Friendly games against glamorous opposition are usually keenly anticipated but the reality is very different. Pre-game, Canton and its watering holes were flat. Cardiff City added to the flavour by not bothering to opening the main gates on the walk to the new stadium forcing punters to trample over freshly seeded grass verges.
13,010 punters including 200 or so Valencians meant a half full crowd at the dully named Cardiff City Stadium which now had the just as dull "CCS" abbreviation. After a night of heavy rain and a morning drizzle, fans in the Ninian Stand discovered they needed both a jacket and a pair of sunglasses to deal with conditions.
The club are starting to get things right - the (not so) big screen is now in situ, tv's and shelving for food/drink are now under the stand, Ali and his p.a. also seem to have got their acoustics set up correctly at last too but you can always rely on City to do something stupid - this time, it was the brainless decision to shut the gent's toilets bang on half-time for 5 minutes so a cleaner could empty paper bins in there. Why the hell didn't they do it in the first half???
If the game was intended as a dress rehearsal for next week's opener versus Scunthorpe, they were surprises as the unsettled Joe Ledley wore the Captain's armband after much speculation it would go to Mark Hudson, the equally unsettled Ross McCormack found himself on the sub's bench, Anthony Gerrard got the nod ahead of Gabor Gyepes while the bench worryingly also included Cameroon born French based no mark, no paced jailbird Vincent Pericard - a striker(!) whose barren scoring run is just about its fourth year. If that's the limit of City's ambitions, we may as well forget thoughts of a realistic play-off challenge before a ball is kicked in anger. Some say we should give anyone in blue a chance but I'll stick with making exceptions when it matters.
In fairness, the first half was competitive and a very tasty affair with the Spaniards employing some strong arm tactics which weak local ref Lee Evans (no doubt soon covered in sweat) did little to abate but the destiny of the encounter was shaped early as Valencia went ahead with a soft goal on 7 minutes.
Questions have to be asked about a static defence as Valencia progressed down the right, sent in a far post ball unchallenged and there was the giant ZIGIC - 6'7" apparently but looking more like 7'6" - to steer a controlled header back across goal which tucked inside the far post.
At this stage, the visitors were in control and moved the ball with ease but Cardiff, to their credit, hit back strongly and played some excellent football at time. Joe Ledley was in great nick, you had to wonder whether he was excelling as Captain and trying to show City his commitment to the cause or whether he was trying to impress any scouts who may have been there. More than that, I swear I saw Steve McPhail make a number of forward passes … it wasn't a mirage, I tell you.
You felt an equaliser was imminent but, in the final analysis, Cardiff failed to test the Valencia keeper all half (or, indeed all game!). However they were living on their nerves in the opening period as balls were flying in and around their box, City players never far away from a final connection, Cardiff's wide men causing problems and Joe, Ross McCormack, Chopra and Hudson all going close. Their biggest let off however was a blindingly obvious penalty as McCormack was upended deep inside the area but Lee Evans bottled it … his decision, like his namesake, was laughable.
McCormack came on midway through the half for Jay Bothroyd who limped off early after an impact injury in a 50/50 challenge. Moments before final whistle, Joe Ledley suffered the same fate, his knock looking a touch more serious at first sight. Hope both are ok. McCormack, after being booed at Swindon last week for wanting away within days of signing a double your money contract, had a warm ovation as the crowd rallied behind him and he responded with some telling contributions. The boy needs to get his head down and he showed he was capable of that.
The programme said it was a friendly but someone forgot to tell Valencia who launched into a number of cynical and heavy challenges bringing a few stoppages for Cardiff men needing treatment. Only one player was booked, their Robbie Savage lookalike at centre-half, not that it deterred him from carrying on that way afterwards. A challenge on Mark Kennedy by scorer Zigic was so late that it virtually arrived next day, fortunately, MK managed to avoid a far more serious impact. Half-time saw Valencia ahead on goals but City ahead on points … problem is, only goals count.
Half-time: CITY 0 VALENCIA 1
If the first half was highly competitive, entertaining and full of good play, the second period was a dullathon. Valencia made 7 changes, City carried on as they were tending to underline it was a dress rehearsal for next week.
However all enterprise and intensity had now ebbed away from City and they started to look a cumbersome, unstructured unit. Midfield as happens way too often went anonymous and were being overrun. City dropped back and were penned in their own half against the Spaniard's reserves effective for far too long, unable to do much to turn the tide. It is madness Dave Jones has not brought in any new players for the area of the park where Cardiff lack sufficient quality - maybe all quality - and it's going to be a very long season unless it is addressed. Even the girls selling the pies can see that … and so can Stevie Wonder.
City were indebted to keeper David Marshall for a couple of very smart low saves. On early evidence, he's shaping up to be the best goalie at the club since Neil Alexander and a short spell from Kasper Schmeicel. Capaldi replaced Kennedy then Pericard replaced Chopra. Pericard made an instant impact with his sole contribution of the half-hour run out when he try to turn in the area and went down. Ref Evans awarded a penalty, most of us felt it was to make up for the one he didn't give first half.
Up stepped Ross McCormack who hit it low to the keeper's right and with no great power - just as he nearly always does. The keeper guessed right, the save became a formality. After missing two penalties against Preston and Ipswich at the very end of last season when conversion of either would have seen City in the play-offs, I cannot imagine him taking another any time soon. Just after this, Ross almost redeemed himself with a superb turn to get clear but he weakly put wide when it looked simpler to hit the target and score.
City brought on Gavin Rae and Gyepes for the final 20 (for Hudson and McPhail) but the game was largely going through the motions and effectively ended as the visitors added a way too simple set piece second goal on 85. A ball was rolled back to the edge of the area, City's defence had lined up completely inside it and JOAQUIN blazed home low again unchallenged.
Dave Jones has hinted for some time that he wants three more players and it's very easy to see, Cardiff require a dominating midfield playmaker, a wideman and another forward (not Pericard pur-leeze). The defensive until look sound enough and will be better again when Kevin McNaughton returns. Gerrard looks a genuine prospect, Hudson had a satisfying outing but I was surprised Paul Quinn doesn't show any appetite for getting forward.
It's wasn't great up front as Chopra doesn't look as dynamic as he can be - or used to be - but there's time to come good while Bothroyd limping out early meant it was disjointed so was understandable to some degree.
However midfield is a worry. There again, we've known this for a year or two, what's new? Peter Whittingham did what Peter Whittingham does all too often. Some good touches, a decent few minutes and then you wonder where he has gone. Steve McPhail started well and completely disappeared out of the contest as well. If it wasn't for Joe, City's midfield would be little better than shambolic.
Next week it matters. Dave Jones surely realises he has to move fast.
Photos at:
http://nigelblues.blogspot.com/2009/08/friendly-in-photos-ca rdiff-city-0.html