A dreadful team to watch

[The Lone Gunman]

During his post-match interview with Sky last night, Sean Morrison was honest enough to admit that Cardiff's tactics against Fulham involved nothing more than "sitting back and trying to play on the counter-attack."

Meanwhile, Josh Murphy told Sky the pre-match plan had been "to frustrate the opposition and play more like a Neil Warnock team."

The way City set up, you could have been forgiven for thinking they were facing a top Premier League side in a cup game or playing away to a leading Championship team who were in top form, but they weren't.

Cardiff were playing at home against a Fulham side they had finished in front of during the last two league campaigns; a side who were abysmal for the majority of last season; a side with a rookie manager and a notoriously fragile defence; and a side who had already been beaten by Barnsley and Nottingham Forest this season. Nevertheless, Warnock's tactics were all about stopping the opposition rather than attempting to take them on.

After Harry Arter stupidly and deservedly got himself sent off, City had almost half an hour to press home their man advantage and try to play some proper football. However, they created just three chances during that time - a long range effort from Joe Ralls that went well wide, a tame header from Robert Glatzel that went even wider and another header from Sean Morrison that also missed the target.

The manager's reaction to gaining a man advantage was not to take off a defender or a defensive midfielder and bring on a second striker to play alongside the isolated Glatzel. Instead, he took off one ineffective winger and brought on another. The result was that his players spent most of the last half hour pumping aimless balls from one side of the field to the other while barely threatening the goal of a team who were clearly rattled and obviously far from great.

Cardiff City's football has been difficult to watch for much of Warnock's tenure, but this season his team looks especially grim. In recent months, I've highlighted how few draws the Bluebirds have been involved in during the last year or so. Their sequence of 53 games without a score draw was finally ended last night and it looks to me like there will be plenty more draws in the coming months.

Warnock told Sky's reporter after the match that he doesn't have a clue where his team will end up this season. To me, they already look mid-table bankers. They're nowhere near weak enough to be involved in a relegation scrap, but by the same token they don't appear to have either the quality or the ambition to get involved in the battle for promotion. Meanwhile, the football they play makes for utterly dreadful viewing.

[Pearcey3]

It certainly sounds a very defensive set up last night. There seems a real crisis in confidence st the club which seems a bit odd. If you had lost all of your games then I could understand it but it’s been an average start to the season. Not a good start but not a disastrous start. Just average.

I still think Cardiff will feature somewhere in the top half but top two doesn’t look likely on current form. Given where the club have been post war that would still be one of the highest finishes in the League the club have managed in the past 70 years. So is it really that bad?

[The Lone Gunman]

It certainly sounds a very defensive set up last night. There seems a real crisis in confidence st the club which seems a bit odd. If you had lost all of your games then I could understand it but it’s been an average start to the season. Not a good start but not a disastrous start. Just average.

I don't think it's that odd based on what I've seen.

Manga and Bamba have both been integral to the defensive set-up in recent seasons. Manga's gone and Bamba's injured. Meanwhile, Morrison looks far less assured alongside Flint.

In midfield, Gunnarsson has gone, as have Arter and Camarasa. Warnock has resorted to using Tomlin, who he obviously wanted to get rid of before the injury to Pack. Tomlin was almost completely anonymous last night. To me, he just doesn't look suited a Warnock set-up at all.

Up front, Reid left in acrimonious circumstances, which suggests all is not entirely well in the camp. Zohore, who was hit and miss but his teammates knew was capable on his day, he also left. Meanwhile, Glatzel is an unknown quantity for everyone at this stage.

The club has lost players who were influential on the pitch and in a few cases clearly popular in the dressing room. The replacements so far don't look adequate.

[BLUEAWAY]

We played in the Premiership with Championship players.
We are now playing in the Championship with a combination of our weaker players from last season and League 1 imports.
Injuries are a problem but had the squad been strengthened rather than weakened would have been less so.

[BLUEAWAY]

During his post-match interview with Sky last night, Sean Morrison was honest enough to admit that Cardiff's tactics against Fulham involved nothing more than "sitting back and trying to play on the counter-attack."

Meanwhile, Josh Murphy told Sky the pre-match plan had been "to frustrate the opposition and play more like a Neil Warnock team."

