" Our Season So Far "

After the completion of the game yesterday we currently stand 9th in the Championship table with 17pts out of the 33 available. In the grand scheme of things does it actually tell us anything, well in the opinion of both our previous managers i.e. Lennie Lawrence and Dave Jones it does, as both would always say 11 or 12 games into the season will give you a good indication of what type of season the club will have.

So just under 25% of our way into this season what kind of season do you think we will have? What do you think of our start? And where do you think we will finish?. Well here are my views a sort of first term report into season 2011 – 2012.

In my opinion to fully consider the performance of the team you have to bear in mind the extent of the changes that have taken place since the end of last season. A new manager, a new backroom team and the loss of 12 players are all things that should be considered.

In Malky Mackay we have a passionate manager who I believe has already established an affinity with the fans, something in my opinion DJ struggled to achieve. MM has introduced a backroom team dedicated to the application of the latest sports science techniques and a squad of players who are flexible enough to play in a number of tactical formations. The players whilst maybe lacking in the perceived quality of some squad members under DJ all appear willing to give 100% for the full duration of every game. In my opinion this is one of our biggest pluses as it really feels like we have a team and not a bunch of talented individuals.

MM has made a lot about the number of players who left the club at the end of last season, 12 in total, that he has never known the like of it and that it has been a huge job to put together a squad to challenge at the top of the table. But is changing 12 players from one season to the next such a big thing, well for Cardiff City actually it’s not or it may be more accurate to say under DJ at Cardiff City it was not unusual.

Indeed if you look at our record for the number of players who have left our club at the end of each season since our return to the Championship it does make interesting reading;

2004 – 8
2005 – 11
2006 – 10
2007 – 12
2008 – 10
2009 – 9
2010 – 13
2011 – 12

So in only 2 of the last 8 years have we lost less than 10 players per season, but at least when you consider the squad today we will probably lose only half that number at the end of this season. Hudson, Marshall, Gypes, Gerrard and Naylor are the players I believe are out of contract in June 2012 and with our only loanee Filip Kiss hoping to become a permanent signing we are undoubtedly stronger today than we were in October 2010. Whatever the reasons for allowing players to rundown their contracts or rely on loan players the fact we have the majority of the squad on long term contracts is a clear improvement on where we have been. Again I see this as a massive plus point from the last couple of seasons.

With so many players leaving at the end of the last season, and with the 10 new singings completed by the end of the summer transfer window we entered September with 24 players, how does that compare with past seasons? well here are the squad sizes since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 23
2004/2005 – 23
2005/2006 – 25
2006/2007 – 28
2007/2008 – 24
2008/2009 – 29
2009/2010 – 29
2010/2011 – 28
2011/2012 – 24

So at the beginning of September we had one of our smallest squads since our return to the Championship, no surprise there as this is probably the one area where almost everyone agrees – we still need 4 players and this is the big weakness at the club and must be corrected. However any new additions, be it loans of permanent signings in January, will also bring the issue of the new squad blending into a team more to the fore and so perhaps we should all accept we are a team in transition.

To put this into some sort of perspective in season 2006/2007 we had our best start to a season since our return to the Championship with 26 points from the first 11 games. That season we had a squad of 28 players but we still fell away to finish mid table with the manager, (DJ) always maintaining the squad was too small to maintain a promotion challenge.

Last season we had a squad full of talented players but they struggled to maintain a consistent level or I suppose it could be described as being unable to equal the sum of the individual parts. This season MM has developed not only a fantastic work ethic within the team, but within the squad, and that means this season our squad is exceeding the sum of the individual parts. The fans feel it and both the team and manager, in my opinion, have already created a bond with the fans which far exceeds anything achieved during the DJ years. It’s quite remarkable given the short time that MM has been at the club.

To fully appreciate what MM has brought to the club it is worth looking at the official league statistics covering the areas which not only identify performance but how effective the team is against key performance criteria. The following is a comparison of our start to the season against the average performance of the team since the club returned to the Championship. The comparison is I think very interesting;


Wins %: 37% - 41%
Draw %: 45% - 28%
Loss % - 18% - 31%

Average Goals Scored % - 1.36 – 1.40
Failed To Score% - 9% - 27%

Average Goals Conceded% - 1.09 – 1.18
Clean Sheets % - 27% - 29%

The clear difference in the number of lost games is the biggest indication of the never give up attitude MM has brought to the club and whatever we believe about the loss of attacking quality within the team we have to date only failed to score in 9% of games, against an average of 27% since we returned to the Championship. Not only are we scoring more often but we are conceding fewer goals on average and that’s why overall we are not losing games as often as we have in the past.

We have changed the manager, the backroom team and half the playing squad with a net result of being a more effective team unit. In my opinion this clearly shows how good a manager we now have and probably MM is the biggest positive at our club at this moment. In my opinion Malky Mackay is a fantastic young manager and a breath of fresh air in comparison to what we have had since our return to the Championship. Fantastic job Malkay absolutely fantastic.

Call it experience or historical statistics but in my opinion, and I’m sure many will agree, however good our start we are unlikely to reach the playoffs until the squad is filled out by the addition of at least 2 players, maybe as many as 4. Injuries and suspensions will catch up with us and therefore, again in my opinion, the board must support MM either through loans or more signings in January, if we are to reach the playoffs at the end of this season.

Both Cardiff and Notts Forest are trying to reach the playoffs for a 3rd consecutive season, this is no simple task as in the entire history of Championship playoffs only 5 other teams have achieved this;

Blackburn Rovers,
Birmingham City,
Bolton Wanderers,
Leicester City
Tranmere Rovers,

In the case of Birmingham City they reached the playoffs 4 seasons in a row before eventually winning the playoff final.

With 17pts from our first 11 games and having reached the 4th round of the Carling Cup we have made a good start but no more than average for a team expecting to reach the playoffs, it’s difficult to predict the affect our start will have on our final league position, as in our time in the Championship we nearly always fell away late in the season under DJ. But historically here are the points won after 11 games since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 15 points
2004/2005 – 8 points
2005/2006 – 15 points
2006/2007 – 26 points
2007/2008 – 13 points
2008/2009 – 18 points
2009/2010 – 19 points
2010/2011 – 23 points
2011/ 2012 –17 points.

If you ignore the 2006/2007 season where we completely folded after a brilliant start the 18/19 & 23 points are the standard we should look at to achieve a playoff place. Notwithstanding we eventually lost out on goal difference in 2008/2009 without the standard DJ end of season falloff in performance the question is “Will we get the same from MM”.

Well sadly for me the risk is there unless our board backs the manager with at least another 2 players, better still with 4 players. I hope the board don’t expect MM to work with one hand tied behind his back because in my opinion he has started well, his team has started well and he will deliver the goods if he is backed.

As for our start to the season I say well done to MM, his backroom team and of course the players, but, it could have been better and maybe if the manager had more depth in the squad we could have won even more points. The loss of 4 CM players through August exposed the lack of numbers in the squad and the home loss to Brighton and away defeat at Hull could have been averted also the draws at Burnley and Portsmouth maybe could have been turned to victories.

I think we are nearly there but a goalkeeper (remember losing Marshall and Heaton last season), a wide midfield player with genuine pace and of course a good target man type of forward, although Rudy Gestede is doing a good job for an inexperienced player.

There is a well known saying that it’s not the size of the dog that matters in a fight but the amount of fight in the dog. Well our squad has plenty of fight in it but history will tell you we are light on numbers so put that right and I think that just maybe 2011/12 can be the year we achieve the dream of PL Football.

After the completion of the game yesterday we currently stand 9th in the Championship table with 17pts out of the 33 available. In the grand scheme of things does it actually tell us anything, well in the opinion of both our previous managers i.e. Lennie Lawrence and Dave Jones it does, as both would always say 11 or 12 games into the season will give you a good indication of what type of season the club will have.

So just under 25% of our way into this season what kind of season do you think we will have? What do you think of our start? And where do you think we will finish?. Well here are my views a sort of first term report into season 2011 – 2012.

In my opinion to fully consider the performance of the team you have to bear in mind the extent of the changes that have taken place since the end of last season. A new manager, a new backroom team and the loss of 12 players are all things that should be considered.

