Well, Mauve and Yellow Army has been going for nearly thirteen and a half years now and I think I’m going to set a blog record tonight for the shortest piece ever for a first team game. I’m reaching the stage now where I’m running out of things to say.My football club is a complete shambles on and off the pitch and I think we’re now in a situation where a hierarchy with a woeful record in all facets of the off field management side of the game and a worse one when it comes to on field matters have to come up with an inspired choice for our new manager because morale among players, other employees of the club and supporters must be at rock bottom now.
We lost 5-2 tonight at Elland Road in our Third Round FA Cup replay against Leeds, that sounds, and is, bad, but it could have been much, much worse. The term “soft touch” could have been invented with us in mind given our showing in the first half in particular
We were level with Leeds for just twenty five seconds or so of the game. Nineteen year old Wilfried Gnonto is a real talent and his volleyed finish was reminiscent of his fellow countryman Paulo DiCanio’s famous goal for West Ham against Wimbledon in the nineties. It was a great goal, but it was also the start of a tortuous night for Tom Sang who let the ball drift over his head as he, not for the last time, lost his man -Jac Alnwick was beaten on his near post as well, but I’m not sure too much blame should be attached to him, it was a superb finish which must have caught him by surprise.
City did work a nice free kick where everyone expected a cross into the box, but it was pulled back to Mark Harris who had room to get away a shot, but, typifying this team which has no confidence in front of goal, he didn’t catch the ball cleanly and it dribbled through to the keeper.
That apart, City were overrun and a second goal arrived on thirty four minutes when Jack Simpson criminally allowed a pass inside him to reach Rodrigo who was never going to miss.
Two minutes later it was 3-0 and this time Alnwick was to blame I thought as he was again beaten on his near post by a Gnonto shot.
Curtis Nelson headed a goal back just before half time or at least we thought he had, but VAR intervened because Andy Rinomhota, clearly stood offside, was deemed to be interfering with play – I thought it was a harsh call, but City were on the right end of a VAR decision when they were awarded a late penalty for a handball that had been missed by the officials and just about everyone else in he ground.
Dean Whitehead, City’s interim manager opted for a damage limitation policy by withdrawing Rubin Colwill and Harris at half time and replacing them with a defender in Cedric Kipre and a sitting midfielder in Ryan Wintle – I say damage limitation, because I can’t think of any other explanation for it (Whitehead’s post match comments appeared to confirm this)..
Whitehead could say his substitutions worked to the extent that we drew the second half 2-2 I suppose, but City weren’t much better after the break. They gave away a farcical fourth goal as, despite a five man defence, an offside looking Patrick Bamford was able to wander through in glorious isolation and easily beat Alnwick – replays showed Simpson had not pushed up with the other defenders..
Five minutes later, sub Callum Robinson lost possession cheaply just inside his own half and one pass later, Bamford was making it five.
It was Robinson who benefited when Luke Ayling made a right mess of a cross from Sheyi Ojo (our best player on the night I thought, although that’s not saying much) and the Irish international headed in from six yards. Then, in added time, Robinson drove his penalty down the middle to reduce the deficit further.
Clutching at straws, we did manage to score a couple of goals and at least this season’s squad have proved they can score a penalty, but our two goals in the first game didn’t lead to any improvement in our attacking play against Wigan last weekend, so why should they this time around when we face Millwall on Saturday?
We stank the place out tonight, just like we have been doing for the last month or so when, for me, performances and confidence have taken a real dip – an awful lot of people at Cardiff City Stadium need to pull their finger out and quick.