Archive for the ‘Cardiff City’ Category

Cardiff City V Liverpool Carling Cup final Preview/rant…

Posted: February 24, 2012 by onefootinthegame in Liverpool, Carling Cup, Cardiff City
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
2
Peter Whittingham of Cardiff City F.C. 05/12/0...

Image via Wikipedia

There’ll be more an edge to the League Cup final on Sunday than you’d initially think for two teams that have little link or rivalry. A lot of this may come as a surprise to Liverpool supporters.

One reason is that there are a lot of Liverpool fans that live in South Wales. And I mean a LOT. The jokes were that the two best supported teams in South Wales had got to the final and they weren’t far off the mark.

The high level of support owes more to Liverpool’s past glories than being any reflection on their current abilities, and the unbelievable crapness of Cardiff during the 80s and 90s contributed a lot to the attractiveness of supporting Liverpool. Many City fans will have grown up with the majority of their mates supporting Liverpool and giving them stick for going to the City.

Now the gap between the teams has narrowed and it’s heartening to see as many City shirts being worn by kids in South Wales as Liverpool or Manchester United ones. But for the older generation the chance to put one over on Liverpool is a huge motivation, even if it is simply so they can walk into work on Monday and brag to the Liverpool supporters.

Another thing that’ll be confusing for Liverpool fans is that the majority of the country will be behind Cardiff (a novelty for Cardiff fans too) and not simply in an ‘oh-the-British-love-an-underdog’ fashion.

Liverpool have always been the media darlings of football. Ex-players have gone to work in high-profile TV and radio jobs (just look at the regular MOTD sofa) and Liverpool have always had a smooth ride. Everyone cheered them on in Istanbul, the same can’t be said for Manchester United in Barcelona. Liverpool built up a reputation and a stack of goodwill from the football community in general, but their reputation is in tatters after the Suarez incident and the way the club handled it. Every football team has a ‘no-one likes us’ attitude among it’s support but at Liverpool it’s been slightly delusional and coupled with a bit of a victim complex. However now the ‘no-one likes us’ view may be justified. It’ll be interesting to see how Liverpool players and fans react to that on the day. Perhaps a spell as a genuine underdog would help soften attitudes towards to Liverpool.

It’ll also be an interesting game for Craig Bellamy, who was at Cardiff last season and is a Cardiff boy through and through (just listen to him talk, pure Cardiff from the accent to the mannerisms to the attitude). Like many South Walians he grew up a Liverpool fan, but if he does manage to score (and many Cardiff fans are resigned to the fact that it would be bloody typical if he did) then the chances that he’ll celebrate it are slim.

On the pitch, Liverpool shouldn’t underestimate Cardiff, who are a decent side pushing for promotion in a strong division. Though their form hasn’t been great lately they have genuine ambitions to be in the Premier League in the near future will be looking at the League Cup as a way to show that they’re serious about that. Of course on paper Liverpool are stronger than Cardiff, but Cardiff have a solid defence and an industrious midfield, sprinkled with the inspiration of Peter Whittingham, whose link up play for the ever alert Kenny Miller will cause problems for Liverpool if they’re caught napping. Most people will be expecting a Liverpool win and anything less would be a disaster for Kenny Dalglish.

Cardiff won’t be looking to merely ‘put up a decent fight’ and for their fans to have a jolly day out. They will be going there to win. And Liverpool fans would be minded to recall that Cardiff have played at the new Wembley more times than Liverpool have.

Related articles

All change for the Cardiff City

Posted: August 5, 2011 by onefootinthegame in Cardiff, Cardiff City, Championship, Championship playoffs, England
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
1
Club badge used for the 2007–08 season

Image via Wikipedia

Following last season’s stunningly inept end to the season which culminated in a dismal capitulation in the playoffs, it was clear there was going to be some soul searching at Cardiff City during the post-season break. Intense anger amongst a vocal group of fans and general disappointment amongst the majority, coupled with an obvious malaise amongst players and staff meant that Dave Jones’ time at the club was over. Jones brought stability over his tenure and took Cardiff to an FA cup final and a playoff final, achievements that should not be underestimated or forgotten. However, the side had become stale, inflexible and full of talented individuals that could not act as a team, so Jones had to go.

In searching for the right man to take the job the board rightly took their time. Names such as Chris Hughton and Roberto di Matteo were in the frame, and for a slightly terrifying 12 hours it seemed that Alan Shearer could be offered the job, but the board eventually settled upon the Watford manager Malky Mackay. Malky seems just the manager the club needs: young, hungry for success, decent track record so far, willing to play flexible styles of football and push youth development.

