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Bleary-Eyed Statto is back. Wahey! After some years away, total dedication to all things Cardiff City resumes for the 2007/08 season, offering takes on City matches and maneuverings, along with reports on and reactions to conversations from the message board and chat room at Cardiff City Online and from the mailing list, still the world's best. To join the list, type "cardiffcity" in the search box at groups.yahoo.com) and go from there.
A bit of background. Bleary-Eyed Statto's had its ups and downs. Full coverage from July 2001 to August 2003. Then a dip in form for the 2003-04 campaign and only a handful of entries for 2004-05. Followed by nothing at all for 2005-06 or 2006-07. During the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, though, this weblog hit its peak, offering daily coverage of Cardiff City FC, easily the greatest football club the world has ever known. We're talking about the winners of the 1927 FA Cup, and the only club to take the FA Cup out of England.
RECENT ENTRIES. Click HERE for last week's entries, and HERE for the week before that. For entries from three weeks back, go HERE. This week's entries are below.
ARCHIVES. Click HERE for the archives to this site, which include well over 600 entries as well as links to roughly 130 web sites. For coverage of the latter stages of City's 2003-04 campaign, visit Bleary-Eyed Statto 2, which soared up, briefly, to take over for this site toward the end of that season.
For the full fixture list beginning with the August 9 opener (v Southampton at Ninian Park), go HERE. For City's 2008 pre-season schedule, go HERE.
Now on to the latest entries, just below.
City Lose 1-0 at Sheffield Wednesday, Drop to 13th
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Marcus Tudgay's strike four minutes before halftime turned out to be all that Sheffield Wednesday would need to register a 1-0 win over Cardiff City at Hillsborough today. The win ended a five-game winless streak for the Owls, while the Bluebirds have now gone four in a row without a win.
In a report posted to his Bluesy's Blues blog, Nigel Harris described the match as
another thrown away by City with total first half domination with Wednesday getting booed by their own support as Hasslebaink brought off a brilliant save, the outstanding Ramsey hitting a post and other great chances missed before, as is often the way, City were hit by a sucker punch as Tudgay scored unchallenged with Capaldi stopped still and wrongly appealing for offside just before the interval.
About the second half, he observes that it "saw almost total City domination too but they were now awful and clueless, the Wednesday keeper never bother although late chances were again wasted."
At least as distressing is that "City were only able to name four substitutes without any defensive cover - with one sub a player not fit after a lengthy absence (Sinclair) and another being a kid (Brown) with one minute of Championship experience." Mr. Harris observed that "Peter Ridsdale should be embarrassed to be presiding over that, I certainly felt embarrassed by it."
City's four-game winless run in the league (one draw, three losses) drops the club into the bottom half of the table with a record of 11-11-11. A late goal could have rescued a point but the Bluebirds managed only to show once again that scoring in the last 20 minutes is not their forte. Would you believe that City have now gone 15 straight games without scoring after the 70th minute of play? Since scoring in the last minute at Hull on December 1, City have scored 20 league goals, the latest of which came in the 70th minute against Colchester on December 8.
City aren’t exactly knocking them dead when playing before larger gatherings either. Today’s loss extends to eight (four draws, four defeats) the Bluebirds winless run in games played before 17,000 or more. City haven’t won before a crowd of 17,000 or more since beating Norwich 2-1 at Carrow Road on September 1.
Manager Jones Strikes Again
Friday, February 22, 2008
A week and a half ago City manager Dave Jones declared Ninian Park "an embarrassment." Now, on the eve of Saturday's visit to Hillsborough to take on Sheffield Wednesday, he's had a go at the City faithful, blaming "small crowds at Ninian Park for holding back the development of his side."
Reading between the lines of what the manager had to say to Steve Tucker in the Western Mail story, "Cardiff City's Jones in Plea to City Fans," it's easy enough to see that Jones is having a bit of difficulty processing City's admittedly disappointing crowd at this past Saturday's FA Cup match at the same time he contemplates a visit to Hillsborough, where the Owls continue to draw decent crowds despite subpar play. Jones is quoted as saying of Wednesday,
They probably get more fans in their stadium and they are second from bottom So they have got more revenue so they probably can do better than we can at this moment in time. That is why we are getting the new stadium built.
