One of the narratives that has been tentatively developing in these opening weeks of the season is “we’re a young team, so we’re going to be inconsistent, but every now and then, we’re going to give someone a right hiding “.
Well, I’m not sure 3-0 qualifies as a hiding, but, watching today’s victory over Rotherham at Cardiff City Stadium, it felt at times like a game where if we had to win it 6-0, we could have done so.
All of this with a starting back four that included three teenagers, with Will Fish the veteran of the quartet at 22 I think it is. Against Peterborough on the opening day, Ryan Wintle was the old man of the team – five years senior to anyone else, but still only 28. Today though, he had Nathan Trott and David Turnbull both a lot nearer to his age, to make him feel like he could join in the conversations during a break in play, but this was still a very young team. Back in the days when scouts used to watch games live rather than watch DVDs and videos, City would have had to section off a part of the Grandstand to house all of the people coming to run the rule over our young talent because, even if City do turn out to be as inconsistent as some believe they will, there are some very talented players forcing their way into the team now and something will have to go seriously wrong for them not to end up playing most of their careers at a higher level than League One.
As it is, City are second in the embryonic league table tonight behind surprise early leaders Stevenage. Not that the table means much after just three games played, but this is with a squad about which there’s general agreement regarding the need to bring in a few more signings yet to give us the sort of leadership and strength to make supporters more confident of the team’s ability to maintain a challenge near the top of the table.
However, while too many repeats of what we saw at Port Vale would make second position feel like a very distant dream, coming through what was a pretty traumatic experience without losing has to be beneficial to our youngsters in the long run. Also, seeing the improvement in some of the players already under BBM’s influence, you have to believe that performances will become more consistent as the season goes on.
The fact that there is such a large difference between the quality of performance in the three home matches we’ve played and the one away game means that there will be plenty of scrutiny of the two away games to come. There has to be a chance that this time next week after visits to Wimbledon and Luton there’ll be plenty of berating the Board, and possibly the Head Coach, for the lack of new signings as we struggle to recover from successive defeats.
However, for now, I’m happy to cross those bridges when we come to them because I want to say that watching us play at home is fun for the first time in years. I’ve spent so much time bemoaning our home results during the 2020s, but it wasn’t just results, it was the level of performance as well. Wins have been rare and so many of them have been dull 1-0’s with a set piece goal to decide them.
Strangely, the most entertaining and satisfying trio of consecutive home wins of the decade so far for me came last season where we played really well in beating Plymouth and Portsmouth 5-0 and 2-0 respectively and followed it up with a come from behind 2-1 win over Norwich where two very late goals secured a victory we probably didn’t deserve.
Those wins came in Omer Riza’s early days as caretaker manager and, with us also picking up some useful away draws at the same time, there was a hope that this form could be maintained.
However, the use of the word “hope” there tells the tale that it did not come as a shock when it all fell apart and home performances and results returned to normal. In contrast to that, and while muttering something about famous last words, I’ll say that it will be a surprise if we return to the old days of bad home results and even worse home performances this season.
Of course, the fact that we’re playing in a lower division will help in that regard, but more than that, it feels like we have someone in charge who has a clear plan on how he wants his team to play and, while there is still plenty of fine tuning to be done, the players are enjoying the way we’re trying to play and the freedom it gives them to express themselves.
I never really believed the line that our squad was too good to go down last season, but watching those who are still here playing this time around, I can accept that they had more to offer than I thought at the time.
The one sad note on a very good day was the substitution of Dakarai Mafico just thirty five minutes or so into his league debut. Mafico had been used as a left back in some of our pre season games, but it was really hard to work out why he was named in that position today instead of Joel Bagan who was many people’s Man of the Match against Swindon on Tuesday. BBM provided the explanation for the selection after today’s match when he said that Bagan had been to A and E due to chest pains on Thursday, but, although he was given the all clear, the Head Coach thought it best to leave him out today.
In the event, Mafico did well for half an hour, but then picked up a yellow card for a foul when he was left one on one with Rotherham winger Martha and after another foul well inside the Rotherham half a few minutes later, it was decided that Bagan would have to replace the debutant.
