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One Bluebird Win Doesn't Make A Summer - Notes for Cardiff
Monday, 20th Oct 2014 10:30 by HarryFromBath

HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Tuesday's game by delving into their forums.

"Top result. We looked very organised and the players seemed to know their roles", "I was very pleased with the collective work ethic shown by us as a team. We looked far more organised and structured than we have in a long time", "Overall it was a very good day."

Cardiff's win over Forest on Saturday ended a league run of one win in eight games, a low point having been reached in a limp 1-0 defeat at Blackpool just before the international break. Saturday's win was Russell Slade's first game in charge after taking over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

A minority of fans are not getting carried away. "We were unable to retain the ball for more than two passes in the second half. There was no creativity. We were lumping the ball forward aimlessly and had only one goal attempt", "I happy with the three points, but it was hardly a new dawn."

Bluebirds 2-1 Forest

"Dare I say it, but Cardiff City looked like they had a plan today", "Slade picked the starting XI a lot of fans wanted to see", "I can't judge after one game but that is the most organised City side I have seen for a long time. We kept our shape for the first time in ages."

Many Bluebirds are looking at Saturday's win in a similar light to our win at Birmingham in Mick's first game in charge. The team had players operating in their natural positions, a simple and uncomplicated formation and they played on the front foot with energy and commitment.

"Did anyone else think we pressed the ball much further forward?", "We played the whole game 10 metres further up the pitch", "Too often we have drifted back until we were defending our area and it invited pressure. Today we didn't do that until the last few minutes which was understandable."

"It was a great performance and a definite improvement, especially in our commitment. We won despite some injuries and illness. I think that was a key game in the season", "Well done, Slade and the team. It was a fantastic start. Now use it to go forward and give it a real go."

Russell Slade

"I think it's going to take Slade a bit of time to undo all the mess Ole left. There were signs of it beginning to happen in the first half", "He has a tough job, but the opportunity of a lifetime", "It is way too early to judge, but some good signs include picking the right players and formation."

Fans were encouraged by his comments in his early press conferences. "It is great to hear that he is addressing the obvious problems - too many unfit players, weak organisation and no leaders", "There is work to do on our fitness. Some of them were blowing out of their backsides on Saturday."

"Slade really is what we have been missing", "He's a character, mind. He seems down to earth but also no-nonsense, which is a great balance", "He has a monumental task on his hands. I think we can write this season off already", "Let's see where we are at Christmas."

One Bluebird sees the former Orient manager having a profound role in the club's destiny. "I'm an admirer of Churchill - a real risk taker - and Clough - a great motivator. If Slade has learned history lessons from Churchill and been on the terraces with Clough, it could be a winning combination."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

"The big household name didn't work. In fact it was a complete disaster and has severely damaged the club", "Ole has ripped a Championship-winning team apart", "He's been our worst manager ever", "He single-handedly screwed this team up", "In six months, we went back six years in time."

"No one else is to blame for the mess", "It just shows how clueless this regime has been, buying all types of players and not using them because they don't fit a system", "He bought too many players of a similar standard and destroyed continuity by trying to give them all game time."

"Ole's mismanagement has totally demoralised the squad with poor training sessions and his crazy rotation policy. Players were left not knowing what the hell was going on. In my 35 years as a fan, Ole was the worst manager. He has left the playing side of things a mess", "As absolute disaster."

Vincent Tan

While Solskjaer has been widely denounced, supporters are more divided about the club's Malaysian owner. His critics have not forgiven his changing of the club shirt and badge to red and they see their club as the vehicle of a vanity project. "Unfortunately for Tan, the first priority is always Tan."

"I would have more respect for him if he just put his money in and tried to get it back, leaving the football to the manager and the players", "If Slade is given a full chance, then fair enough. If he is to be a yes man and a puppet for Tan, then we can say hello to League One."

"I fully support the move back to blue, but not the ‘Tan out at all costs with no alternative plan in place' approach", "I'm not against Tan. I don't like the rebrand but I will always support City whatever colour we play in. Nobody will ever know where we would be without his money."

Many Bluebirds appreciate how he has rescued and subsequently invested millions into the club. "The vast majority of fans are not interested in protests or boycotts. Most are simply glad to have a club to support even if Tan is the owner", "For me his money has been a good thing."

4-4-2

"We all know that Slade likes to play this formation, and what a difference it made against Forest. We have not played this set-up all season. The back four did not have anyone to babysit them by playing just in front of them and they defended their territory well.

"The midfield moved up and down as a four-man unit - a line of four - and not one sitting deep and three in front. There was good movement off the two strikers, lots of running off the ball, good interplay and chasing down", "4-4-2 suited them and it was nice to have some width."

