So, for the first time this season, the biggest single factor in our decline in the 2020’s raises its head – the fact that our home results have been abysmal for the last five years.
The loss to Bradford City ten days ago was one thing – we deservedly lost, but I didn’t think we played too badly and, after following our first defeat of the season season up with a Cup win at a Premier League club and then as dominant an away performance as we’ve produced for at least a couple of seasons on Saturday, there was clearly no need for any panic stations.
A win at Cardiff City Stadium tonight against bottom of the table Burton Albion would have taken us back to the top of the league, but, instead, we lost by a late goal to nil and by the end of the game, it had all got very concerning as the life, belief and spirit of adventure that has characterised this season drained out of the team as quickly as air does from a balloon.
For all of the excitement generated by the emergence of youngsters this season, it should not be forgotten that there are still plenty of the first team squad that have probably lost more home games than they’ve won during their time at the club – we’ve been so bad at home for so long that I wouldn’t be surprised at all if someone as long serving as Perry Ng has tasted defeat at home more than he has experienced victory. It seemed that for all of the desire on and off the pitch to state that we’ve moved on from the wretched home form of recent seasons, this was clearly not so based on the evidence of the last quarter of tonight’s match which was a grim reminder of so many 0-1 losses suffered at Cardiff City Stadium since the Covid pandemic.
City, especially Yousef Salech, will feel that referee Jacob Miles’ decision to disallow his first half goal changed the game. Certainly, it was the sort of decision Salech just doesn’t get given in his favour in this division and I thought it was a poor call by the ref to rule that our centre forward had committed a foul.
However, I’m not too sympathetic towards our striker this time because he’d already had two headed chances that he could have done better with and there were a couple more opportunities he got wrong in a second half where, at times, it looked like he was more concerned with carrying on a running battle with Burton defenders or arguing the toss with the officials.
Joel Bagan, so assured when passing the ball, blazed a very presentable chance into the upper rows of the family stand as City’s strong and impressive first half an hour or so was undermined by familiar final third problems such as wingers staying out wide when crosses were dropping into areas just beyond the far post on their side of the pitch.
Not having enough bodies in dangerous areas for a crosser to aim for offered some excuse for a half time successful crosses figure of just three out of fifteen, but only some – failing to pick out our own players when in space close to the bye line has been a season long weakness.
As the opportunities came and went for City, a few heads began to drop it seemed and Burton could have been ahead when Nathan Trott just about kept out George Evans’ point blank header and Charlie Webster had a couple of opportunities from the edge of the area that he could have done better with.
Salech’s best header of the night set up a great chance for Cian Ashford quite early in the second half, but the winger’s well struck shot flew straight at keeper Collins who was to have a pretty quiet night of it all told.
Salech then wasted another good chance provided by sub Callum Robinson’s neat through ball as City got worse and worse as the belief gained by all of the good things they’d done in the first two months of the season drained away.
Although Burton were not looking too dangerous themselves, there was no a definite feeling that the visitors could nick it late on against a City side that were now a shadow of the one that had briefly run rampant for a while at the start of the match. On 82 minutes the goal arrived as Webster scored at the third attempt following all manner of missed opportunities to clear and half hearted tackling from a frazzled home team.
Although the game dragged on for nearly twenty minutes after the goal, City never looked like equalizing and so, for the first time I’d say, BBM has some really serious issues to try and sort out before we play again – I wish him luck in that because it seems to me that a lot of those issues are deep seated and long lasting ones even if tonight was probably the first time he’d seen evidence of them.
In complete contrast, the under 21s served up a reminder of how effective the type of football BBM wants the first team to play can be if you can get tha early goal. Jake Davies’ deflected shot had us 1-0 up at Leckwith this afternoon against Millwall inside the first ten minutes and Will Spiers made it two from the penalty spot in added time at the end of the first period. The second half saw a couple of quick fire goals from Mannie Barton complete a 4-0 win that was as impressive as the scoreline suggests.
The youngsters’ pace and movement made Millwall’s big defenders look leaden footed by comparison and opponents who are always competitive at this level were blown away by the end as both the under 21s and 18s continue what are largely successful seasons without any signs of what is the first team’s increasing, and concerning, fragility.
Yes, Paul, and after what we did do and didn’t do last night, I think our manager/coaching staff should simply instruct all our players to practice crossing the ball into the box, and tell them that they must ALWAYS look to see if a pass forward to or towards a fellow player is possible before passing across or back .. and all ‘forwards’ and ‘mid-fielders’ must practise SHOOTING since that’s what is expected of them when they are in or near the opposing team’s penalty area, and that’s where they should be as often as possible!
Paul compadre,
A fine report with a number of deep truths expressed, Like Salech being too busy to get in the ref’s ear throughout… and I am fairly certain this led the ref to making his only serious mistake of the night… an already burgeoning dislike for our Dane, leading him to disallowing a perfectly fine goal (which came from one of the very few City crosses on the night). Loved your image incidentally of air being let out of a balloon.
