A Cardiff City fan who did not watch today’s 2-1 win at Queens Park Rangers could read that both of the goals came from headers from corners and be forgiven for thinking that this was another typical late 2023 type victory with an element of luck to it, but they would be wrong.
While there were things that could be criticised about City’s display, this was a well deserved win and I think the last time I could truthfully say that would be following either the Huddersfield or Bristol City games in October.
Where we were lucky I suppose is that the home team were without influential performers such as Willock and Chair, but we did a good job of beating what was in front of us on a ground where we had lost on five out of our last six visits and we were able to climb five places in the mega competitive middle reaches of the Championship to ninth.
I’ll mention that this takes us to within three points of the Play Off positions even though I feel talk of finishing in the top six with the current squad is pie in the sky. However, I can remember talk during the autumn about how Vincent Tan might be persuaded to “have a go” by spending more than anticipated in January if we were sufficiently close to the action to make a top six finish a realistic possibility.
Well, I’m not going to be a hypocrite and conveniently forget I have been criticising the squad for being short on basic technical qualities when it comes to ball control and giving and receiving passes, but, despite these fundamental faults, we have been able to stay within contention and we’ve managed to reach the opening of the transfer window in a much healthier shape than I was expecting us to do about a fortnight ago.
Erol Bulut and his players should be applauded for this. Realistically, we will need to sign some excellent players in the next four weeks or so to be challenging for a top six place come May, but, in a way, you can say that the current players have kept their part in the bargain and now need the help in the shape of new players to take the next step.
I’m not aware of any news yet regarding how serious Karlan Grant’s injury which forced him off the pitch against Leicester, is, but he was missing today as City made a couple of changes from Friday with Rubin Colwill coming in for Grant and Yakou Meite for Josh Bowler.
With the home side having lost the momentum three successive wins in late November had given them and currently on a run of five winless matches where their only goal has come from an opposing player, this was the sort of game that even a struggling City side should be looking to win, especially as Rangers have the worst home record in the division.
The early minutes were encouraging from a City point of view as, rather than sit back and look to absorb pressure like they have been doing recently, they took the initiative and while they weren’t steamrolling the home side they were forcing them back with the ball being played forward in a pleasant change from recent weeks.
City’s superiority was built around the fact that our midfield three were in control – Joe Ralls after a below par showing against Leicester was back in more typical 23/24 form and was able to play the whole game, Manolis Siopis was much more like his old self as he turned in his best display in weeks and Ryan Wintle again showed that he’s a better player than he’s often given credit for – I’d still prefer to see someone else used in the number ten type role, but there was no doubt that Ralls, Siopis and Wintle were a trio that worked well on this occasion.
Ralls would soon show as well that his poor set piece delivery on Friday was just a blip when, on sixteen minutes, his inswinging corner was powerfully met by Dimitrios Goutas from ten yards and his header flew beyond Asmir Begovic and into the corner of the net.
What was most impressive about the Greek centreback’s fourth goal of the season was that two Rangers defenders had a hold of him at different times as the corner came over, but he was able to break clear of them to get his head on the ball.
Having been encouragingly positive in gaining a lead, we now come to the first of two aspects of the game that I found a bit disappointing. The first was that against opponents who were playing poorly and had the crowd beginning to get on their back, we could have put the game beyond Rangers if we’d been able to step things up a bit and chased a second goal.
I say that while recognising that this was the fourth match of a tough and unforgiving holiday programme and so there may not have been much left in the tank for many of the players, but we seemed to be content to just hold on to our lead, albeit against opponents who just could not get their attacking game going at all.
Rangers couldn’t keep on playing so badly though and in the five or ten minutes before half time there were signs of a change in the balance of power- rather like City, dominance did not equal chances galore for QPR, but there were little signs that the home team could be in business where previously there had been no hope for them.
The second disappointing aspect was how City started the second half. The word “passive” has been used quite a lot in recent weeks to criticise the team’s attitude and there was more of it here as the home side stepped up the intensity after the break and soon equalised when sub Rayan Kolli’s crossed to the far post where Paul Smyth got free of Jamilu Collins to jab a close range shot past Jak Alnwick.
The game was there for the winning for Rangers now, but they were unable to take the next step and it was soon City who were suggesting they had a second goal in them.
It was Colwill, again looking the City player most likely to “make something happen”, who was most responsible for the change as he, first, went on a surging run that ended with him getting away a shot that brought a fine save from Begovic as he tipped the ball around the post. From the resultant corner, it was good to see us trying something different as the ball was worked to Colwill whose first timer from twenty five yards had the keeper diving again to turn the ball aside.
Another player to improve on recent performances was Josh Bowler who came on for Kion Etete as Meite switched to centre forward and it was the winger who next forced Begovic into action as he made what might have been his best save from Bowler’s shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Around this time, there was some booing from the away fans when Colwill was taken off and replaced by Ollie Tanner, but, within seconds, Colwill was joining in with the celebrations as Begovic blundered this time by coming for, but missing, Wintle’s corner to leave Perry Ng with a simple far post header to record his fourth goal of the season.
Ebou Adams and Jonathan Panzo came on for Siopis and Collins as City looked to see out what was now a much more end to end game and this they largely did without alarms apart from when they got in a mess dealing with a long throw and Meite’s header fell to sub Sinclair Armstrong whose header from no more than five yards looked to be crossing the line only for Alnwick to claw it out with the save of the game.
One final thought, it strikes me that City are reverting to what they’ve been for three seasons now – strugglers at home who find it very hard to create chances and a more dangerous away team who have it in them to score goals more readily than at Cardiff City Stadium possibly because they are able to play on the break without the expectation which comes in home games..
