FT: CARDIFF CITY 0 - 1 LUTON TOWN. Match thread

[Michael Morris]

Monday April 18th, ko 3:00pm.
Live on Sky Sports Red Button

Match Officials:

Referee: ANDY DAVIES
Assistants: Graham Kane and Bhupinder Gill
Fourth Official : Charles Breakspear

[light up the darkness]

https://www.lutontown.co.uk/news/2022/april/cardiff-prev/

Update from the opposition

[Former Labour leader]

Hopefully will field a stronger line up, with Boyle, Colwill and Hugill starting and a couple of changes in defence.
Think we can nick a win. Luton have a load of injuries and their captain suspended.
2-1 City

[tforturton]

I hope you're right. A win would be nice after Friday's debacle. I keep thinking Luton can't keep this up, but they pretty consistent. It'll be a tough game.

[dml1954]

Do you really think that his name is Boyle, Mr Corbyn ? B is nowhere near D on a keypad.

[Tuerto]

Do you really think that his name is Boyle ? B is nowhere near D on a keypad.

Depends how fat your fingers are.

[Maurice Swan]

Streams .....Looks like Daddylive.fun has gone offline. Tried other streams mentioned in the past but don't want to sign up etc etc.
I have no problems to pay my tenner to watch Club TV IF it works. The last three times it hasn't and never got refunds - that irks me.

[Mr Soul '68]

Streams .....Looks like Daddylive.fun has gone offline. Tried other streams mentioned in the past but don't want to sign up etc etc.
I have no problems to pay my tenner to watch Club TV IF it works. The last three times it hasn't and never got refunds - that irks me.

Have you tried cric football streaming and he's a goal? If Daddylive.fun isn't working those two can sometimes be useful

[Maurice Swan]

Will keep an eye on cric football. Hesgoal is also now not streaming ANY premier games (not sure about sky non prem games). Though looks like Middlesbrough vs Huddersfield is being shown.

Seems like authorities are really clamping down now

[Rjk]

Luton play 352 or similar I think, so I wonder if that means we will match up again

[Undercoverinwurzelland]

Interesting bench today. Well stocked for centre backs. Not so much for midfielders.

[Rjk]

Luton play 352 or similar I think, so I wonder if that means we will match up again

no looks like 4-2-3-1

[City123]

Is that 3 centre backs on the bench?

[Rjk]

Is that 3 centre backs on the bench?

3 centre backs, 3 strikers and no midfielders which is a little odd

[dembethewarrior]

Depends how fat your fingers are.

And if you're using mobile device/tablet they'll have auto correct..

[dembethewarrior]

I hope its a 433 today.

Otherwise one of the CMs are going to be playing as a 10...

[the other bob wilson]

I assume King is injured. Morison really doesn’t rate Bowen does he.

[dembethewarrior]

I assume King is injured. Morison really doesn’t rate Bowen does he.

Is Bowen injured still?

I thought he was injured last I read on the dvp thread.

[the other bob wilson]

I thought he was fit again now, but you might be right.

[dembethewarrior]

I thought he was fit again now, but you might be right.

I'm not sure either way :thumbup:

[AfricanBluebird]

Do you really think that his name is Boyle, Mr Corbyn ? B is nowhere near D on a keypad.

Don't be harsh.
It's predictive text.
It just autofilled after he did so many searches for "Susan Boyle naked"
🤢

[Rjk]

the Google app has us in a 3-4-3 with Wintle in the back 3, which is interesting but probably wrong

[dembethewarrior]

Either they switched the teams quickly and Luton have a 15 at CB or I've just seen City TV put Wintle in the centre of a back 3?

I have been bedbound the last few days with chest infection/migrane so my eyes may still be playing up I've not had much screen time over the weekend...

Edit. Flashscores app has the same Wintle in a back 3.

[Rjk]

the Google app has us in a 3-4-3 with Wintle in the back 3, which is interesting but probably wrong

and they have Luton playing a 3-1-4-2

[Brizzlebluebirds]

One of these should work https://redi1.soccerstreams.net/event/cardiff-city-luton-town-live-stream/828937

[Maurice Swan]

One of these should work https://redi1.soccerstreams.net/event/cardiff-city-luton-town-live-stream/828937

Tried about ten of them MAlware....

