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Idle City Get Next to No Help, Drop to Seventh
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Cardiff City didn't play today. The Bluebirds don't take on Bristol City until tomorrow; kickoff at Cardiff City Stadium is set for 1:15pm. Everyone else in the division did play today, however, meaning that City would have needed an unbelievable amount of help to stay at the top of the table. In fact, seven games would have had to go their way to keep them in first place going into tomorrow's game.
As it turned out, City got next to no help as only one of the seven games broke their way. The hope was that Coventry, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, and West Brom would lose, while Leicester, Preston, and Sheffield United would do no better than draw. If all of that had happened, City'd have stayed at the top. Instead, all but one of these seven clubs won their games, meaning that City will begin play tomorrow in seventh place. If City beat Bristol City, they'll go right back to the top, however. A draw means City will come back up to fourth. A loss, so long as it's not by more than four, will drop them to eighth.
The only game that went City's way was the Coventry v Swansea match. Swansea won that one 1-0, an Ashley Williams goal providing the margin of victory. Coventry's Sam Clingan missed a first-half penalty, which didn't help the home side any. The Sky Blues topped the table after two games but now find themselves ninth. Swansea rise to 15th.
Now, what about the six games that didn't go City's way? Middlesbrough took over first place with a 2-0 home win over Doncaster Rovers. Newcastle moved up to second, following a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The Magpies got their two goals in the first 21 minutes of play. West Brom find themselves third after their resounding 2-0 home win over Ipswich. The Tractor Boys are winless after four games and find themselves in 23rd place. Middlesbrough, Newcastle and West Brom have identical 3-1-0 records to this point, but Middlebrough show a +7 in the goal-difference column, Newcastle a +6 annd West Brom a +4. With a win City will be 3-1-0 as well, and with a goal-difference figure of at least +7. City are at +6 right now and with enough goals scored to pip Middlesbrough for the top spot with a win by any margin tomorrow.
Preston are fourth via a 2-0 home win over Peterborough. The hosts got both goals in the first half hour. Sheffield United are fifth after an impressive 3-1 win at Reading. The Biscuitmen led at halftime but the Blades came roaring back with three unanswered goals. Leicester are sixth thanks to a 1-0 home win over Barnsley. Matt Fryatt's goal won it for the Foxes. Preston, Sheffield United and Leicester are 2-2-0 so far, with Preston at +5 in the goal-difference column, the Blades at +4 and Leicester at +2.
The stage is set, then, for tomorrow's rather huge City v Bristol City match. Let's hope for a big win (or any kind of win, really) and a quick return to the top.
Catching Up on New Cardiff City Weblogs
Friday, August 21, 2009
Bleary-Eyed Statto is back this month, after nearly a year and a half on the sidelines. A big part of getting back to bleary-eyed blogging has meant catching up on what's new in the Bluebird blogosphere. I'm delighted to discover there are some new and some upgraded blogs. Here are brief write-ups on a handful of them:
* Cardiff City Mauve and Yellow Army. This blog is brand new, having started up just this month. It's the brainchild of Paul Evans, a City fan for over 45 years. He's well known on the messageboard at Cardiff City Online as The Other Bob Wilson. Knowing the quality of Paul's contributions to the messageboard, I'm really looking forward to following what he posts to his Mauve and Yellow Army blog. Visit the Army here.
* I Saw Magic Score. This colourful blog got started in May but only kicked into gear this month. It looks as though the top attraction here will be the quality coverage of City matches. Looks promising. Visit I Saw Magic Score here.
* Cardiff City, Clarks Pies, and Curry. This Peter Ugarte blog got started the same month Bleary-Eyed Statto ran out of gas last year, in March, 2008. Daily or just-about-daily coverage of what's going on with the Bluebirds makes this a must-see site. The depth of coverage is impressive. Check it out here.
* Cardiff City - Bigger Than Barcelona. This site looks like a work in progress. There's a messageboard set up and pages for fans' pics and fan polls. We'll monitor this one. See it here.