In Malky Mackay we have a passionate manager who I believe has already established an affinity with the fans, something in my opinion DJ struggled to achieve. MM has introduced a backroom team dedicated to the application of the latest sports science techniques and a squad of players who are flexible enough to play in a number of tactical formations. The players whilst maybe lacking in the perceived quality of some squad members under DJ all appear willing to give 100% for the full duration of every game. In my opinion this is one of our biggest pluses as it really feels like we have a team and not a bunch of talented individuals.

MM has made a lot about the number of players who left the club at the end of last season, 12 in total, that he has never known the like of it and that it has been a huge job to put together a squad to challenge at the top of the table. But is changing 12 players from one season to the next such a big thing, well for Cardiff City actually it’s not or it may be more accurate to say under DJ at Cardiff City it was not unusual.

Indeed if you look at our record for the number of players who have left our club at the end of each season since our return to the Championship it does make interesting reading;

2004 – 8
2005 – 11
2006 – 10
2007 – 12
2008 – 10
2009 – 9
2010 – 13
2011 – 12

So in only 2 of the last 8 years have we lost less than 10 players per season, but at least when you consider the squad today we will probably lose only half that number at the end of this season. Hudson, Marshall, Gypes, Gerrard and Naylor are the players I believe are out of contract in June 2012 and with our only loanee Filip Kiss hoping to become a permanent signing we are undoubtedly stronger today than we were in October 2010. Whatever the reasons for allowing players to rundown their contracts or rely on loan players the fact we have the majority of the squad on long term contracts is a clear improvement on where we have been. Again I see this as a massive plus point from the last couple of seasons.

With so many players leaving at the end of the last season, and with the 10 new singings completed by the end of the summer transfer window we entered September with 24 players, how does that compare with past seasons? well here are the squad sizes since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 23
2004/2005 – 23
2005/2006 – 25
2006/2007 – 28
2007/2008 – 24
2008/2009 – 29
2009/2010 – 29
2010/2011 – 28
2011/2012 – 24

So at the beginning of September we had one of our smallest squads since our return to the Championship, no surprise there as this is probably the one area where almost everyone agrees – we still need 4 players and this is the big weakness at the club and must be corrected. However any new additions, be it loans of permanent signings in January, will also bring the issue of the new squad blending into a team more to the fore and so perhaps we should all accept we are a team in transition.

To put this into some sort of perspective in season 2006/2007 we had our best start to a season since our return to the Championship with 26 points from the first 11 games. That season we had a squad of 28 players but we still fell away to finish mid table with the manager, (DJ) always maintaining the squad was too small to maintain a promotion challenge.

Last season we had a squad full of talented players but they struggled to maintain a consistent level or I suppose it could be described as being unable to equal the sum of the individual parts. This season MM has developed not only a fantastic work ethic within the team, but within the squad, and that means this season our squad is exceeding the sum of the individual parts. The fans feel it and both the team and manager, in my opinion, have already created a bond with the fans which far exceeds anything achieved during the DJ years. It’s quite remarkable given the short time that MM has been at the club.

To fully appreciate what MM has brought to the club it is worth looking at the official league statistics covering the areas which not only identify performance but how effective the team is against key performance criteria. The following is a comparison of our start to the season against the average performance of the team since the club returned to the Championship. The comparison is I think very interesting;


Wins %: 37% - 41%
Draw %: 45% - 28%
Loss % - 18% - 31%

Average Goals Scored % - 1.36 – 1.40
Failed To Score% - 9% - 27%

Average Goals Conceded% - 1.09 – 1.18
Clean Sheets % - 27% - 29%

The clear difference in the number of lost games is the biggest indication of the never give up attitude MM has brought to the club and whatever we believe about the loss of attacking quality within the team we have to date only failed to score in 9% of games, against an average of 27% since we returned to the Championship. Not only are we scoring more often but we are conceding fewer goals on average and that’s why overall we are not losing games as often as we have in the past.

We have changed the manager, the backroom team and half the playing squad with a net result of being a more effective team unit. In my opinion this clearly shows how good a manager we now have and probably MM is the biggest positive at our club at this moment. In my opinion Malky Mackay is a fantastic young manager and a breath of fresh air in comparison to what we have had since our return to the Championship. Fantastic job Malkay absolutely fantastic.

Call it experience or historical statistics but in my opinion, and I’m sure many will agree, however good our start we are unlikely to reach the playoffs until the squad is filled out by the addition of at least 2 players, maybe as many as 4. Injuries and suspensions will catch up with us and therefore, again in my opinion, the board must support MM either through loans or more signings in January, if we are to reach the playoffs at the end of this season.

Both Cardiff and Notts Forest are trying to reach the playoffs for a 3rd consecutive season, this is no simple task as in the entire history of Championship playoffs only 5 other teams have achieved this;

Blackburn Rovers,
Birmingham City,
Bolton Wanderers,
Leicester City
Tranmere Rovers,

In the case of Birmingham City they reached the playoffs 4 seasons in a row before eventually winning the playoff final.

With 17pts from our first 11 games and having reached the 4th round of the Carling Cup we have made a good start but no more than average for a team expecting to reach the playoffs, it’s difficult to predict the affect our start will have on our final league position, as in our time in the Championship we nearly always fell away late in the season under DJ. But historically here are the points won after 11 games since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 15 points
2004/2005 – 8 points
2005/2006 – 15 points
2006/2007 – 26 points
2007/2008 – 13 points
2008/2009 – 18 points
2009/2010 – 19 points
2010/2011 – 23 points
2011/ 2012 –17 points.

If you ignore the 2006/2007 season where we completely folded after a brilliant start the 18/19 & 23 points are the standard we should look at to achieve a playoff place. Notwithstanding we eventually lost out on goal difference in 2008/2009 without the standard DJ end of season falloff in performance the question is “Will we get the same from MM”.

Well sadly for me the risk is there unless our board backs the manager with at least another 2 players, better still with 4 players. I hope the board don’t expect MM to work with one hand tied behind his back because in my opinion he has started well, his team has started well and he will deliver the goods if he is backed.

As for our start to the season I say well done to MM, his backroom team and of course the players, but, it could have been better and maybe if the manager had more depth in the squad we could have won even more points. The loss of 4 CM players through August exposed the lack of numbers in the squad and the home loss to Brighton and away defeat at Hull could have been averted also the draws at Burnley and Portsmouth maybe could have been turned to victories.

I think we are nearly there but a goalkeeper (remember losing Marshall and Heaton last season), a wide midfield player with genuine pace and of course a good target man type of forward, although Rudy Gestede is doing a good job for an inexperienced player.

There is a well known saying that it’s not the size of the dog that matters in a fight but the amount of fight in the dog. Well our squad has plenty of fight in it but history will tell you we are light on numbers so put that right and I think that just maybe 2011/12 can be the year we achieve the dream of PL Football.

fair play that's a cracking post took me a while to read it but i got there in the end ha

I wrote a post on the same subject about a week ago. I cannot be bothered to find it.

Summing up my post I said I dont think we are in a position to work it out yet. With all the injuries we have had, as you have mentioned has highlighted the depth problem but unfortunately has us guessing how good we are.

I also mentioned the fact you have to have a look at the teams we have played so far. Out of the 11 only 2 of them are struggling, Birstol City and Doncaster. A number of the teams we have played are flying, West Ham, Southampton, Brighton were, Ipswich now and Leicester are now. On the whole we have had a difficult start opposition wise.

I hope I am right on this but I feel we are about to go onto a good run through our work ethic now. No game is easy as we know but on paper we have some easy games coming up. Last season when we went into such a period DJ could not get the team to play to its potential. We droppeed so many points against the easy teams mainly because we felt all we had to do was turn up. I dont think that will be a factor this season, I hope not, so it will be interesting to see how we do in an easy run.

I wrote a post on the same subject about a week ago. I cannot be bothered to find it.

Summing up my post I said I dont think we are in a position to work it out yet. With all the injuries we have had, as you have mentioned has highlighted the depth problem but unfortunately has us guessing how good we are.

I also mentioned the fact you have to have a look at the teams we have played so far. Out of the 11 only 2 of them are struggling, Birstol City and Doncaster. A number of the teams we have played are flying, West Ham, Southampton, Brighton were, Ipswich now and Leicester are now. On the whole we have had a difficult start opposition wise.