[Former Labour leader]

Don't be harsh.
It's predictive text.
It just autofilled after he did so many searches for "Susan Boyle naked"
🤢
😥

[Brizzlebluebirds]

https://soccer24hd.com/game/match/6361/Cardiff-City-Vs-Luton-Town.html?sport=soccer

[Maurice Swan]

Two good opportunities presented to Luton already...

[ToTaL ITK]

Tried about ten of them MAlware....

one works but it's all over the place and 3 minutes behind

[Maurice Swan]

Managed to pay my tenner....and stream working today!!

[Rjk]

Two good opportunities presented to Luton already...

it is the Cardiff way

[dembethewarrior]

Two good opportunities presented to Luton already...
Now there is nothing to play for, and we are going to be trying new formation and player combos, can we just stop the moaning? Juuuuust till the end of the season?

[Maurice Swan]

Now there is nothing to play for, and we are going to be trying new formation and player combos, can we just stop the moaning? Juuuuust till the end of the season?

Not moaning...just stating a fact...we have the better of the game right now....

[dembethewarrior]

Not moaning...just stating a fact...we have the better of the game right now....

It sounded like a moan :thumbup:

Get the same impression a lot of the time, perhaps it's just how your post came across.

[Maurice Swan]

Well, a very decent half - certainly the better team is in blue.....shame Hugill could not have sidestepped the keeper when one on one (not a moan...an opinion...).

[jon1959]

I assume King is injured. Morison really doesn’t rate Bowen does he.

The WOL blog showed the Trust tweet of Bowen and King at the Food Bank collection before the match.

4890

CCFCSupportersTrust @CCST1927
Delighted to welcome Sam Bowen and Eli King to the ⁦@CardiffFoodbank⁩ collection.

[Maurice Swan]

Excellent save by Phillips from Snodgrass....first class.

[dembethewarrior]

We still make so many wrong decisions when passing. Davies in acres of space, seems to happen a few times a game.

[Maurice Swan]

ooohhhh... Great break by city....Davies had to score....

[dembethewarrior]

ooohhhh... Great break by city....Davies had to score....

Pass comes too late but he should score yes.

[Maurice Swan]

Good game now.....pretty open - Nelson and Wintle looking good.

[dembethewarrior]

Good game now.....pretty open - Nelson and Wintle looking good.

Yes a decent watch. Went off the boil a bit first half.

[Maurice Swan]

Bugger....Nelson beaten in the air...Phillps no chance. Think hesitancy when Adibayo went down.
Don't deserve that....still time.....we are doing ok.

[Rjk]

how are Luton 4th, they are nothing special

[DubaiDai]

Been tipping this to my friends most of the afternoon. All the bluster and better play, we will concede and the game will peater out to a 1-0 loss

[Maurice Swan]

how are Luton 4th, they are nothing special

agree...Snodgrass still a class act though.

[MacAdder]

how are Luton 4th, they are nothing special

Fulham apart, no team is 'special' in this league.
Good header in fairness.

[Rjk]

Fulham apart, no team is 'special' in this league.
Good header in fairness.

you'd expect a team in 4th to be at least "good" though

[Whisperer]

you'd expect a team in 4th to be at least "good" though
Their having an off day - still good enough to beat us today though.

[Maurice Swan]

Reading 4 Swansea 4 !!!

[Undercoverinwurzelland]

Think that means Derby are down

[Maurice Swan]

Well there are defeats and there are defeats. I am encouraged by the showing today and there are a lot of positive building blocks there for next season.

[Undercoverinwurzelland]

0-1. Disappointing but sounds like we played alright

[dembethewarrior]

Well there are defeats and there are defeats. I am encouraged by the showing today and there are a lot of positive building blocks there for next season.

:thumbup:

Wasn't arsed when they scored, obviously be nice to win as many as possible but as you said plenty to work with.

[DubaiDai]

0-1. Disappointing but sounds like we played alright

How the hell are they 4th

[ToTaL ITK]

Reading 4 Swansea 4 !!!

reading showing what determination can do

[goats]

3 page match thread kind of says a lot…..,

[Undercoverinwurzelland]

Jacks scored a penalty today. That just leaves us not having had a single penalty all season.

[the other bob wilson]

Well there are defeats and there are defeats. I am encouraged by the showing today and there are a lot of positive building blocks there for next season.

I thought we were rubbish.