* Diary of a Cardiff Exile. This one's a bit different as it isn't a football site per se. It's billed as "the daily ramblings of a friendly welsh rock guitarist." Indeed, some of the ramblings are all about Cardiff City as the mastermind behind the blog is a self-described "avid Cardiff City supporter." Keep an eye on this one here.
I've added all of these new blogs to my catalog of Cardiff City sites listed just to your left. I'll keep an eye out for more as I have a feeling the Bluebird blogosphere is expanding rather nicely.
Michael Chopra in Select Company
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Michael Chopra has scored in each of Cardiff City's first three league games this season. Doing so puts him in select company, as only a handful of other Bluebirds have managed the feat. In fact, Chopra is only the fifth City player to score in each of the first three league games. Here are the others who have accomplished the feat:
* Stan Cribbs, in the first three games of the 1932/33 league campaign. Cribbs would go on to net 11 goals for the season.
* Jimmy Collins, in the first three of the abandoned 1939/40 campaign. As these were the only three games played that year before the start of World War II called a halt to proceedings, you could argue that Collins doesn't belong on this list and that only four have turned the trick.
* Graham Moore, in the first three of the 1959/60 season. Moore would wind up with 13 for the year.
* Nathan Blake, in the first three of the 1993/94 season. He'd finish with 14.
In netting six goals so far, Michael Chopra matches the club record for most goals in the first three league games. In 1928/29, Hugh Ferguson scored six in the first three. Five of them came in the second game of the season, a 7-0 rout of Burnley in the home opener. Only a handful of other Bluebirds have netted as many as four in the first three league games.
* Jimmy Collins had four in the first three games of the 1937/38 season, including a hat trick in the second game. Collins would finish with 23 goals.
* Jimmy Collins had four in the first three of the 1939/40 abandoned campaign as well.
* Wilf Grant had four in the 1951/52 season's first three. Grant would wind up with an impressive 26 goals in league play.
* Nathan Blake had four in the first three in 1993/94.
In short, Michael Chopra is the first City player in club history to score six times in the first three league games while netting at least one in each of the three.
More on Last Night's Big Win at Home Park
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
If not for a Tony Capaldi handball in injury time last night, Cardiff City might well have registered their second clean sheet in three league games. So, while City's offense is getting plenty of notice after piling up eight goals in three matches, the defense merits some attention as well. Interest in the defense is keen, of course, with the departure of Roger Johnson and Darren Purse, the arrival of Mark Hudson and Paul Quinn, and the injury to Kevin McNaughton.
Postings to the messageboard today focused a good bit on Mark Hudson. Psycho's Shell Suit observed:
Hudson made some vital interceptions/ clearances/ headers and blocks in the second half last night. Led his fellow defenders and his team and was very vocal too. He might not be the quickest but his positional sense saved us at least 3 times in a short period during the 2nd half.
The whole defensive unit looked good and Matthews is gonna be our next big thing, a very good solid debut with some classy moments.
Anne Widdecombe's Mirror responded by saying:
As you know I am not Hudsons biggest fan, (critic maybe). Last night, he showed both sides of his game. Lets get the bad out of the way first, at times in the second half his ability to head the ballaway from goal was abysmal. I counted at least three times he headed the ball unchallenged straight up in the air & put us under big pressure. Now the good, as you say, his positional play was good and yes he got in some decent challenges, blocks. Apart from speed, I think he reads the game OK, but I'm not convinced about his aerial authority.
Penguin offered a bit different view:
To be honest I don't think Hudson played well. Admittedly he made one vital interception that I can think of, and towards the end started making a few good headers but other than that I thought he was poor.
Matthews I thought was excellent, showed composure when heading back to Marshall and showed a bit of determination getting booked, which I love to see.
Regarding Hudson, The Other Bob Wilson opined:
I'll admit that I've not been over impressed by what I have seen of Hudson so far, but I remember him as being a good quality centre back at this level when he was with Palace and it's hardly as if he is now 30+ and slowing down - he's never been quick, but he has got by before and I still think he will do again.
