Another truly memorable home game in a season of much boredom at Cardiff City Stadium

6 Responses to Another truly memorable home game in a season of much boredom at Cardiff City Stadium

1. Blue Bayou says:

   April 21, 2024 at 11:10 am

   I’m not often a betting man (another unsuccessful Grand National bet last weekend excepted), but after Erol announced his injury illness list on Thursday, I thought I’d check the odds on our game. I found I could get 7/1 for a city win (which had become 15/2 by Saturday), although I was more tempted by 4/9 for an away win, but in the end I did neither. Pre-season I wagered £10 on Cardiff to be promoted at odds of 20/1, and I thought there was more chance of that happening than us beating Southampton yesterday.
   Just before the start of the game I was informed that ref Oliver Langford had also been the ref of our best performance of the season, our 2-1 win over Ipswich, and for some reason, that gave me some small hope that all might not be lost.
   All over the pitch there were incredible performances from our makeshift team. None of the youngsters looked out of place and Raheem Conte looked a natural right-back to me.
   After the game I even heard a couple of fans comments saying we can now afford to sell NG for big money as Conte is a ready made replacement!
   I was impressed by Erol’s more measured response after the game, saying this fixture was an easy game to introduce youngsters to the first team, as there was no pressure to reach the playoffs or avoid relegation, so he’d encouraged the youngsters to play with freedom and not worry about making mistakes.
   Whilst it’s true that Saints were profligate in front of goal, I was very impressed at how much our team were prepared to put their bodies on the line to make decisive blocks and tackles, at this stage in the season when many bodies are tired and aching. Goutas, Siopis, Phillips, Romeo, Ralls, Hovarth, I could go on…..
   You’re right what you say about Diedhou – his appearances so far haven’t set the world alight.
   However he was obviously pumped up when he came on as a sub yesterday, firstly charging down a Saints defender and winning a city corner, and then gesturing with his arms at the Canton end to increase the volume level. I thought that certainly helped change the atmosphere, and so justly got his goal IMO, and almost got another with a good header at the end.
   It’s a moot point which was our better victory – this one over Southampton or the similar score against Ipswich. I can make a case for either tbh.
   I was also struck me by the response of the opposing managers afterwards.
   Kieran McKenna was pretty philosophical after his Ipswich teams late defeat here, saying that they’d done the same to many other teams this season, and this time they’d been on the receiving end of a late winner and they’d just need to accept it and move on – which they did with three victories, starting with a 6-0 win over Sheffield Wed and then a 3-2 over Southampton.
   Yesterday, Russell Martin was in a bad mood afterwards, blaming his players for an ‘unacceptable’ performance, and barely mentioned the brilliant football they played for much of the match when in possession.
   I wonder how his players will react in their final three games.
   For us though, it’s the final home game against Boro next Saturday, and I really hope that Erol includes all the same youngsters in the matchday squad, even if some of our senior players become available in the meantime.
   Finally I mentioned ref Oliver Langford earlier. With such an exciting game I don’t actually remember much about his performance, apart from giving yellow cards to 3 Saints players, and one to Cardiff.
   I’ve been told that not remembering his performance is the sign of a good referee – so well done (again) Mr Langford!
2. Brian Andrews says:

   April 22, 2024 at 9:26 am

   Good morning Paul and BB – Paul, your, summary was of your usual high quality and a really good read, and may I add likewise to BB.
   I believe that there are some who may suggest that our manager has lost the dressing room. Well he certainly hasn’t as Saturday’s efforts prove that is not the case. All, including the couple of whom I have been critical, put in a shift of total commitment that had this observer standing up at the end applauding long and hard as the team saluted the spectators. And how fantastic was it to see the three youngsters individually at different times dash to the Canton end with unfound glee to applaud our devoted followers. In fact, I stood for some minutes after the game after the players had left the pitch almost in some disbelief at what I had witnessed. A very good moment.
   Invidious to really mention individuals, but Ashford, Conte and Giles were splendid, but I must mention the captain, Joe Ralls. I felt he was inspired on Saturday and his enthusiasm for the task was captured by everyone else. Surely his best performance of the season. And each and everyone in defence may well have had their best showing in a season with quite a few quality efforts, particularly away from home. (I read one of the messages from a Saints supporter that they should sign our two central defenders as soon as possible).
   Much as I welcomed our second goal, particularly by young Ashford, the deflection was such that should it not have been an own goal? I’m certain that if the shot had been touched by a City player, that player would have claimed it. The current practice of awarding shots into the goal after deflection by opposing defenders seems to distort what has truly happened. There was another example of that yesterday when Fernandes’ second goal struck a Coventry player and finished in the net. Thoughts anyone?
   The Canton end was in full voice when singing “Eryl Bulot, we want you to stay”. After this performance, I wonder what Mr. Tan will do. I know “one swallow does not make a summer”, but those who wore blue on Saturday seemed in tune with the supporters message.
3. Lindsay Davies says:

