Cardiff City gained a point - they didn't really deserve any more - but still lost two by allowing Wolves a late equaliser (via more slack marking at a set-piece, we just never learn) in a 1-1 Ninian Park draw.
Other results meant the gap increased to a fragile two points over the teams in the drop zone immediately below us as Gillingham and Forest both lost away but City are now a staggering 5 points behind Brighton, the side immediately ahead of us. The keyword is stranded.
Other results meant the gap increased to a fragile two points over the teams in the drop zone immediately below us as Gillingham and Forest both lost away but City are now a staggering 5 points behind Brighton, the side immediately ahead of us. The keyword is stranded.
The fact we're not in the relegation zone is a Christmas miracle. The same points tally (23) this time last season would have seen Cardiff last but one and 5 points from safety. Make sure you therefore raise a glass to the awfulness of Rotherham, Gillingham and Nottingham Forest and have a little prayer they continue to be that way as they still seem more likely to save The Bluebirds than the efforts of Lennie Lawrence and Co.
This match had more enjoyment than many recent home games and, credit where it's due, City showed more passion and spirit than of late, an attitude that gives us a little bit more for the battle ahead than some past performances have given us. It was tense too but so much it was due to Cardiff scoring an early goal and enjoying the rare luxury of holding a lead. They fought and battled to hold onto it and nearly increased their lead with some decent counter-attacking..
However cold reflection - easy to do on a day when temperatures were barely above freezing - suggests City earned their point despite Lennie's tactics, formation and ideology and because Wolves were pretty poor themselves. Can it be right that we play almost the entire 90 minutes on the back-foot, as though we were an away side? Lennie - I still don't know whether to call it brave or foolhardy - continued with his diamond formation but midfield looked a mess as he put the proverbial square pegs into round holes.
Those tactics first then. With Neil Harris gone, Kav suspended, the club pulling out all the stops to land a Premiership midfielder, Inamoto, on loan going into a must win game, reasonable expectations were for the rigid 4-4-2 system and abandoning the experimental diamond-shaped midfield that worked at Sheffield last week until Kav was sent off and Warnock gave his side a half-time rollicking and added more width.
However, not only did Lennie persevere with it but did it by recalling Tony Vidmar and asking him to play the deep holding role (instead of Kav) in front of the back four and getting McAnuff to play 'in the hole' behind the front two, Boland went right, Ledley was left. Another shock also as Rhys Weston started at right back for the first time in over three months with Williams ruled out late by flu. City therefore lined up with Warner, Weston-Collins-Gabbidon-Barker, Boland-Vidmar-McAnuff-Ledley, Thorne and Jerome. Inamoto took his place on the bench with Alexander, Bullock, Fleetwood and Langley, the latter two available again after lengthy injuries. It did however mean that Lennie ignored three midfielder on the bench to play a defender, Vidmar, in midfield.
Wolves arrived with Glen Hoddle in charge for the third time. No doubt seeking Christmas guidance from (Come On) Eileen Drewery, it was Hoddle's 3rd game of a temporary contract where expectations are that he can turn an under-performing bunch of individually talented players into Premiership play-off challengers. Yeah, right, dream on. On this evidence, he would do well to jump now. Three games under Hoddle have each finished 1-1 against moderate opposition, each time his team have failed to impress and had to strike back for their point.
His side were Michael Oakes, a back four of Shaun Newton-Lescott-Jody Craddock and Naylor, midfield were the vastly experience Mark Kennedy-Nigerian Olofinjana-Andrews-Coopers with Scottish international Kenny Miller and Carl Cort up front. That's nine former Premiership players and one World Cup player. The bench were headed by veteran Paul Ince, returning to the 16 after several weeks injured, Clyde, Seol, Cameron, and Murray.
There was a healthy 16,699 inside the ground, over 1,500 from the Black Country, some would say it looked more than that again. It was cold but there was brilliant low sun and blue skies, the atmosphere was dull and flat though. City's on and off field problems have clearly affected a normally buoyant and passionate support who understandably want more assurances than requests to keep the faith and everything will soon be alright at a club who won't buy players and won't sack its manager either.
The opening stages were dull but City's fans and defenders suffered moments of sheer panic as enter Tony Warner, the footballer who studies psychology but who seems completely unable to concentrate or put confidence into his defenders, went through his customary round of cock-ups. Inside the first 10 minutes, he was as dodgy as any keeper could be which had many in the crowd get on his back and completely put the jitters into everyone.