We can only do what we are doing on the pitch. I am sure everyone was disappointed the Wolves game was not a sell-out.
And how are City supporters taking all of this? On the mailing list, Hugh Jordan wrote, "In a word . . . bollocks. If NP were full for every match, there still wouldn't be a penny." Martin Edwards put it succinctly, "He really does come out with some crap sometimes doesn't he?" In a post to his Bluesy's Blues blog, "Dave Moans At It Again, Everyone Else to Blame," Nigel Harris observes, "Maybe there are a couple of valid points but he's so droll, downbeat and negative." Further, Jones appears to be "ignoring a few realities such as a team who until recent weeks has not performed at Ninian Park for a year, the sale of players, the lack of ambition to go for the play-offs and these dour messages that come from the club."
Do check out Mr. Harris post. It features a fine portrait of Jones in full-moan mode. It's quite special.
More on Cleansheetability
Thursday, February 21, 2008
A week or so ago I offered a post on "cleansheetability," or stats on how regularly City keepers have kept clean sheets in recent years. While on this clean-sheets kick, I got to wondering about how other clubs stack up so I checked into clean-sheet rates of success among goalkeepers in City's division last season. I
put together figures for keepers who started 25 or more games. Thought this might be interesting, at least for comparison purposes. Here's what I found:
Brian Jensen, Burnley - 13 clean sheets in 30 games, for a success rate of 43.3%
Maik Taylor, Birmingham City - 11 in 27 for 40.7%
Darren Ward, Sunderland - 12 in 30 for 40%
Matt Murray, Wolverhampton Wanderers - 17 in 44 games for 38.6%
Neil Alexander, Cardiff City - 15 in 39 games for 38.5%
Carlo Nash, Preston North End - 11 in 29 for 37.9%
Steve Bywater, Derby County - 14 in 37 for 37.8%
Steve Simonsen, Stoke City - 16 in 48 for 33.3%
Kelvin Davis, Southampton - 12 in 38 for 31.6%
Dean Gerken, Colchester United - 8 in 27 for 29.6%
Gabor Kiraly, Crystal Palace - 8 in 29 for 27.6%
Paul Gallacher, Norwich City - 7 in 26 for 26.9%
Paul Henderson, Leicester City - 7 in 28 for 25%
Andy Marshall, Coventry City - 10 in 41 for 24.4%
Boaz Myhill, Hull City - 11 in 46 for 23.9%
Nick Colgan, Barnsley - 10 in 43 for 23.3%
Luke McCormick, Plymouth Argyle - 9 in 40 for 22.5%
Flahavan, Southend United - 10 in 46 for 21.7%
Lewis Price, Ipswich Town - 6 in 34 for 17.7%
Marlon Beresford, Luton Town - 4 in 26 for 15.4%
You'll find here a pretty good correlation here between the goalkeeper's rate of success in keeping clean sheets and the club's position in the final table. Eight of the division's top 10 clubs have their top keeper
represented in the top 10 above. The only two clubs not appearing in the top 10 here, Sheffield Wednesday and West Brom, split their goalkeeping duties such that no netminder appeared in as many as 25 games.
The two bottom-half-of-the-table clubs to place a netminder in the top 10 clean-sheet keepers chart, Burnley and Cardiff, had their moments. Burnley were in the top 10 through Boxing Day, which coincided fairly closely with Brian Jensen's starting in goal in 21 of their first 25 games. When Burnley went through 17 games without a win beginning on December 2, Jensen missed 14 of the 17. Then,
when Jensen returned, with nine games to go, things turned back around almost immediately. Burnley ended the winless run, picking up 16 points in their last nine games (thanks to a 5-1-3 record).
