So, the “honour” of being the first team to be “doubled” in the long history of Cardiff v Swansea derby matches goes to Cardiff City’s 2021/22 team and so it should as well for their two pathetic performances in the fixture this season – not only did they manage to lose both games, they did so by an aggregate of 7-0 and, in my opinion that flatters City, 10-0 would have been about right.
This was no isolated disaster of a season either. This abject humiliation has been coming. In fact, the truth is that this might have been the worst in terms of margin of defeat, but we’ve also been embarrassed in three of our previous six games with Swansea before today. The 3-0 away defeats in 2014 and 2021, and the 2-0 home loss in 2020 were all utterly one sided and I’m being generous in not including the 1-0 defeat in Swansea in 2019 which was nowhere near as close as the score line suggests – we’ve been pathetic more often than not in this fixture since the win by Steve Caulker’s goal in November 2013. .
Aden Flint is the only Cardiff player to score in our last seven games with Swansea with his header a year or so ago proving decisive to give us our our only win in that time.
Even then, the victory came with us spending the second half booting the ball up the pitch to no one in particular in the face of constant Swansea possession and pressure – calling that typical Cardiff may be a little inaccurate and somewhat cruel, but, over the last decade there’s been a Cardiff way of playing and words like flair, panache and style have been conspicuous by their absence in describing us during that time. We have been a boring football team and we were boring that day in winning at Swansea, has their been a more boring Football League team in terms of style of play than Cardiff City over the past decade? Possibly, but I’m not aware of one. .
Let’s not forget either, Bristol City were probably deserving 2-1 winners here in August before completing their season double with a 3-2 victory at Ashton Gate which was a lot more comfortable than that score suggests – we weren’t quite as dreadful against the wurzels as we were against the jacks, but we were pretty bad.
You want some more stats showing just how much the Cardiff City Stadium crowd have had to suffer in recent derby matches? Our record on our own ground in games with Swansea and Bristol in the last three seasons now reads, played six, won none, drawn one, lost five, goals for one (headed in by wurzel’s keeper Dan Bentley!), goals against ten. While I’m on about our dreadful fallibility at home on big occasions, there’s also what I believe to be our uniquely bad record in home Play Off matches which has seen us beat the wurzels as it turns out and lose the other six, (okay we made it through against Leicester, but we lost in the ninety minutes).
Someone has started a thread on the messageboard I use comparing today’s 4-0 loss with the notorious 5-0 Ninian Park loss to Maidstone on New Years Day 1992. Well, seeing as we had to play more than half of that match with ten men and what today’s match means to supporters (seemingly not to our manager and players though), I’d say it was worse.
I’m not going to waste time on a run through of major incidents from the match here, but I do want to talk about Steve Morison who has had a lot of praise for the job he has done in getting us clear of the drop zone and confirming our Championship status for next season (I don’t think those words will come back to bite me, but, after today, perhaps I should be more careful!).
Today though I think a few chickens came home to roost as far as our manager is concerned. When he first took over there was a lot of talk about how the style of play would change and it did for a while, but, rather like Neil Harris before him, it seems the desire to change our approach has ebbed away with the realisation that we still have a nucleus of players who it seems are uncomfortable trying to play in a manner which places more of an emphasis on the ability to retain possession, hence requiring a more sound technique.
There were lots of examples today of poor first touches, passes that called for the receiver to deal with the ball coming at them at pace a yard or more off the ground – you know, the sort of thing you see from City sides every week.
I truly believe that less emphasis is placed on technical ability when scouting players at Cardiff than it is at most other clubs, but, not for the first time, I find myself wondering about the whole attitude of mind pervading through the club – this could be seen by how we went about our business today and how we go about it most weeks.
Before developing that line of thought though, I’d like to make a quick point about our start today – I’m not talking about how we gave the jacks a goal after five minutes, just like we did here last season, I’m talking about what was the plan?
What I saw in those opening minutes was, as usual, the opposition dominating possession, and us, not as usual, giving away fouls every time we tried to get the ball off the other team. Was this because we were trying to kick Swansea or because we were too slow with our press? I can’t say for sure.Talking about pressing, ours seemed to be half hearted in that only three or four, at most, we’re doing it.
I couldn’t figure our approach in terms of those sort of things, but, as for the general mind set, it was the same as always – we played “underdog football”, like a non league side playing a Premier League team in a cup tie.
Scunthorpe United are ten points adrift at the bottom of League Two tonight with just eighteen points to play for and yet, if we’d been playing them at home this afternoon, I swear we’d have stood off them and let them have more of the ball as we bided our time waiting for a set piece opportunity (we should really have scored at least one today, but, apart from a shot by Perry Ng which went just wide, our only worthwhile goal attempts came from free kicks or corners).