"Having the majority of players in their natural positions showed what has been lacking", "Exactly - keep it simple. The players look more comfortable and know what to do", "When Ole played 4-4-2, the players were scattered around in strange positions."

Defence

"The lack of fitness explained our defending too deep at the end of the Blackpool game, and that has been becoming the norm", "The defence needs to be comfortable with the ball at their feet to give our team more possession", "They looked more organised in defence but were still hoofing the ball."

Former Norwich and Celtic keeper and team captain David Marshall "has not a lot to do against Forest", "There were no great saves he needed to make, but he was strong at set-pieces." Bluebirds are confident in the 29-year-old Scotland international's shot-stopping.

David Marshall


"Marshall is communicating better with his defenders, and showing leadership to push the team further up the pitch." His distribution is "one big negative", "When Kenwyne Jones is playing, he cannot resist hoofing the ball up to him. Jones either wastes it, or it goes straight into touch."

"Fabio and Brayford are our paciest players as an attacking option. They seem to have been as frustrated with the midfield bottleneck as everyone else. Occasionally they would think ‘To hell with this, we'll take the ball into the attacking third ourselves'."

Former Derby right-back John Brayford "brings a presence to City counter-attacks, but his touch lets him down on occasions. He struggled when Assombalonga drifted out wide", "He had a good game defensively against Forest and made some good forward runs but without much end product."

The 26-year-old "struggled under Solskjaer, but this could be due to the lack of support Pilkington offered defensively. Brayford's willingness to overlap is great to see", "He's a class full-back. He cuts out crosses, tackles, blocks and gets forward", "He was consistent and solid again against Forest."

"Sean Morrison had his best game for Cardiff so far against Forest. He looked very safe and solid throughout the game." The 23-year-old centre-back joined from Reading in August. His distribution could have been better, but he stayed strong and looked comfortable alongside Manga."

Morrison struggled under Solskjaer. "His positioning and reading of the game are not good. These need to be spot on as his main strength is power and not pace", "He was a liability at Blackpool. He's 6ft 4in, but gets beaten in the air, lacks pace and constantly looks unsure and indecisive."

Bruno Ecuele Manga

"You wouldn't have thought he just got off the plane." Most City fans made 26-year-old ex-Lorient centre-back Bruno Manga their man of the match on Saturday. The Gabon international "dominated the game with no preparation", having been on international duty.

"Manga is a rock in defence and uncompromising in all of his tackles. He's a tidy passer as well", "He's a commanding presence. He won some important balls in the air and coped well with Assombalonga's threat", "He's a classy player, and will be great for us if we can keep him."

Fans were impressed with him before the Forest game. "I have been happy with his performances since he signed. He has great composure and is capable with the ball at his feet", "Manga makes everything simple and is very effective, but can struggle to win the ball in aerial battles."

Fabio

"Against Blackpool, Fabio was once again one of the bright sparks of the team. He has a great willingness to get forward and back and is a strong dribbler. It's great to see some commitment. He's a strong tackler and one of the only players with high fitness levels."

The 24-year-old former Brazil international and Manchester United left-back "has been the only outfield player under Ole who looks as if he gives a damn", "He puts more than a shift in. Give me his passionate attitude any time", "He loves the personal battles and always gives 100%."

He was withdrawn from the Forest game with an illness before kick-off. "If Fabio wasn't ill, I think we would have kept a clean sheet as our left flank was the only area we were left exposed in today", "He has put in several heroic displays with his energy, covering and tenacious tackling."

Central Midfield

"We lack a leader in midfield. We are also slow on pace", "We are rudderless in the middle of the pitch", "Teams have just been walking through us", "Our passing looked neat and tidy, but even a side like Blackpool coped comfortably as it is all done too slowly",

Most Bluebirds believe that City's most effective tactical switch on Saturday was playing their midfielders in a more advanced role in the first half. They pressed high in the first half, putting Forest on the back foot, but struggled to maintain this as fitness and injuries forced second half changes.

"We keep on letting teams back into games by playing too deep. In the second half, we invited Forest to attack us as usual. There was no pressing. We were just waiting for them to get back in the game", "We lost our shape when both our tackling midfielders went off."

With Fabio's late withdrawal, 20-year-old Joe Ralls was played at left-back on Saturday. The youth product "struggled a bit, but he gave it a go", "He steadied the ship when moved into central midfield", "I felt sorry for him playing out wide at Blackpool. His lack of pace weakened our attacks."

