The Bluebirds crashed out of the Carling Cup in sensational style after yet again snatching defeat from the jaws of victory to squander a comfortable 2-0 lead into a late 3-2 Jermaine Defoe hat-trick loss to West Ham. As a one-off, the Carling Cup is not high priority, to lose to West Ham no disgrace. However lightning hasn't just struck twice at Cardiff City but three successive occasions, something that has become a worry, a bad habit and a confidence choker.
The Bluebirds are clearly naive and must learn quicker and better than they are. Powerful, creative, skilful and the better side, City controlled games for an hour and were easily the better side against high flyers Reading, Sheffield United and West Ham in the past week but as the opposition change players and tactics, the last half-hour have seen City dismantled as they appear to wilt before your eyes, tactically drop deep and get sucked in and certainly lose composure and shape and get punished.
To happen once was perhaps bad luck but three successive games is not on, it must be addressed quickly. For the moment, the fizz is a little flat in City's brilliant start to the season with confidence shaken amongst fans and, surely, players and management too.
On a crisp, clear first day of Autumn evening at Ninian Park, a relatively subdued crowd (by Ninian standards) of 10,724 including 400 Hammers attended the game. The attractions of live Sky tv, with City players missing, the Carling Cup not holding great glamour in its early stages and the extra expense of attending these games, keeping the less loyal fan away. The majority there were in the Bob Bank (including me) or Canton Stand. The Grandstand (but also the Grange) were sparsely populated.
City made three changes with Martin Margetson keeping goal for the first time this season. Alexander was 'rested' and we're told he would have been regardless of his blooper and 5 second half goals conceded last weekend. The back four saw the very welcome return of Danny Gabbidon after 5 weeks absence with Weston, Vidmar and Barker all there - James Collins, who has done really well, even missed a berth on the bench. Midfield has John Robinson (injury) and Richard Langley (cup-tied) absent so it was Bonner-Boland-Kav-Bowen (three of them at the club since the days of Burrows and Ayre) whilst Earnie and Thorne were in attack.
West Ham have lost the likes of Di Canio, Glen Johnson, Joe Cole, Frederic Kanoute, Trevor Sinclair, Les Ferdinand and Lee Bowyer amongst many others post-Premiership relegation bringing financial problems to a head over the past 3 months but still fielded a formidable line up. They look good for an immediate return although losses at Rotherham and Gillingham make you wonder about their consistency.
With Mr Personality aka Lord Trevor 'eerrmm aaahhh yessss bit of a bobbler statement of the blinking obvious' of Brooking in caretaker charge (Alan Pardew from Reading now appointed but having to serve 30 days 'gardening leave' until mid-October), their keeper was England's 6'5" David James (a regular Penarth and Barry visitor/drinker until his highly public separation from his local-born wife over the summer). Their formation was 4-3-3 with Tomas Repka, Christian Dailly (Captain), Ian Pearce and Wayne Quinn as their back-line, Anton Ferdinand (Rio's younger brother), Matthew Etherington and Kevin Horlock in midfield and the considerable strike threat of Ian Mellor (on a season loan from Liverpool), David Connolly and Jermaine Defoe up front, Mellor player just behind or around the other two.
The opening was cagey but City were establishing early superiority as they moved and passed well, Kav taking charge in the middle, Thorne/Earnie lively and Weston, Barker and Bowen given wide options and support. They tested West Ham a couple of times before taking the lead with a great goal after just 12 minutes.
City moved the ball about patiently, stringing 10 or more passes before giving the ball to Bowen, eager to impress, and who was already worrying Quinn. He set off on a dazzling run to "skin" him on the outside, advance into the area along the by-line and cross low across the box through the crowd to find EARNIE who turned home from 5 yards. A dream start, a dream goal. James taunted around the ground with shouts of "England's Number 1".
And if I thought I could forget about this game too, no chance. I was up 5.30am the following morning for a business meeting in Nottingham. Unknown to each other until I got there, my contact happened to be a West Ham fan who was at Ninian Park himself. I hate football sometimes!
And it got even better with an even more brilliant second goal on 25. Yet again, City were knocking and moving the ball about with considerable ease, the ball kept down, the football free-flowing but there was still nothing on as Mark Bonner found Earnie on the edge of the area with his back to goal and going away. Except he's a talent who can make anything happen in or around the box. EARNIE held the ball, turned, ran across Dailly and then unleashed a rising, curling angled volley into the opposite corner of the Canton Stand net, past David James despairing fingertips. A special goal by a special player who celebrated in his special style, a double somersault in front of the Grandstand and then over towards the Bob Bank to earn their tributes too.
