Posts Tagged ‘Craig Bellamy’

1FITG mid-season review: Cardiff

Posted: February 15, 2013 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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After a pre-season of controversy on the shock move from blue to red, Cardiff City have been setting the Championship alight with their results this season. @giraffefarmer gives us his thoughts on what’s happened and whether after a long spell out of the top league they’ll hold on for promotion.

So what are your thoughts on Cardiff’s season so far?

It’s been good. Cardiff are 8 points clear at the top with a game in hand (against 3rd place Leicester, win that and it’s 11 points clear, 14 points above 3rd place), looking fairly consistent and it all seems to be coming together. Kim Bo-Kyung has brought some class to the midfield, while Aron Gunnarson has looked lively whenever I’ve seen him play. Obviously Craig Bellamy brings quality and experience to the side and he does seem determined to make sure the side succeeds; even if that means having a right go at players that fail to deliver a good ball to him. The signing of Fraizer Campbell is a bit of a gamble, if it comes off then Cardiff will have got a quality striker for not much. Mind you, given the resources available writing off £600k would hardly be a disaster.

Optimistic about the cups this year? Cardiff always do pretty well in them…

Yes, well, about that. Early exits in both cups means that there is little to distract Cardiff from the league this year. It’s horrible to say this, especially as the cup runs have given me some of my best football memories (that Ben Turner equaliser in the League Cup Final!), but the league has to be the priority this year. Cardiff have been to both the FA Cup and League Cup Finals in recent years so effectively taking a break this year is not too bad.

It’s Malky Mackay’s second season in charge, has he now got the side playing as he wants?

I think so, yes. Malky seems to be getting a good balance and incorporating players well. The side may still be lacking a little bit of flexibility and sometimes needs to be slightly more clinical in putting teams away, but these are minor things when compared to the general solidity of the team. The fans are very much on board with the Malky project, he impressed last year by getting Cardiff to the playoffs and the team’s consistent form this year has cemented that initial good feeling.

So, the colour change thing. How’s that working out?

Hideous

It does seem to have split the fanbase. A certain portion of fans have essentially said that Cardiff City no longer exists for them and have stopped supporting the club. Another portion seem to be in the ‘my club, right or wrong’ camp and will support the owners no matter what they suggest. The largest group is I think more ambivalent. They’d much rather we were playing in blue but are realistic that football is a money game and if playing in red means that Cardiff get promoted to the Premier League then they’ll suck it up. However, Cardiff fans can be fickle in their support for boards and managers and if things start to go badly the Malaysian owners could quickly find themselves receiving a lot of heat, especially if the currently ludicrously compliant South Wales press start to turn on them.

From a personal standpoint, it feels weird and wrong and like it’s not really my club in the same way anymore. While I’ll be happy if Cardiff get promoted and I’ll look forward to going to some great away matches in London (if I can get tickets), I won’t be dancing in the street or shouting from the rooftops as I would have done if we’d gone up a couple of seasons ago.

Also, that club badge is objectively terrible.

Predicted finish in the Championship this season?

1st, that gap at the top is substantial. If you look at the table the teams from 2nd to 6th are all pretty close to each other points-wise so there will be a lot of competition between them to grab 2nd place. This season is likely to follow the typical Championship template, where one team heads away at the top while the rest give up on chasing them down and concentrate instead on scrapping it out for the final spot. Cardiff have become notorious for blowing promotion chances over the last few years, but this side has a lot more resilience and grit about it, has a bigger lead and instead of being a victim of Championship points-trading will likely be the team that benefits. Also, there’s no distraction from the cups.

Cardiff City V Liverpool Carling Cup final Preview/rant…

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

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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.

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All change for the Cardiff City

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

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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…

Championship madness

Posted: November 16, 2010 by onefootinthegame in Championship, England
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2004–current

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For those of you who are bored of watching the most expensively assembled team in Premiership history play out another goalless draw at home, you can do far worse than tune in to the BBC ‘s Championship coverage on a Saturday night. Granted that does mean that you will have to put up with the increasingly confused tone in Steve Claridge’s voice whilst marvelling at his improbably long fringe, which appears to start somewhere around the back of his head.

The arrivals of Bellamy at Cardiff, Sven at Leicester and more recently Bothroyd on the international scene have  certainly raised the profile of the Championship. This naturally suggests a step up in quality but it is the unpredictability of the league that really makes for great entertainment. You get the sense that every side in the league is capable of beating any other.

Whilst not comparable to that on display in the Premiership, there is undoubted quality in the Championship these days. Exciting young players, such as Scott Sinclair and Adel Tarrabt, unable to break through at the top level are getting their opportunity to make a mark. Not to mention proven international calibre players such as Craig Bellamy and er… Darius Vassell.

Those who managed to stay awake through Match of the Day’s grandstand finish of 3 goalless draws on Saturday were rewarded for their commitment by the Football League show. The show opened with highlights from Readings 3-3 draw with Norwich, followed by Cardiff’s 4-2 win at Scunthorpe, Doncaster’s 3-2 win at Portsmouth and then Burnley’s 3-2 win over Watford. The fate of the 3 points on offer was far from certain throughout each of these matches. Matches like these are fairly common in the 2nd tier of English football where very few teams appear to go in to matches with the sole intention of not losing. In fact, the exception to the rule seems to be 2nd placed QPR, arguably the Championship equivalent of Manchester City. The richest club in the league but with 8 draws from 17 games and only 7 goals conceded, Neil Warnock’s team might be benefiting from a cautiousness rarely seen outside of Loftus Road.

Of course, my argument about the unique unpredictability of the Championship has been somewhat undermined by Sunderland’s comfortable win at the home of the Premiership champions on Sunday. I stand by point nevertheless. If you are willing to compromise on quality for the sake of entertainment, the Championship might be the place for you.