So now it’s five straight defeats for Cardiff City and with four of them being in the league, all of the good done by the quartet of consecutive victories which had us closing in on a Play Off place in mid December has been lost – we’re back looking like the lower mid table side that the large majority of displays this season have suggested we are.
On the Saturday before Christmas, we were comfortably seen off 2-0 by Championship leaders Norwich City at Carrow Road and, in truth, we left East Anglia grateful that the margin of defeat wasn’t higher.
Since then, we’ve been deservedly beaten at home by Brentford, gave a performance in the 2-1 defeat at Wycombe that, in my view, has only Swansea and Coventry as possible rivals for our worst of the season so far and were somewhat unfortunate to be beaten by a single goal in the FA Cup at Forest last weekend.
Today, by a quirk of the fixture list, we faced Norwich in the return fixture at Cardiff City Stadium less than a month after the first meeting and it was no great surprise to see the league leaders leave with all three points – it finished 2-1 and, like all but one of our recent losses, the margin of defeat did not reflect our opponent’s superiority.
In City’s defence, they had to go in with last week’s makeshift defence of Leandro Bacuna at right back and teenager Joel Bagan at left back on either side of Curtis Nelson and Joe Bennett – of those, I would say only Nelson, who has been less impressive this season than he was in 19/20, would be likely to be a starter in our strongest team if you considered them in the positions they occupied today.
It also needs to be said mind that Norwich had issues with COVID (four players out), they had a flu outbreak in their camp and also had top scorer Teemu Pukki missing with injury. Besides this, the visitors had Wales Under nineteen keeper Daniel Barden between the sticks, but City’s all too familiar lack of creativity and a very poor referee who saw fit to give twenty six fouls against us helped ensure that the youngster had a pretty quiet afternoon of it.
So, while City had important players missing, the same could also be said about our visitors and, in a completely one sided opening forty five minutes in particular, there was no doubt at all who was coping best.
So much of Norwich’s dominance could be put down to it simply being a case of a very confident side facing one that was almost completely bereft of that quality, but it went deeper than that because there were also all of the usual City weaknesses that have been around for so long now and one or two newer ones that have emerged more recently because of the players we now have at the club.
It’s quite remarkable in a way that City have been able to maintain their standing as a top half Championship side since 2012 even though for the large majority of league matches during that time, their opponents have looked quite a bit more accomplished technically than them. Indeed, we’ve won a Championship, a runners up position and a Play Off spot during that time, something which has to be seen as impressive indeed given our shortcomings in the skill department.
When it comes to basic technical skills such as first touch, simple passing and hitting shots cleanly, you could be forgiven at times for thinking that it is a policy at the club to sign players who are weak in these aspects of the game and, furthermore, if they do mistakenly sign someone with highly developed technical qualities, City won’t take long to coach them out of the player concerned!
I’m not being serious there, but when you look at Harry Wilson, a player who whatever you may think of him at the moment is above average technically for the Championship, today I’d say it’s reasonable to conclude that Cardiff place less importance on technique than almost everyone else in the Championship.
As mentioned earlier, City have made a good job of compensating for these perceived weaknesses in the past by being strong in physical, mental and organisational terms, but this season standards have slipped in these areas – as could be seen today.
For example, the difference in pace between the teams all over the park was marked while mentally, we let in the first goal so often and today, after conceding inside three minutes last week, we did exactly the same as a lack of organisation from a corner caused us to let in a goal of embarrassing simplicity.
Throw in the poor passing (which I moan about every week I know!} which only exacerbates the limitations of many of our players when it comes to their first touch, and is it any wonder that we create so few opportunities in open play?
Although Norwich looked so comfortable for much of the game, it may all have turned out different if Wilson had taken a great chance presented to him within twenty seconds of the start by an effective City press which enabled Robert Glatzel to find the Liverpool loanee in glorious isolation on the edge of penalty area. It should have been a simple chance for someone of his ability and I can’t help thinking Wilson would have scored if he had a Hull, Derby or Bournemouth shirt on, but, just like his wild and scuffed finishes respectively when presented wtth two great opportunities within a few minutes at Wycombe, his technique let him down as a poor touch enabled Barden to come out and make a comfortable save.