I hope I am right on this but I feel we are about to go onto a good run through our work ethic now. No game is easy as we know but on paper we have some easy games coming up. Last season when we went into such a period DJ could not get the team to play to its potential. We droppeed so many points against the easy teams mainly because we felt all we had to do was turn up. I dont think that will be a factor this season, I hope not, so it will be interesting to see how we do in an easy run.

good point

I wrote a post on the same subject about a week ago. I cannot be bothered to find it.

Summing up my post I said I dont think we are in a position to work it out yet. With all the injuries we have had, as you have mentioned has highlighted the depth problem but unfortunately has us guessing how good we are.

I also mentioned the fact you have to have a look at the teams we have played so far. Out of the 11 only 2 of them are struggling, Birstol City and Doncaster. A number of the teams we have played are flying, West Ham, Southampton, Brighton were, Ipswich now and Leicester are now. On the whole we have had a difficult start opposition wise.

I hope I am right on this but I feel we are about to go onto a good run through our work ethic now. No game is easy as we know but on paper we have some easy games coming up. Last season when we went into such a period DJ could not get the team to play to its potential. We droppeed so many points against the easy teams mainly because we felt all we had to do was turn up. I dont think that will be a factor this season, I hope not, so it will be interesting to see how we do in an easy run.

I agree with you and hope that the more effective team unit we have delivers the points in the run of games we have now, in particular during November. For the last few seasons it's been a bit famine or feast with our team and maybe the greater consistency we have at the moment will prove decisive.

DJ always believed the Championship was a division you could lose games in and still get into the playoffs. I never agreed with that and the best way, as always, is to be consistent.

Fair play Castle, you done some work there.

I'm glad at the moment that nobody is really getting on the manager or
the players backs. Yes we're falling short, but the reasons why are there
for all to see. We are a few players shy of being contenders.

but as long as the players we currently have continue to give 100% then
Cardiff City fans will continue to support them

The playing side of things is coming along, same as the structure of the whole Club

... we'll get there.

Bloody fantastic post!

Great thread
Lots of common sense

Good post some very interesting info

Fair play Gary, your usual high standard of post - but I have to say that is probably the best post I have EVER read on this board, not just because of the sheer amount of effort and research you've put in to it, but also because it clearly highlights in a very open way how we all feel the club is doing and what we need to move forward - I hope with the contacts Carl and Annis have at the club that they get those stats forwarded to the men holding their wallets!!!!

The club should seriously read this post! Brilliant.

Get on it Carl/Annis - some serious work has gone into that post!

I'll reserve my judgement until the end of March, at the minute I think were doing A-ok! given the circumstances

After the completion of the game yesterday we currently stand 9th in the Championship table with 17pts out of the 33 available. In the grand scheme of things does it actually tell us anything, well in the opinion of both our previous managers i.e. Lennie Lawrence and Dave Jones it does, as both would always say 11 or 12 games into the season will give you a good indication of what type of season the club will have.

So just under 25% of our way into this season what kind of season do you think we will have? What do you think of our start? And where do you think we will finish?. Well here are my views a sort of first term report into season 2011 – 2012.

In my opinion to fully consider the performance of the team you have to bear in mind the extent of the changes that have taken place since the end of last season. A new manager, a new backroom team and the loss of 12 players are all things that should be considered.

In Malky Mackay we have a passionate manager who I believe has already established an affinity with the fans, something in my opinion DJ struggled to achieve. MM has introduced a backroom team dedicated to the application of the latest sports science techniques and a squad of players who are flexible enough to play in a number of tactical formations. The players whilst maybe lacking in the perceived quality of some squad members under DJ all appear willing to give 100% for the full duration of every game. In my opinion this is one of our biggest pluses as it really feels like we have a team and not a bunch of talented individuals.

MM has made a lot about the number of players who left the club at the end of last season, 12 in total, that he has never known the like of it and that it has been a huge job to put together a squad to challenge at the top of the table. But is changing 12 players from one season to the next such a big thing, well for Cardiff City actually it’s not or it may be more accurate to say under DJ at Cardiff City it was not unusual.

Indeed if you look at our record for the number of players who have left our club at the end of each season since our return to the Championship it does make interesting reading;

2004 – 8
2005 – 11
2006 – 10
2007 – 12
2008 – 10
2009 – 9
2010 – 13
2011 – 12

So in only 2 of the last 8 years have we lost less than 10 players per season, but at least when you consider the squad today we will probably lose only half that number at the end of this season. Hudson, Marshall, Gypes, Gerrard and Naylor are the players I believe are out of contract in June 2012 and with our only loanee Filip Kiss hoping to become a permanent signing we are undoubtedly stronger today than we were in October 2010. Whatever the reasons for allowing players to rundown their contracts or rely on loan players the fact we have the majority of the squad on long term contracts is a clear improvement on where we have been. Again I see this as a massive plus point from the last couple of seasons.

With so many players leaving at the end of the last season, and with the 10 new singings completed by the end of the summer transfer window we entered September with 24 players, how does that compare with past seasons? well here are the squad sizes since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 23
2004/2005 – 23
2005/2006 – 25
2006/2007 – 28
2007/2008 – 24
2008/2009 – 29
2009/2010 – 29
2010/2011 – 28
2011/2012 – 24

So at the beginning of September we had one of our smallest squads since our return to the Championship, no surprise there as this is probably the one area where almost everyone agrees – we still need 4 players and this is the big weakness at the club and must be corrected. However any new additions, be it loans of permanent signings in January, will also bring the issue of the new squad blending into a team more to the fore and so perhaps we should all accept we are a team in transition.

To put this into some sort of perspective in season 2006/2007 we had our best start to a season since our return to the Championship with 26 points from the first 11 games. That season we had a squad of 28 players but we still fell away to finish mid table with the manager, (DJ) always maintaining the squad was too small to maintain a promotion challenge.

Last season we had a squad full of talented players but they struggled to maintain a consistent level or I suppose it could be described as being unable to equal the sum of the individual parts. This season MM has developed not only a fantastic work ethic within the team, but within the squad, and that means this season our squad is exceeding the sum of the individual parts. The fans feel it and both the team and manager, in my opinion, have already created a bond with the fans which far exceeds anything achieved during the DJ years. It’s quite remarkable given the short time that MM has been at the club.

To fully appreciate what MM has brought to the club it is worth looking at the official league statistics covering the areas which not only identify performance but how effective the team is against key performance criteria. The following is a comparison of our start to the season against the average performance of the team since the club returned to the Championship. The comparison is I think very interesting;


Wins %: 37% - 41%
Draw %: 45% - 28%
Loss % - 18% - 31%

Average Goals Scored % - 1.36 – 1.40
Failed To Score% - 9% - 27%

Average Goals Conceded% - 1.09 – 1.18
Clean Sheets % - 27% - 29%

The clear difference in the number of lost games is the biggest indication of the never give up attitude MM has brought to the club and whatever we believe about the loss of attacking quality within the team we have to date only failed to score in 9% of games, against an average of 27% since we returned to the Championship. Not only are we scoring more often but we are conceding fewer goals on average and that’s why overall we are not losing games as often as we have in the past.

We have changed the manager, the backroom team and half the playing squad with a net result of being a more effective team unit. In my opinion this clearly shows how good a manager we now have and probably MM is the biggest positive at our club at this moment. In my opinion Malky Mackay is a fantastic young manager and a breath of fresh air in comparison to what we have had since our return to the Championship. Fantastic job Malkay absolutely fantastic.

Call it experience or historical statistics but in my opinion, and I’m sure many will agree, however good our start we are unlikely to reach the playoffs until the squad is filled out by the addition of at least 2 players, maybe as many as 4. Injuries and suspensions will catch up with us and therefore, again in my opinion, the board must support MM either through loans or more signings in January, if we are to reach the playoffs at the end of this season.

Both Cardiff and Notts Forest are trying to reach the playoffs for a 3rd consecutive season, this is no simple task as in the entire history of Championship playoffs only 5 other teams have achieved this;

Blackburn Rovers,
Birmingham City,
Bolton Wanderers,
Leicester City
Tranmere Rovers,

In the case of Birmingham City they reached the playoffs 4 seasons in a row before eventually winning the playoff final.