For me, it was clearly the right decision and it was good that BBM acted decisively to address the situation, but Mafico’s afternoon turned out to be nowhere near as pleasant an experience as he had hoped it would – at least the excellent reception he got from the home crowd as he made his way around the pitch to the dug out after he’d been subbed showed Mafico that his efforts had been appreciated.
Mafico for Bagan was one of four changes from the Swindon match as Yousef Salech replaced Callum Robinson and Ollie Tanner came in for Isaak Davies. The other change was a strange combination of shock and predictable as captain Calum Chambers stood down for Dylan Lawlor – a shock because I didn’t think BBM would drop the captain he named only a fortnight ago and predictable because on Chambers’ displays against Port Vale and Swindon it was the right thing to do.
Lawlor came in to play on the left of the centrebacks where he was faced by that canny old warhorse Jordan Hugill who had a loan spell with us back in 2021. While his performances were decent, Lawlor had not really lived up to the hype against Peterborough and Port Vale where he found the physical side of things a bit of a struggle. However, he was faultless today and one of several genuine candidates for man of the match. Ronan Kpakio was another and he was denied what seemed an obvious late penalty by referee Thomas Parsons after he had slalomed past three defenders.
Rubin Colwill was another candidate – he didn’t do much that was spectacular, he was just good at nearly everything he tried as he also scored what I think is his first tap in league goal for us. Cian Ashford scored what was clearly the best goal of the three and looks to be gaining confidence by playing on the right – he has an understated intelligence to his game which makes him one of my favourite players in our squad.
Best player for me though was David Turnbull who provided assists for the first two goals and almost scored himself when Tanner found him with a clever corner – Turnbull was very good in the second half I thought as we got right on top of well organized and competitive, but limited, opponents.
City’s three teenager back line (plus Bagan when he came on) defended so well that it’s still hard to know how good a shot stopper Trott is – a late shot by sub Kaleta was the visitors only one on target and it required the on loan keeper to make the best save of his City career so far, but it pretty routine stuff really which would have gone down as a clear goalkeeping mistake if he had let it in.
Rotherham keeper Cameron Dawson kept out Salech’s early effort and there was Turnbull’s shot just wide from the corner I mentioned as well as what might have been a penalty when Salech appeared to be held back by Zack Jules as he tried to reach a Tanner cross.
However, Rotherham had worked their way into the game from about the half an hour mark on and, while never looking that dangerous, appeared to be well on the way to going in at 0-0 at the break when they conceded what they’ll see as a very soft goal. An unmarked Salech nodded in his first goal of the season from a Turnbull corner (another source of optimism is that we’ve started taking good corners again) as the visitors defence melted in the sun..
City looked on it from the start of the second half and they soon scored a fine second goal. I’ll have to look at the highlights tomorrow to try and find out how many passes we strung together, but it seemed an awful lot as Ashford ended the passage of play with a fine one two with Turnbull to shoot high beyond Dawson with his left foot from fifteen yards.
The third goal soon followed as BBM was left very impressed with the high press which forced Jules into an error before Ashford’s fed Salech who unselfishly picked out captain Colwill who scored from six yards with no defender near him.
Dawson defied Colwill with a diving save and Joel, on as a late sub for his older brother, almost scored a late fourth, but City seemed happy to rest on their laurels for the last half an hour of a game where the BBC’s stats give you a good idea of how one sided it was (when was the last time we had 76% possession in a game? Have we ever had 76% possession in a game before today!)
After their high scoring loss last week, the under 18s secured a 3-2 win at Hull today. All of their goals came in the first half – Leo Papyrnik with two and Ollie Walsh getting them.
In local football, Treherbert Boys and Girls Club are experiencing that difficult second season in the Ardal Leagues South West – they’re bottom of the table with just two points following today’s 3-1 home defeat by Pure Swansea (formerly known as Swansea University FC).
Ton Pentre, now in the Highadmit South Wales Alliance Championship following their relegation last season, have four points from two games following today’s home 2-2 draw with Cardiff Cosmos, while Treorchy Boys and Girls Club won their first game of the season today in Division One East of the Highadmit 3-1 at home to Heolgerrig RedLion.