Firstly, he judged that a high angled ball was clearing his goal, let it go and watched motionless as it smacked off the inside of his far post and luckily bounced clear of an incoming forward. Next he failed to call when a ball came towards him, Gabbidon had to desperately clear under pressure. His worst moment was when a Wolves player had a surprise shot with no power near the touchline, it was more like a back-pass but that didn't stop Warner, behind it all the way, missing his catch when diving. the ball bounced off his chest and squirmed behind for a corner.
The was a worried atmosphere, Warner by now getting vocal abuse from a large element of the nervous crowd, but City hit back. First Joe Ledley squeezed a snatched effort wide in the area but then, on 17 minutes, City took the lead.
The goal was simple but so excellently taken as James Collins smashed a free-kick forward inside his own half, Thorne flicked on and the rest was about CAMERON JEROME pace and power as the teenager touched the ball, turned, got past his marker, shot, Oakes could only help it on and Jerome burst on to force the falling ball home. Fantastic stuff and the crowd went mad. Four starts and 9 sub appearances for City, all for a struggling team, and the 18 year old has netted four times.
The goal settled City, although Warner did his best to unhinge us again, coming for and completely missing a Wolves corner from the restart. Up went the shouts of Scotland's number 1 with Neil Alexander on the bench. What's the point of having 4 keepers, and hearing about Alexander's excellent attitude, if Warner continues to be picked no matter how poor his personal displays? It makes a mockery of having a squad. If he was an outfield player or didn't look so big and imposing, he would have been bombed out of the team long ago.
City, through Peter Thorne, then had tow brilliant chances in a minute but we failed to capitalise. First up, Danny Gabbidon met an Oakes boot upfield with the best piece of skill of the afternoon. The ball fell to him inside his own half and he purposely weighted a touch to perfection, piercing the Wolves rearguard and sending Peter Thorne racing away to goal. Thorney, for all his talents, has the pace of a Lada car and never got away and then chipped a weak effort straight at Oakes. Moments later, Willie Boland sent over the perfect far post cross, the whole ground waited for one of Thorney's text book headers but, instead, he nodded across goal, it deflected off a Wolves defender and Ledley screwed wide again.
Wolves, coming forward, looked worrying but nothing materialised. Cardiff had the counter-attacking chances but Wolves had most of the ball, they just weren't able to create with it. City's shape looked worryingly ominous too. Rhys Weston, obviously playing to orders, seemed to join Chris Barker on the left on several occasions when Wolves attacked that side leaving acres of space but Wolves never once exploited it, a better side would have.
City's defence were doing well too as each were winning their battles, James Collins once more the leading light whilst Barker and particularly Weston burst forward with intelligence at every opportunity. The visitors supreme moment was on 35 minutes when a ball through the middle comprehensively cut us open and found Kenny Miller. The classy forward however wasted it by taking on, and sliding past, three challenges before shooting straight at Warner.
Vidmar woke up the crowd near half-time when he hit a volley on the drop with some venom that flew past the far angle of Oakes' goal and into the Grange End and Willie Boland sent over a couple of vicious corners but no players got on the end of them, it's time Collins or Gabbidon did some damage at the other end of the pitch. On chances, City deserved the lead, on balance of play, it was much closer and you always worried that the visitors would breakthrough.
Half-time: CITY 1 WOLVES 0
The half-time entertainment consisted of Ali joyously telling us that Darren Daley, the joke of a dj from Red Dragon, was not available to spout his nonsense of the pitch, the club were unable to show the Abi Titmuss video on the big screen, despite several requests, and an appeal for City fans not to bring pets to the match. Did someone really turn up at the turnstiles with an iguana?
City kept Wolves waiting, the visitors out on the pitch for almost 5 minutes before City and some hilarity as Kenny Miller tried to show off warming up in front of the Bob Bank and falling "a over t". He tried to cover his embarrassment by shooting at the Canton goal and scuffed that wide too. Not getting jeered by a few thousand, he bowed and moved away.
Although little was wrong with Wolves powerful, but impotent, first half display, Glenn Hoddle brought on two subs to start the second half - the veteran Colin Cameron and Mark Clyde replacing Shaun Newton and Cooper. Fortunately for City and Lennie, instead of exploiting deficiencies in our formation, Hoddle matched it and went diamond shape too.