With 17pts from our first 11 games and having reached the 4th round of the Carling Cup we have made a good start but no more than average for a team expecting to reach the playoffs, it’s difficult to predict the affect our start will have on our final league position, as in our time in the Championship we nearly always fell away late in the season under DJ. But historically here are the points won after 11 games since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 15 points
2004/2005 – 8 points
2005/2006 – 15 points
2006/2007 – 26 points
2007/2008 – 13 points
2008/2009 – 18 points
2009/2010 – 19 points
2010/2011 – 23 points
2011/ 2012 –17 points.

If you ignore the 2006/2007 season where we completely folded after a brilliant start the 18/19 & 23 points are the standard we should look at to achieve a playoff place. Notwithstanding we eventually lost out on goal difference in 2008/2009 without the standard DJ end of season falloff in performance the question is “Will we get the same from MM”.

Well sadly for me the risk is there unless our board backs the manager with at least another 2 players, better still with 4 players. I hope the board don’t expect MM to work with one hand tied behind his back because in my opinion he has started well, his team has started well and he will deliver the goods if he is backed.

As for our start to the season I say well done to MM, his backroom team and of course the players, but, it could have been better and maybe if the manager had more depth in the squad we could have won even more points. The loss of 4 CM players through August exposed the lack of numbers in the squad and the home loss to Brighton and away defeat at Hull could have been averted also the draws at Burnley and Portsmouth maybe could have been turned to victories.

I think we are nearly there but a goalkeeper (remember losing Marshall and Heaton last season), a wide midfield player with genuine pace and of course a good target man type of forward, although Rudy Gestede is doing a good job for an inexperienced player.

There is a well known saying that it’s not the size of the dog that matters in a fight but the amount of fight in the dog. Well our squad has plenty of fight in it but history will tell you we are light on numbers so put that right and I think that just maybe 2011/12 can be the year we achieve the dream of PL Football.

If there's one thing this clearly highlights...

Its that CastleBlue needs to get out more

( i is kidding )

After the completion of the game yesterday we currently stand 9th in the Championship table with 17pts out of the 33 available. In the grand scheme of things does it actually tell us anything, well in the opinion of both our previous managers i.e. Lennie Lawrence and Dave Jones it does, as both would always say 11 or 12 games into the season will give you a good indication of what type of season the club will have.

So just under 25% of our way into this season what kind of season do you think we will have? What do you think of our start? And where do you think we will finish?. Well here are my views a sort of first term report into season 2011 – 2012.

In my opinion to fully consider the performance of the team you have to bear in mind the extent of the changes that have taken place since the end of last season. A new manager, a new backroom team and the loss of 12 players are all things that should be considered.

In Malky Mackay we have a passionate manager who I believe has already established an affinity with the fans, something in my opinion DJ struggled to achieve. MM has introduced a backroom team dedicated to the application of the latest sports science techniques and a squad of players who are flexible enough to play in a number of tactical formations. The players whilst maybe lacking in the perceived quality of some squad members under DJ all appear willing to give 100% for the full duration of every game. In my opinion this is one of our biggest pluses as it really feels like we have a team and not a bunch of talented individuals.

MM has made a lot about the number of players who left the club at the end of last season, 12 in total, that he has never known the like of it and that it has been a huge job to put together a squad to challenge at the top of the table. But is changing 12 players from one season to the next such a big thing, well for Cardiff City actually it’s not or it may be more accurate to say under DJ at Cardiff City it was not unusual.

Indeed if you look at our record for the number of players who have left our club at the end of each season since our return to the Championship it does make interesting reading;

2004 – 8
2005 – 11
2006 – 10
2007 – 12
2008 – 10
2009 – 9
2010 – 13
2011 – 12

So in only 2 of the last 8 years have we lost less than 10 players per season, but at least when you consider the squad today we will probably lose only half that number at the end of this season. Hudson, Marshall, Gypes, Gerrard and Naylor are the players I believe are out of contract in June 2012 and with our only loanee Filip Kiss hoping to become a permanent signing we are undoubtedly stronger today than we were in October 2010. Whatever the reasons for allowing players to rundown their contracts or rely on loan players the fact we have the majority of the squad on long term contracts is a clear improvement on where we have been. Again I see this as a massive plus point from the last couple of seasons.

With so many players leaving at the end of the last season, and with the 10 new singings completed by the end of the summer transfer window we entered September with 24 players, how does that compare with past seasons? well here are the squad sizes since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 23
2004/2005 – 23
2005/2006 – 25
2006/2007 – 28
2007/2008 – 24
2008/2009 – 29
2009/2010 – 29
2010/2011 – 28
2011/2012 – 24

So at the beginning of September we had one of our smallest squads since our return to the Championship, no surprise there as this is probably the one area where almost everyone agrees – we still need 4 players and this is the big weakness at the club and must be corrected. However any new additions, be it loans of permanent signings in January, will also bring the issue of the new squad blending into a team more to the fore and so perhaps we should all accept we are a team in transition.

To put this into some sort of perspective in season 2006/2007 we had our best start to a season since our return to the Championship with 26 points from the first 11 games. That season we had a squad of 28 players but we still fell away to finish mid table with the manager, (DJ) always maintaining the squad was too small to maintain a promotion challenge.

Last season we had a squad full of talented players but they struggled to maintain a consistent level or I suppose it could be described as being unable to equal the sum of the individual parts. This season MM has developed not only a fantastic work ethic within the team, but within the squad, and that means this season our squad is exceeding the sum of the individual parts. The fans feel it and both the team and manager, in my opinion, have already created a bond with the fans which far exceeds anything achieved during the DJ years. It’s quite remarkable given the short time that MM has been at the club.

To fully appreciate what MM has brought to the club it is worth looking at the official league statistics covering the areas which not only identify performance but how effective the team is against key performance criteria. The following is a comparison of our start to the season against the average performance of the team since the club returned to the Championship. The comparison is I think very interesting;


Wins %: 37% - 41%
Draw %: 45% - 28%
Loss % - 18% - 31%

Average Goals Scored % - 1.36 – 1.40
Failed To Score% - 9% - 27%

Average Goals Conceded% - 1.09 – 1.18
Clean Sheets % - 27% - 29%

The clear difference in the number of lost games is the biggest indication of the never give up attitude MM has brought to the club and whatever we believe about the loss of attacking quality within the team we have to date only failed to score in 9% of games, against an average of 27% since we returned to the Championship. Not only are we scoring more often but we are conceding fewer goals on average and that’s why overall we are not losing games as often as we have in the past.

We have changed the manager, the backroom team and half the playing squad with a net result of being a more effective team unit. In my opinion this clearly shows how good a manager we now have and probably MM is the biggest positive at our club at this moment. In my opinion Malky Mackay is a fantastic young manager and a breath of fresh air in comparison to what we have had since our return to the Championship. Fantastic job Malkay absolutely fantastic.

Call it experience or historical statistics but in my opinion, and I’m sure many will agree, however good our start we are unlikely to reach the playoffs until the squad is filled out by the addition of at least 2 players, maybe as many as 4. Injuries and suspensions will catch up with us and therefore, again in my opinion, the board must support MM either through loans or more signings in January, if we are to reach the playoffs at the end of this season.

Both Cardiff and Notts Forest are trying to reach the playoffs for a 3rd consecutive season, this is no simple task as in the entire history of Championship playoffs only 5 other teams have achieved this;

Blackburn Rovers,
Birmingham City,
Bolton Wanderers,
Leicester City
Tranmere Rovers,

In the case of Birmingham City they reached the playoffs 4 seasons in a row before eventually winning the playoff final.

With 17pts from our first 11 games and having reached the 4th round of the Carling Cup we have made a good start but no more than average for a team expecting to reach the playoffs, it’s difficult to predict the affect our start will have on our final league position, as in our time in the Championship we nearly always fell away late in the season under DJ. But historically here are the points won after 11 games since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 15 points
2004/2005 – 8 points
2005/2006 – 15 points
2006/2007 – 26 points
2007/2008 – 13 points
2008/2009 – 18 points
2009/2010 – 19 points
2010/2011 – 23 points
2011/ 2012 –17 points.

If you ignore the 2006/2007 season where we completely folded after a brilliant start the 18/19 & 23 points are the standard we should look at to achieve a playoff place. Notwithstanding we eventually lost out on goal difference in 2008/2009 without the standard DJ end of season falloff in performance the question is “Will we get the same from MM”.