[MacAdder]

Nothing between the sides but they took their good chance, we didn't take any of our two.

Typical performance by a team with nothing to play for.

[TWGL1]

I thought we were rubbish.

I didn’t go, as on holiday , but Sky commentators said we were good value and the better team.

Attendance 19,381 is excellent isn’t it ?

[LeningradCowboy]

0-1. Disappointing but sounds like we played alright

Not really. Lots of passing the ball sideways and backwards but no cutting edge up front and the defensive clangers are still happening.

[LeningradCowboy]

I didn’t go, as on holiday , but Sky commentators said we were good value and the better team.

Attendance 19,381 is excellent isn’t it ?

They might have been 19,381 tickets sold for the game, but there were far fewer people actually in the stadium.

[goats]

They might have been 19,381 tickets sold for the game, but there were far fewer people actually in the stadium.

I was actually in canton about 1.30 and usually can’t park where I did, plenty of free spaces today.

[tforturton]

It was an awful game, with little excitement or opportunity for either side. Why Morison has decided to abandon the three at the back set-up, that allowed Bagan and Drameh to get forward so much, I don't know, but the alternative is slow and uninspiring.

[Vindec]

Shocking game which showed how poor our strikers are. Isaac Davies who some rate is nothing but a kick and rush player hoping to beat the opposition with pace and his finishing is poor. Hugill was also very poor today.

[islandblue]

Shocking game which showed how poor our strikers are. Isaac Davies who some rate is nothing but a kick and rush player hoping to beat the opposition with pace and his finishing is poor. Hugill was also very poor today.

Agree with this we were poor today. Need a complete rebuild up front. Hugill and Uche will be gone. Collins isn't good enough, Mark Harris isn't championship standard and the jury's very much out on Isaac Davies.

[A Quiet Monkfish]

It was an awful game, with little excitement or opportunity for either side. Why Morison has decided to abandon the three at the back set-up, that allowed Bagan and Drameh to get forward so much, I don't know, but the alternative is slow and uninspiring.

We dominated possession in midfield against a 4th placed side, and did create two simple chances which we wasted, but they both came when we were breaking out, and all that possession didn't really look like creating anything. Morison has suggested he's tinkering now we're safe and that's fine, but our 2nd half showing illustrates just how big a job he has on his hands next season..

[the other bob wilson]

I find it odd that some are blaming the strikers. From what I can remember, we only had two decent chances all game - one to Hugill where I’d give the keeper credit for getting off his line so quick and one for Davies which he should have got on target, but Doyle’s pass to him, and the time he took getting rid of the ball, made it a harder chance than it should have been. When a striker knows
they’re only likely to get one or two chances a game, it’s hard to be icy cool when they come your way.

We passed the ball quite well at times in the first half especially, but our final ball was poor all afternoon and our set piece delivery left an awful lot to be desired.

[2b2bdoo]

Agree with this we were poor today. Need a complete rebuild up front. Hugill and Uche will be gone. Collins isn't good enough, Mark Harris isn't championship standard and the jury's very much out on Isaac Davies.

I guess this is why Morison is bringing the youngsters in and out of the squad.

Squad needs a huge rebuild thought.

Don’t think we can complain about passing, it’s not going to happen over night that we are just cutting through teams playing total football especially with players we have. It will take time.

[The Hooded Claw]

I thought we played fairly well.
This being only my second match since before the pandemic, I’m comparing what I watched today with Harrisball and I can truthfully say that we are a lot better to watch these days.
Granted, we need to create more chances, but the passing side of things is so much better.
I thought that the ref had a very poor game - gave them a corner in the second half, when it was clearly a throw in to us, gave nothing for countless fouls, including Rubin being chucked to the ground.
We deserved a draw today and the signs are there that Morison is aiming for a more progressive style.

[cyril evans awaydays]

Firstly, I couldn't be arsed to drive down today and saw excerpts of the game on a flickering thread.

It might be uncomfortable to watch but now we are safe, Morison has a free hit to try different formations and players in different roles to see what and who works and doesn't without worrying too much about the result.

Those on loan who may not be here next year seem less energetic, and so do those who will be adapting to possibly different roles.

The proof will be whether Morison's tinkering in competitive games pays rewards next season U guess!

