Despondency

[splott parker]

Months and months ago I imagined that I’d be buzzing to get back in the ground to watch the City again, how wrong I was. Didn’t go last night and, worryingly, didn’t care too much. I do consider myself a dedicated fan who’s never needed motivation to get down the City, even in the dark dungeon days, I loved it, as, I imagine the majority of posters on here do.

If I’m feeling this lethargic about it I dread to think how the less enthusiastic followers are approaching it. The club seem to be acting the same as well, club shop rarely open, we’ve heard that only one full time person + one part timer are staffing the ticket office, all interaction with fans conducted at ‘online arm’s length’. All this within a multi million pound concern. I’m getting my info on here most of the time, there’s very little PR or pre season, indeed post ‘closed doors’, fanfare coming out of the club, it’s so low key when, during the height of the pandemic, I imagined the imminent return would herald a massive publicity campaign.

Either I need to buck up and get back to some sort of normal or the club needs to show that they give a f*ck.

[poc]

Re: Despondency

Months and months ago I imagined that I’d be buzzing to get back in the ground to watch the City again, how wrong I was. Didn’t go last night and, worryingly, didn’t care too much. I do consider myself a dedicated fan who’s never needed motivation to get down the City, even in the dark dungeon days, I loved it, as, I imagine the majority of posters on here do.

If I’m feeling this lethargic about it I dread to think how the less enthusiastic followers are approaching it. The club seem to be acting the same as well, club shop rarely open, we’ve heard that only one full time person + one part timer are staffing the ticket office, all interaction with fans conducted at ‘online arm’s length’. All this within a multi million pound concern. I’m getting my info on here most of the time, there’s very little PR or pre season, indeed post ‘closed doors’, fanfare coming out of the club, it’s so low key when, during the height of the pandemic, I imagined the imminent return would herald a massive publicity campaign.

Either I need to buck up and get back to some sort of normal or the club needs to show that they give a f*ck.

certainly seems that way, not a bit of excitement here for the new season

[EastbourneBlue]

Re: Despondency

Months and months ago I imagined that I’d be buzzing to get back in the ground to watch the City again, how wrong I was. Didn’t go last night and, worryingly, didn’t care too much. I do consider myself a dedicated fan who’s never needed motivation to get down the City, even in the dark dungeon days, I loved it, as, I imagine the majority of posters on here do.

If I’m feeling this lethargic about it I dread to think how the less enthusiastic followers are approaching it. The club seem to be acting the same as well, club shop rarely open, we’ve heard that only one full time person + one part timer are staffing the ticket office, all interaction with fans conducted at ‘online arm’s length’. All this within a multi million pound concern. I’m getting my info on here most of the time, there’s very little PR or pre season, indeed post ‘closed doors’, fanfare coming out of the club, it’s so low key when, during the height of the pandemic, I imagined the imminent return would herald a massive publicity campaign.

Either I need to buck up and get back to some sort of normal or the club needs to show that they give a f*ck.

They’ve got to sort the ticketing fiasco out otherwise the less determined just won’t bother.

Remember when you could just turn up and hand a tenner over at the turnstiles

[BLUETIT]

Re: Despondency

Steve, if my season ticket wasn’t paid for, I don’t think I would have bothered to renew.

As you’ve pointed out, seems no effort by the club at all to make an effort to engage with fans

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Despondency

Months and months ago I imagined that I’d be buzzing to get back in the ground to watch the City again, how wrong I was. Didn’t go last night and, worryingly, didn’t care too much. I do consider myself a dedicated fan who’s never needed motivation to get down the City, even in the dark dungeon days, I loved it, as, I imagine the majority of posters on here do.

If I’m feeling this lethargic about it I dread to think how the less enthusiastic followers are approaching it. The club seem to be acting the same as well, club shop rarely open, we’ve heard that only one full time person + one part timer are staffing the ticket office, all interaction with fans conducted at ‘online arm’s length’. All this within a multi million pound concern. I’m getting my info on here most of the time, there’s very little PR or pre season, indeed post ‘closed doors’, fanfare coming out of the club, it’s so low key when, during the height of the pandemic, I imagined the imminent return would herald a massive publicity campaign.

Either I need to buck up and get back to some sort of normal or the club needs to show that they give a f*ck.

Glad I'm not the only one - I can't get excited about watching City at all at the moment and didn't even bother watching the stream of last night's match. You make some good points about the club's attitude, but in my case, my lack of enthusiasm is down to it looking very much like the same old, same old at City - dull football from a team that give the impression that they prefer to let the opposition have the ball.

I've seen brief highlights of last night's match and Mick McCarthy was right about three of the goals coming from us passing the ball to them or losing possession.

in 18/19 we did the double over Southampton with the home game being their current manager's first match in charge, yet there seems to be a chasm of difference between the two clubs now - Southampton have progressed certainly, but we've also declined by becoming even more Warnock like after the man departed. The most telling thing that happened last season was that we had to revert to "the Cardiff way" after a pretty half hearted attempt to try something different because Warnock's influence still runs deep having left behind a squad which is only really equipped to play the game one way.

