Can I be slightly critical?

[The Lone Gunman]

..... the big question is will the advances of the last five games carry us through matches with the better sides, a few of which savagely exposed our limitations over Christmas?

This is indeed the big question.

Mick McCarthy's Cardiff City have thus far taken on only one side who are currently in the top half of the Championship table, and that was out-of-form Bristol City, who are in 12th position after being thrashed 6-0 at Watford yesterday - their fifth defeat on the trot. Meanwhile, the five league games on the bounce that were lost by Cardiff under Neil Harris included two against leaders Norwich and one against high-flying Brentford, who will go top if they beat Barnsley today.

The Championship table is crazy at the moment. City, who are seventh, are 17 points off the automatic promotion places but just 12 points above the relegation spots. That's nuts. After 29 games, just three points separate the side in 7th and 14th.