Unsurprisingly the line-up on the pitch this season has changed a lot as well. The high number of loan players meant there was always going to be a certain amount of churn, but with people at the end of contracts and the need for a bit of a clearout players such as Jay Bothroyd, Chris Burke, Craig Bellamy, Jason Koumas and Michael Chopra left over the season break. However the club has held onto the nucleus of a squad from which to build. The imports are either experienced pros who seem without too much ego or hungry young players eager for a chance to improve.

Surprisingly, given performances at the back end of last season, little has changed in defence over the summer yet it all looks stable and reliable. City have two quality goalkeepers in Marshall and Heaton, keepers who would command a starting berth in most Championship sides. Centre back options of Keinan, Hudson and Gerrard are no-nonsense physical types while utility men McNaughton (last year’s fans’ player of the season and website The Seventy Two’s readers’ player of the) and Blake offer pacier options. Full-backs include the aforementioned McNaughton and Blake, as well as Paul Quinn and new boy Andrew Taylor. There have been unconfirmed rumours that Lee Naylor is still hanging about somewhere and doing a passable impersonation of a professional footballer.

City seem to have plenty of options in midfield this year. The incredibly talented Peter Whittingham has stayed at the club and will doubtless be a fulcrum for the side, while stalwart Steve McPhail is still able to control the centre of the park. New arrivals such as Don Cowie offer dynamism in the middle, while Icelandic international Aron Gunnarsson looks to be a tough tackling no nonsense defensive midfielder who will be a fans favourite. Burly Scotsman Craig Conway is a direct upgrade on the departed Chris Burke, offering width for both flanks. Young players such as Aaron Wildig and Ibby Farrar could play a role as the season progresses, though their true quality is yet to be seen. Most intriguing is the signing of Slovakian Under 21 skipper Filip Kiss, apparently a tidy, technically gifted player and signed on a season-long loan from Slovan Bratislava. He could be one to watch.

Considering that for a week in the summer the only striker at the club was Jon Parkin, Cardiff’s attacking options have been strengthened a lot. The highlight of this is the return of the Zambian Prince, Robert Earnshaw. To say that Earnie is a legend at Cardiff is something of an understatement, his celebrations, his exuberance, his goals, the fact that he’s a Welsh international and a local lad means he’ll be cheered on every time he gets the ball. But it’s not simply nostalgia that makes him a great addition, he’s a proven scorer in the Championship and someone with a clinical finishing record when given a chance. The signing of Kenny Miller gives extra quality to the forward line, another proven goalscorer with a great record in the SPL, he’ll be expected to contribute 15 to 20 goals. Signings such as Rudy Gestede and Joe Mason look like something of a gamble, clearly talented (very much so in the case of Mason) but unproven. The attack looks like an area that still needs strengthening and a combo of Earnshaw and Miller does not match last year’s Bothroyd and Chopra. However if rumours of Craig Bellamy’s return to the club prove to be true then that problem is completely sorted.

All this adds up to a solid Championship side with some potential high level talent thrown in. Fans seem to have lowered their expectations for the season, which is only a good thing after last year where the feeling was that Cardiff should be winning every game. Realism has set in, fans know that a tilt at promotion is out of the question, the side has greatly changed in terms of personnel and playing style and it’ll take a while to gel together. A slow start to the season would not be unexpected and as long as they aren’t struggling too much come November then Malky should be given time and patience by the board, fans and media.

The hope will be that come the New Year the side will have settled itself and can then launch a push up the table. Malky has put together a decent Championship side, and a realistic aim should be a top 8 finish, while a top 10 would not be a flop of a season. However, an easy-ish run in at the end of the season coupled with a desire to avoid the kind of late slump that has characterised Cardiff over the past four years means I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bluebirds just edge into the playoffs come the final day. And then, who knows…

All hope abandon, ye who enter in?

Posted: May 12, 2011 by onefootinthegame in Cardiff, Cardiff City, Championship, Championship playoffs, League One, Players
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

In the first part of his masterpiece, the Divine Comedy, Dante is accompanied by the Roman poet Virgil as he travels through the circles of hell where punishments fit the crimes of those cast below into Satan’s lair. I have no idea what fans of clubs who consistently have to compete in the playoffs have done in previous lives, but it must have been pretty bad to justify the psychological torture that they are forced to endure at this point of the season.

The playoff system is at once exciting, hopeful and cruel. For some it’s an exciting novelty, for others it’s the inevitable end to a season that promised much but failed to live up to expectations.