No matter who the opposition are, we play with an inferiority complex and, although they used to drive me mad at times, I find myself looking back nostalgically to the Chopra/Bothroyd teams of the Dave Jones era when we had a bit of a swagger to our play.
The arrival of Malky Mackay saw the start of a process which took us away from the Dave Jones methods and it was probably needed at the time, but it’s gone way too far the other way since Russell Slade’s appointment and, for all of that early talk of a more attractive style of play, Steve Morison is looking increasingly like more of the same to me.
To illustrate what I mean, look at his, so predictable, handling of Ruben Colwill today. You just knew Colwill wasn’t going to be starting (he won’t if Tommy Doyle’s in the starting line up) when Morison compared himself to Pep Guardiola in the pre match press conference, but you also just knew that when Colwill finally got on the pitch, it would be Doyle who made way for him. Now Doyle was one of about eight City players who were poor today, but when you’re losing, surely you should be looking to get more potential game changers on the pitch, not just swapping one for another? Similarly, Isaak Davies and Uche Ikpeazu for Mark Harris and Jordan Hugill were “safe” switches of the type you’d expecting when we were drawing, not losing in what, for many fans, is the game of the season.
I’ve never felt that way about Swansea myself mind and I’m not as angry as many other fans are tonight (the 2-0 loss to Swansea here last season annoyed me a lot more than this one did), but the reason why I’m not too angry should worry the money men at Cardiff City.
I’ve been a City fan for fifty nine years and I always will be, but it’s very rare I enjoy games like I used to these days and truth be told, that’s been the case since we were relegated in 2019. I think I’ve made it clear on here during that time that I don’t like the way we play and, even before today, a season ticket for 22/23 wasn’t looking too attractive an option to me – I envied those Swansea fans being able to watch their team play with a majority of composed footballers in their side today, I can’t remember when I last was able to say that about my team.
Away from the debacle, the Under 18s ended their losing run with a 5-1 win over Crewe thanks to goals by Morgan Wigley (2), James Crole, Lewis Ware and Gabriele Biancheri who usually plays for our under 15s.
In local football, Treherbert Boys and Girls Club visited Pencoed Athletic Boys and Girls Club in the W John Owen Cup and we’re beaten by the only goal of the game by a side who are fourth in the league two tiers above theirs. In the Ardal Leagues South West, Ton Pentre are still struggling in last but one place after a 1-0 loss at Cardiff Draconians, but there was only a second win of the season for bottom placed AFC Porth, by 2-0 at Cwmamman United.
RAT IN A VAT
Just like our Blogmeister I am repeating something I (we) have said on many times. What Cardiff’s performances have been for many a year have been one-dimensional an d inadequate I return to the Rat in a Vat metaphor.
In pre-industrial days one way to CREATE cider was to put a rat in a vat of crushed apples. If just dropped into the vat it would quickly give up all hope and drown. If lifted out it would continue swimming in the hope of being saved before succumbing to exhaustion.
That is the Cardiff way — namely, to keep doing the same thing in hope. Cardiff players and staff seem to think that belting the ball up into the air in hope is the only way to be creative. This approach requires minimal skill, is manifestly unsuccessful, and yet continues to be the same sort of hope as the obliging rat.
Many moons ago, on this very site, I quoted Epstein who defined insanity as doing the same thing, time after time, and expecting a different result. The irony here is that I am doing the same, complaining the “Cardiff way” and yet hoping for something better. Will we ever live and learn?
Incidentally, if our manager is willing to berate players in public, he should expect that public to berate him when the occasion demands it. Sadly, however, so many of that crowd spew forth a flood of absolute hate against other teams, especially Swansea City, and all hope of civil responses sinks under a wave of brainless obscenity.
Like Luther, “Here I stand. I can do no other.” My hope is to find fair play at games, but like the poor rat I have to live with the same hope and the same lack of success.
If I were a glass half full person I would say that the risk of switching to a more progressive manager, switching to a more progressive style and focus on less experienced players is that sometimes it falls apart, and that today’s disaster needs to be compared to Swansea losing 4-0 to Bournemouth (a promotion contending team!!) away rather than derby’s in recent memory….
But I don’t think I can conclude that. Today was a humiliation where the following needs to be said:
GK: What is happening with this position? Smithies keeps winning the shirt back from Phillips despite being older, far more expensive and less likely to be here next year, but all Smithies did today was i) pick the ball out of back of net and ii) deal with McGuinness’ terribly back passes. Did he make a single save? Or make himself dominant from one of their corners to give us a lift? Or start an attacking move with an assured long pass?
