Two more points chucked away as Cardiff City’s win rate drops below 20 per cent.

2 Responses to Two more points chucked away as Cardiff City’s win rate drops below 20 per cent.

1. Blue Bayou says:

   January 15, 2025 at 10:13 am

   Before the game, Watford’s Tom Cleverley said following their recent run of four defeats, the thing he most wanted from the game was a clean sheet. After the game he took responsibility for the drab first half, admitting that’s how he set his team up, and said he didn’t enjoy watching it so changed things at half-time.
   Like you Paul, after we scored, I thought we were going to win, as despite Watford’s more positive approach, our defence was coping pretty well, although their sub Vata (who had scored a worldy against Fulham in the cup last Thursday), was proving a handful down the left channel. Fortunately he didn’t quite replicate that strike at the death, as Alnwick made a fine save, after I feared the worst as I saw him line-up a shot from a similar position!
   As is often the case, many of these games are decided by fine margins. Both goals had an element of defensive sloppiness about them, combined with a fine finish.
   Although the result took us out of the relegation zone, and despite some decent performances it’s starting to remind me of the mid to late 1990’s, when we’d play some attractive football and often take the lead at home, but concede a late equaliser, and away we too often lost 1-0, and so ended up finishing much lower than our overall performances deserved imo.
   While we’ve put in many more than decent performances since the Oxford horror-show, we need to get someone who can convert the chances we’re creating (e.g. Hugill, Uche, Kaba). That’s easier said than done of course. Ashford is playing really well atm, and scoring some great goals, but we can’t rely on him alone. Will Etete be able to make an impact, despite being missing all season? Isaak Davies has been a big miss too.
   There’s talk of a 6’5″ Danish striker (Yousef Salech) being an imminent signing. Following in the foot steps of Andreas Cornelius and Ken Zohore perhaps?
   If so it will certainly be good business for the selling club. They paid 600k euros for him last February, and it’s reported that we’ll be paying 3.5 – 4 million euros for him!!
   Still if he scores the goals to keep us in the championship, I’m sure we’ll all be happy and/or relieved.
   Big game next, of course!
2. Dai Woosnam says:

   January 15, 2025 at 2:48 pm

   Thanks Paul as ever…
   Looking at player ratings for this game, I am reminded of the rule at our National Eisteddfod NOT to award the poetry prize if the quality of any submission does not meet the required high standard.
   And so it was I laughed out loud when Glen Williams opined that Chambers was our star man. I said to my wife… ‘none of them were worthy of a 6 out of 10… apart from maybe the goalkeeper and young Ashford. But blow me, if you dear Paul, then go and echo Glen’s thinking on Chambers…
   Of course, he is not the total liability in midfield that he is as a centre back, but that said, this seemed to me the weakest game he has had as our defensive midfield. But hey, as someone (Mark Twain?) once said ‘it is a difference of opinion that makes for horse racing’.

   Desiderata are a centre forward and – just as vital – a centre HALF.

   My heart just sunk when I read that we were gonna spent circa £3m for some striker from Scandinavia… who will doubtless take time to acclimatise to the EFL.. and not save us from the now almost inevitable drop. True, anyone is an upgrade on Rubin as a number 9… last night I reckon that 4/10 would have been generous… but I reckon a centre BACK – not centre forward – is the most pressing need.

   The Norwegian boy, looks the part, but somehow is fragile under pressure. Goutas is not the player he was in his first season. Oh for a commanding player like that nasty S.O.B. Harry Darling… (no doubt he’ll now have a shocker against us at the weekend, and I will look more of a mug than usual…!!)

   A couple of other points: Omer seems infatuated with Rinomhota. I don’t see it. If Siopis keeps Ralls out of midfield, then play Ralls in his place.
   And as for my second favourite player… Callum O’Dowda. When will Omer realise he is a left winger and not a left back? Because he is a tricky-ish winger, he defends like one, always wanting to play fancy football getting out of a tight corner… hence him making the same mistake as the similarly fatal one he made at Ashton Gate.*
   And anyway, how injured was Joel Bagan? Could he not have started? I rate him the best of our onfield defenders…

   Right. Lunch calls…

   *Oh for Stuart Pearce to bang it into Row Z…!!

   TTFN,
   Dai