FT: CARDIFF CITY 1 - 2 WATFORD. Match thread

[Pedro de la Rosa]

we aren't going down, get a grip you lot, you've got even less bottle than the players

What 3 sides are worse than us? Genuinely. We are punchless.

I'm not saying we are definitely going down but it will be another long season. Steve "I left Cardiff in a better position than when I found them" Morison has absolutely shafted us.

[splott parker]

I enjoyed the game tonight as did the few I spoke to on the way out. They were better than us but we knew that before a ball was kicked. Philogene got us up off our seats on more than one occasion which was a pleasant surprise, a City player actually showing a bit of skill. Nobody has mentioned our ‘keeper lacking assertiveness in his six yard box when they got their two. It’s all very well playing the modern sweeper/keeper roll, which he does well, but he should be commanding his six yard box when balls are coming in. If he’s challenged he’ll almost certainly get the free kick. How Spurs won their Champions League group without Etete baffles me mind!!!! He isn’t a footballer at all, he’s won a raffle or something. As I said, I enjoyed the game and the fact we didn’t fold and chuck the towel in against a superior outfit.........I feel I’ve gone a bit dml here

[UNDERHILL1927]

I enjoyed the game tonight as did the few I spoke to on the way out. They were better than us but we knew that before a ball was kicked. Philogene got us up off our seats on more than one occasion which was a pleasant surprise, a City player actually showing a bit of skill. Nobody has mentioned our ‘keeper lacking assertiveness in his six yard box when they got their two. It’s all very well playing the modern sweeper/keeper roll, which he does well, but he should be commanding his six yard box when balls are coming in. If he’s challenged he’ll almost certainly get the free kick. How Spurs won their Champions League group without Etete baffles me mind!!!! He isn’t a footballer at all, he’s won a raffle or something. As I said, I enjoyed the game and the fact we didn’t fold and chuck the towel in against a superior outfit.........I feel I’ve gone a bit dml here

Fair play SP, the word enjoyed is the last thing I would have thought any Cardiff fan would have used for that tonight.

[jon1959]

We are in serious trouble. The current squad is likely to go down.

I cant be too critical of the players tonight. Thats just how good they are. They had a go just miles behind Watfords ability.

We are sort of trying to play more football but just are not good at it hence we create next to nothing.

However we now also have no physicalilty and are useless at defending and attacking set pieces.

Its awful to watch. Morisons window was a disaster. Tonight only Philogene and Ralls looked like good Championship players.

We need new players in January and to scrape together as many points as we can.

I don't know how to assess the squad yet or predict how the season will pan out. I wasn't expecting much - a year of adjusting to a new style of play, a new squad and lower costs - hopefully with a few more Academy lads forcing their way into contention.

A month or so ago on this board we were supposedly nailed on relegation candidates and all the loanees were a waste of space. We couldn't score or defend crosses and were clocking up the possession stats in the middle of the pitch without going anywhere. A few weeks after that there were dreams of the play offs! Robinson was the saviour and Kipre was racking up MOM performances.

But we're not settled or consistent. Still a bit toothless in attack and prone to be bullied at the back post for crosses.

I hope more and better coaching will push us up the table. I hope Robinson (and now Philogene) can provide that bit of quality we are missing. I think there are more than three other clubs in this league worse than us.

A handful of signings in January might well transform this team - but as things stand now we are headed for a three window transfer embargo on the back of the Sala ruling. We may have to survive with what we've got if the club don't pay up as demanded by FIFA. But what we've got should include Joel Bagan, Isaak Davies, Rubin Colwill, Oli Denham, Ebou Adams, Eli King and Mark McGuinness.

I think we will be OK.

[islandblue]

What the f*ck were we thinking spending 500k on Etete?

We were saying that on the way back to the car. Looked like the winner of a " be a footballer for a day competition" when he came on. If we were going to blow 500k I'd rather have had Uche from last season.

[Tuerto]

I enjoyed the game tonight as did the few I spoke to on the way out. They were better than us but we knew that before a ball was kicked. Philogene got us up off our seats on more than one occasion which was a pleasant surprise, a City player actually showing a bit of skill. Nobody has mentioned our ‘keeper lacking assertiveness in his six yard box when they got their two. It’s all very well playing the modern sweeper/keeper roll, which he does well, but he should be commanding his six yard box when balls are coming in. If he’s challenged he’ll almost certainly get the free kick. How Spurs won their Champions League group without Etete baffles me mind!!!! He isn’t a footballer at all, he’s won a raffle or something. As I said, I enjoyed the game and the fact we didn’t fold and chuck the towel in against a superior outfit.........I feel I’ve gone a bit dml here

I don'tthink that the keeper should be coming for the 2nd goal. The first one, maybe, i can't really remember it. Defenders not doing their job, not even challenging for the ball.

[rich munn]

we aren't going down, get a grip you lot, you've got even less bottle than the players

[Bobby Dandruff]

Strouds the short one who didn't see bamba in Millwall that year isn't he?

OMG!!!