Well sadly for me the risk is there unless our board backs the manager with at least another 2 players, better still with 4 players. I hope the board don’t expect MM to work with one hand tied behind his back because in my opinion he has started well, his team has started well and he will deliver the goods if he is backed.

As for our start to the season I say well done to MM, his backroom team and of course the players, but, it could have been better and maybe if the manager had more depth in the squad we could have won even more points. The loss of 4 CM players through August exposed the lack of numbers in the squad and the home loss to Brighton and away defeat at Hull could have been averted also the draws at Burnley and Portsmouth maybe could have been turned to victories.

I think we are nearly there but a goalkeeper (remember losing Marshall and Heaton last season), a wide midfield player with genuine pace and of course a good target man type of forward, although Rudy Gestede is doing a good job for an inexperienced player.

There is a well known saying that it’s not the size of the dog that matters in a fight but the amount of fight in the dog. Well our squad has plenty of fight in it but history will tell you we are light on numbers so put that right and I think that just maybe 2011/12 can be the year we achieve the dream of PL Football.

If there's one thing this clearly highlights...

Its that CastleBlue needs to get out more

( i is kidding )

You been talking to my wife

After the completion of the game yesterday we currently stand 9th in the Championship table with 17pts out of the 33 available. In the grand scheme of things does it actually tell us anything, well in the opinion of both our previous managers i.e. Lennie Lawrence and Dave Jones it does, as both would always say 11 or 12 games into the season will give you a good indication of what type of season the club will have.

So just under 25% of our way into this season what kind of season do you think we will have? What do you think of our start? And where do you think we will finish?. Well here are my views a sort of first term report into season 2011 – 2012.

In my opinion to fully consider the performance of the team you have to bear in mind the extent of the changes that have taken place since the end of last season. A new manager, a new backroom team and the loss of 12 players are all things that should be considered.

In Malky Mackay we have a passionate manager who I believe has already established an affinity with the fans, something in my opinion DJ struggled to achieve. MM has introduced a backroom team dedicated to the application of the latest sports science techniques and a squad of players who are flexible enough to play in a number of tactical formations. The players whilst maybe lacking in the perceived quality of some squad members under DJ all appear willing to give 100% for the full duration of every game. In my opinion this is one of our biggest pluses as it really feels like we have a team and not a bunch of talented individuals.

MM has made a lot about the number of players who left the club at the end of last season, 12 in total, that he has never known the like of it and that it has been a huge job to put together a squad to challenge at the top of the table. But is changing 12 players from one season to the next such a big thing, well for Cardiff City actually it’s not or it may be more accurate to say under DJ at Cardiff City it was not unusual.

Indeed if you look at our record for the number of players who have left our club at the end of each season since our return to the Championship it does make interesting reading;

2004 – 8
2005 – 11
2006 – 10
2007 – 12
2008 – 10
2009 – 9
2010 – 13
2011 – 12

So in only 2 of the last 8 years have we lost less than 10 players per season, but at least when you consider the squad today we will probably lose only half that number at the end of this season. Hudson, Marshall, Gypes, Gerrard and Naylor are the players I believe are out of contract in June 2012 and with our only loanee Filip Kiss hoping to become a permanent signing we are undoubtedly stronger today than we were in October 2010. Whatever the reasons for allowing players to rundown their contracts or rely on loan players the fact we have the majority of the squad on long term contracts is a clear improvement on where we have been. Again I see this as a massive plus point from the last couple of seasons.

With so many players leaving at the end of the last season, and with the 10 new singings completed by the end of the summer transfer window we entered September with 24 players, how does that compare with past seasons? well here are the squad sizes since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 23
2004/2005 – 23
2005/2006 – 25
2006/2007 – 28
2007/2008 – 24
2008/2009 – 29
2009/2010 – 29
2010/2011 – 28
2011/2012 – 24

So at the beginning of September we had one of our smallest squads since our return to the Championship, no surprise there as this is probably the one area where almost everyone agrees – we still need 4 players and this is the big weakness at the club and must be corrected. However any new additions, be it loans of permanent signings in January, will also bring the issue of the new squad blending into a team more to the fore and so perhaps we should all accept we are a team in transition.

To put this into some sort of perspective in season 2006/2007 we had our best start to a season since our return to the Championship with 26 points from the first 11 games. That season we had a squad of 28 players but we still fell away to finish mid table with the manager, (DJ) always maintaining the squad was too small to maintain a promotion challenge.

Last season we had a squad full of talented players but they struggled to maintain a consistent level or I suppose it could be described as being unable to equal the sum of the individual parts. This season MM has developed not only a fantastic work ethic within the team, but within the squad, and that means this season our squad is exceeding the sum of the individual parts. The fans feel it and both the team and manager, in my opinion, have already created a bond with the fans which far exceeds anything achieved during the DJ years. It’s quite remarkable given the short time that MM has been at the club.

To fully appreciate what MM has brought to the club it is worth looking at the official league statistics covering the areas which not only identify performance but how effective the team is against key performance criteria. The following is a comparison of our start to the season against the average performance of the team since the club returned to the Championship. The comparison is I think very interesting;


Wins %: 37% - 41%
Draw %: 45% - 28%
Loss % - 18% - 31%

Average Goals Scored % - 1.36 – 1.40
Failed To Score% - 9% - 27%

Average Goals Conceded% - 1.09 – 1.18
Clean Sheets % - 27% - 29%

The clear difference in the number of lost games is the biggest indication of the never give up attitude MM has brought to the club and whatever we believe about the loss of attacking quality within the team we have to date only failed to score in 9% of games, against an average of 27% since we returned to the Championship. Not only are we scoring more often but we are conceding fewer goals on average and that’s why overall we are not losing games as often as we have in the past.

We have changed the manager, the backroom team and half the playing squad with a net result of being a more effective team unit. In my opinion this clearly shows how good a manager we now have and probably MM is the biggest positive at our club at this moment. In my opinion Malky Mackay is a fantastic young manager and a breath of fresh air in comparison to what we have had since our return to the Championship. Fantastic job Malkay absolutely fantastic.

Call it experience or historical statistics but in my opinion, and I’m sure many will agree, however good our start we are unlikely to reach the playoffs until the squad is filled out by the addition of at least 2 players, maybe as many as 4. Injuries and suspensions will catch up with us and therefore, again in my opinion, the board must support MM either through loans or more signings in January, if we are to reach the playoffs at the end of this season.

Both Cardiff and Notts Forest are trying to reach the playoffs for a 3rd consecutive season, this is no simple task as in the entire history of Championship playoffs only 5 other teams have achieved this;

Blackburn Rovers,
Birmingham City,
Bolton Wanderers,
Leicester City
Tranmere Rovers,

In the case of Birmingham City they reached the playoffs 4 seasons in a row before eventually winning the playoff final.

With 17pts from our first 11 games and having reached the 4th round of the Carling Cup we have made a good start but no more than average for a team expecting to reach the playoffs, it’s difficult to predict the affect our start will have on our final league position, as in our time in the Championship we nearly always fell away late in the season under DJ. But historically here are the points won after 11 games since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 15 points
2004/2005 – 8 points
2005/2006 – 15 points
2006/2007 – 26 points
2007/2008 – 13 points
2008/2009 – 18 points
2009/2010 – 19 points
2010/2011 – 23 points
2011/ 2012 –17 points.

If you ignore the 2006/2007 season where we completely folded after a brilliant start the 18/19 & 23 points are the standard we should look at to achieve a playoff place. Notwithstanding we eventually lost out on goal difference in 2008/2009 without the standard DJ end of season falloff in performance the question is “Will we get the same from MM”.

Well sadly for me the risk is there unless our board backs the manager with at least another 2 players, better still with 4 players. I hope the board don’t expect MM to work with one hand tied behind his back because in my opinion he has started well, his team has started well and he will deliver the goods if he is backed.

As for our start to the season I say well done to MM, his backroom team and of course the players, but, it could have been better and maybe if the manager had more depth in the squad we could have won even more points. The loss of 4 CM players through August exposed the lack of numbers in the squad and the home loss to Brighton and away defeat at Hull could have been averted also the draws at Burnley and Portsmouth maybe could have been turned to victories.

I think we are nearly there but a goalkeeper (remember losing Marshall and Heaton last season), a wide midfield player with genuine pace and of course a good target man type of forward, although Rudy Gestede is doing a good job for an inexperienced player.