The Cardiff story doesn't need rehearsing here, except to say that when Jones benched Alexander after the March 31 loss to Sunderland the Bluebirds were in eighth place. They picked up all of one point from their last six and finished 13th.
City Lose to Newport County in FAW Premier Cup Semifinal
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Cardiff City have crashed out of the FAW Premier Cup, losing on penalties to Newport County in their semifinal match last night at Ninian Park. Neither side scored in the first 90 minutes but both netted a goal in extra time. Then, in a quite shocking development, former Bluebird Jason Bowen got County on the scoreboard in the 117th minute and all looked lost. Miraculously, Steve Thompson scored a minute later for City. All for naught, though, as Newport proceeded to win 5-4 on penalties but only after Thompson missed his penalty when scoring would have put the Bluebirds through to the final. From all accounts it was a rather spectacular miss at that.
Mike Morris notes, in his report on the match, that City lined up with only eight players with league experience, while Newport's side "included five former Bluebirds, four of whom, Damon Searle, Jason Perry, Steve Jenkins and Lee Jarman have a combined number of Cardiff City appearances significantly more than the Cardiff City team they were facing." In fact, as Mike noted in an email to the mailing list, Newport's five former Bluebirds can boast a total of 504 starting appearances for Cardiff, while City's eight starters with any league or cup experience can claim only 321 previous starts. You could say, then, that City lost to more experienced side!
Nigel Harris has a detailed report on the match posted to his Bluesy's Blues blog. Mr. Harris's feelings about the evening are summed up nicely in a sentence that appears early on in his account. It reads, "Three hours of my life I won't get back." No fan of what he calls the tinpot trophy, he will be pleased by the fact that this competition will be halted after this season. He has posted pictures from the match as well. You can find them here. For additional reports on the match, go here.
Also, for Amber Terrace's superb collection of sixty or so pictures of the match, go here. You won't be disappointed.
City Mourn Brian Harris
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Brian Harris has passed away, aged 72. "A hugely popular and versatile player," Harris made over 500 appearances for Everton and Cardiff City. BBC Sport's report notes that Harris "won the League Championship with Everton in 1963 and was part of their 1966 FA Cup-winning side." Then, "five months later Harris was signed by Cardiff for £10,000, playing for them until 1971 before later returning to Ninian Park as assistant manager."
On the messageboard, Martin Edwards wrote, "Very sad. He was a rock against Moscow Torpedo and SV Hamburg." David Abse had this to say:
Oh that's very sad. He used to be good friends with my dad. They got friendly because Harris was interested in poetry, while obviously my old man was more interested in the City! When I was a kid he used to get us into games, and I remember him always taking us around the back and introducing us to the players. I don't know what to say. Sympathy and love to his family if anyone knows them.
Mike Young offered the following;
I remember the first game he played for the City, we were hammered. He must have wondered what the hell he had gotten himself into. Directly after that he steadied the ship and was always a rock and seemed to show none of the attitude that often befalls players who step down from a higher grade.
Nigel Harris has posted a nicely penned note on Harris's passing to his Bluesy's Blues blog. He writes, "Brian Harris shared the same surname as my father and some people used to ask if he (the Cardiff City player) was my dad. Was more than happy never to deny it!"
According to Dean Hayes's Cardiff City An A-Z, Harris played in 149 games for City and "in 1967-68 he played in all nine of the club's European Cup Winners' Cup games when they just missed out on reaching the final." Later, Harris served as assistant manager at City, under Richie Morgan. He will be missed.
It's Boro or Sheff United Away in FA Cup Quarterfinal Draw
Monday, February 18, 2008
Here's the draw for the FA Cup quarterfinals:
Sheffield United or Middlesbrough v Cardiff City
Manchester United v Portsmouth
Bristol Rovers v WEst Bromwich Albion
Barnsley v Chelsea
Having got myself torqued up a bit in anticipation of the draw, I have to say I was disappointed at first. I was thinking, "We waited 81 years for this?" Examining some possibly relevant stats didn't help any. Not that it means anything but Middlesbrough have won three of their four quarterfinal matches in the Premiership era and Sheffield United have won three of their four as well.