[dembethewarrior]

It was an awful game, with little excitement or opportunity for either side. Why Morison has decided to abandon the three at the back set-up, that allowed Bagan and Drameh to get forward so much, I don't know, but the alternative is slow and uninspiring.
Because he knows what they offer going forward and is using the remaining games to try other things?

Dammed if you do nothing Dammed if you do...

[Don Corleone]

I thought we were rubbish.

Maybe rubbish is too harsh but I was quite surprised reading comments saying it was a good performance. The most damning indictment I can say was it was incredibly boring , as was the Hull game . This is my beloved Cardiff City and I was bored watching them - it’s a step up from being furious with them and McCarthy and though it’s much better than the beginning of the season it’s not great is it . Of course I understand it’s the right time to experiment but we could at least give it a bit of enthusiasm, a lot of players going through the motions or taking the easy option today - perhaps again understandable in the circumstances so feel it’s right not to be too critical but I didn’t see much today to feel me with much enthusiasm

[dembethewarrior]

Yes, maybe rubbish is too harsh but I was quite surprised reading comments saying it was a good performance. The most damning indictment I can say was it was incredibly boring , as was the Hull game . This is my beloved Cardiff City and I was bored watching them - it’s a step up from being furious with them and McCarthy and though it’s much better than the beginning of the season it’s not great is it . Of course I understand it’s the right time to experiment but we could at least give it a bit of enthusiasm, a lot of players going through the motions or taking the easy option today - perhaps again understandable in the circumstances

Not having a pop at you, but how can we experiment and do all the other things fans seem to want in these dead rubbers? People seem to want an awful lot.

Enthusiasm should come from the players themselves though..

[Don Corleone]

Not having a pop at you, but how can we experiment and do all the other things fans seem to want in these dead rubbers? People seem to want an awful lot.

Enthusiasm should come from the players themselves though..

I hit send before I finished posting so just re - sent with the last few lines added which tries to put it more into perspective and probably more in line with what you posted , I agree there are plenty of extenuating circumstances and it is right to experiment now but no hiding that was a dull performance

[dembethewarrior]

I hit send before I finished posting so just re - sent with the last few lines added which tries to put it more into perspective and probably more in line with what you posted , I agree there are plenty of extenuating circumstances and it is right to experiment now but no hiding that was a dull performance

:thumbup:

I've had a weekend in bed ill and today didn't do much to get me off my mattress!!!

[The Lone Gunman]

Of course I understand it’s the right time to experiment…..

This is not a criticism of you in any way, shape or form, but I’ve read numerous comments alluding to experimentation today. So what were these alleged experiments? I didn’t see any.

[Don Corleone]

This is not a criticism of you in any way, shape or form, but I’ve read numerous comments alluding to experimentation today. So what were these alleged experiments? I didn’t see any.

It’s okay , I’m not so sensitive that I would take any disagreement as criticism. We played a flat back 4 which, though we have tried it in a few away games, is still much of an experiment in a home game. We played Doyle and Colwill together from the start today which I think might be the first time we’ve started them both together in midfield and we played Doughty up front which I’m sure hasn’t happened before. Nelson was captain from the start which is probably the first time that’s happened too. We tried a number of short corner routines during the game - which were mostly hopeless - but still an experiment compared to our normal pump it into the box corners.

So, yes, I’m pretty sure there were things being tried out on the pitch today that we might not have done if we needed the points

[dembethewarrior]

It’s okay , I’m not so sensitive that I would take any disagreement as criticism. We played a flat back 4 which, though we have tried it in a few away games, is still much of an experiment in a home game. We played Doyle and Colwill together from the start today which I think might be the first time we’ve started them both together in midfield and we played Doughty up front which I’m sure hasn’t happened before. Nelson was captain from the start which is probably the first time that’s happened too. We tried a number of short corner routines during the game - which were mostly hopeless - but still an experiment compared to our normal pump it into the box corners.

So, yes, I’m pretty sure there were things being tried out on the pitch today that we might not have done if we needed the points
Ng being used in a 2 CB pairing as well although that has happened before, it still needs experimenting on :thumbup:

Well done for the positive response.

[the other bob wilson]

If people really think that was an improvement today it shows how much standards have slipped at Cardiff City in the past decade or so. Reading was an improvement, today I’d say the intentions were good, but the so familiar limitations in passing ability and individual and team technique, together with the usual lack of composure ensured it was just more of the same.