Finally, I was not surprised at all to learn this week that the food inflation figure for last month had risen to 4 per cent because I’d been noticing the increase in prices on my weekly shop over the summer. The cost of living crisis has not gone away and so my message to all of you who generously make a financial contribution towards the running of this blog is that you don’t need to do so any more. I needed help tp keep MAYA going when my only income was my works pension, but now that I’m getting my state pension as well, I have no problem funding the blog myself. Therefore, although I’ll continue to be very grateful to anyone who wants to continue to support MAYA, if some of you who are contributing are feeling the pinch, then, by all means, cancel your payments to me – I’ll just remain very grateful for the help you gave me when I really needed it.
I much appreciated your report today, Paul, as I was unable to be present at the CCS yesterday. I’ve just seen about 15 mins’ highlights online. That said, the live commentary I listened to was clearly complementary of City’s performance.
Though I tend to view City’s formation as a 4231 (with Wintle & Turnbull in the 2, the Scot pushing forward) I appreciate others see it either as a 4141 (with Ashford, Turnbull, Colwill & Tanner in a 4 ahead of Wintle) or even 433 (with Wintle, Turnbull & Colwill behind Ashford, Salech & Tanner). I guess, “you pays your money and takes your choice.” That said, City’s youthful team, with an average age of barely 22 yrs (a back four of just over 19 yrs and EIGHT players 23 or under) weren’t exposed to the same extent as in the Port Vale game. Rotherham, though, were missing a number of players.
I was surprised to see 18 yr old Mafico make his debut at left back. He, a lovely, graceful central midfielder with an eye for a pass, first caught my attention in highlights from a reserve game last season. As he motored forwarded he threaded a beaut of a defence splitting pass that led to a goal chance. He will learn from his 35 mins yesterday. Be aware he is going to be some player.
So it was a 3-0 win with Ashford’s effort rightly getting the plaudits, either side of Salech’s first and Colwill’s third. Yes, our start has been encouraging but we do need to add a slight cautionary note that this is the Third Tier. However that needs to be balanced against the youthfulness of this team. If they play like this in the Championship then we certainly can dream.
Second position and 7 points from 9 is a good start. Keep it up BB-M. Just a couple of experienced players, please City, before August closes.
PS. Why no penalties yesterday?
PS
Possession: 76% to 24%
Shots on Target: 6 to 1
Passes: 658 to 211
Many teams treat possession as an end in itself, a virtue to be celebrated. Nonsense. City yesterday, was possession with purpose, a desire to go forward and expose the opposition. Well done.
Good report, Paul… and if they can turn in some more ‘3 nils’, then who knows, even I can be converted to being a BBM cult member in due course.
Indeed, even my yawn-yawn-yawn at the pass-pass-pass of Pep hit the buffers yesterday at Molineux with that fabulous performance from the Cityzens. Trafford occasionally kicking long, and watching a new star emerge in Tijjani Reijnders… gee how elegantly and decisively that boy moves forward at pace…!! He is veritably a thing of beauty’.
Now before signing off, let me make a point that will get some readers gnashing their teeth… but here goes: I do not mind being in a minority of one.
And my controversial point is: am I alone in suffering from ‘compassion fatigue’? How many more minutes silence are we gonna have for Diego?
As I write, I am just seeing the start of the Chelsea v Palace game, and blow me, they are having another minute’s silence or Diego Silva* and his brother there too…
C’mon folks… it was a tragedy… but are we losing our collective sanity here? I don’t recall such national mourning when one of our own was killed in a car crash on the Iberian Peninsula: the marvellously gifted Laurie Cunningham. Or, more recently, when ex Arsenal player Jose Antonio Reyes also died in a car crash in Spain.
Go back further and I can recall the car crash that killed the fine Chelsea winger Peter Houseman… again though, no national mourning.
And go way back and I can recall the two former Swansea first team defenders killed in that crash on the Heads of The Valleys road on their way to Edgar Street, where they were then plying their trade. No ‘minute silence’ throughout Welsh football as I recall.
And go even further back and Ralph Hunt, that fabulous half of the Hunt/Joe Bonson Somerton Park striking duo, got killed in a crash somewhere near his native Potteries (I think). I recall no ‘minute silence’ for him at Ninian Park… even though he was still playing professionally at the time. So why the silent tribute today at Stamford Bridge?
