Last Manager

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Last Manager

It was a moment of lunacy. Blackpool were always going to play 4-3-3 and our usual tactic against such a team was to go over the top and be direct. Despite Bothroyd almost certainly not being fit enough in the days leading up to the final, we persisted with such a tactic, there was no plan B developed. It was to be the tried and tested (and not all that successful) launch it over the top ploy. Etuhu was a winger, but tall. That sufficed. Bothroyd should never have started, true, but for us not to have a plan in place was unforgiveable.

McCormack should have come on, gone out on the left hand side of midfield and put Ledley, McPhail and Whittingham in the middle, with Chopra up front on his own. It would have matched them up man for man. The footballing ability and movement of the front 3, with Ledley and Whittingham, would have caused no end of problems.

It was another mistake at a key moment for us in a crunch end of season game.

Picking Bothroyd for the Blackpool match was definitely a risk worth taking given we would not have another match for more than two months, but I agree that the introduction of Etuhu as his substitute was both predictable and groan inducing, but it seems to be a prerequisite at Cardiff that there should always be at least one “big man up front” on the pitch at all times.

I’d also say that what seemed to be a wrong decision at the time not to start Aaron Ramsey against Portsmouth looks even more wrong when you consider that Ramsey has shown throughout his career that big occasions seem to bring out the best in him.

However, I think a little context is called for. While it may be easier to get to Wembley now than it was through many of the club’s managers times in charge, it is still some achievement to take us there three times in two years (especially when one of them was an FA Cup Final). Dave Jones certainly wasn’t the finished article as a manager, but he has to be seen as one of our better ones and, as I mentioned earlier, you used to go to matches thinking there was a decent chance of both seeing your team win and also of being entertained.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Re: Last Manager

Picking Bothroyd for the Blackpool match was definitely a risk worth taking given we would not have another match for more than two months, but I agree that the introduction of Etuhu as his substitute was both predictable and groan inducing, but it seems to be a prerequisite at Cardiff that there should always be at least one “big man up front” on the pitch at all times.

I’d also say that what seemed to be a wrong decision at the time not to start Aaron Ramsey against Portsmouth looks even more wrong when you consider that Ramsey has shown throughout his career that big occasions seem to bring out the best in him.

However, I think a little context is called for. While it may be easier to get to Wembley now than it was through many of the club’s managers times in charge, it is still some achievement to take us there three times in two years (especially when one of them was an FA Cup Final). Dave Jones certainly wasn’t the finished article as a manager, but he has to be seen as one of our better ones and, as I mentioned earlier, you used to go to matches thinking there was a decent chance of both seeing your team win and also of being entertained.

I think your last sentence sums up both the positive and negative. Certainly over his last 3 seasons (following the cup final) we never had any team to fear in the division. Wins were often expected, promotion became the target. Some games were very entertaining.

It was when we didn't win what looked like a cert, when we went through those phases where we looked as if 11 strangers were in the same team, the frustrations borne out of a lack of consistency grew as time went on. I remember that FA cup season. After we beat Wolves, I think we went 3 or 4 games without even scoring before the Boro game. In that spell was some of the worst football I'd seen. Those mysterious spells were often quite dire.

In the context of winning and being entertained, ultimately we never managed enough of one to realise the big prize of promotion. Would I go back to those days? Not at all.