"Cardiff have stood still or worse, whereas standards, even in the lower reaches of the division have improved"
Can't argue with that.
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Been watching a few different podcasts lately where the presenters are revisiting their pre season predictions and making kind of half term reports on each team and all but one of them now have us going down. I’d not been too bothered by this until I listened to one half an hour ago who put forward an argument that I find very hard to argue with.
He started by going back a year to halfway through last season when he said that Birmingham were about twentieth at the time and then through the rest of the season they picked up enough points to see them end up seventeenth or eighteenth usually. He used this information to back his argument that, even at the bottom of the Championship, sides are much better organized when it comes to things like recruitment of players and managers that it’s no longer solely about what you do, you have to be aware that the teams around you are better than you’d expect and so are capable of beating good sides on their day.
He then said that, by contrast, Cardiff have stood still or worse, whereas standards, even in the lower reaches of the division have improved.
I watch us play lately and get more optimistic, but for weeks now I’ve been struggling to come up with three teams worse than us - we need seven or eight more wins I reckon in twenty one matches, but, in twenty five so far, we’ve won just twenty per cent of them.
"Cardiff have stood still or worse, whereas standards, even in the lower reaches of the division have improved"
Can't argue with that.
We are also well into the window and 2 big home matches coming up and no squad improvement.
We need minimum 4 points from these 2 games and ideally 6.
We have to compete with a Plymouth side who's new manager met his squad today.
Miron Muslic's first words to the squad pic.twitter.com/tcrV5HTFLO
— Plymouth Argyle FC (@Argyle) January 13, 2025
Does anyone think the 3 amigos are suddenly gona stumble on a plan ?
It’s come to the point that they need to push the boat out and do everything in their power to get the best managrr they possibly can in order to stay up.
Someone should tell them that the tens of millions received through parachute payments is only applicable when relegated from the top to second tier …. In case that is their strategy.
We’ll be fine
Not sure podcasts or forum posts will determine our fate this season.
Probably going to be the performances and results on the pitch.
Our recent performances have shown a bit of steel at the back , lets hope it continues.
Riza may not be a household name, but who is to say a household name would be an improvement.
The football I am watching at the moment is quite enjoyable, particularly away from home. Better than its been for a long long time.
The Plymouth guy has made a rather rousing speech which will lift his players initially. I liked it .How many times will that work if they continue to lose ? Have Plymouth got the quality in their squad to lift themselves out of the bottom three. Its the unknown quantity of football.
Even if we do get relegated , would it really be the worst thing that could happen to the club?
New stadiums... well grounds to visit, hopefully be closer to the top than the bottom ??
Tan leaves .... Be careful what you wish for ...![]()
I think the large majority of City fans believe Plymouth are a side we'll finish above, but the impression I get from watching that speech by their new manager and on hearing of some of their work in the transfer market is that they're pulling out all of the stops to try and stay up. Oxford are the same, Hull and Luton moved decisively to bring in new manager in the case of the former and offer the job to the man that they anr in the latter and both seem to be spending big to try and stay up. Portsmouth are staying pretty stable in terms of their manager and January recruitment, but they can point to eye catching recent home form where scoring goals has been no problem.
At City, I've heard we're "relaxed" about the lack of progress with new signings and that was a word I heard a few times about attitudes at the club when we were spending more than two months deciding that we'd give the manager's job to the guy we named as a caretaker boss.
I'm sorry, but when a club with a recent history of relegation struggles which is run by people who've proved over the course of a decade and more that they aren't very good at running football clubs are telling me they're "relaxed" about things, I start to wonder if a " it can't happen to us" mentality has taken hold and I get concerned for that club - especially when it's the one I've supported all of my life.
I was listening to the City phone in last night where they were saying it's looking like we're stuck with Kanga for the season - Hertha saw us com ing a mile off with that one and so we've spent the first sixty per cent or so of this season with just one effective striker at this level and he's got a chronic injury which means he's not available for every match - if we emerge from this season, and the last four years, without being relegated it'll be down to luck more than judgment.
Home form will be the downfall. Plymouth, Portsmouth, Luton, Derby and Hull fans at home generate some hostile, backs to the wall mentalities and can be difficult places to go when it comes to the crunch.
No-one will be worried about coming to Cardiff.
Feels like we have been sleep walking for a few seasons and now we are just tucked up in bed, face mask on, white noise playing on the headphones.
Newsletters, Murals, meetings, all very nice. All those sides around us at the bottom of the table who are strengthening their squads to do anything to avoid the drop have obviously got their priorities wrong..
He speaks very well, especially as it’s not his native language. Who knows if he’ll be a success but they will also have been boosted by the win over Brentford on Saturday.
We had such an awful start it was always going to be a struggle from then on and we can’t afford any further 5/6 game runs without winning
I thought Oxford and Portsmouth would struggle but Portsmouth have gone very direct, have Colby Bishop back up front and it’s working for them , in their home games at least.
Oxford certainly had the new manager bounce with Gary Rowett, who knows if they can maintain it. We need to keep picking up points and hope we drag a Preston or Derby into trouble
Yes I’m guessing he would have been gone by now if we could send him back, we didn’t even play him in the Cup game so it’s not like we kept him just for that game. It looks like we were hoping they would take him back, there’s a reason they don’t have to and now we’re stuck with him and can’t bring in anyone else- but who knows, it’s not as if anyone from the club would communicate with the fans about it