[Alfresco]

Not a great performance but you can't expect much with Vaulks in the side he either plays it backwards or passes it forward so slowly it barely makes it. Nelson was man of the match, thought he was terrific. Why Morison didn't make subs earlier is a mystery. Very disappointing.

[splott parker]

Colwill is big enough to be a bully (in a football sense), anyone remember a night game at Brentford a few seasons back? 3-1 after being one down, Bamba scored a cracker but Zohore (he didn’t do it very often mind) bullied the feck out of their defence. Colwill is a Cissy who, with his size, should be battering into defenders instead of being a persistent twinkle toes. There was one corner today in the second half, he was towering over their ‘keeper, yet allowed him to gather it quite comfortably, dreadful, pile into him, ok it may be a free kick against you but get your head to it and the goal could be given. Either way the ‘keeper gets a wake up call rather than a ‘thank you very much’. I do like good football but for feck’s sake getting stuck in and making your presence felt is part and parcel. Please don’t say that he’s still learning the game, we learnt in schoolboy football to be horrible twats.

[splott parker]

Not a great performance but you can't expect much with Vaulks in the side he either plays it backwards or passes it forward so slowly it barely makes it. Nelson was man of the match, thought he was terrific. Why Morison didn't make subs earlier is a mystery. Very disappointing.


I thought it was a different Nelson today, apart from one dodgy second half misplaced pass, he really was a huge improvement on his previous shit.

[A Quiet Monkfish]

Colwill is big enough to be a bully (in a football sense), anyone remember a night game at Brentford a few seasons back? 3-1 after being one down, Bamba scored a cracker but Zohore (he didn’t do it very often mind) bullied the feck out of their defence. Colwill is a Cissy who, with his size, should be battering into defenders instead of being a persistent twinkle toes. There was one corner today in the second half, he was towering over their ‘keeper, yet allowed him to gather it quite comfortably, dreadful, pile into him, ok it may be a free kick against you but get your head to it and the goal could be given. Either way the ‘keeper gets a wake up call rather than a ‘thank you very much’. I do like good football but for feck’s sake getting stuck in and making your presence felt is part and parcel. Please don’t say that he’s still learning the game, we learnt in schoolboy football to be horrible twats.

I only hope Morison hasn't been caught up in this 'golden generation' hype. Colwill is skillful, has good vision and can pick out a good pass but he hasn't got the quickest 'feet'. It always going to limit him.

[dembethewarrior]

I only hope Morison hasn't been caught up in this 'golden generation' hype. Colwill is skillful, has good vision and can pick out a good pass but he hasn't got the quickest 'feet'. It always going to limit him.

I await the usual idiotic responses when you use players well above the level of ours to compare..but another tall awkward player that springs to mind for me is Kai Havertz. I don't for a second think he will be that good, but he is another tall awkward player that seemed to struggle to find the player inside his body... didn't know his best position etc.

I think the best thing for Colwill is to play games and see what it is he turns out to be..can see the clamour to make him a 10 but he just may surprise us..

[the other bob wilson]

I thought our younger players (Drameh, Bagan, Doyle, Colwill and Davies) were varying degrees of poor yesterday - as is often the case, Drameh was the best of them. McGuinness didn’t get on, but he’s coming off what I thought was his worst display of the season at Hull and has not been playing that well for a while. McGuinness played a fair bit of League One football for Ipswich last season, so this doesn’t apply as much to him as it does to the others, but they are all ending a season in which they’ve played more senior football than ever before in their lives in a league where the games come thick and fast and, for Davies and Colwill especially, nearly all of the first team football they’ve played has been with the very real threat of relegation hanging over it.

I think it’s understandable that the younger players are struggling a bit now because they’ve never experienced a season like this one before in their lives and I think it’s a struggle to get themselves up for these dead rubbers to end the campaign. Doyle frustrates me because his dead ball delivery is not as good as it was cracked up to be and he can be careless in possession at times for someone with his raw ability, but I’d have him and Drameh back like a shot next season if their clubs were agreeable to them coming here because I’m convinced that, like the other players I’ve mentioned, they’ll be better, more effective, performers after what they’ve been through this season.

While I can understand the criticism of Colwill when it comes to physicality, I’d say there has been a slight improvement in that department as the season has gone on and, as the youngest of the group, it should be a little while yet before he becomes a “finished product” physically.