[rich munn]

I enjoyed the game tonight as did the few I spoke to on the way out. They were better than us but we knew that before a ball was kicked. Philogene got us up off our seats on more than one occasion which was a pleasant surprise, a City player actually showing a bit of skill. Nobody has mentioned our ‘keeper lacking assertiveness in his six yard box when they got their two. It’s all very well playing the modern sweeper/keeper roll, which he does well, but he should be commanding his six yard box when balls are coming in. If he’s challenged he’ll almost certainly get the free kick. How Spurs won their Champions League group without Etete baffles me mind!!!! He isn’t a footballer at all, he’s won a raffle or something. As I said, I enjoyed the game and the fact we didn’t fold and chuck the towel in against a superior outfit.........I feel I’ve gone a bit dml here

[MacAdder]

It looked for all the world that Watford were better than us, virtually from the kick off (which was played all the way back to Allsop to launch up to our towering forwards ) and when we went a goal up, it was always going to be a case of can we hold on.
The officials allowed them to bully us and many decisions went against us again, especially frustrating when we tried to play them at their own game and were penalised.
Stroud is a **** but I honestly think they would have beaten us tonight even with a non-biased ref.

I was pleasantly surprised though how we reacted when we conceded the second but even though Philogene (MOTM IMO) showed some sublime skills on quite a few occasions, we lacked that bit of composure and didn't really look like equalising.

Disappointed with Allsop tonight. Decent again with his feet sweeping etc.. but as has been said, not commanding enough in his own six yard area.

All this said, Watford are a good side and will be challenging and this makes me feel that all is not lost.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

We do not dominate games

We do not put sides to the sword

Unless and until we do that it's going to be looking over our shoulders time every single game

It's not very pleasant and hardly likely to get the crowds rolling in

[Eric the Half a Bee]

We do not dominate games

We do not put sides to the sword

Unless and until we do that it's going to be looking over our shoulders time every single game

It's not very pleasant and hardly likely to get the crowds rolling in

Yes, very disappointing with the players we have.....

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Yes, very disappointing with the players we have.....

The fanbase wanted a change to a expansive style of play

The club moved towards that

But the players we have in those areas are not good enough and we got rid of other players who could have provided the basics

It's been a complete disaster but I am not going to say I told you so

But I did

[AfricanBluebird]

We look close to being a decent side and at the same time look close to a relegation side.

[Des Parrot]

Didn’t see any of the game and not read any reports yet …. but I’d be very surprised if we sign anyone in the next window, having just signed 17 in the summer. I can’t see Tan providing any more funding for transfers.

[the other bob wilson]

I enjoyed the game tonight as did the few I spoke to on the way out. They were better than us but we knew that before a ball was kicked. Philogene got us up off our seats on more than one occasion which was a pleasant surprise, a City player actually showing a bit of skill. Nobody has mentioned our ‘keeper lacking assertiveness in his six yard box when they got their two. It’s all very well playing the modern sweeper/keeper roll, which he does well, but he should be commanding his six yard box when balls are coming in. If he’s challenged he’ll almost certainly get the free kick. How Spurs won their Champions League group without Etete baffles me mind!!!! He isn’t a footballer at all, he’s won a raffle or something. As I said, I enjoyed the game and the fact we didn’t fold and chuck the towel in against a superior outfit.........I feel I’ve gone a bit dml here

Thought it was a good game against a team that was better than us and won’t be far off at the end of the season. We gave our best and might have got a draw, although that would have been an unfair outcome on the balance of play. A side like Watford beats a team like us six, maybe seven, times out of ten, and we need to remember that our best forward wasn’t available.

Goalkeepers don’t tend to command the area these days - I’ve seen Allsop come and take free kicks and corners, but, certainly from the latter, keepers get “boxed in” these days by opponents and so coming off their line is often not as straightforward as it might be.

[the other bob wilson]

We do not dominate games

We do not put sides to the sword

Unless and until we do that it's going to be looking over our shoulders time every single game

It's not very pleasant and hardly likely to get the crowds rolling in

How often did we put sides “to the sword” when we were playing hoofball? We’ve been a team that wins games by single goal margins for years through “winning ugly”. The only exception I can think of to that rule since the early days of our second promotion season was the Wilson/Moore team which, bizarrely, tended to score a lot of goals when it won at home, yet still ended up losing more matches at Cardiff City Stadium than it won!

[blue lewj]

What 3 sides are worse than us? Genuinely. We are punchless.

I'm not saying we are definitely going down but it will be another long season. Steve "I left Cardiff in a better position than when I found them" Morison has absolutely shafted us.

And Warnock shafted us before that and....

When are the permanent people going to take any ownership of the situation we're in?
We can throw each manager under the bus when it goes to pot but the board are the ones who picked them.

[the other bob wilson]

What 3 sides are worse than us? Genuinely. We are punchless.

I'm not saying we are definitely going down but it will be another long season. Steve "I left Cardiff in a better position than when I found them" Morison has absolutely shafted us.