The way City set up, you could have been forgiven for thinking they were facing a top Premier League side in a cup game or playing away to a leading Championship team who were in top form, but they weren't.

Cardiff were playing at home against a Fulham side they had finished in front of during the last two league campaigns; a side who were abysmal for the majority of last season; a side with a rookie manager and a notoriously fragile defence; and a side who had already been beaten by Barnsley and Nottingham Forest this season. Nevertheless, Warnock's tactics were all about stopping the opposition rather than attempting to take them on.

After Harry Arter stupidly and deservedly got himself sent off, City had almost half an hour to press home their man advantage and try to play some proper football. However, they created just three chances during that time - a long range effort from Joe Ralls that went well wide, a tame header from Robert Glatzel that went even wider and another header from Sean Morrison that also missed the target.

The manager's reaction to gaining a man advantage was not to take off a defender or a defensive midfielder and bring on a second striker to play alongside the isolated Glatzel. Instead, he took off one ineffective winger and brought on another. The result was that his players spent most of the last half hour pumping aimless balls from one side of the field to the other while barely threatening the goal of a team who were clearly rattled and obviously far from great.

Cardiff City's football has been difficult to watch for much of Warnock's tenure, but this season his team looks especially grim. In recent months, I've highlighted how few draws the Bluebirds have been involved in during the last year or so. Their sequence of 53 games without a score draw was finally ended last night and it looks to me like there will be plenty more draws in the coming months.

Warnock told Sky's reporter after the match that he doesn't have a clue where his team will end up this season. To me, they already look mid-table bankers. They're nowhere near weak enough to be involved in a relegation scrap, but by the same token they don't appear to have either the quality or the ambition to get involved in the battle for promotion. Meanwhile, the football they play makes for utterly dreadful viewing.

It was awful.
The best that can be said about it is that delivered a point.....but is that the level that we have reached?

[Eric Cartman]

It was awful.
The best that can be said about it is that delivered a point.....but is that the level that we have reached?

We don't seem to have the energy to play a game that relies on stealing the ball high up the pitch Vs possession based sides. Fulham were trying to draw us out but we never bit really so they ended up just passing it between the back 4 for quite a lot of the game. During our promotion year teams did the same and we were good enough to force them into a mistake, I think possibly these players need longer together to understand how to work as a unit out of possession.

[Stavross1927]

During his post-match interview with Sky last night, Sean Morrison was honest enough to admit that Cardiff's tactics against Fulham involved nothing more than "sitting back and trying to play on the counter-attack."

Meanwhile, Josh Murphy told Sky the pre-match plan had been "to frustrate the opposition and play more like a Neil Warnock team."

The way City set up, you could have been forgiven for thinking they were facing a top Premier League side in a cup game or playing away to a leading Championship team who were in top form, but they weren't.

Cardiff were playing at home against a Fulham side they had finished in front of during the last two league campaigns; a side who were abysmal for the majority of last season; a side with a rookie manager and a notoriously fragile defence; and a side who had already been beaten by Barnsley and Nottingham Forest this season. Nevertheless, Warnock's tactics were all about stopping the opposition rather than attempting to take them on.

After Harry Arter stupidly and deservedly got himself sent off, City had almost half an hour to press home their man advantage and try to play some proper football. However, they created just three chances during that time - a long range effort from Joe Ralls that went well wide, a tame header from Robert Glatzel that went even wider and another header from Sean Morrison that also missed the target.

The manager's reaction to gaining a man advantage was not to take off a defender or a defensive midfielder and bring on a second striker to play alongside the isolated Glatzel. Instead, he took off one ineffective winger and brought on another. The result was that his players spent most of the last half hour pumping aimless balls from one side of the field to the other while barely threatening the goal of a team who were clearly rattled and obviously far from great.

Cardiff City's football has been difficult to watch for much of Warnock's tenure, but this season his team looks especially grim. In recent months, I've highlighted how few draws the Bluebirds have been involved in during the last year or so. Their sequence of 53 games without a score draw was finally ended last night and it looks to me like there will be plenty more draws in the coming months.

