Cardiff take advantage of Villa slip and the promotion finishing line comes into view.

11 Responses to Cardiff take advantage of Villa slip and the promotion finishing line comes into view.

1. Jeff Blight says:

   March 14, 2018 at 7:57 am

   Very good summary as always Paul.

   I enjoyed watching the game on tv and would agree it was a very impressive performance, every player merited a minimum 7 at least.

   The Warnock game plan is effective and making a nonsense of the stats. Brentford struggled with our physicality as most teams do. Its all very well playing pretty football but at the end of the day its about putting the ball in the onion sack.

   With the buffer we now have and the winning run, the team must be feeling confident they can finish the job. QPR did us a big favour, perhaps they can repeat it against Fulham.
2. BJA says:

   March 14, 2018 at 8:52 am

   Paul = Cracking report as always. I watched the game at my son’s house, and we both agreed that after the first few minutes, we were in for a right old pasting. Brentford were good, and were creating chances almost at will, but after Maupay’s goal, we stood firm and Etheridge was outstanding. I have the feeling that those in front of him must take great encouragement knowing that they have a very efficient last line of defence which must add to their own determination to put their bodies on the line – which they did frequently.
   Bamba’s goal strike was perfection, with Paterson’s not being far behind. But as my son and I agreed, our second came out of the blue and only confirms your own view that we have an attacking ability, reinforced by statistics that show how many of our attempts are on target.
   Because we never seem to win the possession statistics, the second half did cause a few anxieties, but thankfully, our Kenneth’s strength and commitment in reaching the knockdown to prod the ball home eased my worries and in truth, we may well have increased our lead had it not been for some stout Bees defending.
   So a very solid performance all round, and a team spirit that commands respect. Villa’s reverse only added to our own success. Difficult games lay ahead, but if we continue to perform as we did last night, a top two spot awaits.
3. Mike Ellesmere says:

   March 14, 2018 at 9:26 am

   Thanks Paul for all your fantastic reports.
   What a night for Cardiff City. Our 2 games against Brentford say everything about the Bluebirds.
   Last night Clive Allen said it was a combination of Pace & Power but I would add Character, Team Spirit and an unbelievable will to win. It isn’t over but Villa have gone from Hero to Zero in 4 days.
4. Anthony Evans says:

   March 14, 2018 at 12:32 pm

   Hi Paul, thanks again for the great report.
   I was expecting a bad night at Brentford but what a really professional job the team carried out. Great result there.
   I think Etheridge deserves a mention in the way he’s progressed. He’s always been a good shot stopper but his kicking was a major cause for concern and you got the feeling the defence never had much confidence in him. I saw none of this last night or the last few games and thought he had an excellent game and has improved greatly this season.
   I’m a bit fed up listening to everybody (media) talking down about our style. I think the rule is that you don’t take chances and hoof it away if there’s nothing on. Maybe a bit crude but it’s for sure effective. We don’t often lose goals messing about in possession (like Grujic last night). Add to this that we are great to watch going forward and I can live with a few hoofs up the field, rather than watching pointless tippy tappy passing between the back four and midfield. Maybe check out the link to see that passing is used to measure possession a lot and you’ll see why our figures are low
   http://leastthing.blogspot.dk/2012/02/how-ball-possession-is-measured-in.html
   We’re not there yet but would need a major collapse now not to get promoted.
   Unbelievable what NW and his staff have done considering the injuries this year.
5. huw perry says:

   March 14, 2018 at 7:20 pm

   Thanks for the report Paul. Very informative as ever.
   Missed the game as no access to sky and no radio coverage due to being away. Therefore Followed via text commentary on the bbc app and after 5 mins was fearing the worst.
   I should have had more faith as your report and highlights I have now seen confirmed our pace and power again saw us through.
   Agree that Brentford were one of the easier on the eye teams to visit us this year but,again, no match for us once we get our power game going.
   Yes we have some tough games coming up but there is some clear daylight building now and momentum on our side. Keeping everything crossed but last night and 7 on the bounce is a fantastic achievement.
6. russell roberts says:

   March 14, 2018 at 7:41 pm

   Thanks Paul I though the same as you they had a “touch of the Fulham” only a touch though , it was a game I think a lot of us felt we might be beaten , well that did not happen , even after there express train start .