I put it down to Liverpool FC who have made a veritable ‘production number’ out of public grieving.
All those years of annually mourning their dead at Hillsborough, but never a thought for the 39 Italians their hooligans killed at Heysel four years earlier by chasing these terrified decent people into a corner of the stadium… only for the concrete wall to give way and they were crushed to death.
Oops… I must not say that. Received opinion is now that poor stadium upkeep was their cause of death…!!
‘Pass the sick-bag Alice’.
And and please let me let out another familiar buzzing bee from my bonnet… and I refer to television commentators not looking at their monitors…
How much longer do we have to put up with the commentators on televised live football just not looking at their monitors?
Friday’s Liverpool vs Bournemouth EPL opener was a classic example of both the commentator and his co-comms just not noticing Antoine Semenyo clearly in animated conversation with a spectator as he was about to take a long throw-in. I said instantly… ‘he is being racially insulted’.
When a couple of minutes later the referee called both managers together with the head of stadium security, our two in the Sky Sports commentary box were nonplussed as to what it was about. It took another 3 minutes before they were told in their headphones what many thousands had INSTANTLY seen in their living rooms up and down the country.
I would not mind if this was a ‘first’. Alas it ain’t… it happens most weeks. Get it sorted, TV crews…!!
Oh and btw Paul, you’ll recall last season that I said Semenyo was my favourite player. I could see that as a teenager playing for Newport, he had great potential. What a scandal that Southgate ignored him and let him go to Ghana. And what a second goal he scored at Anfield…!!
The Spanish giants will surely move in for him within a year.
*of course that was his real surname… he changed it to Jota soon after starting with Wolves because he figured there was already a surfeit of Silvas connected to the EPL… David, Bernardo, Marco, etc… and thus by calling himself Jota he would stand out more.
TTFN,
Dai.
Oops… just watching the start of the Man Utd game and have heard the commentator say that every EPL game this weekend has started with this tribute.
I guess it’s a fair swap… at least we seem to gave abandoned the virtue signalling of ‘taking the knee’… which I was delighted to see the Lionesses also decide to abandon.
DW
Thanks Paul.
What a pleasant afternoon in the sunshine that was! Your report covers it all very well. Young team, playing with confidence within a structure that is progressive and good to watch. When did we ever have such possession stats and general confidence on the ball. Not to mention centre backs pinging 50 yarders with unerring accuracy at regular intervals. We actually look like a modern footballing side – no mean achievement after the dross served up in recent years.
Good individual performance and, like you, really impressed with Turnbull who just kept things moving along, dictating the tempo, and adding some much needed craft and accuracy with his set pieces and lay-offs etc.
Defensively solid and we look good going forward, although I was worried that Salech was going to get frustrated with lack of service until his goal and then his confidence grew and he played a full part.
Ashford had been a bit quiet for me to date, so pleased that he showed what he can do in the second half. Not only the goal – a cracker – but his pressing and sheer speed set up the final tap- in from Colwill.
Although the substitution of Mafico was a shame for the lad, it was necessary to avoid a red card and good to see how the crowd understood and applauded him off the pitch. He will be back as the manager obviously rates him highly.
As you state, let’s just see how we do now in a couple of tough away games where we will need to adapt as we hope that Port Vale lessons have been learned.
For now just going to keep smiling at the thought of a most enjoyable Saturday afternoon as it has been such a rare occurrence in recent years!
Paul, compadre,
After every City game, I always take great pleasure in reading the rival club’s fans forum.
The Rotherham one proved fascinating, seeing them dubbing Hugill as ‘Hugebill’… and questioning the wisdom of getting Etete on the grounds that his fitness record ‘goes before’ him.
This entry proved one of the more interesting…
‘…
UskMiller
Today was men against boys. Boys who aren’t invested and not prepared to do what it takes to be a L1 player.
The shame of it is that the average age of Cardiff’s starting 11 was 22 years old. Six of their match day squad have come through their academy.