Regardless of that, Wolves become more dominant than there were in the first half. Cardiff fell deeper, dropped off players and invited Wolves onto them, relying even more of fast breaks. Two however almost paid off.
First up, Willie Boland - who was excellent throughout - got forward and fired in a 25 yarder but Oakes was behind it. The best moment came when Rhys Weston started a move deep in defence, switched play and as City attacked down the left side, Weston had powered into space on the left, McAnuff noticed him and hit a cross field ball that put Weston in, the defender's shot a little too close to Oakes but he could only parry it across goal where tow Wolves defenders scrambled away a fraction before Jerome was about to pounce., he was agonisingly close
Apart from these breaks, Wolves now camped deep in Cardiff's half but never quite broke through. Miller screwed an effort wide then Hoddle really went for it by bringing on his final sub, the South Korean Ki-Hyeong for the Nigerian Olofinjana. The away support were clearly unhappy, they universally booed and cat called Hoddle for that one. His honeymoon period well and truly over after two and a half games. Yet could you imagine Lennie ever using all three subs, tactically, before an hour had gone in any match? It's rare to see him use one sub in an hour when we're losing.
The pressure was relentless, Cardiff always seemed to get a tackle, head or any body part in the way but it wasn't too pretty to watch. Collins went down three times for treatment and seemed to hurt his head and shoulder but came back for more. Ledley was one of several players to fall on the hard ground and was unable to run it off, Richard Langley took his spot (on the left!) returning from injury after more than 4 months absent to a huge roar. A bigger roar followed when Inamoto, encouraged by the crowd and then shown by Bullock, did the ayatollah whilst warming up. He looked confused but having boing-boinged with The Baggies, he must be used to British football absurdities by now.
City has more half chances as Langley got strongly involved and made an impression but it was half chances only. Twice McAnuff, now involved after being totally lost in the opening half, failed to get shots away in decent position but Tony Vidmar had another go hit the bar ... well the drainpipe running along the roof of the Canton Stand.
It was getting to the stage when you felt City would hold on, they looked determined enough and Wolves couldn't find that moment of quality when things came crashing down with 15 to go. The goal was simple but the sort of things we have seen happen too many times, something that Lennie and his defenders never seem able to get right.
A Wolves corner towards the edge of the box in the centre, Cort too easily out-jumped Collins, Ginge's first mistake all afternoon undoing all his previous brilliant work, and KENNY MILLER was completely unmarked near goal and helped it high into goal past the all too predictably static and motionless Tony Warner.
Cardiff never looked like scoring again, you certainly felt Wolves could now grab a winner and the crowd fell more silent as Wolves ran and ran at us but were almost undone when Cameron Jerome again shopped how powerful he is as he latched onto a through ball, burst through two defenders, ran half the pitch before shooting at Oakes.
Lennie continued his hapless theme of reactive, never pro-active, substitutions when he made tow changes for the final 10 minutes. The first seemed reasonable - Inamoto for McAnuff, an unusually animated Lawrence reacting after McAnuff wasted one of his openings. Inamoto became the first player from the Far East to play for City since (Spencer Prior from Southend?!?) Fan Zhiyi and we all hope his stay is more memorable than the waste of time before. The other was incredulous, Stuart Fleetwood for Jerome. Fleetwood on was fair enough but how could you justify taking off Jerome, the one player troubling Wolves, the only player taking them on. Thorney, by contrast, was completely anonymous again - something becoming a worrying trend, he has one bright game and then three or four very quiet ones these days.
It was the turn of City fans to shout howls of derision at their manager, many chanting "you don't know what you're doing" to Lawrence. Lennie later explained Jerome was getting tired. This was the same Jerome who just went on that 50 yard burst through Wolves defence, was it?
There was one glorious chance to each side in the four minutes added time. Cort wasted a header, planting it straight at a grateful Warner but Fleetwood almost justified Lennie's changes and gave him the last laugh as he skipped around Wolves defence, got to the by-line and cut back to Inamoto who hit a powerful shot too well that went straight into the diving Oakes midriff, the keeper holding on. Any softer, it may have gone ion, a foot either side or higher and it would have flew in. His appearance hopefully appeased the 30 of so Japanese in the Grandstand, Sam will try anything to get money into the club!
