They meekly crashed at home yet again and lost for the 6th time in 7 league games, this time to Derby County. The Rams-Raiders, like so many recent Bluebird opponents, didn’t find it too difficult and just needed to stay calm, organised and professional to record an eventual comfortable victory – the 12th side out of the last 22 to visit Ninian Park to do that and the 4th in succession in the league, without City even offering token resistance by scoring a goal. Completely unacceptable.
Talk is cheap, it’s all about action. Pre-game, the players talked about how they sorted things out amongst themselves and went on a bonding session too. They expressed their support of their manager and of how they had let him down. Yet, as a complete contradiction, they chose to meet and discuss things without him and not involve him in their bonding. What sort of team is this? What sort of management is it? The management spoke about more resolve. The new coach spoke about players closing down space and defenders eliminating errors yet, after a spirited start, we soon saw more of the same.
You can have all the fine words and gestures as you like but the only thing that matters is performances and results and Cardiff City proved once more that they’re just not up to it. A bright start counted for nothing, a wonder goal, a defensive calamity and players giving up completely gave Derby County a convincing, easy 2-0 win in a game where they rarely had to shine and just needed to stay organised to triumph, it’s just far too easy to beat City.
These words mean nothing if you can’t back it up. On and off the pitch, we say so much – “we’ll get new players,”, “the new stadium work is starting”, “we should be top of the table”, “I aim for a prolonged promotion and play-off challenge”, “Lennie is the right man for Cardiff City”. On and on it goes but where’s the evidence of any of this? The reality is that we’re waiting forever for new players and certainly not the players we really need to push on (as Sam has allegedly promised the bankers not to increase his playing budget, it’s doubtful how we can bring in any Premiership-able and better quality in the current climate).
The club now admit there is now no chance the stadium work will even start this year, they can’t even supply a start date and still have a few hurdles to clear. Yet they say in the next breath that it will still all be ready by the start of 2006 season they say – we’ll see. We’re now 23rd in the table, falling adrift of even those sides above the drop zone already. Just 1 point out of 21, four successive Ninian Park defeats with even a home goal scored and apart from last week’s 0-0 at Forest (one of only two teams as bad as us), we’ve gone behind in every game we’ve started this season, only twice showing the character to fight back. It’s a whole lot different to problems we had a few years ago but, hell, it’s just as depressing, isn’t it? Did someone say, “Keep The Faith”?
In a match that should have been his last chance to save himself, City had 5 changes following that oh-so-dismal midweek home thrashing by Mighty(!) Watford. In came Barker, Bullock, Parry, Thorne and, the biggest surprise, 18 year old Stuart Fleetwood being handed his league debut. The starting line-up were Warner, Weston-Gabbidon-Vidmar-Barker, McAnuff-Kavanagh-Bullock-Parry, Thorne-Fleetwood. Dropped were Boland, Campbell and Lee. Robert Page was injured and John Robinson was apparently granted a week’s compassionate leave, both were likely to have been dropped anyway. Tony Warner kept his place in goals, Martyn Margetson was set to be in goals but injured. Others like Rhys Weston, Tony Vidmar and probably Kav himself probably only owed their places due to no credible alternatives being available at present.
Derby struggled for most of last season but escaped relegation with a late, promising surge that they carried into the new term. Coming to City comfortably in mid-table, they had won one and lost two of their previous away games but greatly improved from the side thrashed 4-1 at Ninian Park twelve months ago. Managed by George Burley, their starting side were Camp, Vincent-Kenna-Konic-Johnson, Reich-Tyalor-Huddlestone-Johnson, Tudgay-Idiakez. Lee Camp is England’s under-21 keeper, their man mountain Tom Huddlestone is still only 17 and an outstanding prospect, Jeff Kenna and Ian Taylor provide great experience and their foreigners – Mo Konic, German international Reich and their strikers offer quality and experience too.
It was a fine day, an improved crowd of 12,008 were present including 600 or so from the East Midlands and there was good, vocal support for City. On the touchline, Lennie was joined by the shorts-wearing new assistant, appointed by Sam on his behalf, Terry Burton. Burton spent the opening 20 minutes standing in front of Lennie and as far away from him as possible it seemed, he was closer to George Burley. Lennie and Burton spoke eventually but not a great deal. Burton shouted and encouraged the team but when things went wrong, even he seemed to give up. The last half-hour, Burton stood there with arms folded – it may as well have been Butterworth – but he must have realised it was hopeless.
City started brightly and had the better of the first half with only one early scare as Warner spilled a low cross but despite all the encouraging signs, City managed just one shot on goal (which turned out to be their only real on-target effort of the entire game), their best player by some distance was the 18 year old debutant who had gone off injured and they were trailing 1-0 by the interval.
Fleetwood showed no fears and youthful exuberance as he took the game to Derby whose defenders were visibly struggling as he went directly at them, such a novelty for a City player to do. His pace was searing. Parry was stretching them too and going outside defenders to send crosses over. All highly encouraging.
One exciting Fleetwood run set up a great chance, another nearly brought a penalty – some may have given a nudge on him, a third run saw him race onto a superb McAnuff through ball, his low angled shot was superbly saved by the Camp goalkeeper, it would have beaten many.
City still didn’t quite look right and were struggling to break down Derby who kept 8 or 9 men behind the ball almost always. Our central midfield was still a problem. Bullock who only ever seems to come to life and be visible in games when he gets beyond our strikers was never in it today. Kav was not making a presence and got booked for a bad, needless lunge on halfway.