I was sat with my brother-in-law, who’s a Cardiff season ticker holder. A quick 5 minute chat with him identified that with their young defence (19 years old average) and ‘keeper with poor distribution, despite being instructed to play the ball out from the back, when they are pressed and put under a bit of pressure they make mistakes. I think we did this three times in total (?) – twice Cardiff made a mistake (giving the ball back and a throw in in the final third). Surely, a bit of pre-game planning would have identified this as an opportunity. Instead, we chose to put them under very little pressure when on the ball at the back.
…’
The comment re Trott’s distribution raised my eyebrow, for whilst he is clearly inferior to Alnwick with his feet, it is only his long passes that need serious work on. ‘A keeper with poor distribution’ seems frankly a little OTT… ‘overrated distribution’ would be nearer the mark.
But that said, the gist of this guy’s comment re Rotherham’s total lack of an effective press, is indeed accurate. Like our Huw P says ‘let’s just see how we do now in a couple of tough away games where we will need to adapt as we hope that Port Vale lessons have been learned’.
So true, Huw. Wimbledon tomorrow could press us well… but I saw their whole 6 pointer (for getting in the play offs) against Grimsby a few months ago, and it was their outstanding defence that caught my eye that day… not their press.
However I am expecting us to face a formidable press at Kenilworth Road. Let me save my powder till 24th August.
Oh, before closing… a word on Huw P. I want to say that although we bookend opinions on MAYA, my respect for Huw and his fine writing style is TOTAL.
Yes, of course our respective football views are almost antithetical. But hey, difference of opinion is what makes for horse racing: there is plenty of time for the quiet life when we are in the churchyard.
Huw worships at the altar of progressive football: I worship at the shrine of the late much-maligned and misunderstood Charles Hughes. (Well, I never did much like ‘prog rock’ and the likes of King Crimson, Yes, ELP and Genesis… even though my admiration for some individuals involved – like Rick Wakeman – knows no bounds.)
Right, enough on football. I am a big boxing fan and must go back to salivate over my recording of Moses Itauma’s fantastic – indeed astonishing – demolition of Dillian Whyte in under two minutes…
https://tinyurl.com/bdzdbru6
Five years ago I was enthusing over the emergence of the young Daniel Dubois… but I have to say that young Moses – amazingly still only 20 – has thrilled me for nearly 2 years now. But Saturday was exceptional.
There is no way that Frank Warren will promote an Itauma v Dubois fight, as they are both in his stable, but were there to be one, Itauma would win. Never have we seen a 20 year old heavyweight the likes of him since the incredible Mike Tyson…!!
Oh STOP PRESS… Paul, you will remember how I banged on about Ben Doak back in the winter. Well, surprisingly Liverpool are apparently letting him go to my favourite EPL team for £25 million. What a snip at that price. And at Bournemouth he can join forces with my favourite player, Antoine Semenyo. Gosh how I envy fans of the Cherries.
TTFN,
Dai.
So far so promising. Very good to see our style of football and young talent being allowed to develop carefully.
Apart from a lack of squad depth, for when injuries/suspensions kick in, my biggest worry is that a higher division club will put in a big money offer for Rubin or Salech before the end of the transfer window, and we won’t feel able to reject it!
Lots of stuff to cover in my response to the replies to my piece on the Rotherham match!
I’ll start off with Blue Bayou by saying good to hear from you again. Nothing much we can do if someone comes in for one of the players we don’t want to sell because I think the Board’s resolve will dissolve as soon as decent sized offer is out in for Colwill, Saleck, Robertson etc. I’m still expecting at least one of our better players will leave before the window closes because there’s no evidence that the players who the club would like to be able to sell (e.g. Horvarth, Ng, Chambers, Daland, WIllock etc are attracting any bids apart from perhaps the occasional loan offer). I watched ther View from the Ninian podcast yesterday and have found myself ebjoying them more than I did at first lately. I disagreed with them completely though when.they started arguing that it wouldn’t be too bad a thing if ee didn’t sign anyone else in this window. They were also saying how fit Rubin looks and mentioned the amount of sprinting he does during games this season, but, if the aim is for the team to maintain current pressing levels, then we need players in to help maintain fitness levels for a press at times when regular members of what is, apparently, the smallest squad in League One brgin to tire.