Though exciting for all concerned, the playoffs offer differing types of excitement. For neutral observers it’s the thrill of seeing teams put everything on the line with massive prizes up for grabs, not least in the Championship playoffs where a place in the promised land of the Premiership beckons. For fans of the clubs involved its like a mini cup run for teams that often don’t get to play in the latter stages of the cups, and a chance to potentially have a day in the sun at Wembley.

For the hopeful the playoffs can be a joy. Teams that have been on the outskirts of the playoffs for most of the season and have managed to sneak in with a late charge can embrace the role of underdogs with nothing to lose and everything to gain. This can be a great boost, contributing to a ‘what the hell, lets have a go’ attitude that higher placed sides may not be able to muster.

For those fans that sit in optimism corner, with positive outlooks and hope in their hearts, it can offer an extra chance to redeem a season that hasn’t gone quite as well as it could have, but could end up with the outcome that was sought from the start.

But the playoffs can be cruel. For teams that have been chasing automatic promotion and missed out by a whisker it can be an ignominy to have to face teams that may have been 10 or more points behind them all season. The pressure of being favourites while having to recover from the psychological blow of missing out on the automatic spot can often be hard to bear. For those perennial playoff contenders the hope that’s raised only to be dashed once again can be exceedingly cruel, as yet again a season that promised so much ends in disappointment

At this time of the season, everything is heightened. Injustices are more unjust, bad refereeing decisions sting further, goals are sweeter, the game is studied and analysed and mulled over in more depth. It can be all-consuming. But the fact is that three of the four teams involved in each division will be disappointed. And it’s the mill of hope, despair and crushing, crushing failure that get to you. Though failure in the playoffs cannot match Judas’ punishment in the centre of hell, where he is perpetually chewed and skinned in Satan’s bloodred maw, in the immediate aftermath it can often feel that way. I’ll just be happy if I manage to get through this whole thing without too many tears or too much vomit.

The Fatman Cometh

Posted: January 4, 2011 by onefootinthegame in Cardiff City, Championship
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
4

Wherefore art the fat man on the pitch? Where is the proper chunker of yore? The honest ruddy yeoman of the football pitch? There aren’t many anymore are there? Paddy Kenny, Andy Reid and the recently retired Dean Windass come to mind. Gary Taylor-Fletcher (though that may be more to do with the terrible cut of Blackpool’s shirt). Mido. That’s about it.

Cardiff City have just signed Jon Parkin from relegation bound Preston North End and he is one of a select band of professional footballers who could honestly be described as fat. Having watched my team play against Preston this year I can confirm that when Parkin runs you can see his gut wobble. At full speed he is a ferocious sight akin to Vinnie Jones’ character in X-Men 3, not even walls will stop him. Combine that with a propensity for throwing his elbows about and the fact that he’s 6ft 4in and it makes him a handful to deal with, even if he’s not actually that good. Though I’ve been reliably informed he was decent at Macclesfield.

The truth is there aren’t many fat players around today. You don’t get the true chunkers on the pitch at the highest levels such as Tomas Brolin, Jan Molby or all-time great Ferenc Puskas. You can have muscle bound monsters who have a lack of mobility due to their gym habit, but that is something completely different. You don’t get many with a proper gut. And I’m not talking about a Frank Lampard and the slightly ridiculous ‘Fat Frank’ jibes. The guy has admitted that he may not be the greatest natural athlete in the world and that he has to work harder than those blessed with a ‘good engine’. But he’s in no way fat and only looks slightly bigger when placed next to other professional footballers who, we should remember, are super fit and generally built like whippets. I’d hesitate to call someone fat when they’d be regarded as super-buff in normal society. Besides, have you seen the state of most football fans. Not exactly paragons of healthy living.

Modern day players can’t afford to be out of shape. The demands of the game and training regimes mean that players are at peak fitness, improving  standards within the game which can now be played at a ferocious pace for longer periods. But it does widen the gap between the fan and the players. Fans like to identify with the players which is why they like having local lads turn out for them. Many fans are out of shape and may have a special admiration for the guy who seems to be a bit out of place but is putting his all in. If there’s a fat guy running about on the pitch now then it’s a pitch invader about to get ejected from the stadium and banned for life rather than a terrace favourite. Which is, to a certain extent, a shame. Especially as I frankly admire a person who can pack away enough food to still be fat when they are paid to basically run about all day.

So, like the bearded footballer, the fat footballer passes into legend.