Within a couple of minutes, City were behind. With their defence lacking a Morrison, Bamba, Flint or Moore to contest things aerially, defending dead balls always looked like an area of weakness and City had already had a scare after Smithies had made the first of what were many good saves (having our keeper looking more like his usual self was one of very few encouraging aspects of the day) after the visitors had, as became the norm, got the first touch on a free kick or corner, but the resultant corner saw Mario Vrancic head on to captain Grant Hanley who couldn’t miss from a couple of yards out.
The contrast between the teams was further emphasised when Will Vaulks played a fine pass, reminiscent of Marlon Pack’s against Birmingham, inside the left back to put Bacuna clear in acres of space inside the penalty area, only for the full back to come up with the equivalent of a gently rolled back pass which, once again, left Norwich’s rookie keeper with a simple save to make.
City were soon punished for a second time for their profligacy – Bennett, who I thought did pretty well in his new position otherwise, missed a through ball and left Jordan Hugill with a great chance, Smithies blocked the shot and was unlucky to see the ball rebound straight into the path of Todd Cantwell who was left with a finish almost as easy as Hanley’s.
City were grateful to get to half time just 2-0 down, but made a better fist of things after the break – Keiffer Moore, making his return after the hamstring injury he suffered against Swansea, caused Norwich’s centre backs far more problems than Glatzel who is another Cardiff attacking player shorn of confidence. However, apart from when an example of the sort of wandering from Bacuna that I’ve been critical of saw him turn up on the left wing to provide Joe Ralls with a chance he put away crisply from around twelve yards, it was mostly huffing and puffing from the home team whereas Smithies was called into action on a few more occasions.
You never know, City may have been able to make a grandstand finish of it in the last quarter following their goal because they were having what was probably their best spell of the game then. However, their hopes just about ended when captain Marlon Pack received his second yellow card. Pack could have few complaints with Tony Harrington’s decision to send him off, I thought the referee was fussy and pretty awful overall – he gave so many innocuous fouls against us and while we didn’t lose because of him, he made life easier than it might have been for Norwich.
After the game, Neil Harris said he was proud of his team, but that struck me as just an example of trying to keep spirits up in what must be a pretty downbeat dressing room. It also seemed to me to be another indication of the sort of underdog mentality that has prevailed at Cardiff for years in that the message was that we almost were good enough to take a point off the mighty Norwich when we should have so many things going for us in this division that we should never consider ourselves as inferior to anyone.
So, no doubt the pressure on our manager will increase as what now seems to me to be a majority of fans would like to see him sacked. Although I’m struggling to stick to what has been my line throughout the season that Harris is still in credit for getting us to the Play Offs last season, what I think is not that important set against the fact that we paid a fee of what could rise to a reported million pounds for a striker today and with talk of a couple more signings, at least, to come before the transfer window closes, these hardly appear to be the actions of a club preparing to get rid of their manager.
The new man is Crawley striker Max Watters who has had a great season so far with sixteen goals to show from his nineteen appearances in all competitions so far. On the face of it, Watters’ career is hardly suggestive of someone who can be a success in the Championship – he arrived at Doncaster Rovers via Thurrock, Barking and Ashford United, but was released by them at the end of his two year contract after failing to score in his five league appearances for them. Trials at Maidstone, Bromley and Dagenham and Redbridge followed, before Crawley offered him a contract after another trial.
Since then, Watters has scored goals aplenty including a hat trick against Barrow which helped towards him winning the League Two Player of the Month award for December.
It’s worth pointing out that we paid a similar sum for Eoin Doyle on the back of his League Two (Division Four in old money) goals and that didn’t work out well. Furthermore, one of only two players above Watters this season when it comes to League Two goals is Leyton Orient’s Danny Johnson who was with us early in the previous decade and never made it into our first team.
However, at twenty one, Watters has time on his side and, having seen him for the first time in Crawley’s FA Cup win over Leeds last weekend when he made an effective substitute’s appearance on his return from injury, I like the look of this signing -after all, the jacks were in for him last week and that suggests he has something about him.