City went off to strong applause although it has to be said, a few thousand had left before the final whistle having seen enough of us hanging on and wanting to beat the traffic away. Wolves are not good, they hardly troubled Warner, but, boy, did we make them look good. On the other hand, it may not have been good to watch but City made more chances than they often have in home games and that system may work against Watford in our next game, a team with terrible home form and on a bad run themselves.
SO FINALLY, FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON,
On the 12th Day of Christmas, Lennie said to me
12 Games to Judge Me
11 Disappointing Players
10 when Kav gets sent off
9 was Earnie's shirt
8 broken promises
7 for Thorne, leading scorer
6 home defeats
5 all season wins
4 new signings, where are they?
3 Kav bans
2 Kav sendings-off
and we may soon be in Division Three
**Merry Christmas everyone. I'm taking a well deserved break from following City for a few days - it's more like a test of endurance these days - and am bunking out of Watford and Derby away to be refreshed for the Forest "decider?" on January 3. Happy New Year too then, let's hope it is.
Report from FootyMad
Cardiff City dropped two more home points after they allowed Wolves to mount a second-half fight back.
Cameron Jerome sat Ninian Park alight in the 17th minute as he burst through to net his fourth goal of the season, but Glenn Hoddle's side hit back through Kenny Miller in the 75th minute.
The visitors were almost gifted a sixth-minute opener when Tony Warner flapped at a cross from Kevin Cooper and the ball struck the angle before being hacked clear.
The nervous Warner failed to gather a tame shot from Cooper minutes later and the loose ball was scrambled away for a corner as Wolves piled on the early pressure.
Out of the blue City opened the scoring thanks to 18-year-old striker Jerome's persistence. A free-kick by James Collins was flicked on by Peter Thorne and Jerome burst past a defender before lashing the ball into an empty net.
The visitors should have levelled in the 34th minute when Miller was left with only Warner to beat but he dithered over his shot and the impressive Collins recovered to clear.
Hoddle switched it around after the interval bringing on Colin Cameron and Mark Clyde and it was Cameron who worked another chance for Miller in the 55th minute but his snapshot flew just wide of Warner's near post.
The introduction of Cameron meant Wolves were more balanced and Miller had a glorious chance in the 67th minute but he headed Lee Naylor's high cross over the home crossbar.
The equaliser finally came in the 75th minute when a Keith Andrews corner was bundled home by Miller from point-blank range as the home defence failed to clear.
The Bluebirds' new loan singing Junichi Inamoto came on five minutes later as City went looking for the goal they needed to take them clear of the relegation zone, but as the game drew to a close it was the visitors who looked more dangerous.
External reports
IC Wales
Western Mail
Report from FootyMad
Cardiff City dropped two more home points after they allowed Wolves to mount a second-half fight back.
Cameron Jerome sat Ninian Park alight in the 17th minute as he burst through to net his fourth goal of the season, but Glenn Hoddle's side hit back through Kenny Miller in the 75th minute.
The visitors were almost gifted a sixth-minute opener when Tony Warner flapped at a cross from Kevin Cooper and the ball struck the angle before being hacked clear.
The nervous Warner failed to gather a tame shot from Cooper minutes later and the loose ball was scrambled away for a corner as Wolves piled on the early pressure.
Out of the blue City opened the scoring thanks to 18-year-old striker Jerome's persistence. A free-kick by James Collins was flicked on by Peter Thorne and Jerome burst past a defender before lashing the ball into an empty net.
The visitors should have levelled in the 34th minute when Miller was left with only Warner to beat but he dithered over his shot and the impressive Collins recovered to clear.
Hoddle switched it around after the interval bringing on Colin Cameron and Mark Clyde and it was Cameron who worked another chance for Miller in the 55th minute but his snapshot flew just wide of Warner's near post.
The introduction of Cameron meant Wolves were more balanced and Miller had a glorious chance in the 67th minute but he headed Lee Naylor's high cross over the home crossbar.
The equaliser finally came in the 75th minute when a Keith Andrews corner was bundled home by Miller from point-blank range as the home defence failed to clear.
The Bluebirds' new loan singing Junichi Inamoto came on five minutes later as City went looking for the goal they needed to take them clear of the relegation zone, but as the game drew to a close it was the visitors who looked more dangerous.
External reports
IC Wales
Western Mail