Think that's very harsh. Apparently, we are in the bottom third of the division when it comes to budget and wages this season and we had to replace a large group of older players that it would have been madness to offer new deals to. Maybe seventeen new signings was a bit of quantity over quality, but, say, we'd left it at fourteen, you couldn't have really got much better in on the savings made from those three players. I was not a huge Morison fan, but that was more to do with his manner and the way he treated younger players - when you look at what he did in the two transfer windows he was in charge for, I'd say he was one of our better managers of recent times in transfer dealing.

[Nobody's Rep]

Just spent some time on the shitter reading this thread and that was probably the best place to read it. I don't normally read these match day threads and I can see why!!

Glad I was at the game but having said that I don't read the message board during games but if I did I would have to move all sharp items out of reach - it's like a place that makes happy men very old - jeez

For what it's worth ( which isn't a lot to you guys I know) I enjoyed the game (apart from Stroud who put us on the back foot with some strange decisions again - he really is the worst of a bad bunch) and I feel we are one or two players short of a half decent side and those players maybe the ones injured or suspended - who knows

For me it was worth the 2.5 hours travelling there and back - championship, league 1, who cares, its my club and I will keep supporting them in person for as long as I can - as did the fans last night who in the main stayed behind to applaud the team as that is what they deserved.

[City123]

The fanbase wanted a change to a expansive style of play

The club moved towards that

But the players we have in those areas are not good enough and we got rid of other players who could have provided the basics

It's been a complete disaster but I am not going to say I told you so

But I did

We lost 8 in a row playing your favoured style last season and likely would have gone down despite having the likes of Moore

The reason we're in a mess is because Warnock spunked away millions on shit to play your favoured style of play, completely wasting our parachute payments and shafting us long term

[Eric the Half a Bee]

The fanbase wanted a change to a expansive style of play

The club moved towards that

But the players we have in those areas are not good enough and we got rid of other players who could have provided the basics

It's been a complete disaster but I am not going to say I told you so

But I did

I was taking the piss.

We have a youngish squad with lots of new faces trying to gel together, though there is a lack of quality up front. We're better than we were last season. We're playing more enjoyable football than we have for a few seasons. It's going to take time. I'd much rather our current approach than the nonsense we've served up in recent seasons.

[Hilts]

I thought some fans would enjoy that.

Ive said that side and manager probably did as well or even better than what their ability is.

On the face of it we narrowly lost to a side miles better than us.

Ojo may even have nicked an unlikely draw following a good passage of play.

The sad thing is we now have to try and enjoy giving not Man City or Chelsea a bit of a game but Watford and even worse they ended up doing us on our previous expertise. Set pieces. Bilic was right we were a side there for the taking.

We are just awful throughout the side and its depressing that stringing a few passes together slowly and without purpose is now seen as entertainment.

I was talking to someone down there a couple of games ago and he said I come here to see goals. Thats my entertainment.

Its all well and good trying to pass but our lot are nowhere near good enough trying to pass our way from the back and through sides to create chances.

We are not a couple of players short we are miles off.

We need new players. I thought last night was as good a team we could select. Sadly they are not good enough.

We need a huge clearout again.

[Citizen's Nephew]

I thought some fans would enjoy that.

Ive said that side and manager probably did as well or even better than what their ability is.

On the face of it we narrowly lost to a side miles better than us.

Ojo may even have nicked an unlikely draw following a good passage of play.

The sad thing is we now have to try and enjoy giving not Man City or Chelsea a bit of a game but Watford and even worse they ended up doing us on our previous expertise. Set pieces. Bilic was right we were a side there for the taking.

We are just awful throughout the side and its depressing that stringing a few passes together slowly and without purpose is now seen as entertainment.

I was talking to someone down there a couple of games ago and he said I come here to see goals. Thats my entertainment.

Its all well and good trying to pass but our lot are nowhere near good enough trying to pass our way from the back and through sides to create chances.

We are not a couple of players short we are miles off.

We need new players. I thought last night was as good a team we could select. Sadly they are not good enough.

We need a huge clearout again.

Another top post. We’re also becoming a fan base who’re constantly whinging about the referees (looking for others to blame e.g Warnock…we’ve had Harris, Mad Mick, Morison and now Hudson since Warnock left..Harris even got us to the playoffs ffs).and we’re supposedly a couple of players short of playoff form!

[Gnojek]

"........though there is a lack of quality up front."

100% agree with this, Eric. Despite the lovely finish against Blackburn, I'm still not won over by Harris as a Championship striker. He made some nice runs last night but his lack of physical stature makes it hard for him to hold the ball up with his back to goal. Although it's early days and maybe harsh, I'm not convinced by Etete either, and Watters is definitely L1 level at best. And therein lies the problem, without Robinson - who himself isn't an out-and-out striker - we look to Isaak Davies, who despite his undoubted potential is still relatively new to this level. I really hope he makes it - at City - but much like my hair, it does make us look very thin up top.

The front/wide players also seem much of a muchness. Already feels like any two from four, to be paired with Robinson. Philogene was excellent last night, but to date at least, has blown hot and cold. Ojo is the personification of inconsistency. Harris is more effective out wide but still ineffective at times. O'Dowda is arguably the best of the bunch, but doesn't impose himself enough on games. Having a settled - and more potent - front three would help a lot.