   I felt they tried to be too clever , and did not have the physical answer to our power and strengths in the conflict of winning mucky balls .

   Patterson for me is fast becoming a legend, he unsettles so many , his power in the box is massive and you see why hes in midfield as an enforcer .

   I would hate to face us in defend corners ,and I’m beginning to wonder as team watch and learn more about us we maybe developing a psychological fear factor before we even kick a ball , and that is supported my by the many negative comments we are receiving from the sexier clubs and their managers.

   We have developed winning mentality which will be hard to shift , we have gone through a rough patch and we know how and why so that may rule out a big dip like that again .

   A win against Derby , I think may seal our destiny .

   Olie please get QPR up once again on Saturday , for yer old mate Warnock
7. HarryKirtley'sGhost says:

   March 15, 2018 at 6:42 am

   Paul,
   In a dazzling report, this paragraph especially stood out: what a fine sporting analogy it is…

   ‘…
   In boxing terms, City had suffered an early knock down and were on the ropes looking to hold on in an attempt to ride out the Brentford storm – what I had not acknowledged though was that, occasionally, we were able to get off those ropes and put together some useful little clusters of punches ourselves at times.
   …’

   Splendid.

   In a wonderful team effort, two players stood out for me. First, Neil Etheridge.

   You will recall that I stood up for this fellow when some of our MAYA brethren renounced him thrice before the cock crowed. My only complaint has been his occasional desire to find players on the touchline with his kicks, and then almost invariably find touch.*

   But as a keeper, it seems to me that his athleticism is top notch, and I particularly applaud his starting positions and speed in coming out to smother emergencies. And on a quirkier note…gee, I love his …TOGS.

   That pale turquoise goalkeeping kit is quite the most beautiful on display in the whole four tiers…!! And to borrow and slightly take a liberty with that catchphrase of the late Frank Carson: “It’s the way he WEARS it, sure it is…!!”

   Goodness…were I forty years younger, I might even start to question my lifelong heterosexuality…!!??

   And the we come to SuperCal. All my claims expressed to you on the day we signed him from Hearts, have not turned out to be even remotely hyperbolic.

   Not only will he one day captain Cardiff City, he will captain his country too.

   * We should though be thankful for small mercies. At least he does find touch with his inaccurate kicks: as you say, Daniel Bentley’s attempt at “playing the ball out” with a kick aimed deliberately to a teammate standing on the touchline, ended up in SuperCal scoring our second goal.
8. Colin Phillips says:

   March 15, 2018 at 8:14 am

   Thank you, Paul and fellow responders.

   Except for the worrying opening ten minutes or so I thought we put in an excellent performance.

   A couple of thoughts we need a fully fit right back please. Much as I admire Manga as a centre-back he is a rather mediocre full-back. He doesn’t look comfortable there and it seems to affect his confidence and judgement. We are doing surprisingly well in midfield during the absence of Joe Ralls, plenty of energy from all three. I think Damour is probably guilty of trying too hard, desperate to impress Warnock into making him a starter. Hoilett is probably the first name on the team sheet, he is much the most threatening attacking player in the side. Our Ken is showing glimpses of his best and I think I saw him get quite a powerful header!! on target. Menzies-Laing is a bit of an enigma, probably winning the Championship Player of the Month early in the season didn’t do him any favours, not just that it may have given him the wrong idea of his ability but it alerted other teams to the threat he posed and they endeavoured to stop him, successfully as it has turned out.

   Brentford were very impressive early but as soon as we woke up and worked them out they seemed to run out of ideas and enthusiasm. They seemed to have a problem in the middle of the defence and the area just in front of that, basically where Patterson scored his goal and we had a couple of other chances that were either blocked or saved.