Just to add that it was reported on Saturday night that Bournemouth had accepted an offer of £750,000 from City for their twenty four year old centreback Jack Simpson who is out of contract in the summer. Simpson has made twenty league appearances for Bournemouth, twelve of which were in the premier League, so, in essence we’re signing someone who is a reserve at another Championship club. Looked at that way, the fee seems quite a big one and you wonder if Simpson is an improvement on what we have here already, but our need for a centreback is desperate (not as desperate as our need for a right back and a different type of central midfielder to my mind though!), so, as always I’ll judge Simpson when he’s played a few games for us in the event of him becoming a Cardiff player.
Finally, it’s now less than two months to the fiftieth anniversary of our win over Real Madrid in the European Cup Winners Cup Quarter Final First Leg in March 1971. To commemorate that anniversary, I’ve written a book called Real Madrid and all that – details of which can be found below.
Good morning Paul – Thanks once more for your thoughts on proceedings, as usual I am on your wavelength. It is abundantly clear that the team needs strengthening for without Morrison, Tomlin and Moore and a specialist right back, we lack presence in all areas of the pitch. Can it be that Messrs Watters, unknown to me before last week-end, and Simpson, completely unknown to me, and perhaps one other will produce the more solid and dynamic outfit that we crave? I would like to think so, but once again we are shopping at Poundland.
There were a number of issues that concerned me following yesterday’s match. Firstly, Mr Harrington’s performance with the whistle. Now I know we can be clumsy and even reckless, Pack for one, into the tackle from time to time, and against Norwich perhaps more than usual, but 26 fouls. Never in a month of Sundays. Listening to Roger Gibbins, summariser on the City’s streaming service and who knows a thing or two about the game, was aghast at some of the decisions awarded against us, as was I. Which brings me onto the main point – are referees assessed on their performance? If so, by whom? I will always believe on the impartiality of officials, but as for competency, that is another issue. Mr. H’s performance in my book was no better than 2/10.
I appreciate that Tutu’s absence these past two plus months have not helped our team selection but surely, surely Mr.Harris has seen that the constant appearance of Bacuna in the right back position on the team sheet does nothing to help the defensive shape because he is hardly ever there. He is a wanderer, a midfielder of the attacking variety. He is not a defender. Even for the Norwich first goal, he allowed McLean to get across him for the flick on, and repeated that some thirty minutes later when the same Norwich player headed into the side netting. Whether we sign a specialist right back or not, there must be someone on City’s books who is capable of fulfilling the duties in that position.
As I have mentioned previously, with so much football on TV, I probably watch more than is good for me. But I have noticed how many teams keep their wingers, or others actually very close to the touchline and it becomes a useful outball and method of attack with the individuals prepared to go towards the goal line and cross the ball. It doesn’t seem to be a tactic that we wish to employ even if we still have four supposed wingers on our books. All seem invariably to want to cut inside. Most strange.
And so to Wednesday which so happens to be my daughter’s birthday who I haven’t seen for months as she lives the other side of Bristol. It will make lack of personal contact a little better if we can see off QPR.
Good morning,
Going into yesterday’s game I was expecting a 7 nil loss. The result was a bonus.
Clearly if refs are assessed it’s on how biased they can be against Cardiff when playing a top team. Harrington refed us against stoke. He didn’t stand out then but I believe this is the third time he has sent off a city player. It was Morrison v Leeds last season.
I said to my wife Norwich were fouling us and then getting a free kick. My argument is, as bad as we are what are refs biase doing to the mental state of city players. There must be constant doubt about challenging as they are most likely to be penalised. Yet the opposition can fly in knowing they will get away with it. Refs have killed football.
As for city, we are going backwards fast. Another early goal.
Come on Harris motivate your team so they start playing at the first whistle not 45 minutes in.
I am fed up hearing how poor Glatzel is. Wayne Rooney in his prime would struggle in this team.
A striker is assessed on goals, who is getting the ball into the box for Glatzel to score? No one.
He was in midfield, going around players, playing the ball off then trying to get into the box for the ball that doesn’t come. He would have scored at least one if playing for Norwich yesterday. Why? The ball was going into our box with ease.