Wing-backs: Drameh is an exciting player who needs to work on his final delivery but otherwise probably best player in a blue shirt yesterday. Bagan is a 20 year old who could have a big future for us but Morison has previously shown himself brave enough to bring off youth underperforming and we had Doughty sat there on the bench, and the lack of support from senior players like Ralls when Bagan was struggling to take throw-ins was shameful.
Centre-backs: NG really got the occasion and has far more credit in book from yesterday than the other two, but another goal conceded through him not being best in the air. It might be good for his development to have spell at LCB but McGuinness looks far too nervous on the ball playing off wrong foot and Flint’s lack of pace was badly exposed. How on earth was Martins given so much space so early on?
Midfield: Ralls was shockingly bad (his worst performance ever?), Wintle was okay, Doyle did not live up to the hype at all. We lost some defensive stability when Colwill came on but frankly not that much and he was one of few to come away with some credit because he obviously had composure and a football IQ.
Forwards: Hugill has given us a real boost this season but now seems to miss one glorious chance each game and he was made to appear light-weight; Harris worked hard in first half especially and used strength enough that I think we needed 10 mins of Harris and Davies together to really press their CB’s; Uche did his thing for good (strength, focus point, won free-kicks) and for bad (plays with his head down all the time); and Davies did some good things but probably not enough.
Manager/coaching staff: Why have such pre-ordained subs? Why have 11 men in box for corners which was picked off by opposition so expertly for game defining second goal? Martin became full-time manager in November of 2019 and Morison began dipping his toe into coaching in October 2019, Martin has been working with Swansea since August 2021 and Morison with our first team since October 2021 – one is clearly ahead of the other in their development and it really showed. Morison has done relatively well since coming in but already there’s so much pressure on next derby (Bristol or Swansea) next year.
Fans: I missed the first 10 minutes because of the horrendous queues outside the ground, but did we sing Aiden Flint’s song at all? Did we sing “Swansea Slums”? Did we sing any pro-Cardiff songs? We had too many day-trippers, too many who haven’t been to a City game since last South Wales Derby who only knew how to swear and sing songs about child abuse. We probably lost those for another 12 months and, sadly, some season ticket holders through the humiliation(!) on the pitch.
Since we moved to the CCS I haven’t really enjoyed a derby with either Swansea or Bristol City irrespective of the result or the way we play. The experience falls way short of expectations and the atmosphere is poor compared to other matches.
I suspect it’s because (as others have suggested) there are a lot of casual supporters who are there for all the wrong reasons (in my view) or perhaps it’s simply that the club doesn’t seem to care that much and it’s never much of a Cardiff City occasion anymore. I don’t know if any of the directors were there yesterday and I have no idea if our owner cares either.
There’s nothing much to add about the way we played or the tactics or the style that hasn’t been well-covered. I’m too worn out by the whole season and yesterday’s debacle to even bleat about our manager’s excuses and feel this season is cannot finish soon enough for me.
This blog and your match accounts continue to be the highlight, Paul.
Thanks Paul.
Totally frustrating experience with so much Morison goodwill lost after a decent few months overall when he has turned things round. Imagine if big Mick had overseen that performance yesterday?
Like you and others state, I cannot believe how poor we are in every derby game. Today was set fair for us to get a win over our old rivals and set up the last month or so with some optimism for a decent place finish and more grounding of youngsters for next season. Now feel it is knives out and frustration, with many not renewing season tickets etc.
Writing on the wall from first 30 seconds when we were nearly caught out by a ball over the top. Jacks allowed to stroke the ball at will with increasing confidence whilst we were second to every ball and came out worse in every challenge. Our pressing game seems to have gone backwards and don’t know why when this has worked well in our recent revival.
All round a weird game that got more surreal as it went on and leaves a bitter taste for all of us!
Thanks all for your replies and apologies for the late reply which is down to a mixture of resignation and disillusionment. I was angry the last time Swansea walked all over us at Cardiff City Stadium, but this time I don’t like the fact that I was not bothered about it, because it means I’ve reached the stage where my enthusiasm for the club is at its lowest level for about twenty five years. Anthony has got it right for me – especially in terms of playing a team like Swansea, why do Cardiff City think that more of the same kind of thing which has failed so dismally against possession based teams like the jacks in the past will succeed this time? It only gets more baffling and frustrating that the method which is failing so often is so dull and predictable to watch – let’s hope the final matches of this season are used with an eye to the future in terms of personnel selected and approach taken.