My 3rd visit to QPR but the first time I’ve seen us pick up points there. I agree with your match report but am disappointed with the comments on the message boards re Etete’s performance. It looked like we were playing 4 – 1 – 4 -1 formation with Siopis sitting in from of the back 4. Etete was very isolated on his own up front against 2 big central defenders (Dunne and Clarke-Salter) – Whilst someone like Keiffer Moore can hold the ball up well and occupy defenders, Etete’s strength is with balls to his feet or running at players. Our performance went up a gear when Bowler came on and Meite took Etete’s place but another subtle change was Wintle pushing further forward and helping Meite squeeze QPR when they tried to play it out from the back – Etete did not have this help when he was on. I remember how hard it was for Kenny Miller when he played alone up front under Malky’s first season with us, he would run himself into the ground every game for very little reward.
Mostly agree with all that’s been written. Just wanted to add to BBI that as well as Wintle, I thought Tanner did a very good job of closing QPR down at the back, when he came on, and meant that they opted for more longer balls, and disrupted their build-up. I also think it was a little harsh for Paul to just blame Begovic for our second goal. I think he’d lost confidence in his central defence following our first goal, so almost made up his mind to come for Wintle’s corner whatever. Unfortunately for Beg, Wintle’s delivery was excellent, and not one he would have chosen to come for normally, and that caused the error. Seeing also the excellent corner delivery from Ralls for our first goal just made we wonder why our corner delivery against Leicester was so poor, especially as I believe we’ve scored more goals this season from set-pieces than anyone else in the Championship.
Buongiorno Paul and all MAYAns…
Gee, I feel that I should become a founder member of the Dunces’ Club… after my recent comments that Bulutball was more negative than even Russell Slade’s approach… I think that rather hyperbolically, I went way back further to 1962-4, when George Swindin’s team were paradoxically one of the highest scorers in the division, but then they should have been, given that they had a dazzling array of a forward line… a dangerous hotshot left winger like Peter Hooper (22 league goals in season 62-63); with the gifted speedy Peter King and the tricky Alan McIntosh battling for the right wing berth; Derek Tapscott signed from Arsenal a few years previously still with the ability to make penetrative runs (what we now call ‘the number 8 role’… which in his case was very apt because that was his number); and at centre forward, the gifted Mel Charles who doubled playing up front with playing in his favourite position of right half; and a peerless true ‘number 10’ Ivor Allchurch making them all tick.
So how could Swindin be accused of being negative? Especially since he bought Mel’s nonpareil brother as centre forward in the summer of 1963?
Simple. The accusation was not that they did not score enough goals (impossible with forwards like them), but that they sat on a lead and challenged the opposition to break them down… which alas they did with surprising regularity.
But hey… that is all years and years ago. And those were days when the current Archbishop of Canterbury was still too young to be an altar boy. So let’s get up to date… and the game at Loftus Road… the happiest I have been in watching 90 minutes of us there, since the days I was there in the flesh and saw Leighton Phillips score a scorcher to give us the win.
Preamble over.
Thanks Paul for lighting my darkness by putting your finger on Erol Bulut’s playing philosophy… viz… to ‘go for it’ away from home, but to be ultra cautious at the CCS, passing backwards and square instead of passing forward. And the reason? One suspects that away from home, teams are coming at us and leave gaps for our attackers to run into: whereas when they come to the CCS they often ask us to break them down… and this is often beyond Mr Bulut’s tactical nous.
But for sure Paul, our performance at Loftus Road was truly refreshing. I reckon every player – with the probable exception of Collins – was at least a 7 out of 10… with Colwill, Ralls and Siopis being the standouts. Nice to see the workrate of Etete, Méité and Bowler… all showing they are proper footballers. And as Blue Bayou* says, Ollie Tanner deserves a mention in dispatches.
I still wish though that they would take a leaf out of the Vincent Tan Playbook and shoot more. About 5 or 6 years ago I wrote on MAYA that we should have training sessions at The Vale, where our players are instructed to shoot from 30 yards… but instead of aiming for ‘top bins’, players must be instructed to aim for the whites of the goalie’s eyes.
And why? Well because at the moment, players everywhere are aiming for the top corners, and hitting the corner flag, or Row Z above the goal.
Such is the imperfection of the modern footballer, if he aims to hit the keeper, I promise you that he will instead often score a ‘worldy’.
And talking of ‘kicks’… I cannot let the occasion go without my regular paean of praise for Jak’s many fantastic long 55/65 yard kicks at Loftus Road. I only recall two not finding their man. Such a change from our Warnock days when Neil would seemingly curiously instruct his keepers to aim for the flag on the halfway line… and the ball would often go straight into touch…!!
*I always see you as ‘Roy’ in my mind’s eye.
… Roy Orbison…
DW.
Hello Paul and every one – a Happy New Year to you all, and what a surprise that was – a rare win on the first day of a year, and the manner of it was even more surprising, thoroughly deserved even if we had less possession. The answer, a functioning midfield for once with attackers prepared to “attack”, Colwill in particular.
I tend to agree with Dai’s analysis of performance stats with the exception that I would award our Greek goalscorer at least one possibly two more points (an inspired signing by Mr.Bulot). I wonder also whether the somewhat haphazard efforts of Collins was as a result of his new ghastly hairstyle!! He was clearly sitting too long in the barber’s chair.
I suspect we are all awaiting news of possible newcomers, but the information appearing that the Manager was to have meetings yesterday to discuss these issues came as somewhat of a surprise as I thought that these matters had been addressed before Christmas. Perhaps the Club are awaiting the returns of Messrs Ramsey and O’Dowda, but also I would have hoped that they had already earmarked who they really wanted and their affordability and prepared to act quickly rather than any last minute desperate purchases.
Thanks all for your replies, sorry, but I won’t be able to reply in my usual detail because I’ve got an early morning appointment that I can’t miss.