There is one type of fixture which is almost exclusively played in January. The FA Cup can pair the smallest of non league David’s with the biggest of Premier League Goliaths in the Third and Fourth Rounds, but, with the minnows having normally left the competition by the time February and the Fifth Round comes along, it’s pretty rare to get such a fixture outside of January.
Thinking back to occasions when the underdog has triumphed, it’s ironic that Hereford’s iconic win over Newcastle at Edgar Street in 1972 in the Third Round took place in February because of postponements and the fact that the game was a replay. Sutton beating Coventry in 1989 was another example and I can remember Luton and Lincoln beating top flight sides pretty recently when they were non League clubs – Lincoln being one of the few giant killers to make it into February I believe
This season, we’ve not quite got the same thing with Maidstone winning at Championship high flyers Ipswich the closest similarity to what I’m talking about. Maidstone have made it into February and the Fifth Round, but the norm for these type of fixtures is for the big side to make it through and sometimes the margin of victory can be embarrassing (hardly surprising given that there can be one hundred places plus in the English pyramid between the participants when the non league minnow meets the Premier League whale) – for example, three weeks after their heroics against Coventry, Sutton were thrashed 8-0 by Norwich at Carrow Road in the Fourth Round.
I wouldn’t mind betting that as the sixth and seventh goals hit the Sutton net that afternoon, some hack in the press box was calling them “plucky underdogs”. No matter whether they run their betters very close or they get tonked by them, non League teams that play in the Third Round of the FA Cup and beyond are always plucky!
Well, another set of plucky underdogs visited Carrow Road today except they were in the same division as Norwich! I know that to be true because I’m looking at the league table as I type this and, in fact, Norwich’s opponents are just seven places below their seventh placed hosts. Nevertheless, as I watched Cardiff City go down to a flattering 4-1 defeat today, I couldn’t get this thought that the match resembled a plucky non league minnow having their big day out in the Cup against the sort of side they could well end up facing just once in their history out of my mind.
Going back thirty five years to that game against Sutton on the same ground, I wonder whether Norwich had it easier today than they did against the part timers from Surrey? The respective scores suggests that City provided the Canaries with the tougher test and it’s also the case that we were leading for twenty minutes, but, as I mentioned earlier, that 4-1 scoreline flattered City – in fact, it greatly flattered them.
Plucky underdog teams tend to be full of honest toilers who are pretty ordinary footballers, they often have one more talented player who can decorate the tie to some extent and, if they are to become a giant killer, they need their goalkeeper to have a stormer (see Maidstone).
City qualified on two of those fronts this afternoon, they had limited toilers aplenty and, for far too short a time in the first half, Rubin Colwill was, just like he was for a while at Watford, the most influential player on the pitch.
The day started badly with the news that Aaron Ramsey and Perry Ng were out with injuries – Erol Bulut said in his post match interview that he hoped the first named would be available for next weekend’s game with Stoke and Ng has a long standing hip issue which can keep him out for short periods, but, again, the hope was he’d be available soon.
Having what I’d say were two of your best three or four technical footballers unavailable suggested that a City team in a wretched run of results and with confidence on the floor were always going to be in for a tough time and it certainly worked out that way – I still can’t work out how they came out of a completely one sided first half just 2-1 down.
The experiment with three centre backs on Tuesday at West Brom lasted just the one match with City reverting to a back four with Mahlon Romeo coming in for Ng and Jamilu Collins restored at left back. Joe Ralls was back in the midfield and Manolis Siopis returned as Ryan Wintle and David Turnbull dropped out. Karlan Grant came back after having to sit out the West Brom game because of the terms of his loan, but he started on the right as a replacement for the injured Yakou Meite.
There was to be no repeat of West Brom’s twenty nine second goal in midweek, but City should have been behind inside three minutes as Josh Sargent, who really should have been taking the match ball home with him, was presented with all of the goal to shoot at from ten yards out, but put his effort too close to Nat Phillips who was able to make a clearance off the line he had no right to.
The template for the game was set in the opening minutes as the home full backs continually impersonated wingers. They spent far more time in the City half than their own and with City too slow in mind and body and too faulty in technique to do anything to change the flow of the match.
