The Sooner This Drab Season Finishes The Better - Notes for Cardiff Tuesday, 14th Apr 2015 05:00 by HarryFromBath HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Tuesday evening’s game by delving into their forums. “The end of the season cannot come quickly enough and it looks like the players are on their holidays. The squad needs a massive overhaul in the summer”, “This is going to be a brutal summer of rebuilding, but this squad has failed dismally and needs to be broken up.” The Bluebirds arrive at Portman Road on Tuesday night on a hit-and-miss run of form which typifies their solid mid-table position. Their win on Saturday at Elland Road stretched their unbeaten away run to seven games but they were handed a 3-0 beating at home to Bolton on Easter Monday. “This has probably been the least enjoyable season in years. At least in the old days we had no money and no expectations”, “It seems that all the spirit has gone out of the club and it is so sad to see”, “Get this season over, brush ourselves down and start all over again.” “Success next season will be avoiding relegation. Anyone who thinks the club will be challenging for promotion needs a reality check. Plenty of us said that we were a mid-table side at the start of the season and we may not be even that good second time around.” Russell Slade“Slade was brought in to reduce the wage bill and stabilise the side, and nobody can argue he hasn’t done that. His most remarkable achievement has been to get rid of the highly-paid underachieving players in January while bringing in new, hungrier and undoubtedly cheaper players.”  “If Slade is in charge next season, I would take staying in this division now if it was offered.” The former Orient boss calmed the waters after the chaos of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s brief reign, but many fans believe he is out of his depth at this level, a tactically inept yes-man and a poor man manager. “I hate seeing our club mismanaged on and off the pitch. I hate seeing the lack of basic skill involved in our play and the complete inability of our pathetic excuse of a manager to get the team to play anything approaching decent football”, “The clown has to go for the sake of Cardiff City.” “We need a football man with his own agenda in the dugout. Until then it will only get worse”, “I cannot stand the man. There is nothing about him at all I can relate to the club. He is a puppet with no balls”, “He is a weak manager, a yes-man and a complete footballing shambles. He must leave”, Vincent Tan“Is there anyone at our club who has any idea about football?”, “It all went wrong when Tan splashed the cash under poor advice. We were relieved when saved the club but nobody asked him to waste £140 million. We have had a history of colourful owners but this one takes first prize by a mile.”  With their parachute payment reduced next season, Bluebirds understand the pressing need to cut costs, but many are nervous about the owner’s longer term plans. The reversion to the traditional blue shirts was seen as a financially motivated decision by an owner whose interest may be waning. “He wouldn’t have appointed Slade if he was serious about promotion. He’s cutting his losses literally and will look to get out once we are paying our way”, “Maybe he is just reducing debt to manageable levels to sell us as the Premier League doesn’t interest him any more.” “All things are possible with Tan”, “The mistake was made when Tan employed Slade instead of going for Tony Pulis. It was at that point I decided that the colour of the shirt was not the problem, it was Tan”, “What we would like is some honesty about the club’s intentions for the coming season.” Formation“We are a mess”, “4-4-2 is a sound if not old-fashioned and easily exposed system, but you need Chris Burke-type wingers and two monsters in central midfield. Whittingham isn’t that type”, “This is quite the worst season on the pitch I have had to endure for many a year. The club is a shambles.” Marshall (c)PeltierEcuele MangaMorrisonMaloneNooneWhittinghamGunnarssonRallsMcAlenyMason
City have played a flat 4-4-2 this season, only switching to one forward and one in behind due to a lack of striker options against Leeds (above). Their biggest problems have been in midfield, where the central pair has struggled and the wide players haven’t added any great width. “We have no movement or creativity. It is all just sideways with no tempo or urgency. We rarely build phases of play and the players look like they have no idea going forward. For a long time we have had no idea how to unlock defences”, “Toothless in attack is an understatement.” A lack of tempo in build-up play and a simple lack of pace have also been highlighted. “When we get the ball we panic and hoof it, or when there is a chance on we take too long to make the pass”, “We look so slow. It’s as if we are terrified to go forward because we know we can’t get back.” Fans have been frustrated with Slade’s lack of willingness to change the formation or the central midfield pair. Playing left-winger Craig Noone on the right flank has affected his form and congested the midfield. The news that