West Ham were gone, City were in total control. West Ham busy but going nowhere and doing nothing. Cardiff carrying a threat every time we got over halfway. West Ham's sole tactic seemed to be playing balls down the channel behind Weston on the right but he and others had it sussed. Cardiff went through the middle, right and left. I was starting to wonder if Sam's jokey pre-match prediction on Sky that City would win 12-0 was going to be close.
Earnie threatened to hit another hat-trick - just as he did in the first round against fellow East Londoners Leyton Orient - with a chip outside the area but it flew just over whilst others efforts were blocked and a succession of crosses were cut out by defenders or taken by James. West Ham had efforts but mostly from distance and certainly woeful although Connolly posed a threat on the half-hour as he twisted past Vidmar and hit a volley that Margetson punched away before, typically, Ferdinand's follow up almost went for a throw in.
It was important City maintained their lead going into the interval but a major and dramatic turning point came in the 44th minute when the visitors created a major scare as they cut open City on the right, got the ball behind our defence and Connolly was ahead of Vidmar.
Fans nearest that corner, and Sky tv cameras, knew that Connolly stretched to reach the ball and cross. His leg swung, missed the ball but his momentum took him down. Referee Andy D'Urso, no stranger to controversial penalty calls, made a judgement standing 30 yards or more behind play that there was contact, he was wrong but it changed the game. DEFOE took the spot-kick, Margetson went the right way but the hit was low and with power, he just failed to get down to it. West Ham were given a lifeline when they were looking down and out and fresh momentum and impetus for the 2nd half.
HALF-TIME: CITY 2 WEST HAM 1
There was quite a bit of nonsense in the interval. West Ham fans, seemingly riled by a handful of chants from Block A of the Grandstand, attempted to charge out of the Grange End. They were blocked by police but as they were, they started fighting amongst themselves. Riot police replaced the less protected officers inside the Grange. More nonsense from a police commander who told the West Ham fans they had to leave now (at half-time!) if they wanted to catch a 9.30 train, why would anyone travel 180 miles to leave at half-time? And more nonsense from whoever was on the tannoy who repeatedly announced it was 2-1 to City, saying he wanted to remind the away fans of the score. Mildly amusing at first, it became plain irritating but, worse, as the Hammers returned to the pitch, he announced "Welcome back to tonight's losers". Cringeworthy, it had to rebound on us.
To paraphrase a topical gag, City gave a David Blaine 2nd half display, they could not get away from their box. The Bluebirds have played some magnificent football this season but their display was easily their worst offering as standards dropped dramatically. Credit for that must go to West Ham who battered, overpowered and outplayed Cardiff but City let themselves down considerably as everything they did well in the first period was totally forgotten.
Stats revealed the 2nd half shot count was 23 to 8 in West Ham's favour but until the final stages, City's only memorable effort of the 2nd period was a Mark Bonner 25 yard effort that whistled wide of James on 65 when City briefly attacked after the Hammers had levelled the match. Other than that, it was a one way procession to Martin Mragetson's goal.
City fell into some familiar recent bad habits again. As West Ham pushed forward, City dropped back. Kav, Boland and Kav looked to contain rather than create and then hit Earnie and Co on the break. As the visitors got nearer goal, City compressed and got sucked in to the extent that they were now playing a strip 20 yards either side of the goal. Jason Bowen did a disappearing act as he went anonymous, Peter Thorne was not in it either but more than that, their quality of passing and movement had evaporated.
Time after time, when City won the ball, they almost instantly gave it away but that was a by-product of their shape and lack of options. In the first half, a City midfielder had two or three passing options. Now all they could do was knock it a few yards sideways, ahead or back to their nearest colleague. Their game had totally broken down.
City were indebted to a series of Margetson saves, Barker and Weston blocks and coolness and great intervention from Danny Gabbidon showing few signs of rustiness. Mellors play also helped, a twist past Weston and a shot for a throw-in summed up his night. You hoped City would hold out or nick a third on a rare break. Kav had a free-kick opportunity on the hour after Dailly was crudely brought down by Dailly earning a yellow card. It was the wrong side of goal (right side as you faced it) but yet again, he placed rather than hit, his effort didn't clear the wall.
West Ham equalised on 64 minutes and sent a sinking deja vu feeling to every City fan present and those watching in the pub or at home. David Connolly found DEFOE, now popping up here, there and everywhere who hit an effort that took a very lucky deflection of Gabbidon's body and diverted wide of Margetson who was left wrong-footed.
The final 25 minutes was painful watching as City looked clueless and out on their feet again leaving fans to wonder if it was fitnesss, tactical, they don't have an extra gear, if they're chokers, it's just bad luck or the squad isn't big enough. I personally don't believe it's fitness at all but it is probably an element of each other factor, some greater than others. As a one-off, it can happen but three successive collapses - albeit against excellent opposition - is very worrying indeed.