There is a well known saying that it’s not the size of the dog that matters in a fight but the amount of fight in the dog. Well our squad has plenty of fight in it but history will tell you we are light on numbers so put that right and I think that just maybe 2011/12 can be the year we achieve the dream of PL Football.

If there's one thing this clearly highlights...

Its that CastleBlue needs to get out more

( i is kidding )

You been talking to my wife

Fair play Gary, your usual high standard of post - but I have to say that is probably the best post I have EVER read on this board, not just because of the sheer amount of effort and research you've put in to it, but also because it clearly highlights in a very open way how we all feel the club is doing and what we need to move forward - I hope with the contacts Carl and Annis have at the club that they get those stats forwarded to the men holding their wallets!!!!

The club should seriously read this post! Brilliant.

Get on it Carl/Annis - some serious work has gone into that post!

Thanks Craig it's nice to know you appreciate the thread.

I really think we are building something very special under MM and I hope the board back him as much as we the fans are. I cannot get over how many fans are staying in the ground after the final whistle waiting for MM to give his round of applause to the fans, the responce is immediate so the fans are definately waiting for him to do it. What a difference in the way our manager feels about us and how we feel about him.

I just hope we all stay with him and the team when things don't go our way which sadly they will if he doesn't get the support in signing a few more players. Not being negative here it's just history says it will.

After the completion of the game yesterday we currently stand 9th in the Championship table with 17pts out of the 33 available. In the grand scheme of things does it actually tell us anything, well in the opinion of both our previous managers i.e. Lennie Lawrence and Dave Jones it does, as both would always say 11 or 12 games into the season will give you a good indication of what type of season the club will have.

So just under 25% of our way into this season what kind of season do you think we will have? What do you think of our start? And where do you think we will finish?. Well here are my views a sort of first term report into season 2011 – 2012.

In my opinion to fully consider the performance of the team you have to bear in mind the extent of the changes that have taken place since the end of last season. A new manager, a new backroom team and the loss of 12 players are all things that should be considered.

In Malky Mackay we have a passionate manager who I believe has already established an affinity with the fans, something in my opinion DJ struggled to achieve. MM has introduced a backroom team dedicated to the application of the latest sports science techniques and a squad of players who are flexible enough to play in a number of tactical formations. The players whilst maybe lacking in the perceived quality of some squad members under DJ all appear willing to give 100% for the full duration of every game. In my opinion this is one of our biggest pluses as it really feels like we have a team and not a bunch of talented individuals.

MM has made a lot about the number of players who left the club at the end of last season, 12 in total, that he has never known the like of it and that it has been a huge job to put together a squad to challenge at the top of the table. But is changing 12 players from one season to the next such a big thing, well for Cardiff City actually it’s not or it may be more accurate to say under DJ at Cardiff City it was not unusual.

Indeed if you look at our record for the number of players who have left our club at the end of each season since our return to the Championship it does make interesting reading;

2004 – 8
2005 – 11
2006 – 10
2007 – 12
2008 – 10
2009 – 9
2010 – 13
2011 – 12

So in only 2 of the last 8 years have we lost less than 10 players per season, but at least when you consider the squad today we will probably lose only half that number at the end of this season. Hudson, Marshall, Gypes, Gerrard and Naylor are the players I believe are out of contract in June 2012 and with our only loanee Filip Kiss hoping to become a permanent signing we are undoubtedly stronger today than we were in October 2010. Whatever the reasons for allowing players to rundown their contracts or rely on loan players the fact we have the majority of the squad on long term contracts is a clear improvement on where we have been. Again I see this as a massive plus point from the last couple of seasons.

With so many players leaving at the end of the last season, and with the 10 new singings completed by the end of the summer transfer window we entered September with 24 players, how does that compare with past seasons? well here are the squad sizes since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 23
2004/2005 – 23
2005/2006 – 25
2006/2007 – 28
2007/2008 – 24
2008/2009 – 29
2009/2010 – 29
2010/2011 – 28
2011/2012 – 24

So at the beginning of September we had one of our smallest squads since our return to the Championship, no surprise there as this is probably the one area where almost everyone agrees – we still need 4 players and this is the big weakness at the club and must be corrected. However any new additions, be it loans of permanent signings in January, will also bring the issue of the new squad blending into a team more to the fore and so perhaps we should all accept we are a team in transition.

To put this into some sort of perspective in season 2006/2007 we had our best start to a season since our return to the Championship with 26 points from the first 11 games. That season we had a squad of 28 players but we still fell away to finish mid table with the manager, (DJ) always maintaining the squad was too small to maintain a promotion challenge.

Last season we had a squad full of talented players but they struggled to maintain a consistent level or I suppose it could be described as being unable to equal the sum of the individual parts. This season MM has developed not only a fantastic work ethic within the team, but within the squad, and that means this season our squad is exceeding the sum of the individual parts. The fans feel it and both the team and manager, in my opinion, have already created a bond with the fans which far exceeds anything achieved during the DJ years. It’s quite remarkable given the short time that MM has been at the club.

To fully appreciate what MM has brought to the club it is worth looking at the official league statistics covering the areas which not only identify performance but how effective the team is against key performance criteria. The following is a comparison of our start to the season against the average performance of the team since the club returned to the Championship. The comparison is I think very interesting;


Wins %: 37% - 41%
Draw %: 45% - 28%
Loss % - 18% - 31%

Average Goals Scored % - 1.36 – 1.40
Failed To Score% - 9% - 27%

Average Goals Conceded% - 1.09 – 1.18
Clean Sheets % - 27% - 29%

The clear difference in the number of lost games is the biggest indication of the never give up attitude MM has brought to the club and whatever we believe about the loss of attacking quality within the team we have to date only failed to score in 9% of games, against an average of 27% since we returned to the Championship. Not only are we scoring more often but we are conceding fewer goals on average and that’s why overall we are not losing games as often as we have in the past.

We have changed the manager, the backroom team and half the playing squad with a net result of being a more effective team unit. In my opinion this clearly shows how good a manager we now have and probably MM is the biggest positive at our club at this moment. In my opinion Malky Mackay is a fantastic young manager and a breath of fresh air in comparison to what we have had since our return to the Championship. Fantastic job Malkay absolutely fantastic.

Call it experience or historical statistics but in my opinion, and I’m sure many will agree, however good our start we are unlikely to reach the playoffs until the squad is filled out by the addition of at least 2 players, maybe as many as 4. Injuries and suspensions will catch up with us and therefore, again in my opinion, the board must support MM either through loans or more signings in January, if we are to reach the playoffs at the end of this season.

Both Cardiff and Notts Forest are trying to reach the playoffs for a 3rd consecutive season, this is no simple task as in the entire history of Championship playoffs only 5 other teams have achieved this;

Blackburn Rovers,
Birmingham City,
Bolton Wanderers,
Leicester City
Tranmere Rovers,

In the case of Birmingham City they reached the playoffs 4 seasons in a row before eventually winning the playoff final.

With 17pts from our first 11 games and having reached the 4th round of the Carling Cup we have made a good start but no more than average for a team expecting to reach the playoffs, it’s difficult to predict the affect our start will have on our final league position, as in our time in the Championship we nearly always fell away late in the season under DJ. But historically here are the points won after 11 games since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 15 points
2004/2005 – 8 points
2005/2006 – 15 points
2006/2007 – 26 points
2007/2008 – 13 points
2008/2009 – 18 points
2009/2010 – 19 points
2010/2011 – 23 points
2011/ 2012 –17 points.

If you ignore the 2006/2007 season where we completely folded after a brilliant start the 18/19 & 23 points are the standard we should look at to achieve a playoff place. Notwithstanding we eventually lost out on goal difference in 2008/2009 without the standard DJ end of season falloff in performance the question is “Will we get the same from MM”.

Well sadly for me the risk is there unless our board backs the manager with at least another 2 players, better still with 4 players. I hope the board don’t expect MM to work with one hand tied behind his back because in my opinion he has started well, his team has started well and he will deliver the goods if he is backed.

As for our start to the season I say well done to MM, his backroom team and of course the players, but, it could have been better and maybe if the manager had more depth in the squad we could have won even more points. The loss of 4 CM players through August exposed the lack of numbers in the squad and the home loss to Brighton and away defeat at Hull could have been averted also the draws at Burnley and Portsmouth maybe could have been turned to victories.