Loved also Graham’s observation that we were reverting to our old ‘passing square and backwards’ tedious build up. So true. Even Lawlor who you normally can guarantee will pass forward, was taking the safe option last night. Just a couple of good penetrative passes from him.
As for the team generally…
Poor Salech has gone backwards… half his problem is his manager ignoring his need for a companion up top. Even when he brought Robbo on last night to accompany Salech, he insisted on playing him 20 yards behind Salech. No good… Salech is not cut out to be a Wyn Davies or a Mark Hughes.
Our other problems stem from having no wingers that I can see… other than the injured Tanner (oh if only that boy had pace!)… and Willock and Ashford are just incapable of beating a man on the outside and taking the ball down to the byline to cross for our aerial threat. Mind you, if they could do just that, I am not sure that on current form, either of our two strikers could turn those crosses into goals.
The thought occurs, going back to Salech’s constant moaning, that a visit from rugby’s Alun-Wyn Jones would be desideratum at the CCS.
This guy was a master at ‘playing’ a referee: he knew well the psychology of keeping in the ref’s good books, for you never knew when you might need that ref to make a vital call in your favour. Who can forget him in the last minute of that final Lions test match in NZ…?
https://tinyurl.com/4es6yajh
When it comes to referees, Ashford is another chap with Salechitis. He has that Rhondda chippy approach that I can say from personal experience is bred in the bone of many of us.
Of all the City players to disappoint me right now, maybe Ronan Kpakio takes first place. And do you know what? I reckon that his problem is that despite whatever Craig Bellamy believes to the contrary, right back is not his position. Quite what is I don’t know, but Ronan does not have a defender bone in his body. His tackling is reminiscent of Andy Rinomhota’s. I wish he would shoot more… like he did against Peterborough.
I want to mention two other things… first my bewilderment with the player ratings on WalesOnline. Absurdly optimistic… indeed, away with the fairies.
And second, and at much greater length, my new love: the Plymouth Argyle ‘The Life of Pie’ vlog.
I have just posted the following long comment on their most recent YouTube posting. Alas YT don’t allow the posting of links, so I had to plug MAYA in longhand, so-to-speak.
‘…
I am a veteran Cardiff fan exiled in the Far East… east of ENGLAND that is.
I am strangely hooked on this vlog… and its most unlikely disparate band of supporters… but a REAL band of brothers they truly are. A credit to their club.
I write fairly regularly on my favourite CardiffCity blog… (please google ‘Cardiff City Mauve and Yellow Army’ and go to the responses to the recent report dated 28/9 on Wigan 0 – Cardiff 2… headed ‘only negative in a very impressive away win is we need to be more ruthless’.)
Please check out the 5th and 6th comment in the responses from me. Apols in advance lest there be any misunderstanding for my use of ‘autistic’: trust me, far from it being a slur, I use the word as a high compliment. I am suggesting Sam has a divine ‘other worldly’ quality.
Before closing, I recently gently chided the esteemed Pie for saying ‘Atlético Bilbao’… pointing out that it was really ATHLETIC Club de Bilbao… as unlike Atleti in Madrid, the Basque club was founded by an Englishman, and the club is proud of its traditions.
But listening to my favourite EPL manager (the boy Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth) on Football Focus three days ago, I note he talked of signing at the age of 16 for ‘the Athletic Club’…
And that reminded me of something I learned years ago, but had of late forgotten, viz… that true fans of the club, object to the use of ‘Bilbao’. They just refer to ATHLETIC CLUB… period. To them it is as absurd as saying ‘Everton, Liverpool’, or ‘Aston Villa, Birmingham’.
Signing off now… envious of your 4-0 win at Burton, when we laboured in vain at home against them last night, succumbing to a late sucker punch.
We had a perfectly good Salech goal mysteriously disallowed just before halftime, but that apart we never looked like scoring past their three buses protecting their goal. Their keeper hardly had a proper save to make… and they have a ‘long throw’ merchant, whereas our new boss BBM has acute Pepitis and has drunk deeply from the well of his former boss, Guardiola, and despises such agricultural techniques… but under Warnock we had Plymouth born Sean Morrison, Scotland’s Callum Paterson and Welsh international, Will Vaulks. Even then though, we never really valued their throws: you don’t… until you miss them. I am reminded of the verse ‘If you have a mother/Cherish her with care/For you never know her value/Till you see her empty chair.’
And boy, seeing how the Burton ‘long throw’ merchant put us under pressure last night with his throws, and in addition used it to relieve pressure defensively, made me realise that instead of ‘goalkeeping coaches’ all clubs should employ a ‘throw-in’ coach. Much more profitable. Now alas, our throw-ins are pathetic 10-15 yard affairs… and often backwards.
~ Dai Woosnam, Grimsby.
…’
TTFN,
Dai
Thank-you, Paul, for such a coherent post after the anguish of last night. How did you do it? Where to start?