Still the crowd were reasonably happy with the effort. The Grange End even sang for Lennie to do The Ayatollah and he obliged. An hour later, they sang for him to leave. Fans are fickle, aren’t they?
The tide turned as Fleetwood obviously found it tough going though and seemed to be blowing, the pace and tempo obviously much higher than he was used to. He drifted wide, Alan Lee-like, after a while and then got twice on the ankle in tackles, having to go off injured before half-time and replaced by Lee. That was a bodyblow to City but not as much as Derby’s outstanding opener.
MARCO REICH received the ball 30 yards out and wide, there was nothing on. Maybe he should have been closed and not allowed time as we were promised our players would do but you cannot deny a most outstanding strike. The ball flew, rocketed and bent to find the angle of Tony Warner’s far post and crossbar and leave him helpless. Best opposing goal seen at Ninian since Marco Gabbiadini’s howitzer a couple of seasons ago? Certainly an effort that we should just be big enough to admire and accept.
It was a bit cruel on City but at least they looked better and it gave some hope and encouragement for the 2nd half. Little did we know that this was as good is it would be.
Half-time: CITY 0 DERBY 1
There is little point in much description of the second half, it was poor and enough to suck the spirit and passion out of any true City fan.
The game was over on 49 minutes. Danny Gabbidon, one of those players we need to look to help us out but who is going backwards by the game, had the ball near halfway. With no real option in front of him, he turned back and got in trouble as a Derby player closed on him. Most players would belt the ball back, hit it upfield quick but Gabbs hit a 40 yard ball across the park. It wasn’t even straight and Weston had to turn back for it.
Gabbidon’s complacency was compounded as Weston show not enough urgency to get the ball or clear it, he was easily disposed by Tudgay as he tried to bring the ball down, it was swept inside quickly where Reich was twice denied by Warner but it was third time lucky as the ball ran to Taylor to stroke in into an unguarded net. It couldn’t have been easier.
The rest of the game is best forgotten. City’s heads went, Derby were quite happy to just defend what they had and we had no belief, no confidence, no ideas. Andy Campbell was the first City sub for ages to be booed as he came on the pitch, out of order but understandable to a degree too. Then the chants for Lennie Out and the ground emptying long before final whistle. All very sad but very predictable. At present, you just cannot see where the next goal is coming from, never mind a win. The Samaritans had better start placing adverts in Cardiff City match programmes, it is unbearable to watch us like this.
Post-game, Sam Hammam joined Lennie for a belated press conference. Sam promised fans that the club will reach the Premiership one day. We should be top two or in the play-offs but have probably blown it for this season. He tried to assure us that there is no way we will be relegated but wanted a couple of days reflection before sitting down with Lennie who, this time, he failed to back in public. He refused to even give Lennie a vote of confidence but you had a feeling he didn’t want to sack him either even though he knows that is what the fans want. He said something but it meant nothing.
He may as well assured that we will have 4 new signings for our next game – all from the Premiership too – that the new stadium work will start in 6 weeks and that Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy are real. Who cares at present what he says?
Sam really needs to understand that whilst most of us believe in him, we are just not hanging on his every word. Precisely because very little of what Sam has said in recent times has come to fruition.
Lennie won’t resign (and why should he when he’s sitting on a contract that needs paying up?), Sam won’t sack him (I can only assume because he doesn’t want to pay him up, what other reason could there possibly be?).
It’s time for Sam to face the reality and act. This is no longer a time for words. We must face what the club is currently about.
The team have been on the slide and showing relegation form since January (32 poxy points in the last 33 league games – enough said!), the manager needs changing (why is he still here anyway?), the current players are letting us down but we’re stuck with them and our squad is not big enough or good enough and in need of strengthening in defence, midfield and attack with players of more ability and better strength of character and mind.
It’s time for Sam to show some real action and decisive leadership. That’s all we’re now watching and waiting for. Anything less is a complete cop-out and will take us nowhere.
Report from FootyMad
Cardiff City slumped to their fourth home defeat in a row to put manager Lennie Lawrence's job in real jeopardy.
The Bluebirds have failed to score in any of those games and club chairman Sam Hammam will surely now move to make changes at the top.
Derby went ahead in the first half with a superb strike from Marco Reich and they doubled the lead soon after the re-start when Rams skipper Ian Taylor was on hand to punish a defensive slip.
Lawrence made five changes to the City starting line-up with the biggest shock coming up front where rookie Stuart Fleetwood replaced Irish international Alan Lee.
It was Fleetwood who had the first strike on goal after two minutes but his snap shot went wide.
The youngster, who was making his first league start, then had good claims for a penalty turned down in the 11th minute when he seemed to be pushed in the box by Jeff Kenna.
Reich forced Tony Warner to fling himself to his left to grab hold of a shot on the turn midway through the half, but it was City who were looking the more dangerous, with Fleetwood's pace causing the visiting defence problems.
Totally against the run of play the Rams took the lead in the 34th minute. Reich was given time to fire an unstoppable shot in off the far post with Warner a spectator in the home goal.
Five minutes from the break Fleetwood was forced off the field with an injury and replaced by Lee.
City's world fell apart in the 49th minute when Danny Gabbidon tried to find Rhys Weston with a cross-field ball. Reich robbed Weston, but Warner went down well to block his shot. The loose ball ran to skipper Taylor who made no mistake from close range.
Under-fire boss Lawrence brought on Andy Campbell and Paul Parry with 20 minutes remaining and pushed three up front, but the Rams defence dealt confidently with City's attacks to leave the Welsh side in trouble at the bottom of the division.
External reports
Wales on Sunday
Western Mail
Derbyshire Evening Telegraph
South Wales Echo