Warnock told Sky's reporter after the match that he doesn't have a clue where his team will end up this season. To me, they already look mid-table bankers. They're nowhere near weak enough to be involved in a relegation scrap, but by the same token they don't appear to have either the quality or the ambition to get involved in the battle for promotion. Meanwhile, the football they play makes for utterly dreadful viewing.

Little to disagree with in what you say. I thought it looked like an attack against defence training exercise until the red card. In fairness to City, they did execute the game plan well and Fulham for their part were pretty poor and didn’t move the ball quickly enough to draw City out of their rigid shape.

The same tactics got us promoted last time because we a lot more solid defensively and a lot more threatening from set pieces. This season without Manga and Bamba, we look so much more nervy at the back at times, and we hardly look like threatening from set prices and I include long throws with that. Unless we improve the moments where we switch off or start scoring more goals to compensate , I think we’ll struggle to make the playoffs.

[The Lone Gunman]

The same tactics got us promoted last time because we a lot more solid defensively and a lot more threatening from set pieces. This season without Manga and Bamba, we look so much more nervy at the back at times, and we hardly look like threatening from set prices and I include long throws with that. Unless we improve the moments where we switch off or start scoring more goals to compensate , I think we’ll struggle to make the playoffs.

The bit I've highlighted has genuinely surprised me. For such a big side, City seem to be winning very little in the air from set pieces. Without doing so, their attacking options look even further reduced. Those long throws from Morrison are especially tedious. He should be in the area for set pieces getting on the end of things, not taking throw-ins. It's an abysmal tactic.

[thehumblegringo]

It certainly sounds a very defensive set up last night. There seems a real crisis in confidence st the club which seems a bit odd. If you had lost all of your games then I could understand it but it’s been an average start to the season. Not a good start but not a disastrous start. Just average.

I still think Cardiff will feature somewhere in the top half but top two doesn’t look likely on current form. Given where the club have been post war that would still be one of the highest finishes in the League the club have managed in the past 70 years. So is it really that bad?

You seem a good guy Pearcey but what has the last 70 years got to do with it.

The context of the club is that it was on an upward curve since Warnock took over 3 years ago.

Last season was obviously different considering our opposition yet we were in with a chance of staying up almost until the end.

Comparatively we have spent buckets of money since the year we went up and it's like we've thrown it down the drain on purpose in order to remain "plucky underdogs" and to "hang on to coattails"!

Good post TLG by the way. Yes I will agree with those who protest that Fulham were boring. Parker definitely got it wrong playing Harry Arter and Harrison Reed last night.

Arter is limited at best and I was struggling to see how the position he was continually taking up in like a left sided central defensive midfield area was in anyway effective!

Even it was on our left where Murphy was it would be a bit more understandable but we don't create anything there and playing Johansen and pushing him further forward would have hurt us more.

All I learned last night was Scott Parkers limitations.

[Pearcey3]

You seem a good guy Pearcey but what has the last 70 years got to do with it.

The context of the club is that it was on an upward curve since Warnock took over 3 years ago.

Last season was obviously different considering our opposition yet we were in with a chance of staying up almost until the end.

Comparatively we have spent buckets of money since the year we went up and it's like we've thrown it down the drain on purpose in order to remain "plucky underdogs" and to "hang on to coattails"!

Good post TLG by the way. Yes I will agree with those who protest that Fulham were boring. Parker definitely got it wrong playing Harry Arter and Harrison Reed last night.

Arter is limited at best and I was struggling to see how the position he was continually taking up in like a left sided central defensive midfield area was in anyway effective!

Even it was on our left where Murphy was it would be a bit more understandable but we don't create anything there and playing Johansen and pushing him further forward would have hurt us more.

All I learned last night was Scott Parkers limitations.

I suppose to give some context to your current position. You are mid table in the Championship. I can recall days back in the 90’s when you were in the fourth division being watched by 3000 or 4000. Things could be a lot worse.
Oh and I’ve just seen my lot torn apart by a Charlton side whose fans were protesting not very long ago. Now they are second in the Championship.

Football is all about ups and downs for clubs like Cardiff, Reading and Charlton. We have our good times and bad times and are not like the Liverpool’s of this world who always expect to win. I went to our game today confident we would win but in the end we were humbled. That’s how it is and I wouldn’t change it.