I like the comments about our wingers. How true.
As for improvement, I read an article on the same fixture in 2014. Ole was manager and we were 2 uo at half time.
Norwich soon got back into it by scoring after Ralls lost the ball following a heavy touch. 6 years later he is still doing it. Practice makes perfect although that doesn’t seem the case once you play at Cardiff.
I have been reading the articles about Bellamy. Wow, what a revelation he would be if he came here.
I guess players would whinge in whine due to his demands but if they want success they would shut up or move on. Simple.
Get hom in asap.
Then be patient and wait for the returns.
Ta Paul for your calm and reasoned assessment of yesterday’s goings on that was City’s home game versus Norwich. Where to start?
City started with a 4321 formation, a formation that on the surface would appear to have been well suited, if not to nullify then at least minimise the visitor’s 4231. In fact the Bluebirds’ shape was in effect a 3421 with Bacuna, supposedly a right back operating as a jobbing right-sided midfielder. Often he was further forward than Wilson, who formed a duo of, ‘wingers,’ (?) behind Glatzel. The nominal three midfielders, all of the central variety, Pack, Ralls and Vaulks not unnaturally played fairly narrowly. This together with Bacuna’s enforced wanderings, left a huge swathe of vacated turf some 40 yds x 10 yds down the Bluebirds’ right flank until the 70th minute reshuffle when we went to a straight 441 with Bacuna as an orthodox right back. The short sightedness of this tactical master-plan was beyond my reasoning when one, Todd Cantwell, operated down Norwich’s left hand-side. How can any manager arrive at this thinking as a way to set up against a top of the table outfit when oceans of space is handed to one of the opposition’s best players? Bacuna was really, ‘out on manouvres,’ when he should have been very much confined to barracks at right back. I’m sure Norwich couldn’t believe it. Cantwell was awarded an 8.1 out of 10 rating by Who Scored. Rarely can he have had an easier afternoon, too.
And so it was. Until the introduction of Moore on the hour we were: dire, atrocious, abysmal, appalling. Take your pick of any of the previous adjectives. The tactical ability of Daniel Farke was light years ahead of our incumbent. But, in fairness, Norwich didn’t need to second-guess Neil Harris, rather the visiting manager just set up his team as he had in the past and the pre-match thinking from our Manager shot us in the foot. So after 20 mins it was 0-2 and it was over as a contest. Not for the first time this season had the opposition really gone for it the score-line would have been really embarrassing. Another similar set-up on Wednesday night against QPR will not bode well. Add to that the fact that their movement and pace has caused us problems for several seasons now and it could be another damage-limitation exercise.
Bennett played excellently in an unfamiliar centre-back role, also guiding young Bagan through a solid 90 mins. Ralls gave his usual energetic performance and Moore caused problems following the substitution of Glatzel. But that was it apart from the Ralls’ goal on 65 mins.
City didn’t lose because of the referee but his handling left a bit of a taste in my mouth. The slightest touch and Norwich players were on the turf, even throwing, yes throwing, themselves ground-ward because clearly the contact was little more than a granny would have received in Mothercare whist waiting at the checkout. The ref, another one of the newly cloned-type so prevalent in the game today, was either so gullible or so partial, there could be no middle ground, that he shouldn’t ref another game. As Arthur would say: “He couldn’t even control a knife and fork let alone a game of football!” It’s hard to disagree with that statement, even though it first heard the light of day at Ninian Park in the 1970’s.
Yes, we have been unfortunate with injuries but was the squad ever going to cope with a squeezed Covid season? The decision to go with only one recognised right back, and he a winger by trade, has had ramifications for us all over the pitch. The losses of Morrison, Bamba and Flint were not covered by the acquisition of Benkovic, whatever the reason for his poor Wycombe debut. Too many players have been rushed back into service prematurely, to cover the shortfall, only to be out for a longer spell. Lack of creativity in the middle and a lack of attacking threat in the final third (without Moore) has cost us. Skimping is no policy at all.