I think we are nearly there but a goalkeeper (remember losing Marshall and Heaton last season), a wide midfield player with genuine pace and of course a good target man type of forward, although Rudy Gestede is doing a good job for an inexperienced player.

There is a well known saying that it’s not the size of the dog that matters in a fight but the amount of fight in the dog. Well our squad has plenty of fight in it but history will tell you we are light on numbers so put that right and I think that just maybe 2011/12 can be the year we achieve the dream of PL Football.

Brilliant, I think that is the best post Ive ever read since this forum has started. Ive said myself that we have the fight, passion and we are a team in the true meaning of the word. I whole heartily agree if we can bring in 2-3 quality players, participially a proven striker we can make that push but if Malky cant bring them in I feel still a play off place is more than capable if we can just keep out players in tip top form. We are not far off a class side and with time we can only get better, look at the likes of Blackpool & Swansea. They have shown what abit of passion can achieve.

After the completion of the game yesterday we currently stand 9th in the Championship table with 17pts out of the 33 available. In the grand scheme of things does it actually tell us anything, well in the opinion of both our previous managers i.e. Lennie Lawrence and Dave Jones it does, as both would always say 11 or 12 games into the season will give you a good indication of what type of season the club will have.

So just under 25% of our way into this season what kind of season do you think we will have? What do you think of our start? And where do you think we will finish?. Well here are my views a sort of first term report into season 2011 – 2012.

In my opinion to fully consider the performance of the team you have to bear in mind the extent of the changes that have taken place since the end of last season. A new manager, a new backroom team and the loss of 12 players are all things that should be considered.

In Malky Mackay we have a passionate manager who I believe has already established an affinity with the fans, something in my opinion DJ struggled to achieve. MM has introduced a backroom team dedicated to the application of the latest sports science techniques and a squad of players who are flexible enough to play in a number of tactical formations. The players whilst maybe lacking in the perceived quality of some squad members under DJ all appear willing to give 100% for the full duration of every game. In my opinion this is one of our biggest pluses as it really feels like we have a team and not a bunch of talented individuals.

MM has made a lot about the number of players who left the club at the end of last season, 12 in total, that he has never known the like of it and that it has been a huge job to put together a squad to challenge at the top of the table. But is changing 12 players from one season to the next such a big thing, well for Cardiff City actually it’s not or it may be more accurate to say under DJ at Cardiff City it was not unusual.

Indeed if you look at our record for the number of players who have left our club at the end of each season since our return to the Championship it does make interesting reading;

2004 – 8
2005 – 11
2006 – 10
2007 – 12
2008 – 10
2009 – 9
2010 – 13
2011 – 12

So in only 2 of the last 8 years have we lost less than 10 players per season, but at least when you consider the squad today we will probably lose only half that number at the end of this season. Hudson, Marshall, Gypes, Gerrard and Naylor are the players I believe are out of contract in June 2012 and with our only loanee Filip Kiss hoping to become a permanent signing we are undoubtedly stronger today than we were in October 2010. Whatever the reasons for allowing players to rundown their contracts or rely on loan players the fact we have the majority of the squad on long term contracts is a clear improvement on where we have been. Again I see this as a massive plus point from the last couple of seasons.

With so many players leaving at the end of the last season, and with the 10 new singings completed by the end of the summer transfer window we entered September with 24 players, how does that compare with past seasons? well here are the squad sizes since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 23
2004/2005 – 23
2005/2006 – 25
2006/2007 – 28
2007/2008 – 24
2008/2009 – 29
2009/2010 – 29
2010/2011 – 28
2011/2012 – 24

So at the beginning of September we had one of our smallest squads since our return to the Championship, no surprise there as this is probably the one area where almost everyone agrees – we still need 4 players and this is the big weakness at the club and must be corrected. However any new additions, be it loans of permanent signings in January, will also bring the issue of the new squad blending into a team more to the fore and so perhaps we should all accept we are a team in transition.

To put this into some sort of perspective in season 2006/2007 we had our best start to a season since our return to the Championship with 26 points from the first 11 games. That season we had a squad of 28 players but we still fell away to finish mid table with the manager, (DJ) always maintaining the squad was too small to maintain a promotion challenge.

Last season we had a squad full of talented players but they struggled to maintain a consistent level or I suppose it could be described as being unable to equal the sum of the individual parts. This season MM has developed not only a fantastic work ethic within the team, but within the squad, and that means this season our squad is exceeding the sum of the individual parts. The fans feel it and both the team and manager, in my opinion, have already created a bond with the fans which far exceeds anything achieved during the DJ years. It’s quite remarkable given the short time that MM has been at the club.

To fully appreciate what MM has brought to the club it is worth looking at the official league statistics covering the areas which not only identify performance but how effective the team is against key performance criteria. The following is a comparison of our start to the season against the average performance of the team since the club returned to the Championship. The comparison is I think very interesting;


Wins %: 37% - 41%
Draw %: 45% - 28%
Loss % - 18% - 31%

Average Goals Scored % - 1.36 – 1.40
Failed To Score% - 9% - 27%

Average Goals Conceded% - 1.09 – 1.18
Clean Sheets % - 27% - 29%

The clear difference in the number of lost games is the biggest indication of the never give up attitude MM has brought to the club and whatever we believe about the loss of attacking quality within the team we have to date only failed to score in 9% of games, against an average of 27% since we returned to the Championship. Not only are we scoring more often but we are conceding fewer goals on average and that’s why overall we are not losing games as often as we have in the past.

We have changed the manager, the backroom team and half the playing squad with a net result of being a more effective team unit. In my opinion this clearly shows how good a manager we now have and probably MM is the biggest positive at our club at this moment. In my opinion Malky Mackay is a fantastic young manager and a breath of fresh air in comparison to what we have had since our return to the Championship. Fantastic job Malkay absolutely fantastic.

Call it experience or historical statistics but in my opinion, and I’m sure many will agree, however good our start we are unlikely to reach the playoffs until the squad is filled out by the addition of at least 2 players, maybe as many as 4. Injuries and suspensions will catch up with us and therefore, again in my opinion, the board must support MM either through loans or more signings in January, if we are to reach the playoffs at the end of this season.

Both Cardiff and Notts Forest are trying to reach the playoffs for a 3rd consecutive season, this is no simple task as in the entire history of Championship playoffs only 5 other teams have achieved this;

Blackburn Rovers,
Birmingham City,
Bolton Wanderers,
Leicester City
Tranmere Rovers,

In the case of Birmingham City they reached the playoffs 4 seasons in a row before eventually winning the playoff final.

With 17pts from our first 11 games and having reached the 4th round of the Carling Cup we have made a good start but no more than average for a team expecting to reach the playoffs, it’s difficult to predict the affect our start will have on our final league position, as in our time in the Championship we nearly always fell away late in the season under DJ. But historically here are the points won after 11 games since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 15 points
2004/2005 – 8 points
2005/2006 – 15 points
2006/2007 – 26 points
2007/2008 – 13 points
2008/2009 – 18 points
2009/2010 – 19 points
2010/2011 – 23 points
2011/ 2012 –17 points.

If you ignore the 2006/2007 season where we completely folded after a brilliant start the 18/19 & 23 points are the standard we should look at to achieve a playoff place. Notwithstanding we eventually lost out on goal difference in 2008/2009 without the standard DJ end of season falloff in performance the question is “Will we get the same from MM”.

Well sadly for me the risk is there unless our board backs the manager with at least another 2 players, better still with 4 players. I hope the board don’t expect MM to work with one hand tied behind his back because in my opinion he has started well, his team has started well and he will deliver the goods if he is backed.

As for our start to the season I say well done to MM, his backroom team and of course the players, but, it could have been better and maybe if the manager had more depth in the squad we could have won even more points. The loss of 4 CM players through August exposed the lack of numbers in the squad and the home loss to Brighton and away defeat at Hull could have been averted also the draws at Burnley and Portsmouth maybe could have been turned to victories.

I think we are nearly there but a goalkeeper (remember losing Marshall and Heaton last season), a wide midfield player with genuine pace and of course a good target man type of forward, although Rudy Gestede is doing a good job for an inexperienced player.

