard noise of stampeding buffalo on the plains of America to their shackling in the zoos of California state. The writer sadly makes a brutal statement: “You sure do miss the silence when it’s gone,” followed by the forlorn question: “Where do we go from here?”
Surely this self-same question must thought about in the corridors of power at CCS. Are City’s hierarchy at the point where they have seen enough or do they believe that with Tomlin and Wilson fit; a manager and a team rid of fear; true wingers laying on chances for Moore and Glatzell we become a side that plays bold attacking football that our personnel suggests we can and we will move up the league? A penny for your thoughts.
Continuing with theme of lyrics from songs of the 70’s, Jess Roden wrote:
“Why this way?
When I could shine and see such days,
Full of laughter, full of plays,
Another way.”
So, too, Cardiff City. Why this way when it could be so different? Cycles of poor signings then penny pinching has left us a fearful team, like their manager, and a squad that is lacking (of at least another right back and a winger who can play on the same side as his natural foot), whilst trying to make square pegs fit into round holes. And doesn’t it show.
I have had no pleasure in writing these words. They are simply my honest take on where Harris’ Cardiff City are this 2020-2021 season. Oh, that we could write adjectives and adverbs from the other end of the Shorter Oxford Dictionary. Laughter has been replaced by fear. Oh that fear would be replaced by laughter.
I think you’re right in what you say , one thing that puzzled me this season is we’re said to have had a brilliant transfer window, so why have we only got one right back at the club and a loanee from Arsenal at that, we let Peltier leave , and Sanderson was on loan
Leaving no right back at the club. Bacuna is best in midfield he breaks the play up, he’s not a right back. Whatever happened with Mendes Lang we’ll never know, but we never replaced him, only Murphy has blistering pace, and he’s not getting a decent run in the team. You are right we never strengthened the midfield and due maybe to injuries some players know they will be pulling on a shirt regardless of their performance. I don’t know what our playing style is because we look clueless when we have the ball, there is no end product. When I watch games now I get so frustrated at our movement, it’s not happening it’s predictable and more often then not we just lump it forward and hope we can pick up the pieces, in reality we’re just giving the ball away and having to defend again.
Hi Paul and others. Interesting views but a bit of a theme throughout all comments which I can only agree with.
Seems timely for Paul to take a hard look at where we are today and how we have evolved – or not – over recent years. It does feel like we have gone full circle at the moment. We only wake up when we need to chase the game and either sneak a draw or fall short, but rarely deserve better with our timid approach and poor passing.
I can only agree with the comments on here today and over recent weeks about our lack of creativity, wing play and defensive sloppiness. I genuinely thought we had turned a corner with our approach in the post (initial) lockdown matches in the Summer. We were fizzing it around nicely and everyone looked more comfortable passing and moving than they had for the first 6 months of the “normal” season.
I accept that Tomlin was a key factor in most of these performances and also Mendez Lang featured well. Although these two have not been present of late – for different reasons – I would have assumed that this current group would have carried on in that style. Ojo and Osei-Tutu-with Premier League pedigree – and Moore all should be more than capable of playing a quick passing game.
However, we seem to very quickly resort to missed passes, wingers cutting inside and lumping it and relying on set pieces. We really should be much better with this squad.
Appears from various online postings today that the knives are getting sharpened now for the manager. I am sure that, were we serving up this fodder in front of a packed home crowd each match, then that pressure would build and the situation would become very difficult for him.
With another 2 games this week we are at a crucial point In the season. If either or both Tomlin and Wilson feature then that would obviously help on the creativity front. Otherwise, interesting to see what Harris does about the imbalance in midfield and our Right back problem.
I still feel , as I do watching all matches on TV presently, that there is a curious feel to all current games for obvious reasons. However, it is the same for both sides etc etc.and the players need to quickly get back to winning ways.
Morning everyone, thanks for your contributions and a welcome to Dave and Tom after what I believe are their first posts on here. I’m not going to go into the normal detail in response to what you’ve all posted because I think they all speak for themselves. I think I’m right in saying that there is a sense of frustration and, to some degree, anger running through all of them. You always get people who are critical and pessimistic because they know it’s a mindset which gets a response and so there have been messages around the boards slagging off our manager and the players right from the moment we lost to Sheffield Wednesday in our season opener, but I’ve always thought the large majority of people who did that were on the wind up.
What we’ve seen since the Derby and QPR matches in particular though is different and I think between the six of you who replied to my piece on Saturday’s match you’ve eloquently captured the sense of annoyance and surprise at how City are going about their business on the pitch this season.
I’m still shocked at just how bad we were in the first half on Saturday – just watched the extended highlights to confirm it and was also struck by the poor technique shown in so many of the shooting chances we had in the second half.
We’ve got two really big home games now before the international break – I’ve now come around to thinking that more of the same sort of stuff we’ve seen at Cardiff City Stadium so far will see Neil Harris under real pressure come Saturday.