It was so one sided that I felt like a Norwich goal was overdue when only five minutes had been played.
Besides Phillips’ clearance off the line, an effort by Borja Sainz was saved and Ashley Barnes had headed over from no more than three yards out before ten minutes had elapsed. However, from somewhere, City were able to get some possession and show their hosts that they could trouble them as well. Colwill was the source of what attacking threat City posed during this time as his balance and skill enabled him to find the room to string together some passes which caused problems down Norwich’s left flank. A neat short pass to Romeo enabled the full back to jab the ball goalwards, goalkeeper Angus Gunn blocked and the ball came back at Romeo whose wild air shot from a good position rather emphasised his out and out defender credentials.
Colwill soon combined with Grant and Romeo to find himself free in the penalty area close to the bye line on the right, his first attempt to cross was a failure, but his second one went beyond the far post to Collins of all people who turned the ball goalwards with Norwich centre back Grant Hanley unable to keep it out.
Having both of your full backs deep in your opponent’s penalty area within two minutes of each other with one of them scoring is usually a signal of attacking intent, but the truth was that the game would be over and done with before City really threatened another goal and, although there was still the odd flash from Colwill, the period where he had Norwich worried had passed.
The rest of the half was one way traffic and with Gabriel Sara hitting the post and last ditch defending galore. I was just beginning to think we could get to half time with our lead intact when Norwich put the ball in our net three times in the five minutes before the break!
I mentioned earlier that plucky underdogs need their keeper to have a great game, but, having, perhaps, been at fault with a goal in midweek, Ethann Horvarth pawed out a Sam McCallum cross (why do City’s full backs always defend so narrow? Left back McCallum was given so much room to get so many of his crosses in) straight to Sargent who scored from eight yards.
Within a minute McCallum crossed again and Barnes finished from close range, but was adjudged to be offside. I thought City got lucky there, but things evened out when Sara’s lovely free kick from twenty yards got a slight deflection which took it beyond Horvarth and into the net.
Norwich weren’t as relentless in the second half, but, after a quietish first nine minutes, they raised the tempo to present Sargent with another chance and again he was to receive Horvarth’s help in scoring. This time hough the keeper was blameless as he made a fine save to turn his fellow American internationals first shot on to a post only for the rebound to fly straight back to the striker who couldn’t miss this time.
Sargent put another good chance straight at Horvarth before sub Christian Fassnacht made it four in the seventy seventh minute with a neat finish.
As much as City were wretched, Norwich were impressive with their vibrant and pacey attacking, but will they finish in the top six? I’d say no because that attacking intent with the full backs bombing on gives their opponents a chance or two – in fact, make that four or five on today’s evidence.
Our manager made the frankly ludicrous claim on Thursday that we have been creating plenty of chances, but not taking them – I cannot remember us having one presentable chance to score in our last three, goalless, home defeats. Here however, we did have more chances than we’ve been used to lately and better sides than us will take advantage of Norwich’s approach and their occasional sloppiness – as it was, all the opportunities we were presented with showed was the lack of confidence and incisive finishing of our strikers.
The under 21s played their second game of the week yesterday afternoon when they drew 1-1 with Colchester at Leckwith. It was a very young team (Joel Colwill and Cian Ashford were missing because they were on the bench today at Norwich – they weren’t used of course). Colchester led for a long time thanks to what I thought was a soft penalty award, but Tanatswa Nyakhuwa’s late header from a cross by Morgan Wigley gave us a deserved point.
Nyakhuwa was one of three who played forty five minutes yesterday then started for the under 18s at Millwall this lunchtime when they got back on the winning trail with a good 3-0 win – no details of goal scorers I’m afraid.
Shocking
I dont think bulut can stay. He really doesn’t have a clue. I have been saying all season about full backs being narrow and rushing out to make up the gap. It happened before their first goal. Then it happened for Norwich goal. Ok its happened, dont allow it again. 2 minute later romeo is narrow, ball wide again., cross, Barnes puts ball in net.
If I can see it what cant a man who is probably paid 100k per year.
As for colliins, the least said about him the better.
What I see now is a team with no passion or desire.
