It was The Bluebirds 4th defeat in 5 league games and we failed to register one reasonable attempt on goal for the 2nd time in 3 games too.
This time, City crashed 2-0 with goals in the final quarter to Premiership hopefuls Sunderland in a game that once more proved how bland and low quality this division is, the entertainment and skill levels on offer were sparse. Sunderland genuinely were nothing special at all. For 70 minutes, there was little to choose between the teams in a well matched contest. Not that it was good or interesting. Neither looked like scoring, not one player on the pitch had fired a shot worthy of the name. You hoped City would breakthrough but a goal always seemed more likely from opposition mistakes - which never came - rather than their play. You felt Black Cats had that something extra about them but it was a struggle in yet another tedious game.
The key difference between a top side, like them, and a bottom side, like us, is that Sunderland were more composed, kept their shape, every player did their job solidly, played as a unit and were that bit more professional about how they did their task. Change the name Sunderland to Reading or QPR - other high fliers who were ordinary but solid enough to beat City in the last month - and it’s hard to escape the feeling that if we had just two players of extra quality - Earnie and Gary O'Neill - we would be a Top 6 side, not a bottom 4 team. That's how fragile and low quality this division is. Sunderland may well get promoted but without drastic overhaul, they'll be nothing more than cannon fodder without a shadow of doubt. Still, that's for them to worry about, City's major concern is whether we somehow survive at this level.
As things stand, if we stay up, it'll be because of pure luck more than judgment - we're banking on finishing above three out of Rotherham, Gillingham, Nottingham Forest and Brighton and it's as depressing as hell to endure. We're at the exact halfway point of the season and City have won just 5 times in collecting a pitiful 22 points in 23 games. This in a season when Lennie promised us nothing less than a sustained play off and promotion challenge and Sam promised new players - and a few more things - but none have arrived. All recognise that we need a midfielder of genuine ability minimum and, almost certainly, a new striker, the team collectively to eliminate giveaway goals and show more fight, determination and character than they have to hope for anything different over the rest of the season. It's a sorry state of affairs at Ninian Park.
City had a mixed week in terms of game preparation. Darren Williams signed permanently for City 24 hours before the game and just in time to face his old club for whom he would have earned a lucrative testimonial next season. A massive blow however as Danny Gabbidon's foot injury forced him to miss out, Tony Vidmar tasted his first action in a few weeks. The big debate over which central midfielder would miss out from Kavanagh, returning after a three game red card ban plus Ledley and Boland who both did well last weekend was resolved as Parry, nursing injury, was put on the bench. Kav and Boland were in the centre and Joe Ledley went to wide left. Loanee Neil Harris on the bench again too as Cameron Jerome's sparkling first full start last week was good enough to keep his place.
City's starting line up were Warner, Williams-Collins-Vidmar-Barker, McAnuff-Boland-Kavanagh-Ledley, Thorne-Jerome. The subs bench were Alexander, Bullock, Harris Page and Parry. Robert Page returning after to the fray after several weeks injured whilst Rhys Weston, who would have started had Daz Williams not signed, didn’t eventually make the 16.
Mick McCarthy, by contrast, couldn't have had a better week. Influential Argentine Julio Arca returned from suspension, Welshman Carl Robinson (and now almost compulsory one-time City target, every club has one folks!) also returned from injury whilst centre-half Steven Caldwell seemed a little fortunate to get a red card last weekend rescinded on appeal to the match referee. Their line up was Thomas Myhre (one time City target), a back four of Wright-Caldwell-Breen-McCartney, midfield of Liam Lawrence (one time City target when at Mansfield), Robinson (one time City target), Whitehead and Arca and a front pairing of Brown and Elliott.
The first half set the pattern for the whole game. Billed as a game between two passing sides, you could have fooled many of the 12,528 onlookers, 1,500 from the North East, on a chilly afternoon. Decent moves were at a premium, the game untidy, the ball spending unhealthy long periods in the air. City showed good spirit and enthusiasm, they were plucky and had the better of the opening half but created very little, they again lacked the ability and know how where it mattered. Sunderland were compromising, disciplined and extremely well drilled, as you would expect from a Mick McCarthy side. Each player knew their job and stuck resolutely to them and it told. It all made for a tedious game in general, a stalemate to watch with few moments only of interesting and exciting football. Going Xmas shopping with the missus felt as though it might not have been so bad after all.