   I would dearly love to see us beat Derby on Sunday they are one of my least favourite teams.
9. The other Bob Wilson says:

   March 15, 2018 at 11:01 am

   Too much house moving stuff going today to reply in any great detail to your much appreciated messages, but a couple of things took my eye – thanks for the link Anthony, having read that and bearing the fact that we are the team who are at the bottom of the number of passes per match stats in mind, we are always going to struggle to get more than 50/50 possession on the Opta stats.
   Dai, didn’t I see somewhere that Etheridge has been a male model in his time?
   One other thing, welcome on board Mike (I believe that was your first contribution on here).
10. Colin Phillips says:

    March 15, 2018 at 11:18 am

    Good luck with the move, Paul.

    Bloody stressful.

    Thanks for keeping the blog going.
11. Steve Perry says:

    March 15, 2018 at 11:48 am

    With over 2 1/2 hours to waste after our early arrival at Griffin Park on Tuesday night, the anticipated road chaos not materialising, much time was available to ponder the possible outcomes of Match 37 of the 2017-2018 season. Few could have budgetted for the way the initial minutes progressed when proceedings actually got under way. After 20 minutes, foreboding must have gripped most of the Blue Army packed behind Neil Etheridge ‘s goal. Thankfully the events that unfolded in the following 70 plus minutes radically wrestled control back in a game that was well on the way to being lost and list emphatically. As the final minutes of the game ebbed away this fan had come to the conclusion that this was the performance of the season.

    City again started with a 4411 formation; Brentford at 100 mph. Damour was the choice to partner Grujic in the centre of the City midfield and the customary Paterson behind Zohore. Playing a 4231 system with both full backs and both flank players hugging the touchlines two chasms of space existed down the home teams inside right and inside left channels. With Paterson ostensibly playing well forward City’s four were simply stretched and over-run by Brentford’s five. The Bees repeatedly made incisive runs, utilising the space available. One-nil down, after 5 minutes, Brentford could have had three by the 15th.

    What City needed to do tactically, and did, was akin to plunging your head in an ice-cold bath to clear the head. City upped their game, Paterson dropped 10 yds deeper, thought quicker and, like their hosts, started moving the ball more quickly.

    After Brentford’s very good start Bamba’s excellent strike just inside the left hand post sent a shock wave through the home team. Paterson’s late arrival into the Brentford box before coolly hitting the ball high into the middle of the goal made it 2-1 to the Bluebirds on the stroke of half time. Thankfully a superhuman effort by one and all had rescued the first half of a game that could have been out of sight had it not been for good goalkeeping and last ditch defending.

    Only one more goal came during a far more assured last half of the game. Zohore darted in between Brentford ‘keeper and centre half to toe-poke the ball into the left hand back corner of the net via the left post. Absolute carnage followed between the Brentford goal line and City fans as another human pyramid of players was constructed, Bamba once again placing himself on top, to celebrate the 3-1 scoreline.

    Following so soon on from the recent penalty controversy at CCS this game, too, was not without a number of incidents in the box:

    – Grujic clearly handled a ball that was crossed into the penalty area
    – a Brentford player on the ground handled the ball
    – the Brentford goalkeeper clearly clattered into the onrushing Zohore.

    In each case no penalty was awarded. In fairness to the ref he was probably unsighted for the second incident whilst the last one, which left Zohore on the deck, might have viewed as an accidental collision. The Grujic handball was, from my vantage point, a clearer matter altogether.

    Again, after the game, we had the issue of an opposite manager saying that the referee had not been assertive enough in preventing City’s physical approach. The following statistics from the Fairplay League show what City fans know: City are neither overly physical or dirty. In fact City are SIXTH, one place above Wolves and only three places below Brentford (3rd). Don’t you just love managers who, through incorrect opinion, seek to justify a defeat with something like, “It wasn’t our fault. We played beautiful football but that lot of thugs got away with murder due to a weak referee.” For the record City are a tall side, athletic, powerful, close the opposition down quickly and attack with pace.

    https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/championship/fairnesstabelle/wettbewerb/GB2

    So, all visiting fans returned home to S Wales satisfied with that night’s game. Now we are just one game away from the international break and the opportunity to get more of the injured back out on the pitch for the final eight games of the season.

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