[jeepster]

I suppose to give some context to your current position. You are mid table in the Championship. I can recall days back in the 90’s when you were in the fourth division being watched by 3000 or 4000. Things could be a lot worse.
Oh and I’ve just seen my lot torn apart by a Charlton side whose fans were protesting not very long ago. Now they are second in the Championship.

Football is all about ups and downs for clubs like Cardiff, Reading and Charlton. We have our good times and bad times and are not like the Liverpool’s of this world who always expect to win. I went to our game today confident we would win but in the end we were humbled. That’s how it is and I wouldn’t change it.

Well said Pearcy just make the most of being able to see our teams

[Llandaff Blue]

I suppose to give some context to your current position. You are mid table in the Championship. I can recall days back in the 90’s when you were in the fourth division being watched by 3000 or 4000. Things could be a lot worse.
Oh and I’ve just seen my lot torn apart by a Charlton side whose fans were protesting not very long ago. Now they are second in the Championship.

Football is all about ups and downs for clubs like Cardiff, Reading and Charlton. We have our good times and bad times and are not like the Liverpool’s of this world who always expect to win. I went to our game today confident we would win but in the end we were humbled. That’s how it is and I wouldn’t change it.

Those days were almost 30 years ago mate, they bear no relevance on the current state of the club.

[Hometown Unicorn!]

I couldn't agree more. Forget playing styles and philosophies, we are just very poor at the moment and terrible value for the ticket price.

I'm not someone who thinks all football should be played beautifully or 'tiki-taka' is the be all and end all but we don't even have the ability at the moment to pass the ball 5/10 yards to feet, switch play, vary set pieces, attack with purpose or even control the ball.

Where has the spark gone? Where is the intensity? Why aren't the players taking responsibility on the pitch to use the ball rather than continuously flick it on or turn it round the corner like it's made of anthrax? The amount of times we tried to force it down the left hand side when players were marked and the space had been cut off, rather than switch play and move Fulham about, was mind boggling.

I even think Warnock has lost his spark, he looks very flat to me. Maybe last season and the Sala tragedy has taken it's toll on him. I am hugely thankful for what he has done for the club, he's been incredible but I think maybe it's a season too many? I won't call for his head but we need a dramatic change otherwise this is going to be a long tough season.

I thought Fulham were actually pretty poor last night too, they passed it and passed it without any pace and to me didn't look that dangerous. They are still quite shaky at the back too, so why the game plan was to sit back and try and hit the on the break at home was baffling. Especially after the 1st 20 mins when the players could have seen that they were there for the taking.

Oh well, hopefully the international break will give them a bit of time to re-group and change the approach even if it just makes us more enjoyable to watch.

[walinoz]

I couldn't agree more. Forget playing styles and philosophies, we are just very poor at the moment and terrible value for the ticket price.

I'm not someone who thinks all football should be played beautifully or 'tiki-taka' is the be all and end all but we don't even have the ability at the moment to pass the ball 5/10 yards to feet, switch play, vary set pieces, attack with purpose or even control the ball.

Where has the spark gone? Where is the intensity? Why aren't the players taking responsibility on the pitch to use the ball rather than continuously flick it on or turn it round the corner like it's made of anthrax? The amount of times we tried to force it down the left hand side when players were marked and the space had been cut off, rather than switch play and move Fulham about, was mind boggling.

I even think Warnock has lost his spark, he looks very flat to me. Maybe last season and the Sala tragedy has taken it's toll on him. I am hugely thankful for what he has done for the club, he's been incredible but I think maybe it's a season too many? I won't call for his head but we need a dramatic change otherwise this is going to be a long tough season.

I thought Fulham were actually pretty poor last night too, they passed it and passed it without any pace and to me didn't look that dangerous. They are still quite shaky at the back too, so why the game plan was to sit back and try and hit the on the break at home was baffling. Especially after the 1st 20 mins when the players could have seen that they were there for the taking.

Oh well, hopefully the international break will give them a bit of time to re-group and change the approach even if it just makes us more enjoyable to watch.

Yea I think this too. Warlock has definitely lost his spark and I can’t see him being around much longer

[Shute]

Liar. That was a good game and the contrasting styles made for exciting viewing, but that wouldn't fit your agenda. We got a point against the bookies pre season joint favourites, even though we are missing some key players.