Former Canary and Birmingham man Tom Adeyemi came on from the bench on Saturday only to go off with a hamstring injury four minutes later. The 22-year-old is "a young headless chicken who is poor in possession", "He looks stronger than Gunnarsson, but is so poor on the ball."

Former Crystal Palace holding midfielder Kashigo Dikgacoi is "the invisible man. He is meant to exist but has been hardly spotted on the pitch. He has a season ticket to KFC judging by the size of him", "Let's hope Slade can whip him into shape", "Don't anyone try to defend him - it's just a disgrace."

Former Manchester United midfielder Ravel Morrison - who is on loan from West Ham - wasn't in the starting XI or on the bench on Saturday. The 21-year-old was praised for his performance at Blackpool. "It's a shame no-one was on his level or we could have run riot with the space he was making and the chances he was setting up."

Aron Gunnarsson

"I hope Gunnarsson is fit to play on Tuesday. I feel he's having a good season and will be pivotal if we play 4-4-2", "He had a busy performance and worked hard to give us the upper hand before his midweek exploits took their toll", "The new system suited him and allowed him to get on the ball."

The 25-year-old former Coventry man played for Iceland in their midweek win over the Netherlands, but he has been criticised by some fans. "His weakness in keeping possession again became evident. He had some good passes out wide but gives the ball away too easily."

"He goes into the war without hesitation", "I will defend Gunnarsson, because he gives his all, unlike most of our gutless squad", "The Blackpool game just went by around him. He has no creativity, just the basic easy pass to pass the blame on", "His work rate is good but his quality is poor."

Peter Whittingham

"Critics answered", "Whittingham was playing a more forward role, which made us effective with two wide men operating. They gave the front two the ideal space and support which they have lacked so far." The 30-year-old former Villa man "had his best match of the season against Forest".

"He looks a lot sharper when he's allowed to push forward", "He played some brilliant passes, and his lovely ball skills flourished", "That was far more like the Whitts of old as he added a greater sense of purpose to his presence in the centre of the park, even if he faded in the second half."

"He played in a more advanced role today than he has for perhaps three years. I would never pick him playing five yards in front of the centre-backs", "I just don't understand why Ole and Malky [Mackay] played him in such deep roles. You lose so much from his game."

It's worth noting that a poll before the Forest game asking if he should be dropped was split 50:50 and he was being heavily criticised. "He is only getting picked because of what he has done in the past. He is like a rugby player as every pass has to be backwards. He has no pace or penetration."

He was the subject of some harsh comment before Saturday's game. "He's a reasonable player but past his sell-by date. His languid, gutless style is a liability", "We lose tempo and momentum with him", "He adds nothing to the team and is a luxury we can't afford."

Wide Midfield

"We don't have enough out-and-out wingers", "We were ripped down the flanks by Blackpool time and time again, and there was no pace out wide." On Saturday, City played with more advanced wingers. "The wide players operated further forward and it caused Forest a lot of problems."

Former Molde player Mats Moller Daehli came on from the bench on Saturday. The 19-year-old left-sided midfielder "was shocking. He didn't make one tackle and didn't protect Noone at emergency left-back", "He was no help, chasing shadows", "He's not a winger. I don't know where he fits in."

Anthony Pilkington

"Pilkington has a good first half against Forest where he looked a real threat taking on players one-on-one down his flank. He was more anonymous in the second half but this is the best I have seen him so far", "He worked hard and was really tidy on the ball."

The 26-year-old former Canary right-winger "is getting better with each game", "His individual skills boost us when we are on the front foot. He faded as the game progressed but caught the eye with his quality", "One superb piece of skill almost got us an early goal."

He also struggled under Solksjaer. "Pilkington waits for things to happen instead of making them happen", "He struggles to put in a proper shift with his lack of fitness, leaving Brayford 2 v 1", "He tried his hardest not to shoot a couple of times against Blackpool and played a sideways pass."

Craig Noone

"Noone was unable to unlock the Forest defence on his side. He worked hard but had little end product. Expect more from him when he's back at his fittest." The 26-year-old former Brighton left-winger "worked hard, was involved everywhere and made a great goal-line clearance."

He is still getting back to full fitness after a long standing groin injury. "When fully fit he delivers place and a good cross", "He hasn't played regular competitive football for a long time to it is unfair to expect him to come in and work wonders", "His direct running caused Blackpool problems."

"His pace and trickery aided our eagerness to attack. But he was careless at times with possession." Noone struggled when moved to left-back as an emergency switch late on against Forest. I would never have put him at left-back. He was being torn apart by Chris Burke."