Shorn of creativity in central midfield there are still big issues to be addressed. As I have been considering for a month or more, in the short term I’d be thinking seriously of pairing Hoilett with Ralls in the centre of midfield. Wilson has to play in his favoured #10 role and attacks must go through him. When fit, Osei-Tutu is a natural to play on the right of midfield whilst you can take your pick from Murphy or Ojo on the left. At least these changes would give us more of a 21stCentury approach to the game rather than our 1940’s Third Division Northesque style adopted for most of this season.
It was strange in the extreme that we caused Norwich more problems during the last half hour of the contest when, for much of that time, we were a man short following Pack’s awful lunge and early shower.
Will Harris be able to bring in sufficient quality and quantity in during the last 2 weeks of the January transfer window? Thereby hangs our Manager’s continued employment at CCS for, surely, not even our trio of Tan/ Dalman/Choo could countenance an on-field 2021-2022 like 2020-2021. These 2 weeks really are big ones for Neil Harris.
Thank you, Paul and your commenters. Very full comments and thoughts about the trouble the club finds itself in. I don’t think I’ve seen “us” play since the game against the JayBees. Doesn’t sound as if I’ve missed a lot of excitement.
Why do Cardiff City appear to be a club that has been totally left behind in the football stakes?
My own feelings, as I have mentioned somewhere, is that there should be a total clear out. The set-up seems amateurist, the club don’t seem to be able to get the smallest thing right; from the echoey PA system, parking arrangements up to what happens on the field.
I appreciate that Harris has had problems with injuries but he does seem to be limited in his imagination and stubborn in his team selections. As you and others have pointed out ad nauseum, Wilson out of position, wingers not prepared to get to the bye-line, an inability to give and receive passes. You just wonder what goes on in training.
Let us hope that the new players that we have coming into the side have the necessary skills to start with before that ability is coached out of them.
Afternoon everyone and thanks for your responses. As has been alluded to by Colin, I’m finding it hard to find new things to say about the situation at Cardiff City, so this isn’t going to be too long a reply. BJA, I know that it used to be that an assessor would be sat in the stands with the intention of filing a report to the authorities on the effectiveness of him and his linesmen/women, but is it still the same in these unique footballing times? I honestly do not know, but there, surely, has to be some sort of system in place to rate Mr Harrington’s performance on Saturday and, if there’s any justice. it would be a very low marking indeed – I don’t think anyone is claiming he lost the game for us, but he was not up to the job of taking charge of a match at this level in my opinion.
PR, I have sympathy with Glatzel, or any poor sod who plays up front for us. I’ve always quite liked him and feel that there is a good striker in there somewhere, but I feel he will have to move somewhere else for him to emerge – perhaps the most impressive thing about Keiffer Moore as a City player is that he’s managed to score eight times in the first half of the season ibn a team that creates so little from open play. Although there’d be a risk of an explosion which could see it all end in tears at any minute, I would still like to see Bellamy involved in some way at City again, but I don’t see it happening I’m afraid.
Steve.as I write this, it seems we will be signing Perry Ng from Crewe, so we will, hopefully, soon have a specialist right back in position – will he be able to cope at the higher level, there’s only one way to find out and that is to get him in the side as soon as possible. Unfortunately, as you have just posted on the messageboard, it seems that Simpson has had a change of heart – I say unfortunately, but, as I mentioned in my piece, I wasn’t that fussed on a reserve at a Championship club coming here for a fee of three quarters of a million pounds when his contract was up in a few months time. The news on Simpson probably means that we’ll have to go with the same central defenders on Wednesday, but if Morrison was available or we signed somebody in time, I’d be very tempted to keep Bennett there, retain Bagan at left back and leave Nelson out because, like you, I thought Bennett did well overall on Saturday. Colin, I’m with you about City being a club that has been left behind. More and more I find myself thinking that, in this time when there is so much talk about clubs having a philosophy, we do have a philosophy – it’s one that keeps skill and technique at a low level in favour of what Steve calls “1940’s Third Division Northesque” – it really does baffle me and yet, for all of the talk about a new way of playing, we’re still very close to the same sort of boring, unsuccessful team we were last season under Neil Warnock.