A team that doesn’t car about losing.
When grant broke clear at 2-1i didn’t see the desire or energy for him to get a yard on the defence. Or look inside. Defence get back and get a block on the shot. It looked like he was treating the game like a friendly and out to not get injured.
Then you have goutasand siopis. 2 good players who have become bad players.
That is like ugbo and Adam’s who later is brilliant for Derby and ugbo 3 goals in 3. Yesterday he showed the desire to get on emd of cross for a tap in.
Then we have our wide players who think the by line is to be avoided. Our goal came from a cross from by line. It can be done. Just not by grant or Bowler.
I feel sorry for etete and dido. Like strikers past. We will destroy them.
I hate saying this but we have become a joke of a football club. A club who if a team o are on a losing streak, or a player withoutba goal for a long stretch. Target Cardiff as they are generous and will go out of their way to help.
We are setting up not to lose, but do.
Bulut said players shouldn’t get comfortable yet it’s always same old same old substitutions. Collins should have come off after 20 minutes yet stayed on 90. Yes he scored but straight away was skinned on the outside.
Saw on a blog bulut should resign. That could be our saving as we are just a few games from being in bottom 3. I cannot see another win in 14 and if that’s the case we are in trouble.
I bet other teams are looking at us as their escape from relegation.
Good Morning, Paul
In the light of your reminiscence, I should like to mention one of my own. Sixty years ago, for the splendid sum of 2s 6d, I sold my large scrapbook full of autographed photos of Cardiff players, going back (and beyond) to Alf Sherwood, famed for having Stanley Matthews in his pocket and manifestly a full-back beyond the ability we now have (especially on the left).
To my delight, my scrapbook was given back to me a few weeks’ ago. It reminds me of a period when football was entertaining and worthwhile, with players racing down the wing and and making a successful cross into the middle. I can picture Brian Walsh travelling down the righthand side and crossing an accurate ball to a position just to the left of the goal for Johnnie Watkins to volley home with his ferocious left-foot. There are plenty more examples i could mention.
Wingers were vital – think of Cliff Jones for Spurs and Wales, or the ferocious Peter McParland thundering down the wing for Aston Villa and Ireland. Think, too, of the craven, ineffective, back-peddling wing-men we are now supposed to congratulate. Are they incapable, or are they being told to do as they are told?
Either way, I’d love to see a creative team with widemen racing forward and crossing to at least one genuine goal-scorer near the goal. Our manager talks about “creating chances”. Or is he being a “chancer,” ?
Thanks as ever, Paul. Clearly the players have given up on this negative manager.
And why? Well, the rot set in with them when they saw him being duplicitous as to why he had dropped Jak Alnwick for a clearly inferior goalkeeper.
They can recognise a lack of integrity. And certainly when it came to results, the wheels started falling off the bus about then.
What has Jak done I wonder, to upset the goalkeeping coach so? And how ‘injured’ is Jak, right now?
DW
Very disappointing when we went 3-1 on 54 mins (or 4-1 down) Bulut not give Ashford or Joel Colwill a run out –
He knows what the subs he brought on can do so why not see what the youngsters can do ? He could of done the same away at Hull when we were 3 down after 60 mins.
We are not known for our ability to fight back this season so in my humble opinion it is a missed opportunity but it is Cardiff City we are talking about.
What can you say other than we are a joke club.
The full backs being too narrow is beyond a joke. It has gone on all season. We were getting caught out prior to the goal. Change it. Bulut done nought. Crossfield ball. Their full back in acres of space, Goal. Does Bulut do anything to rectify it. No. ” minutes later and ball is in net again from same type of play.
On the other side the less said about #collins the better.
The team oon a whole just do not care about losing.
We turn good players in to bad ones
Too many players have no energy or desire. typified by grant when he broke free. Tame shot, hardly broke out of 1st gear and got caught. Didnt look inside for support.
we got what we desrerved
Bulut is not a manager for the Championship.