Speaking of The Other Bob Wilson, he's started a most promising looking blog, Cardiff City Mauve and Yellow Army. Check it out here. It looks as though it's going to be an excellent source for Cardiff City fans.
One more thing. A fine collection of photos from last night is available here. They've been posted by Anne Widdecombe's Mirror.
City Win at Plymouth 3-1 Via Chopra Hat Trick, Reclaim Top Spot
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Cardiff City defeated Plymouth Argyle 3-1 at Home Park tonight to reclaim the top spot in the Championship table. Michael Chopra's hat trick paved the way to victory as the red-hot striker ran his division-leading goal total to six. The hat trick is the first for a City player in a little over two and a half years. On January 27, 2007, Chopra netted three in a 3-2 home win over Leicester City.
Chopra put City in front with a goal in the fourth minute, then netted an all-important second goal at the 80-minute mark. A Chopra penalty five minutes later gave City an insurmountable three-goal cushion before an Alan Gow penalty provided the Pilgrims with a consolation tally in the 90th minute of play. City finished the match with ten men as Tony Capaldi got a red card in the 90th minute for a second bookable offense, in this case handling in the area.
The win is only City's fourth in league play at Home Park in 25 tries. Their other three wins came in October 1948, March 1994 and March 2006. The Bluebirds came into the game with only one win (to go with seven draws) in their last 10 visits to Devon.
In his match report posted to the Bluesy's Blues blog, Nigel Harris summed things up as follows:
A fantastic night in Devon saw City blast away the Green army despite missing the likes of Kevin McNaughton, Mark Kennedy, Steve McPhail and Ross McCormack. The subs bench looked like a school outing, it was packed with kids, and the starting 11 featured 17 year old Adam Matthews making his league debut.
However it was Cardiff who made all the running and still showed the class and qualities.
In "Michael Chopra Hat-trick Helps Cardiff City Sink Plymouth," his report for the Western Mail, Steve Tucker observes that, "if the scoreline slightly flattered the Bluebirds in the end, the result certainly did not as they showed liveliness up front and steel at the back when required." He adds that "all this was achieved with a Bluebirds squad which had a very youthful tinge to it." With injuries mounting up and
"Paul Quinn out with a knee problem, 17-year-old Adam Matthews came in to make his first senior start having come on at Bloomfield Road on the weekend. It was a big moment for the Swansea-born teenager, but he seized his opportunity with aplomb."
McCormack Out for Two Months
Monday, August 17, 2009
It looks as though Ross McCormack will be out for quite a spell. A Terry Phillips story for Wales Online, "Cardiff Striker McCormack Facing Two Months on the Sidelines," reports that "the full extent of McCormack’s hamstring injury will be revealed by scans today, but Cardiff are fearing the worst – and boss Dave Jones spent much of yesterday searching for a loan replacement." Not only will McCormack be lost to the Bluebirds but he "will miss Scotland’s Hampden double-header against Macedonia on September 5 and Holland four days later."
Needless to say, McCormack isn't the only Bluebird sidelined by injury. In "Alarm Bells Ringing as Depleted Cardiff are Stretched," another Terry Phillips story, we learn that "City don’t have the numbers to cope with injuries and illness currently hitting the squad – and, after the battle at Bloomfield Road, Jones was left with 18 fit players for tomorrow’s trip to Plymouth." Among those out are "Gabor Gyepes, who did not travel to Blackpool because of a knee injury, plus several teenagers." Especially hard hit is the back line. Phillips notes that "the back-five unit has been disrupted already with injuries to Gyepes, Paul Quinn, Kevin McNaughton and Mark Kennedy."
With an already small squad so beset with injuries, it should come as no surprise that Dave Jones is looking to add to his squad. In yet another Wales Online story, "Dave Jones Looking to Bolster Injury-hit Cardiff City," Terry Phillips has it that the manager "needs a striker and midfielder and the Bluebirds spent yesterday talking to Premier League managers in a bid to agree short-term loan deals." Phillips doesn't name any Premiership players in Jones's sights, however.