Sorry Dai, but I think that Rotherham fan you quote is talking rubbish. I read an on line discussion about how shattered the Rotherham players looked at the final whistle on Saturday – little wonder either after they’d spent ninety minutes chasing after City in 30 degree heat when they’d had 75 per cent of the ball! I know Jordan Hugill was a favourite of yours, but great mobility and being well equipped for pressing the opposition’s defence were never strengths even when he was good enough for the Premier League. I think he’s 34 now and so he’s hardly equipped to lead the sort of press that Rotherham fan talks about and, based on the evidence of my own eyes, his younger colleagues aren’t wither. I understand Rotherham are missing quite a few players besides the much admired Nombe, so maybe they’ll make a difference when they return, because, based on Saturday, it looks like being a long and difficult winter for the Millers.
As for “progressive football”, I like it and have been watching our 34 pass second goal from Saturday over and over again on Twitter.
https://x.com/CardiffCityFC/status/1957115200693322181
Never was a fan of prog rock though – pretentious, overblown and boring in the main I thought (Yes at the Capital Theatre on WRU Cup Final day 1975 was two hours out of my life that I’d have liked back) – wasn’t a total convert to the cause of punk and new wave, but it was really needed as an antidote to all that prog rock by the time we moved into the second half of the seventies.
Doak and Semenyo will offer a nice contrast for Bournemouth, although I think Doak is one of those wingers that would be more effective in another era when individualism was more to the fore. Semenyo looks the real deal though. I was aware of him at Newport and was impressed by him one cup tie I watched him in for Newport, but he really grabbed my attention in a Severnside derby at Ashton Gate in 2022. We played a back three of MacGuinness, Nelson and Flint that afternoon and Semenyo was too strong for them – he ran them ragged. I knew he’d be okay at Premier League level, but, to be honest, I wasn’t expecting him to be as good as he is and, with all due respect to Bournemouth, who I can remember being absolutely superb at Spurs in a game they somehow drew 2-2 last season, he’s headed for better than them.
Huw, long diagonal passes from back to front are a big part of City’s approach under BBM. it’s funny how they drop in and out of favour – I remember Ben Turner being good at them, not as good Will Fish though, and he was commended for them when he first came to the club, but, by the time he’d been here a few years, there were those who became critical of them in a kind of “is that all you’ve got?” manner. BBM had something of a reputation of passing just for the sake of it when he was Rochdale manager and there are those who write off what City are doing this season as “tippy tappy”, but how can it be when long diagonal passes play such a part in what he’s trying to do?
Dai, I don’t get why evry Premier League game had to have a minutes silence for Jota who, let’s not forget, also played in the EFL (I saw him play for Wolves in the EFL at Cardiff City Stadium), so shouldn’t there have been a minute’s silence for him and his brother at EFL grounds as well? I don’t think there should have – by all means give liverpool and Wolves fans the chance to mourn him at their games this weekend, but it’s almost as if the current age wants to show that it cares more than previous generations – why the need for two minute silences on occasions? Weren’t all those one minute silences I observed each year on Remembrance Day respectful enough?
Agree with you about commentators looking at their monitors Dai. Semenyo’s reaction when I watched it the first time made it clear that something had taken place and it did not have the look of that increasingly rare event, an opposition player having a good natured joke with the home crowd – it looked serious at the time and yet it took Sky what seemed about five minutes to work out that they’d missed something!
Steve, BBM said at his first press conference that supporters will like the way his side would play and I must say that in all three home games so far, it’s been enjoyable football from City – not perfect, but there is a clear intention to play more attractive football, but, more than that, it’s intelligent and I would have thougght, hard to play against.The one away game was not as impressive (nor was the final pre season match at Notts County) and a repeat of our Port Vale showing will see us lose tonight and on Saturday, still think we need one or two leaders brought in by the end of the window,
As for how our team lines up, I think if I had to settle on one system to describe it, I’d say 4-2-3-1 with the difference between this and other iterations of that system City have used being that the wingers play wider and the full backs “underlap” a bit more. However, I think that, for much of the time at home, Rubin Colwill almost plays as a second stiker, while Joel, when he’s involved, pushes further forward than Turnbull does. Wintle is very much a single pivot at home, but, at Port Vale, Joel was giving him support. The system didn’t seem to work at Port Vale, but, for me, that could be put down to too many players having an off night