These youngsters aren’t the problem in my view, Colwill especially, it’s the older players - I don’t believe we have many of them who are clearly not up to Championship standard overall, hence why, this season, and one other (04/05) apart, we’ve not been in serious relegation trouble we’ll into the second half of a season since returning to this level nineteen years ago.

The problem which the club have been unable to shake off for nearly ten years now is that the “Cardiff City way” that has evolved under Vincent Tan’s time in charge over relies on physically imposing players with limited basic technique and passing ability which invariably results in teams that are limited in those respects for a side at this level.

There clearly is a desire to change that at the club, Paul Trollope was an attempt to change things, but, perhaps understandably, the club reacted a month to six weeks quicker than they needed to in my book. Would Trollope have been able to turn things around if given the time? Maybe, but Warnock# signing of Hoilett and Bamba made a big difference while him managing to get Zohore playing like he did for his first year in charge was probably the biggest single factor in us eventually staying up comfortably that season.

However, as I’ve mentioned before so often, Neil Harris decided to give up on what I thought was a bit of a half hearted attempt to change the way we played as he went “back to basics” to bring about a short term improvement that still wasn’t enough to save him in the end.

With Steve Morison, I think the desire to change is stronger - right from his first game, he tried to change things and I found the football more enjoyable to watch even if the improvement from a very low starting point was not strong enough to produce the consistency to pull us clear of the drop zone. To do that, he had to do the same as Harris and play in a way more suited to the experienced core of the squad he had and bring in strikers especially who were at home playing in what had become the Cardiff way.

Reading offered hope that Morison can make us a better and much watchable team, yesterday was an attempt to repeat that formation and display, but it didn’t work because the usual limitations were more apparent. I’d say that, once again, there was proof that we’re a better side with the increasingly injury prone Joe Ralls in it and I’d argue that the two players with the most composure and poise in the current squad may well be the pair bought up by Crewe Alexandra (even if, occasionally, this catches out Perry Ng).

I don’t get how Steve Morison can truly believe his post match comments about us dominating yesterdays match from start to finish and having all of the real chances to score apart from one, but I do have confidence that he is going to try to make the changes to the Cardiff way in the summer that he has been unable to achieve so far. Whether he can succeed is certainly debatable Id say, but those younger players I mentioned give him a better chance of doing so in my book - I don’t like the way he tends to have a go at the younger players while saying nothing about the clear failings of some of the more experienced ones at his disposal, but I’m hoping that this is because he knows there is scope for a big improvement in the first group, whereas a lot of those in the second group are beyond saving when it comes to the sort of football he wants us to play.

[Elwood Blues]

I thought our younger players (Drameh, Bagan, Doyle, Colwill and Davies) were varying degrees of poor yesterday - as is often the case, Drameh was the best of them. McGuinness didn’t get on, but he’s coming off what I thought was his worst display of the season at Hull and has not been playing that well for a while. McGuinness played a fair bit of League One football for Ipswich last season, so this doesn’t apply as much to him as it does to the others, but they are all ending a season in which they’ve played more senior football than ever before in their lives in a league where the games come thick and fast and, for Davies and Colwill especially, nearly all of the first team football they’ve played has been with the very real threat of relegation hanging over it.

I think it’s understandable that the younger players are struggling a bit now because they’ve never experienced a season like this one before in their lives and I think it’s a struggle to get themselves up for these dead rubbers to end the campaign. Doyle frustrates me because his dead ball delivery is not as good as it was cracked up to be and he can be careless in possession at times for someone with his raw ability, but I’d have him and Drameh back like a shot next season if their clubs were agreeable to them coming here because I’m convinced that, like the other players I’ve mentioned, they’ll be better, more effective, performers after what they’ve been through this season.

While I can understand the criticism of Colwill when it comes to physicality, I’d say there has been a slight improvement in that department as the season has gone on and, as the youngest of the group, it should be a little while yet before he becomes a “finished product” physically.

These youngsters aren’t the problem in my view, Colwill especially, it’s the older players - I don’t believe we have many of them who are clearly not up to Championship standard overall, hence why, this season, and one other (04/05) apart, we’ve not been in serious relegation trouble we’ll into the second half of a season since returning to this level nineteen years ago.