Thanks all for your replies, even if they made for grim reading – sorry, I should not include Anthony’s in that, his reminiscences are from an era that I’m too young to have experienced, but, all football fans are able to look back to their youth when the game was, above anything else, fun. Those memories sustain you through your lifetime supporting your club and are especially relevant at times like this. However, what memories are the poor kids of, say, eight to fifteen going to have to look back with affection on in their later life? Most likely, they will have given up or will give up on City given the dross served up at home since 2921 when the grounds reopened, but if they are resilient enough to stick with the team come what may, what pleasant memories of the Bulut era will they have to tell their grandchildren about? There’s the win against Swansea of course, but I’m struggling after that. Somehow I can’t see those grandchildren being desperate to hear how Bulut would publicly call out players with the skill to create memories for not doing enough defensively and for constantly going on about the importance of what you do without the ball. For a while, Bulut’s Cardiff played dull football, but won a few, now they play dull football and lose and, increasingly, they lose without a fight.
I’m in complete agreement with so much of what’s been said. Why does Bulut just keep on recycling the same players game in, game out when he’s got two kids who are proving themselves too good for the under 21 team now, sat on the bench with no prospect at all of being used by a manager who seems to think that you’re still a youngster at 28!
I always remember reading within a day of his appointment being confirmed that Bulut builds his side around twenty nine year olds. I thought the writer was mad when I first read it, but it’s stuck in my mind and now, after he’s been picking City teams for almost seven months, I can see there’s an element of truth in it. He’s taking us down the same route as Neil Warnock did in his latter days with us – short termism with little thought being given to whether a new signing has a resale value or not.
This year, I’d say we’ve looked like a side where the manager has lost the dressing room against Leeds, Plymouth and Norwich (I’m being generous in not including Preston and West Brom). If I were a member of the City side from about November onwards when our manager kept on talking about the players he was going to bring in during the transfer window, I wouldn’t be busting a gut for someone who is hanging you out to dry basically after any game which you were beaten in. Of course, managers who are prepared to admit occasionally that they were wrong are virtually non existent, but there are ways and means of getting your message over, with Bulut, it increasingly feels as if he’s always looking for someone else to blame.
I agree with Anthony when he talks about pointless wingers, with Pr when he talks about how out of form teams and players can see our name among their imminent opponents and think that’s when the tide will turn in their favour, with Big Bill Irwin fan’s comments on Joel Colwill and Ashford and, as for Dai’s question about how injured Alnwick is, having watched him against Watford and Preston, there was something that wasn’t right with him – that said, he was still very good at Watford and couldn’t be blamed for either Preston goal, so what I would say is that Alnwick does not fall into the group of players who Bulut tries to get to play through their injuries! Another one this applies to is Callum Robinson. Yes, he’s been poor this season, but it’s pretty clear that all has not been well between him and the manager and I can’t help thinking about this when I hear Bulut’s replies when asked about when Robinson is likely to be fit again. The first thing to say is that I’ve not got the remotest idea as to what’s supposed to be wrong with Robinson – around Christmas time he was supposed to be suffering with some sort of virus which had hit some members of the squad, but now it appears that he’s suffering with an injury although, unless I’ve missed something, we’ve never even been given a hint as to its nature.
Paul,
You made a mention of ‘Colin’ our former manager.
I have just caught up with this video… and was staggered to hear Craig say at
28.30 on Neil Warnock … this…
Golly… extraordinary stuff…
Prophetic words on Ange too, toward the end…
https://youtu.be/2r_zb4CSsVg?si=nXei26T8i_4Cvcnj
Dai.
Due to a prior commitment I was only able to watch 15 minutes of the game, which was just after we took the lead and just before Norwich equalised. I saw 15 minutes of non-stop Norwich attacks and felt the inevitable would happen soon, which I felt would happen as soon as I saw Ramsey and NG missing from the match squad.
Two home games this week against teams beneath us in the league, and I feel we can get at least 4 points, even without Ramsey.
And although we’ve lost 5 out of the last 6 league games, so have Swansea, Millwall, Rotherham and next Saturdays opponents Stoke, who are all also below us in the league, so the good news is at least we should see a better league finish than last season.
My mind goes back to that abandoned Sheffield United v West Brom game Dai, pure Warnock. Blue Bayou, we need to beat Stoke to get your four points then, but, at home at least, I’m struggling to see where the next goal is coming from.