Anthony Pilkington may be available after injury has been welcomed. The loan departures of defender Matthew Connolly (to Watford) and particularly strikers Kenwyne Jones (to Bournemouth) and Adam Le Fondre (to Bolton) have unbalanced the squad and left it thin on quality up front. The lack of a physical frontman has not always led to a change in tactics. “I was interested to see if a different system was going to be employed at Reading with Kenwyne gone, as we couldn’t go for Slade’s favoured route one tactic. But no, route one it was despite having no-one capable of winning and holding the ball up. We were lucky to come away with a draw.” Leeds 1 - 2 Cardiff“After the way Leeds United treated our club and our fans in the last weeks, City had the last laugh. Our players gave their all”, “It was a great result and it shuts them up again. Well done lads - the boycott worked a treat”, “As I have always said - Leeds are bottlers.” City won the game with goals by Sean Morrison and Aron Gunnarsson either side of a Kalvin Phillips goal which came courtesy of a slip by Bluebirds keeper David Marshall. City fans felt they were both the brighter side and had the better of play and chances in a fixture which United have not won now in 36 years. “Goal for Cardiff by Gunnarsson - the silence is deafening”, “You can stick your tickets up your ****.” The build-up to the game was dominated by a dispute over ticketing between the two clubs. The Bluebirds returned a “derisory ticket allocation” of 500 and chose to boycott the game. “That was just a mediocre team getting a win at another mediocre team. Beat Ipswich away and I will start to feel a bit more positive for next season. As things stand we are still a mediocre mid-table team that lacks the real quality that will get you promoted.” Cardiff 0 - 3 Bolton“I just spoke to a few Bolton fans. They are in shock that they not only beat us but hammered us. They said that their team really is that bad”, “We had no continuity and no service to the frontline”, “When Bolton scored we had no idea how to get ourselves back into the game.” After an even if somewhat uneventful first half, Bluebirds witnessed the darker side of their team. Poor defending saw an Eidur Gudjohnsen and a Craig Davies brace give the visitors a three-goal lead in an 18-minute spell after the break, and City were incapable of mounting an effective response. “Clueless, hapless, lazy and uninterested, it was a shocking second half by the whole lot of them and managed by a man who clearly has no idea. I left after 85 minutes but the rush for the doors had started 10 minutes earlier. It was woeful”, “Please, no man of the match after that.” “As the game wore on we were clueless and didn’t look like scoring”, “I fear that sticking to 4-4-2 when we don’t have the players who can play that way makes it easy for the opposition to work us out”, “4-4-2 is such a static system without two wingers at the top of their game.” Reading 1 - 1 Cardiff“It was a poor game of football that lacked quality but we nicked a point at the end”, “We were very static and didn’t move the ball quickly enough”, “We were being overrun in midfield and needed an extra body in there”, “We were poor to watch, hardly creating anything.” “Reading were the better of two awful teams.” A stoppage time equaliser by Conor McAleny after an uncharacteristically good passage of play cancelled out an early Pavel Pogrebnyak opener for the Royals. Many Bluebirds felt that they were lucky to come away with a point after a toothless display. “We were poor, no two ways about it, and offered absolutely nothing in the final third”, “We hardly created anything”, “I don’t think any of us saw that goal coming. It was a complete surprise. I feel the end of the season cannot come quickly enough. A lot of changes are needed.” Defence“Our defending against Bolton was shocking - plenty of bodies but no commitment”, “The defence isn’t the problem. If the midfield surrenders possession twice as much as your average team, your defence has twice as much work to do”, “The bigger issues are at the other end of the pitch.” David Marshall“Marshall lost his footing for the Leeds goal but also made some good saves.” The 30-year-old former Norwich and Celtic keeper “has always been an excellent shot-stopper, but by comparison can be weak on crosses and in commanding his box. His kicking has never been above average.”  “Marshall hasn’t had last year’s confidence and is not the same goalkeeper as he was last season and that has to be down to his being captain”, “or having a load of uninterested journeymen in front of him who are changed in a random manner by a clueless loon out of his depth.” “Fabio is a luxury we can ill afford”, “I dread seeing his name in our starting line-up as I know he will cost us goals”, “He’s a mixed bag, full of effort but he gets exposed so easily in a back four. He was at fault for two Bolton goals”, “He cannot defend to save his life but gets no protection from Noone.” The 24-year-old former Manchester United full-back “would make an excellent wing-back, but if we carrying on the way we are playing he should just go”, “I just don’t get the love in for Fabio. He’s poor in the tackle, has awful distribution, has no idea positionally and has suspect temperament.” Former Leeds man Lee Peltier replaced the Brazilian against his old club on Saturday. The 28-year-old right-back “is a leader who organises and we wouldn’t have conceded against Bolton had he played”, “He’s strong, aggressive and committed, not short of pace and a natural leader.” “Peltier is solid and won’t do anything spectacular be he adds some steel to a small quiet squad”, “He’s definitely the pick of Slade’s signings so far. He’s quite intelligent with his supporting runs for the winger”, “Just the sort of player to arrest the downward spiral which the club has been on.” “Scott Malone is good defensively, stopping far more balls going into the box then Fabio.” The 24-year-old former Millwall left-back “doesn’t have an attacking instinct”, “I’m less concerned about what he can do going forward but he is competent and has a decent left foot”, “Tidy and solid.” “Sean Morrison is so slow and his passing is awful.” The 24-year-old former Royal “is the biggest donkey of a centre-half we have had in years. To think we gave Mark Hudson away to Huddersfield and spent millions on this cart-horse is unbelievable”, “He ball watches and loses his man.” “Reading must have been laughing to the bank with that transfer. Morrison is solid at times but awfully worrying at others”, “He does need to improve defensively but he makes up for it in goals”, “Young and improving, but not the finished article”, “He’s in the team because Turner is injured.” Former Coventry centre-back Ben Turner has nearly recovered from an ankle injury. The 27-year-old “is a solid defender and the only guy in the side with any captaincy qualities, but he can lack composure on the ball”, “He’s a solid defender but repeatedly gives the ball back to the opposition.” Bruno Ecuele Manga“It is ridiculous that Bruno is still here. We are lucky to have him. It’s clear he’s way too high quality for this division and will be out of it next season”, “Nobody comes close to him”, “He will be at a top Premier League club next season and good luck to him. He deserves to play at a higher level.”  The 26-year-old Gabon international and former Lorient centre-back “is the most solid tackling player at the club”, “He can tackle but also has the ability to move with the ball and pick a pass”, “He seems to have loads of time on the ball, and knows when to attack and when to hold.” “He must be one of the most comfortable defenders on the ball outside the Premier League”, “Manga anticipates play so well and is so composed on the ball”, “We will be lucky to keep him next season”, “There’s no doubt he has the quality to play at a higher level.” Central Midfield“God, our midfield is rubbish. It has been the same all season. We need to inject some energy into it otherwise next season will be the write-off this one has been”, “The worst midfield in the league, bar none”, “The main problem is Slade’s fixation with 4-4-2. We keep being overrun in midfield,” “We know that Whittingham and Gunnarsson will start and we also know that normally means we don’t win the midfield battle”, “They are the undroppables”, “We have no creativity and are not getting the ball to the forwards.” “Gudjohnsen walked through the middle and slid a pass in for a one-on-one. He was allowed to pick the ball back up unchallenged in the middle to score. It was a great strike but you can’t give a player like him time and space”, “There was no change to the system after going 2-0 down to Bolton.” Many fans would like to see more of former Ipswich youth player and ex-Palace man Stuart O’Keefe. The 24-year-old “is not a creative player but he could replace Gunnarsson”, “He could add bite and pace to the midfield but won’t solve our lack of creativity or threat from open play.” Aron Gunnarsson“I like Aron - he gives his best.” The 25-year-old former Coventry man and Iceland international “is one of the few players who will put in a tackle and give 100% in every game”, “He’s honest and doesn’t hide”, “You can’t fault his dedication, effort and loyalty to the club over the years.”  “Mixed reviews come from mixed performances. Sometimes I watch him and think ‘Yes, a very good player’, but at other times the game totally passes him by”, “He was more effective playing further forward in our promotion season, breaking into the box and getting on the end of things.” “He lacks awareness on the pitch, and his poor ball control gives him less time on the ball. He looks flustered in possession and cannot protect the back four and this is sadly lacking. He cannot link play because he cannot pass very well. The ‘all-action no-nonsense Scandinavian hard man’ is a myth.” Peter Whittingham“Gunnarsson’s always up against it partnering Whittingham.” The 30-year-old former Villa man “had a woeful game against Bolton. Usually his ability on the ball makes up for his poor contribution without it. Barry Bannan looked like Zidane in comparison to him”, “He had a woeful game.”  “Bolton’s second goal came from his poor touch losing possession. As soon as the midfielder breaks away from Whittingham, there is no chance of his chasing back to catch him”, “When we switched to a diamond earlier in the season with him at the head his performances rapidly improved.” He played well at Elland Road. “Whittingham never lost the ball, was always available and put in superb corners. He linked well with Mason”, “He loses his playmaking abilities in a flat 4-4-2”, “A great passer of the ball but needs players making runs, something we have not had all season.” Wide Midfield“Matthew Kennedy has been twice the played Noone has been but has been sat on the bench.” The 20-year-old ex-Kilmarnock man “has good ball control, is a tricky player and runs well with it”, “He’s comfortable on the ball when put under pressure”, “Keeps possession and makes good decisions.” “Kadeem Harris adds pace and directness to the team.” The 21-year-old ex-Wycombe man “is a good prospect in spite of his rough edges”, “He’s very raw and tries to beat too many players and his distribution is also somewhat wayward, but his shortcomings are capable of being sorted out.” “Joe Ralls is not dangerous running with the ball”, “He helps Whittingham out controlling the game but offers very little attacking option.” The 21-year-old youth product spent last season at Yeovil. “He is not the finished article but he gives the midfield energy and is always available for a pass.” Fans have seen an improvement in his play this season. “Ralls finally looks as if he belongs on the field and has the right to impose himself”, “He’s showing more confidence making himself available, picking up the ball and driving through midfield”, “A brave player, but more comfortable centrally.” Craig Noone“The strange case of Craig Noone, what has happened to the player? In just over a year he has gone from running Manchester City ragged at the Etihad to being incapable of dribbling, passing, heading or crossing. He seems to have lost at least a yard of pace and all of his confidence.”  “Craig Noone does little other than give the ball away with annoying regularity as he did for most of the Bolton game.” The 27-year-old former Brighton left-winger “was his usual running down blind tunnels, overdoing it, predictably cutting in on his left foot and constantly giving possession away.” Some suspect his problems are a result of the tactics being used. “Why is he playing on the wrong wing? Surely he should be getting to the byline and not cutting in”, “Malky rarely tried Noone in a 4-4-2 or its variant. Wingers on the wrong wing cutting inside usually play in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1.” Strikers“We need strikers in and quickly for next season”, “The way we are set up and the lack of chances created is shocking.” With former United man Federico Macheda, ex-Miller Alex Revell and Everton loan man Conor McAleny all injury doubts, City may be down to the bare bones up front on Tuesday. Eoin Doyle“Doyle works hard and has good movement but is too lightweight and should have scored more. I hope I am wrong but he’s a lower-league striker for me.” The 27-year-old arrived from Chesterfield in the January transfer window. “He’s ponderous, has a poor first touch and no physical presence.”  “He’s struggling to make the step up. He’s slow in speed of thought and reactions and is pretty lightweight”, “Doyle is struggling with a route-one disaster side. He should be judged when given a chance to do what we bought him for”, “He works hard but it doesn’t look like finishing comes easy.” Joe Mason“It’s great to see Joe back on the pitch and in a City shirt.” The 23-year-old ex-Plymouth man started against Leeds having made two appearances from the bench returning from a hamstring injury. “He has a decent touch and good movement but had one or two balls played to him in the air as usual.” “Mason dropped in behind Eoin Doyle when McAleny went off injured against Leeds. He’s an intelligent player and found space to control the ball”, “He’s not a physical player and all we gave him against Bolton were long balls to chase and a high balls to out jump their centre-backs.” Some aren’t convinced by him. “He’s still painfully slow and weak”, “Mason simply does not have the pace to make it as a front man in the Championship. His runs are intelligent but once he gets in good positions he doesn’t have the pace to run away from defenders. It’s a shame as his finishing is good.” Bluebirds’ Views on ITFC and the GameThere has been little discussion about us as a team over the weekend, as is often the case with Tuesday games. I will update the forum on Tuesday afternoon with any specific matchday comments and link them to my Twitter feed. “It's a nice gesture but it's going to take a lot more than a free bus ride to Ipswich to repair the damage.” The news that the club is providing free coaches for the game has been welcomed by some but not all fans. “My opinion is that the only way this is going to be healed is for Tan to leave.” WebsitesThere are two busy and informative Bluebirds’ message boards. Cardiff City Forum is the busiest forum and carries links to news stories about the team, while CCMB.co.uk is also quite an active site.
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