The problem which the club have been unable to shake off for nearly ten years now is that the “Cardiff City way” that has evolved under Vincent Tan’s time in charge over relies on physically imposing players with limited basic technique and passing ability which invariably results in teams that are limited in those respects for a side at this level.

There clearly is a desire to change that at the club, Paul Trollope was an attempt to change things, but, perhaps understandably, the club reacted a month to six weeks quicker than they needed to in my book. Would Trollope have been able to turn things around if given the time? Maybe, but Warnock# signing of Hoilett and Bamba made a big difference while him managing to get Zohore playing like he did for his first year in charge was probably the biggest single factor in us eventually staying up comfortably that season.

However, as I’ve mentioned before so often, Neil Harris decided to give up on what I thought was a bit of a half hearted attempt to change the way we played as he went “back to basics” to bring about a short term improvement that still wasn’t enough to save him in the end.

With Steve Morison, I think the desire to change is stronger - right from his first game, he tried to change things and I found the football more enjoyable to watch even if the improvement from a very low starting point was not strong enough to produce the consistency to pull us clear of the drop zone. To do that, he had to do the same as Harris and play in a way more suited to the experienced core of the squad he had and bring in strikers especially who were at home playing in what had become the Cardiff way.

Reading offered hope that Morison can make us a better and much watchable team, yesterday was an attempt to repeat that formation and display, but it didn’t work because the usual limitations were more apparent. I’d say that, once again, there was proof that we’re a better side with the increasingly injury prone Joe Ralls in it and I’d argue that the two players with the most composure and poise in the current squad may well be the pair bought up by Crewe Alexandra (even if, occasionally, this catches out Perry Ng).

I don’t get how Steve Morison can truly believe his post match comments about us dominating yesterdays match from start to finish and having all of the real chances to score apart from one, but I do have confidence that he is going to try to make the changes to the Cardiff way in the summer that he has been unable to achieve so far. Whether he can succeed is certainly debatable Id say, but those younger players I mentioned give him a better chance of doing so in my book - I don’t like the way he tends to have a go at the younger players while saying nothing about the clear failings of some of the more experienced ones at his disposal, but I’m hoping that this is because he knows there is scope for a big improvement in the first group, whereas a lot of those in the second group are beyond saving when it comes to the sort of football he wants us to play.

I think it also has to be recognised Bob that he is doing a lot of chopping and changing which I guess he might not do if we were still fighting to avoid relegation. This is what many advised him to do, and it does make sense so that he can see what players can do but the drawback is that the teams will inevitably lack consistency.

His post match comments on dominating the game are typical of the way many ( if not most managers speak) after close defeats like this ( I don't watch MOTD for nothing!!)

In fact for a change on pure possession stats and shots we did (63% - 37% and 13 to 10). I haven't checked our posession stats recently but surely 63% is not very common for us. Probably just shows how misleading these stats can be though.

[the other bob wilson]

I think it also has to be recognised Bob that he is doing a lot of chopping and changing which I guess he might not do if we were still fighting to avoid relegation. This is what many advised him to do, and it does make sense so that he can see what players can do but the drawback is that the teams will inevitably lack consistency.

His post match comments on dominating the game are typical of the way many ( if not most managers speak) after close defeats like this ( I don't watch MOTD for nothing!!)

In fact for a change on pure possession stats and shots we did (63% - 37% and 13 to 10). I haven't checked our posession stats recently but surely 63% is not very common for us. Probably just shows how misleading these stats can be though.

High possession figures for us usually tend to highlight our lack of creativity, I think they did yesterday, but they didn't against Reading where there was a purpose to our passing and it was more positive than normal - quite a lot of yesterday's possession tended to be backwards and eventually to Phillips.

[Bobby Dandruff]

Or was that just because Reading are the fourth worst team in the League and Luton are the fourth best team in the League?

(I didn’t think that Luton looked very good btw, but I suppose they were disrupted by injuries during the game yesterday)

[A Quiet Monkfish]

High possession figures for us usually tend to highlight our lack of creativity, I think they did yesterday, but they didn't against Reading where there was a purpose to our passing and it was more positive than normal - quite a lot of yesterday's possession tended to be backwards and eventually to Phillips.

Let's face it, that unless you adopt the percentage football of the recent past, it's the middle of the pitch that governs how you're playing. Morison has got City keeping the ball much better in midfield and our possession stats support this - he just doesn't have the players to make it effective.