I'd love it if we played this way for the next 20 years. Why would anybody want to see defenders passing a ball around for a third of the game? Get the ball to the skilled men and let centre backs do what they do so well.

[Hilts]

It was hard watching that in the ground. Both sides were awful to watch.

The only thing that made it remotely enjoyable was its live football and our team battling for a point or the 3. I really dont get why any non supporter would have sat through it.

Have to say the crowd well the Canton mainly were fantastic last night. Made the night more bearable.

[Bald Barry Bastad]

I came away from last night's game surprisingly optimistic. Fulham were nothing special yet will be one of the stronger teams in this league. We should get stronger with personnel coming back and the new guys improving. But reading this post has bought me back to earth with a bang. TLG is spot on. Last night was not good enough. This season is not good enough. We should be doing so much more. Warnock's negativity is tedious.

[SunderlandBluebird]

I don’t think the OP understands football that well if he doesn’t understand why we played like that last night.

[The Lone Gunman]

I don’t think the OP understands football that well if he doesn’t understand why we played like that last night.

I think I understand it quite well, oh great one. I believe it's because the current team isn't very good by Championship standards.

[RonnieBird]

I don’t think the OP understands football that well if he doesn’t understand why we played like that last night.

You're quite right, despite the angry replies. There's a group of people here with simplistic ideas about the game and you can't tell them differently because they'll just get nasty. I've never come across a football forum like this where so many people don't seem to like the team it's about.

[dml1954]

You're quite right, despite the angry replies. There's a group of people here with simplistic ideas about the game and you can't tell them differently because they'll just get nasty. I've never come across a football forum like this where so many people don't seem to like the team it's about.

Totally agree with this. Its what I have been saying for the last four years. Its the same people all the time banging on about how useless Warnock is, our useless owner, the way the club is run, criticising individual players etc etc. Most of them don't even go to games. I saw a much improved performance last night, against a team tipped for promotion by many and most of the people having a go tipped us to lose heavily before the game. They must have all been very disappointed by the result.

[the other bob wilson]

Totally agree with this. Its what I have been saying for the last four years. Its the same people all the time banging on about how useless Warnock is, our useless owner, the way the club is run, criticising individual players etc etc. Most of them don't even go to games. I saw a much improved performance last night, against a team tipped for promotion by many and most of the people having a go tipped us to lose heavily before the game. They must have all been very disappointed by the result.

Ugh, is it really only four years that you've been banging on with your one basic post (you always say the same thing)? It seems like decades to me.

[dml1954]

Ugh, is it really only four years that you've been banging on with your one basic post (you always say the same thing)? It seems like decades to me.

At least I like the team I support and enjoy watching them play. Your 'message' hasnt changed much either over the same period by the way - at least I am consistent and have as much right to post on here as you do, as far as I know. Sorry if my liking of the club offends you and others. Hopefully gradually people are beginning to see through the continuous criticism by the same people all the time for what it is - a bunch of mainly armchair 'know alls' who cant bear the fact that we have has success in recent times.

[Bald Barry Bastad]

I don’t think the OP understands football that well if he doesn’t understand why we played like that last night.

Please explain. Why did we play football like that last night?

[SunderlandBluebird]

Please explain. Why did we play football like that last night?

Fulham passed the ball in triangles between Mawson, Ream and Arter for large periods of the game constantly trying to probe us into going forward and leaving space in behind for them to attack Morrison and Flint. The fact we held our shape so well should be applauded because if we’d gone gung ho to press high up the pitch then we’d have been sliced apart.

The moaning from people like the OP (who gave up on the club a few years ago then suddenly came back last season if I remember rightly) is more painful than anything we watched last night.

The squad is pretty stretched atm, the last thing we needed was to go into the international break on the back of a defeat. 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses from the first six games isn’t brilliant and it’s far from dreadful either.

Last night’s game was no different to games like Derby, Millwall, Middlesbrough and Bristol City at home during the last Championship campaign. The ball didn’t fall for us last night though.

Had Glatzel’s header gone in or Morrison’s been tapped in then everyone would’ve been lining up to praise him.

Warnock has his faults (shock horror - he’s spent the majority of his career in the football league) - but having a pop at last night is just silly behaviour.