Strikers

"I'm still waiting for the star-studded strike-force to arrive", "We have too many strikers", "Tell them to bloody well shoot", "We lack a cutting edge in the final third", "Our so called star strike-force that made us favourites to go up basically let us down at Blackpool. Smell the coffee."

Before Saturday's game, the strikers have struggled with the supporting midfield set too deep, and this was exacerbated in some cases by players being asked to operate out of position. "Strikers were being asked to constantly play out of position to accommodate a 4-5-1 formation under Solskjaer."

Former Valladolid striker Javi Guerra is a peripheral figure. "One of the most baffling decisions is why he hasn't made one league start", "He's our best technical striker and can bring other players into the game", "From what I have seen, he is a class player, offering more movement than Jones."

Adam Le Fondre

"ALF had a great game and really put a shift in against Forest", "He was excellent when looking to counter-attack quickly following their corners and attacks", "He caused a nuisance waiting on the halfway line, so that set-pieces didn't inevitably come back at us", "He ran himself into the ground."

Bluebirds were quick to praise the 27-year-old former Reading striker for his selfless and energetic running. "Le Fondre's work-rate helped Macheda, whereas he ran around like a headless chicken when Jones partnered him", "Forest's defenders dealt with him and he didn't threaten to score."

"I am puzzled why ALF has not had a run in his proven goalscoring position." He struggled for confidence when he was played in a wider role by Solskjaer. "Give him a run of games and he will score goals. His confidence is just shot", "He has been there and done it, so let's back him."

Federico Macheda

"Macheda revelled in the responsibility handed to him by Slade with clever build-up play and a superbly taken opening goal before tiring and making way for Jones." The 23-year-old Italian and former Manchester United striker played alongside Le Fondre up front on Saturday.

"Apart from his goal, he never looked a threat. He was slow and not greatly involved", "He scored a good goal, but there were too many flicks that weren't needed. As his fitness improves I think he has the potential to be a key player", "He looks a bit sluggish at times, but was pretty decent overall."

Kenwyne Jones

"How much longer do we have to see Jones in a City shirt? He contributed nothing to the Forest game when he came on. We lost momentum up front because he had no bearing on the game whatsoever", "He can hold the ball well and is a better option than Macheda when we go long."

Bluebirds have criticised the 29-year-old former Stoke striker's lack of mobility. "The team suffers through having to adapt its style due to his lack of movement and his technical deficiencies. He only puts in a shift for an hour and then he's a passenger", "He offers no movement off the ball."

"He's big, strong and great in the air and he wins every header", "By no stretch of the imagination does he win every header. All too often he falls over claiming he's been hard done by. He's no team player and only defends at corners when my Nan would have enough time to walk back to our box."

Bluebirds' Thoughts on ITFC and the Game

There has been hardly any comment about the game yet, as is often the case with Tuesday games. A couple of Bluebirds praised our "well organised, hard-working team ethic" and several have already mentioned that we are their bogey team, but that is all there has been so far.

I will update the forum on Tuesday afternoon with their immediate match-day thoughts if there is sufficient worthwhile comment.

Websites

The busiest Cardiff City forum is the aptly named Cardiff City Forum. This message board also collates local press comments as sticky threads at the top of its first page.



Photo: Action Images



Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.



bluefeast added 10:58 - Oct 20
thank you as always harry
0

HarryfromBath added 11:19 - Oct 20
There is one small footnote to add, and this is the names of the Cardiff City players who were not included in the notes simply due to a lack of space:

Defenders not mentioned were Thomas James, Declan John, Juan Cala, Danny Gabbidon and Matthew Connolly (Ben Turner is injured). Midfielders Guido Burgstaller, Magnus Eikrem and Kim Bo-Kyung have not featured and strikers Nicky Maynard and Etien Velikonja are also on City's books.

I must confess that reading through this list of additional players in what is such a bloated squad brought home to me just how fortunate we to have Mick. We have a small squad of well trained and motivated players who seem to be working as a team on the pitch and supporting each other as a wider team off it.
6

wokingblue added 11:24 - Oct 20
Excellent overview as always HfB
0

cookra added 13:39 - Oct 20
Kenwyne Jones sells watches on the beach, watches on the beach, watches on the beach and repeat
-1

MattinLondon added 18:12 - Oct 20
I don't understand the Kenwyne Jones watch comment
0

rob7423 added 18:58 - Oct 20
Good review,anyone know best place to park tommorrow night?
0

shoopdelang added 00:45 - Oct 21
I was then trying to work that out Matt... Maybe because he looks like a looky looky man ?
0

shoopdelang added 00:46 - Oct 21
PS Peter Whittingham looks like he could be the third Milliband brother
0


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