Messageboarders Comment on Yesterday's Draw at Blackpool
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The messageboard at Cardiff City Online has lit up in the last 24 hours with opinions about and reactions to yesterday's 1-1 draw with Blackpool at Bloomfield Road. Let's dive into some of these comments and see what messageboarders make of the contest.
We begin with Loose Cannon, who had some extended comments about City's display against the Tangerines. He writes:
Quinn looks like he will be a solid addition at full back, gets forward well, made a couple of excellent tackles in defence.
Marshall was absolutely superb, didn't put a foot wrong all game. Thought his confidence could be shot after the Scotland game but he was excellent, made some crucial saves (one from Euell was superb!), punched when needed and generally looked all round like a top keeper at this level.
Hudson and Gerrard, not so impressed, we have gone from looking inpenetrable last season to very shaky at the back. Misconmmunication resulted in players running into each other and going for the same balls. Hudson, despite his height, seemed to win very little in the air 1st half and in the 2nd was given a 10 yard by Brett Ormerod, a player 5 years his senior, who managed to get to the ball first. Very worrying times at the back, look very vulnerable to through balls as neither CB has any pace, without Kevin Mc mopping up behind this is going to be a big problem this season against better teams. Euell's chance came from being sandwiched in between Hudson and Gerrard, but Hudson missed the header, Euell controlled on the chest, flicked it over the static Gerrard's head only for Marshall to pull off a fantastic save. Would have been an impressive goal but serious questions have to be asked of the CB's.
Summing things up, Loose Cannon said this:
Midfield DEFINITELY needs addressing. After McCormack went off, we were impotent in the middle. McPhail needs to lean to tackle, fast! Gave away several silly, needless fouls. I can imagine he probably is the most talented player at the club on the training ground, given time and space to pick his pass but surrounded by Blackpools midield of cloggers he was ineffective and was replaced in the 2nd half by Rae.
Overall it was a poor performance, but i feel had McCormack stayed on we probably could have got another goal and held out. It could be an exiciting season, looked brilliant going forward at times, but very shaky at the back.
Leggy had plenty to say as well. Here are some of his remarks:
Looked very shaky defensively. Hudson seriously not up to it and doesn't talk enough. Gerrard made a few decent clearances. Quinn looked composed and strong. Will be a big loss if he's injured (however, Matthews looked very composed and a little bit of work on his crossing and he'll be a real danger going forwards). Capaldi did okay, a few weak passes but didn't do badly. We seemed to want to give away a corner at every opportunity possible. Midfield I am totally bemused. We started the game with what looked like a 4-3-1-2 formation with McCormack behind the top two but Ledley was playing very central and our left-wing was totally empty. McPhail had some nice touches but some awful passes which let them in and his only solution was to kick their players most of the time. We didn't close down enough at all and their whole midfield had way too much time all match long. Their goal was soft, nobody closing down at all and their player had the whole of the corner of the net to aim for - directly diagonal from my position. Burke looked our best threat with Chopra taking the ball off him inside the box moments before they scored! Chopra looked dangerous but took it wide a bit too much with heavy touches and Bothroyd still doesn't compete enough. He has one of the best shots in the league but when he had his golden chance he passed it straight to their keeper! A dire display, with Marshall absolutely sublime all game long.
Taxdodger wrote: "The fact is we drew yesterday thanks to conceding a very sloppy goal where for some reason Evatt was allowed time and space to shoot, anyone of three defenders could have at least attempted to close him down." Bakedalasker was happy with a point: "People are underestimating Blackpool. They are going to be in the top half this season. They played some good football yesterday and were a great test for our defence who passed the test with Marshall deservidly being MOTM." He added,
"Also take into account we have a strong attacking force. We could have quite easily pinched all 3 points yesterday. Burkes effort over the bar in the closing stages was proof of that."
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To get to the previous week's entries go (August 9 to August 15), here. For the next week's (August 23 to August 29), go here.
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