[AfricanBluebird]

Re: Despondency

Glad I'm not the only one - I can't get excited about watching City at all at the moment and didn't even bother watching the stream of last night's match. You make some good points about the club's attitude, but in my case, my lack of enthusiasm is down to it looking very much like the same old, same old at City - dull football from a team that give the impression that they prefer to let the opposition have the ball.

I've seen brief highlights of last night's match and Mick McCarthy was right about three of the goals coming from us passing the ball to them or losing possession.

in 18/19 we did the double over Southampton with the home game being their current manager's first match in charge, yet there seems to be a chasm of difference between the two clubs now - Southampton have progressed certainly, but we've also declined by becoming even more Warnock like after the man departed. The most telling thing that happened last season was that we had to revert to "the Cardiff way" after a pretty half hearted attempt to try something different because Warnock's influence still runs deep having left behind a squad which is only really equipped to play the game one way.

Here's the thing Paul... if we are going to change personnel by throwing in the youngsters, let's do it and change the tactics and footballing approach! I get that MM can only get the best out of the players available but these youngster are BETTER, or certainly have the potential to be better, than the useless tactics that depend on long balls, low possession and set pieces.

Many of us have been pleading to use more younger players.... but MM seems content to throw in these youngsters into a low-possession / pressing / long ball system that has really failed to deliver any sustainable footballing success.

Surely this is an opportunity to start developing a more possession and passing type game with youngsters who, by enlarge, have been playing a more attractive game in the U23s and U18s than the first team.

[sneggyblubird]

Re: Despondency

Trouble is we've been giving the ball away since before Micks time.The big thing that struck me is how devastating a direct forward pass can be.We are still too ponderous.

[life on mars]

Re: Despondency

I'm keen to be in the stadium, see the City play and meet old friends, it will be interesting to see what the new signings are capable of .

[surge]

Re: Despondency

We do have a spine of a team that can get us more excited again in Smithies, Morrison, Nelson, Ralls, Wintle, Giles and Moore. We're also going to see more of the younger players semi-established like Sang, Bagan, Harris and hopefully see Colwill, Bowen, Davies and Evans be given the chance to grow into Championship players.

I think this season is about picking up wins so we keep the crowd, keep the TV cameras on us so to protect our budget and generate momentum into next year when we should be less restricted by unbalanced squad Warnock left.

[The Hooded Claw]

Re: Despondency

It’s The Emperor’s New Clothes: different personnel, same old style.
I can handle a season of consolidation, if we’re going to work towards a more progressive way of playing, but it doesn’t look likely at the moment.
I could copy and paste comments from the last few seasons at this time and they would be the same.

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Despondency

Here's the thing Paul... if we are going to change personnel by throwing in the youngsters, let's do it and change the tactics and footballing approach! I get that MM can only get the best out of the players available but these youngster are BETTER, or certainly have the potential to be better, than the useless tactics that depend on long balls, low possession and set pieces.

Many of us have been pleading to use more younger players.... but MM seems content to throw in these youngsters into a low-possession / pressing / long ball system that has really failed to deliver any sustainable footballing success.

Surely this is an opportunity to start developing a more possession and passing type game with youngsters who, by enlarge, have been playing a more attractive game in the U23s and U18s than the first team.

The most ludicrous thing of all is that anyone who has seen the current crop of youngsters coming up through the age groups, will now that the methods they were taught during that time were completely contradictory to what awaits in the first team. It's easy just to look at the careers of the many talented footballers who have come through the ranks at Cardiff in the last decade and more and say they weren't good enough because they didn't break into the first team, but all that proves is that they weren't suited to the "Cardiff way".

Keenan Patten's older brother Robbie was released by the club after injury disrupted his progress and I know he had teams interested in him at National League level, at least, who didn't offer him a contract because his footballing education at Cardiff had taught him to play the game the "right way". He was too much a footballer for the way these clubs were going to play!

It's been a joke at Cardiff in recent years - you get players coming through who are unsuited to the way the first team has played in the last ten years or so. Therefore, you have to ask why are we spending so much on the Academy?

We may, finally, be about to see a return on all of that investment, but my impression is that nearly all of the promising crop of players coming through will fail to fulfil their potential if the first team continues to play like it does.

[blue lewj]

Re: Despondency

You're not the only one.

There was a time when not going to the City on a Saturday wasn't an option.

I think the pandemic has shown people that there are other options that stack up quite competitively with it on a purely entertainment and enjoyment level.

Football clubs, and not just City have ridden the cash cow that is the fans for many years while growing further and further away from the fan base.

Throw into the mix Tan and his can't be @rsed, jobs for the boys regardless of background attitude and their lack of football understanding and it is only going one way.

I think the fact that the most effort we have seen from them since Covid kicked off was when they were selling season tickets both times speaks volumes. In short, they can't be arsed other than when fans money comes into it and I'm not sure how much longer I can be with these owners/modern football.

[Dave Blue]

Re: Despondency

I don’t think we played long ball last night. We tried to pass around a bit, to the point that we didn’t look likely to create anything in their third.

[dembethewarrior]

Re: Despondency

I've been like that about life in general since my second covid jab. Need to be pushed into doing things.

As for the football, I've not had the buzz for a while to be honest, not just City but watching it in general. Find myself watching TV series and films.

[WJ99mobile]

Re: Despondency

It’ll come back