Reaction on the mailing list varied a bit. Neil David wrote, "C'mon Sheffield." To this, Steve Lyell replied, "Nah, I fancy Boro. 1994 all over again, though I hope that the locals are a bit more welcoming than they were back then." Mark Cox opined, "Glad to steer clear of Portsmouth & WBA so this isn't as bad as it first
looks." Scott Thomas said, "Boro would be a better trip, wouldn't it? Memories of 93/94 as well. Sheff U are bound to get better without the Robson handicap as well and
at some point we are going to have to beat a decent team for it to feel like a proper cup run."
I was hoping for Bristol Rovers at home, of course, but figured that'd never happen. I was dreading getting Chelsea or Manchester United so I'm grateful that's not on the cards. Further, if City had to draw a Premiership side away, I'm glad it's Middlesbrough. At least there's a chance of advancing.
For links to stories on today's draw, check this page from Nigel Harris's Bluesy's Blues blog.
McCarthy States the Obvious: "We Were Hopeless"
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy had to admit that his charges were not exactly up to much yesterday at Ninian Park. In a story appearing in the Birmingham Mail, McCarthy is quoted as saying, "We've started games dreadfully. It made things very difficult. The second goal was a fabulous finish I have to say, but we were in good possession and we gave it away and got done again." He added, "We never really scratched the surface, we were hopeless. That was as bad a performance as we have had in a long time."
Speaking of "hopeless," mailing lister Rob Hughes noted that "City fans have been pretty hopeless in the Cup campaign so far . . . seems likely that no more than 14,000 have watched any of the three matches so far." In response, Ant wrote:
Very disappointing home support. It's less than we got on occasions in the dungeon. Has the board's apathy and the pessimism of our manager had an
effect on some of the supporters?
They'll all come out of the woodwork, though, if we draw someone big in the next round, moaning when they cannot get tickets.
Elaborating on Ant's thoughts, John Marenghi wrote:
I wondered that - mostly a supporter of DJ but he again sounded really downbeat on the radio after the game and again on MOTD last night (we all knew we'd have to wait for the last game didn't we). Allied to Ridsdale's comments in the press yesterday about needing a miracle to make the play-offs and you would think its all doom and gloom.
We had a tremendous start yesterday but considering we were on the verge of making the quarter finals for the first time in anyone there yesterday's lifetime then the atmosphere for most of the 2nd half seemed pretty flat and only a 15k crowd? We got more for the visits of Barnet and Shrewsbury in the dungeon when Rick Wright was hyping things.
I know we're skint but Ridsdale and DJ could say things like we've got no money but we have exciting youngsters and we're all pulling together to achieve this that and the other - backs to the wall job, you know the bullshit which does seem to affect whether the "casual" support will turn up.
On the matter of how skint City are and how it figures in the larger scheme of things, Aidan offered the following:
The problem is the club is so much in debt it is going nowhere. As soon as we develop or sign a decent player we will sell him. Ledley and Ramsey will be sold as soon as a decent offer comes in for them.We might manage to hang round in the championship for another season or two but the only way we are leaving this division is downwards.
The sad thing is if we beat Chelsea or Man Utd on the way to winning the cup all the money would disappear into the black hole and it would just hasten the sale of Ramsey and Ledley to secure the future of the club of course.
Its the same old Cardiff in the eyes of the public and they are right, no amount of PR bollocks will fool them. In any event it doesn't matter whether we get 13,000 or 18,000 weare still going to sell every decent player we get.
The future holds only misery and despair, get used to it.
Now that does sound rather hopeless. Let's hope tomorrow's draw lifts spirits a bit.
Bleary-Eyed Navigation
You can get to the top of Bleary-Eyed Statto's front page by clicking here.
To get to the previous week's entries (February 10 to February 16), go here. For the next week's (February 24 to March 1), go here.
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