City started well and tried taking the game to Sunderland, Kav looked eager but never produced a single telling moment in the game. Cameron Jerome once more caused problems for defenders but he missed chances that fell his way, Joe Ledley gave youthful exuberance to the afternoon but half-time arrived without City registering a single effort on goal. They only created one real chance and perhaps Jerome should have done better after McAnuff found Kav whose floated diagonal ball into the box was nodded across goal by Ledley, Jerome did really well to nip between defender and keeper but then flicked over the bar from close range.
Sunderland threatened danger getting forward but never got anywhere either. The Black Cats main attacking thrust seemed to be Brown's elbow, time and again, he lead with it. He was admirably handled though by James Collins who was a colossus at the back for City. With his mate Gabbs absent, Ginge seemed to revel in taking extra responsibility. Putting his body on the line, he won everything in the air and on the ground too, the crowd warming to him, all recognising his efforts.
The only real danger to City's goal came from their own poor play as, oops, he did it again. Tony Warner had more mental moments as firstly, the keeper was on the receiving end of a none too clever Willie Boland back pass but made things worse in trying to dribble and juggle the ball around a Sunderland forward, getting in a complete mess and falling to his knees. The Black Cats thankfully fluffed the gift opportunity. No lessons learned, less than a minute later, Warner scuffed a kick from another back pass and had to be rescued again. The keeper is to having much to do in games but is not doing it well, he worries fans and defenders alike. He did however save a Robinson header at a corner kick.
There was some good football from Cardiff but it just never told and the half got a bit sloppier in its closing stages. I think most of us were glad for the half-time whistle to blow, just so we could get a pint, cuppa or just have a chat with our mates without being bothered by the football. To give them credit, City were more than matching Sunderland, there were high hopes that we would collect at least a point and with news that Forest had already lost an early kick-off and that Brighton and Gillingham were trailing, it would have been very welcome indeed given City's perilous position.
Half-time: CITY 0 SUNDERLAND 0
The second half, until those goals came, was pretty much the same story. Low quality, low thrills, low entertainment and low temperatures but that didn’t stop the main highlight of the afternoon - a streaker trying to invade the pitch from the Bob Bank terrace at the Grange corner but his efforts were as poor as the game as he barely made the pitch and was tackled by two stewards who then gave him an inglorious march to the Canton End without bothering to cover him up. The lack of assets on view confirmed how cold it was.
City threatened in sporadic moments only. The game was little better but Cardiff were having the better of things. Firstly as Myhre spilled a corner, the scramble saw the ball fall to Jobi McAnuff whose drive was blocked then Cameron Jerome produced a superb run to the deadball line inside the box, trickery beating two defenders once there but he was unable to find anyone to shoot. The otherwise anonymous Peter Thorne failed to get any power on a header straight to Myhre and also sent an angled effort into the side netting. The Black Cats worrying looking threats on the counter-attack were handled well by Williams taking care of Sunderland's danger on the left side whilst Collins and Vidmar seemed in control at the centre of defence although Tony Vidmar still looked a shadow of the player that he was last term for City. Warner had only to deal within one awkward bouncing ball in front of him and watch a distance effort come off the Canton Stand roof.
Sunderland introduced Michael Bridges to put more spark into their raids but with a 0-0 looking increasingly like the only result, disaster hit City who yet again were left embarrassed by their defensive play. 22 minutes remained when a hit and hope but awkward ball was smashed over from the touchline to the far side of goal, a Sunderland player brought it down, worked it back to Bridges who rolled it back across the par outside the penalty area. Incredibly, with 7 players back, everyone of them froze statue like and allowed WHITEHEAD a free hit at goal from 25 yards. He smashed a beauty home, I felt Warner could have saved it, I am sure Alexander or Margetson would have but it was still a fair strike. However, where were our defenders and midfielders? No player closed him, no player was within 10 yards of Whitehead. It is criminal at this level of football.
Lennie tried to change it by introducing Neil Harris for McAnuff, Thorney dropping back behind him and Jerome but before they could do anything, it was 2-0 and three points to Sunderland. City pushed forward, were caught out, Sunderland exchanged quick passes before LAWRENCE skipped one challenge and found all the time and space he needed. Once more, the finishing was excellent, a low curling drive which bent into Warner's right hand corner but for the second time in 6 minutes, we allowed a player time and space to shot at our goal. Contrast that to City who never had any such luxury all afternoon.