Two months in and I’m sure I’d have settled for this points’ total; but it could (and should?) have been even better. It is clear that BB-M’s preferred formation is 4231 and we’ve managed to get some good results from it. However it has its limitations, at least the way City play it when confronted with a team that plays with three-at-the-back. Salech might just as well have been marooned on a desert island for much of the start of the season, so isolated he has been from any other City player. Inherent in this ONE striker against THREE defenders and inverted wingers, who rarely take an opponent on the outside, we have seen that it stymies creativity and goals. With our one against three up top that means we should have two spare players … but not if those two players hold a defensive position in front of our defence (as did Wintle and Turnbull last night). It may be a very harsh thing to say after coming in this summer, letting 17 players go and only bringing three but, I’ll say this quietly: I hope BB-M is not a one-trick-pony, a la Ruben Amorim or Russell Martin, with one formation to play irrespective of the opposition’s set-up. Salech has been given a thankless job. Surely you must play to your strengths. It was not until the fag-end of the game that Salech had support.
Last night:
• Trott … played well
• Ng & Bagan … were the pick of the team
• Fish & Lawlor … had pretty comfortable outings
• Wintle & Turnbull … did nothing wrong but were deployed 20 yards too deep
• Ashford & Willock … infuriate me due to their incessant cutting inside and frittering away possession.
• Colwill … executed a couple of beautiful reverse passes but lost most of his possession due to hanging on to the ball too long
• Salech …back in the day, workers used to have double pay for working on the weekends; Salech deserves double pay for not having a player within 20 yards of him.
The latest contestant to turn up for the roadshow that is the Worst Referee in the EFL Award was Mr Jacob Miles of Sussex. Already, this soon into the season, we are spoilt for choice for candidates. During such an encounter as last night’s, in bygone decades, a younger Arthur, as he was in the 60’s & 70’s, without fail used to bellow, “Oi! They picked you up on the way down, did they ref?” The second half challenge on Ng in the box was a nailed-on penalty if ever there was. Disallowing the first half Salech goal was both surreal and plain wrong …
https://x.com/PEBradbury/status/1973275396725760135?t=Os1ssgZw4y-QOdXvqCCNaw&s=08
There were others, too many to comment on, but I don’t have the energy for that … it’s too weakening. It’s bad enough to see them in the flesh without writing about them afterwards.
To end this post, City need to play 442 when confronted with a sweeper. We’ve made too many pigs ears of it so far.
Trott;
Ng/Kpakio, Fish, Lawlor, Bagan;
Kellyman/Tanner, Osho, Colwill (J), Davies;
Salech, Robinson
Well, onwards and upwards. Let’s hope for a much better afternoon on Saturday.
Hi Paul and all.
Still reeling from last night – didn’t see that coming but we got done!
All comments already well- made on here regarding our problems in scoring and breaking down a team who just came to defend and hit on the break.
Our great possession stats and passes completed don’t mean anything if we can’t get the ball in the net!
Good start but then felt as though a goal would just happen from one of the numerous chances created . However, I did feel we needed something before the break as pattern of missed chances and Burton’s time-wasting was already emerging and really ramped up in the second half. Every throw in and corner seemed to take a minute and then their “cramp” and “ injuries” completely killed any momentum and took huge chunks of time out of the game.
We did not react and seemed so pedestrian. Our ball- playing centre backs were looking for gaps and runners and did their best to create something , whereas our midfield struggled all game to do the same. As everyone has mentioned, our wingers seem incapable or unwilling to beat a man on the outside and final balls in from wide positions are frequently poor – for all of our possession. I just assumed BBM would introduce a Plan B early in the second half, but it just got worse. Players heads dropped and it felt like a last season game by the end with ponderous backwards and sideways passing and with the crowd unable to give the players a lift.
Having said all of the above, we had more than enough chances to win and cannot really complain despite dodgy refereeing again.
Have to hope that a massive lesson has been learned and BBM sorts it out in training and in team selection and tactics for next time. Golden opportunity spurned last night??
Apologies for not being across the replies as much as I’d like to be lately. Unfortunately, Cardiff City Supporters Trust stuff is taking up far more of my time than it normally would because we have something like a “hostile takeover” going on at the momentfollowing a large influx of new members over the past couple of months.
Having has a bit of time to consider what happened on Tuesday, I find myself somewhat bemused at what BBM has been saying about Alex Roberston. It seems he has not got himself into A1 training condition like the rest of the squad, but I’d say one of the few things we can be fairly sure about in the last few, wildly contrasting, games is that a midfield two of Turnbull ans Wintle, as selected for the last two home defeats, is not working.
I think there are a few things that could be done to sort out that midfield issue, but I reckon our lack of quality and ruthlessness in the final third is harder to sort out because it’s more ingrained as well as being a weakness that not too many of our players will be able to do much to improve.
It’s becaue of that I am not too confident that, say, changing to two up front would work. However, although we have to accept that, even with recent hiccups, we’re not doing badly at all so far this season, it needs to be said that our good start owes more to our goals against record than it does our goals for one. Even when. we were scoring three’s and fours, we were never fully convincing in front of goal and so maybe we should try something like two up front now or some other change of formation? .