   April 22, 2024 at 1:05 pm

   Bravo, Paul! What sounds like a memorable afternoon merited a terrific report – and it came to pass. A superb piece by you, which has brought some warming pleasure to this Exile. Thanks.
   Here’s to the Bluebirds’ future; in the hands – and at the feet – of some talented youngsters.
4. Dai Woosnam says:

   April 23, 2024 at 3:33 am

   Dear Paul and BB,
   My thanks to you both for your detailed responses to Saturday’s events. You can both guess where I am coming from…

   Oh dear… that result has sealed it. Bulutball is here to stay. A new contract will be announced within a week, I fear.

   And all the comments on WoL are suddenly euphoric again in their praise for our purveyor of Turkish Delight… as they were after the Ipswich semi fluke.

   Amongst the cheering and the optimism, his fans seem to be saying that they think he has suddenly seen sense and started to put faith in our team’s youngsters.

   That is still to be seen methinks, as I still ‘hae me doots’… but if he has, I would say to Erol… what took you so long?

   Gee, my favourite player of my boyhood, was just 17 when he made his City debut. He established himself in our first-team, aged 18, in 1959/60 and made his senior Wales debut in October 1959, playing against England at Ninian Park in front of an all-time record attendance of 62,634, and heading a last-minute equaliser to cancel out what looked like being a Jimmy Greaves winner, in a 1-1 draw. (The twelve year old me was standing at the very front of the newly covered Bob Bank*, level with Graham as he powered home his magnificent header. How we whooped with exultant joy all the way home on the train from Ninian Park Halt.)

   Six weeks later, I recall watching on TV as he was awarded the title of Welsh Sports Personality of the Year…
   … and he was still only 18…!! And at 18, already had a ‘hinterland’ in terms of life experience. He’d been signed when working as a coal-miner in Penallta Colliery…!!

   We seem to think that Cian at 19 is still a fragile flower, vulnerable to vicious winds and even more icy opposing chopper defenders. Oh… gorblimey… spare me such modern trendy thinking…

   The adage ‘if he is good enough, he is old enough’ applies today, like it did when we gave first team debuts at 16 to John Toshack and Aaron Ramsey, and 17 to Don Murray and George Johnston. All 4 quickly became regulars in our first team squads.

   *to think I remember the Bob Bank before it was covered by a roof… hard to believe it now, but this splendid photo of the 1953 crowd for the Arsenal match, seemingly sees the ground full to the gunwales… but just six years later, I was to stand on the same Bob Bank with nearly 5,000 more of us in the stadium…!!

   https://tinyurl.com/yvnxts87

   Och… snap out of it Dai. ‘The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there’… those grand days ain’t coming back. We live in an age now where a keeper makes one very good and a few standard saves and is hailed by local press as a star… even though he was at fault for the Soton opening goal.

   Oh I nearly forgot re that photo: judging from it, interesting how in 1953, Big Tobacco could seemingly afford more advertising spend than even the highly profitable booze industry.

   Right… off to count some zeds. At 76, my beauty sleep is more necessary than ever.