City held on due to luck, Margetson, some good defending and some poor finishing as the clock ran down and extra-time loomed larger. Many City fans were wondering how we (fans) and they (players) could bare another half-hour of football being made to chase shadows. Subs were made Thorne for Gordon who did little. It's hard to get in a game late on but Gordon struggled to find a first touch or a second or even a third. Bowen for Campbell (should have happened earlier) on 79 at least sparked some life into us.
Kav got forward and brought a fairly easy save. Garcia, just on as a change for Mellor, brought the best 2nd half stop from Margetson who flew across goal to parry an effort. Campbell brought City back, winning a free-kick and then firing narrowly over from the edge of the area as a loose ball fell his way.
On 88 minutes, just as you mentally prepared for the tortures of extra-time, DEFOE hit a winner with his only good goal of the night and become the second player in 4 days to hit a hat-trick inside 45 minutes including a penalty to bring his team an improbable victory. His penalty and deflected goal were followed by him receiving the ball from Garcia outside the area after it had surprisingly been given away cheaply by Gabbidon, making space and firing low and home inside Margetson's right hand post. An excellent finsih by a player destined for the top.
Almost half the Bluebird support immediately filed out (why do they do that especially given our games and late goals this season?) and missed a final flurry that almost got extra-time as Kav fired in crosses, a corner and a shot which made you wonder why we were so incapable of doing that in the previous 44 minutes but that was it.
It's the manner of defeat that will bother Lennie, his players and certainly the fans more than narrowly losing late on to West Ham. It did again show City, despite the second half submission, aren't far off living with the best this division has to offer and with Langley, Robinson and Lee all likely to be back for the more important league encounter at Ninian Park next month, the chance to avenge this defeat could be all the motivation City need to put on a big performance.
Report from the BBC
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West Ham striker Jermain Defoe scored a stunning hat-trick as he brought his side back from two goals down to win at Cardiff in the Carling Cup.
Defoe struck the winner in the 88th minute to stun the home fans who had seen their side go into an early two-goal lead.
Robert Earnshaw had struck twice in the first half; his second a sensational strike past England goalkeeper David James.
But Defoe hauled his side back into with a first half penalty and a deflected second before winning it with a well-struck 20-yard drive.
The attacking teams both managers had sent out gave an indication of the nature of the contest, and it did not disappoint from the outset.
Cardiff made the most of the early running and they cashed in when Jason Bowen skipped past Wayne Quinn and crossed for Earnshaw to open the scoring from close-range after just 11 minutes.
The Bluebirds doubled their advantage in stunning fashion when Earnshaw picked the ball up with his back to goal, turned Ian Pearce and lashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner of James' net from 25 yards.
 | KEY MOMENTS 12 mins: Earnshaw sweeps home Bowen's right-wing cross 25 mins: Earnshaw scores a sensational second 45 mins: Connolly is fouled in the box and Defoe nets 64 mins: Defoe's shot goes in off Gabbidon 88 mins: Defoe completes his hat-trick by hitting the winner |
It was a goal that would have graced any occasion, and the Zambian-born striker looked like he could run riot as he cast a spell over Pearce and Christian Dailly time after time.
But gradually the Hammers forced their way back into the game, with Connolly and Defoe both testing Martyn Margetson with long-range efforts.
And they equalised on the stroke of half-time when Defoe blasted home from the spot after Vidmar's challenge had brought Connolly crashing to the turf.
After a quiet start to the second half Defoe brought West Ham level when he shrugged off Willie Boland and hit a right-foot shot that deflected off Danny Gabbidon into the net.
Cardiff nearly restored their lead just a minute later but Mark Bonner's sweetly-struck drive flew just wide.
|  Absolutely fantastic, we started off really slow but what a wonderful finish. Well done to West Ham. From Jackie L |
West Ham sent on Richard Garcia for the disappointing Neil Mellor, and with six minutes left the substitute forced a brilliant reaction save from Margtetson.
But the visitors were not to be denied and Defoe hit Cardiff with a hammer blow when his long-range effort crept in with just two minutes left on the clock.
Cardiff: Margetson, Weston, Gabbidon, Vidmar, Barker, Boland, Kavanagh, Bowen, Bonner, Thorne, Earnshaw. Subs: Alexander, Prior, Campbell, Croft, Gordon.
West Ham: James, Repka, Dailly, Pearce, Ferdinand, Quinn, Etherington, Horlock, Connolly, Defoe, Mellor. Subs: Sofiane, Garcia, Kilgallon, Noble, Bywater.
Referee: A D'Urso (Essex).
External reports
Knee's up Mother Brown (KUMB)
Sporting Life
South Wales Echo