City are so fragile that they rarely fight back from a one goal deficit these days but two behind to a leading side was far too much to ask. First to leave apparently was Sam Hammam himself who disappeared out of the Director's Box as soon as the second goal flashed in according to fans nearby. Before too long, he was joined by a few thousand City fans. Perhaps only half remained for final whistle, we saw Paul Parry get a brief run out, Lennie get some more inevitable cat calls and abuse from a few, Neil Harris look keen and Cameron Jerome get on the end of a cross to put a low shot wide and that was it really.
It was a depressing scene at the end, 1,500 joyous visitors but subdued depression, angst and disillusionment etched of the faces of City fans. On and off the pitch events this season – very little to get excited about home or away, pitiful performances, a manager producing amongst the worst set of results of all 92 clubs who seems to have the safest job in football, our talisman striker sold, fears that our talisman central defender will be soon gone too, the broken promises and pledges, the lack of replacements and spending and the farce-like delays with concrete news (and concrete itself) – has just sucked the life, enthusiasm and passion out of the club and fans alike
The signs just don’t look good at all. The side ran and worked hard but just seem to lack the passion, character and fight usually associated with teams who win relegation battles. Listening to Lennie giving us the usual waffle, telling us what we can so clearly see for ourselves and clearly not having any real answers doesn’t help the mood either. And having an owner who is either more interested in the stadium than the team, hands tied because of the club needing to service the debt and commitments, losing interest in the club or in denial that we still don't need extra quality players in our team.
There are few options with the meagre squad that we have and if the club's main hopes are the returns from injury of Richard Langley, Robert Page and Andy Campbell then god help us. I think it's high time to try a different goalkeeper, the defence are doing as well as they can but they collectively switch off every game and know that there is no real competition. We all know central midfield is deeply flawed - the Boland and Kav pairing has never really produced over the years and it certainly won't do that now and our complete failure to replace Earnie has proved costly indeed.
The forthcoming Christmas/New Year period is crucial with home games against Wolves and Forest plus visits to Sheffield, Derby and Watford. We lost every game this time last year, it is unthinkable where we will be if that happens again. It is deeply worrying indeed. Merry Christmas Everyone!
Report from FootyMad
Second-half goals by Dean Whitehead and Liam Lawrence gave Sunderland their first victory at Ninian Park since 1971 and it looks like being a grim Christmas for the Bluebirds.
Although they matched Sunderland for long periods they never looked like making a breakthrough and now face a hard fight to move clear of the relegation scrap at the bottom of the Championship.
Cardiff welcomed back skipper Graham Kavanagh but they were missing injured Wales international Danny Gabbidon and Tony Vidmar took his place in the centre of defence.
At right back for Cardiff was Darren Williams, the former Sunderland player who signed a permanent deal with the Bluebirds on Friday.
The Sunderland defence had difficulty in keeping a tight rein on 18-year-old Cameron Jerome who was leading the Cardiff line and he had the first sight of goal in the second minute but was pulled back for offside.
Sunderland almost made Cardiff pay for a defensive lapse in the eighth minute when home keeper Tony Warner had difficulty controlling an over-hit back pass from Willie Boland.
As the keeper struggled to control Stephen Elliott picked up the ball but Warner somehow managed to toe poke to safety.
On the half hour Wales international Carl Robinson leaped to head a Lawrence corner goalwards but Warner stretched to tip over the bar.
Both managers resisted changes at the interval but it was Sunderland who settled down the quickest as the second half got underway.
Cardiff were reduced to living off breakaways but in the 56th minute they almost broke the deadlock when a Boland cross was just too high for Peter Thorne who was waiting at the far post.
Sunderland then scored the goal their patient play deserved when a Cardiff defensive header went straight to Whitehead and he made no mistake by blasting his shot wide of the diving Warner.
Lawrence then made the game safe when he curled a shot in a shot from outside the area after Cardiff had once again failed to clear their lines.
Sunderland were now controlling the match with Julio Arca in outstanding form leaving Cardiff living off scraps.
The result leaves Cardiff languishing in fourth from the bottom with a difficult Christmas programme ahead.
External reports
IC Wales
Western Mail
The Journal
South Wales Echo