   TTFN.
   Dai.
5. The other Bob Wilson says:

   April 23, 2024 at 8:58 am

   Thanks all for the replies. Blue Bayou, I think we should hang fire a bit with Conte – granted, he was superb, but, based on what I’ve seen of him in under 21 football, he’s a left sided attacking player, who can do a job as a number ten and maybe as a striker. I think he got by on adrenalin to an extent and it would be a huge ask for him to become a replacement for Ng week in, week out. I agree with you about the ref and you’re right to single out Diedhiou who was like a man possessed when he came on – I’ve been having a bot of a message board discussion about what prompted the complete turnaround in the final quarter of the game and I’ll mention some of my theories on that later, but it was claimed by someone else that it was the incident when Diediou gained that unlikely corner.
   I also agree with you about Russell Martin, he used to milk his wins over us as Swansea boss for all they were worth and although they didn’t make for pleasant viewing, I could understand why hr did it, but his reaction was little different when Southampton beat us back in December and I thought that was a bit off.
   Brian, Joe Ralls was very good on Saturday, as were Siopis and Tanner who I’ve been critical of lately. As for what prompted such a passionate response from the team, you’re probably right when you credit it to Erol Bulut, but I offered three alternative explanations that may have been responsible for it on the message board – a realisation within the team that what they came up with in the second half at Millwall was unacceptable, the realisation around the hour mark that Southampton weren’t cutting them open at will like they had done in the first half and that they could make them pay for their profligacy and, third, a few who played in the first meeting between the teams saw the chance of getting one over on Russell Martin – having some youthful energy and enthusiasm in their ranks would have helped as well – whoever or whatever was responsible though, is it a Biot churlish to wonder where that spot of response was in other games we’ve played this year like Leeds, Preston, Norwich, Swansea, Sunderland and Millwall?
   Thank you Lindsay for your kind words, City had eight representatives (plus two more who had been with City, but had been lured away by Premier league clubs) in the first Wales Under 17 squad to make it to the Euros last summer and there were three more in the squad which made it through to the next Finals tournament a few weeks ago – it would be criminal if such a rich crop of talent fell by the wayside as the latest victims of our dreadful inability to turn very promising teenagers into first team regulars over the past ten years or more.
   Dai, you’re so right about how attitudes have changed in a relatively short time – when you’ve been supporting City for as long as most of us on here have ten years is not that long a time, but, to go a further ten years back, I can remember Joe Ledley, Chris Gunter, Adam Matthews (a very talented lad who Dave Jones badly mishandled in my view), Ben Nugent and Declan John all being given their league debuts as seventeen year olds as well as Aaron Ramsey who was sixteen. Of course, that’s a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to career ourtcomes, but only Nugent did not go on to have a long career in the EFL or better – I also think of Darcy Blake who I think was eighteen when he first played who I feel could have been a Premier League player without his off field issues.
   However, despite this legacy from an Academy that was definitely serving its purposes for the first decade of its existence, the belief has taken hold in the ten years since then that someone of Rubin Colwill’s age (he’ll be twenty two on Saturday) is still some sort of kid fresh out of the Academy who should be handled carefully – the club’s history is littered with young, mostly Welsh, players who came into the team and coped well with the task of playing in the top two tiers of the game, but in Vincent Tan’s time it seems that carrying on with an approach that was successful in the past is now viewed as too much of a risk (I should say, I don’t blame our owner for this, but it might be that he had opted for too many managers who place a low priority on youth development.
   As for Erol Bulut, I still feel that it’s odd that the contract issue has not been sorted out yet if the intention is to keep him on – I’d still rather we had someone else in charge next season. I would feel differently if Saturday had persuaded me that our manager had “seen the error of his ways” in terms of using players like Ashford when there is something riding on the game and in terms of him taking the more attacking approach we saw against Southampton into next season, but I’m not in either case, I fear it will be more of the same next season even if he stays and is given a bit of money to spend in the summer.
6. The other Bob Wilson says:

   April 24, 2024 at 7:27 am

   Sorry Brian, I didn’t answer your question about whether Ashford’s goal on Saturday should have been taken away from him and recorded as a Bednarek own goal. I don’t think it should because the general rule I’ve read about such situations is that if the goal attempt pas going to hit the target then the goal should be awarded to the person having the goal attempt even if there is big deflection involved. For me, Ashford’s shot was on target and would have required saving by the goal keeper – he also caught a shot from about twenty two yards really well in the first half and it would have been interesting to see where that would have ended up if a defender hadn’t blocked it.