There is a well known saying that it’s not the size of the dog that matters in a fight but the amount of fight in the dog. Well our squad has plenty of fight in it but history will tell you we are light on numbers so put that right and I think that just maybe 2011/12 can be the year we achieve the dream of PL Football.

Brilliant, I think that is the best post Ive ever read since this forum has started. Ive said myself that we have the fight, passion and we are a team in the true meaning of the word. I whole heartily agree if we can bring in 2-3 quality players, participially a proven striker we can make that push but if Malky cant bring them in I feel still a play off place is more than capable if we can just keep out players in tip top form. We are not far off a class side and with time we can only get better, look at the likes of Blackpool & Swansea. They have shown what abit of passion can achieve.

Thanks Richard and I agree we are just a few players short of having a very special team. In Malkay we trust.

Great post. I think perhaps the other thing to mention, (although I don't have any impressive stats to back it up!) is the other teams in the division.

By this time last year, you could clearly identify QPR as the best team in the division, and ourselves and Forest as top 6 teams. At this point this season, only West Ham can be thought of as a definite for the top 6 at least. The fact that we are only 4 points off an automatic place shows how this division is even tighter this year.

I hope MM is able to bring in the right players, as we are still in with a good shout here.

Gary, This is one of the best of posts I have read on any forum, You've equalled and bettered many of CARLS and TLG's

Gary, This is one of the best of posts I have read on any forum, You've equalled and bettered many of CARLS and TLG's

Thanks Annis but I don't think I'm in the same league as Carl or TLG but maybe after I've given an update on our progress after maybe 23 games who knows If you would like me to of course.

Gary, This is one of the best of posts I have read on any forum, You've equalled and bettered many of CARLS and TLG's

Thanks Annis but I don't think I'm in the same league as Carl or TLG but maybe after I've given an update on our progress after maybe 23 games who knows If you would like me to of course.

Gary
Don't be so daft, youve just proved you are

Yes of course I would love you to

Gary, This is one of the best of posts I have read on any forum, You've equalled and bettered many of CARLS and TLG's

Thanks Annis but I don't think I'm in the same league as Carl or TLG but maybe after I've given an update on our progress after maybe 23 games who knows If you would like me to of course.

Gary
Don't be so daft, youve just proved you are

Yes of course I would love you to

Thanks again.

I did think I may get a few replies suggesting I was being negative saying we need at least 2 new players but that was never my intention so it's really pleasing that so many people agree.

I think there is a real sense of unity around the club at the moment and I hope it lasts all season whatever the outcome.

cracking post castleblue a fantastic read

An excellent post Castleblue, you highlight the togetherness and teamspirit of the team which is a vast improvement on many a past season, also you mention the obvious talent of our new manager with his tactical prowess and using plan B when needed.
I am over the moon with the appointment of Malky and I'm quite sure he will bring us success sooner rather than later, let's hope he gets the backing he deserves then he can show us all how good he can be with the appointment of a couple of good loans. I've read recently that he has turned down one or two players that the club have been offered to have on loan because they weren't the right type of player personality wise and would upset the spirit in the changing room, that's good to hear as one bad apple as the saying goes.
Keep up the good work as I really enjoyed reading your post.

What more can one say, a great post, very interesting indeed.

Great post ( as always ) Gary Found those stats very interesting in what has happened over the last 7-9 seasons.

Must have taken sometime to get the info and put the thread together...but worth every min mate...Cheers

Excellent post Mate and stating the obvious we are drawing too many games but at the same time we are not losing many and this is definitely down to the never say die attitude Malky has brought to the squad (Something that was sadly missing last season)

I think the team lacks flair (With the exception of Whitts) and real pace but makes up for it with sheer hardwork and fitness if we carry on the way we are then i think we will just miss out on the Play Offs. I believe however that the addition of just 2 players could make all the difference and that is a wide player with pace who can go past people and a strong pacey striker who can hold the ball up to bring others into play (someone like Ricardo Fuller from Stoke)

If however we stay injury free i think that the Play Off's are still a realistic possibility and if we get there; with Malky in charge it could be 3rd time lucky

After the completion of the game yesterday we currently stand 9th in the Championship table with 17pts out of the 33 available. In the grand scheme of things does it actually tell us anything, well in the opinion of both our previous managers i.e. Lennie Lawrence and Dave Jones it does, as both would always say 11 or 12 games into the season will give you a good indication of what type of season the club will have.

So just under 25% of our way into this season what kind of season do you think we will have? What do you think of our start? And where do you think we will finish?. Well here are my views a sort of first term report into season 2011 – 2012.

In my opinion to fully consider the performance of the team you have to bear in mind the extent of the changes that have taken place since the end of last season. A new manager, a new backroom team and the loss of 12 players are all things that should be considered.

In Malky Mackay we have a passionate manager who I believe has already established an affinity with the fans, something in my opinion DJ struggled to achieve. MM has introduced a backroom team dedicated to the application of the latest sports science techniques and a squad of players who are flexible enough to play in a number of tactical formations. The players whilst maybe lacking in the perceived quality of some squad members under DJ all appear willing to give 100% for the full duration of every game. In my opinion this is one of our biggest pluses as it really feels like we have a team and not a bunch of talented individuals.

MM has made a lot about the number of players who left the club at the end of last season, 12 in total, that he has never known the like of it and that it has been a huge job to put together a squad to challenge at the top of the table. But is changing 12 players from one season to the next such a big thing, well for Cardiff City actually it’s not or it may be more accurate to say under DJ at Cardiff City it was not unusual.

Indeed if you look at our record for the number of players who have left our club at the end of each season since our return to the Championship it does make interesting reading;

2004 – 8
2005 – 11
2006 – 10
2007 – 12
2008 – 10
2009 – 9
2010 – 13
2011 – 12

So in only 2 of the last 8 years have we lost less than 10 players per season, but at least when you consider the squad today we will probably lose only half that number at the end of this season. Hudson, Marshall, Gypes, Gerrard and Naylor are the players I believe are out of contract in June 2012 and with our only loanee Filip Kiss hoping to become a permanent signing we are undoubtedly stronger today than we were in October 2010. Whatever the reasons for allowing players to rundown their contracts or rely on loan players the fact we have the majority of the squad on long term contracts is a clear improvement on where we have been. Again I see this as a massive plus point from the last couple of seasons.

With so many players leaving at the end of the last season, and with the 10 new singings completed by the end of the summer transfer window we entered September with 24 players, how does that compare with past seasons? well here are the squad sizes since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 23
2004/2005 – 23
2005/2006 – 25
2006/2007 – 28
2007/2008 – 24
2008/2009 – 29
2009/2010 – 29
2010/2011 – 28
2011/2012 – 24

So at the beginning of September we had one of our smallest squads since our return to the Championship, no surprise there as this is probably the one area where almost everyone agrees – we still need 4 players and this is the big weakness at the club and must be corrected. However any new additions, be it loans of permanent signings in January, will also bring the issue of the new squad blending into a team more to the fore and so perhaps we should all accept we are a team in transition.

To put this into some sort of perspective in season 2006/2007 we had our best start to a season since our return to the Championship with 26 points from the first 11 games. That season we had a squad of 28 players but we still fell away to finish mid table with the manager, (DJ) always maintaining the squad was too small to maintain a promotion challenge.

Last season we had a squad full of talented players but they struggled to maintain a consistent level or I suppose it could be described as being unable to equal the sum of the individual parts. This season MM has developed not only a fantastic work ethic within the team, but within the squad, and that means this season our squad is exceeding the sum of the individual parts. The fans feel it and both the team and manager, in my opinion, have already created a bond with the fans which far exceeds anything achieved during the DJ years. It’s quite remarkable given the short time that MM has been at the club.

To fully appreciate what MM has brought to the club it is worth looking at the official league statistics covering the areas which not only identify performance but how effective the team is against key performance criteria. The following is a comparison of our start to the season against the average performance of the team since the club returned to the Championship. The comparison is I think very interesting;


Wins %: 37% - 41%
Draw %: 45% - 28%
Loss % - 18% - 31%

Average Goals Scored % - 1.36 – 1.40
Failed To Score% - 9% - 27%

Average Goals Conceded% - 1.09 – 1.18
Clean Sheets % - 27% - 29%

The clear difference in the number of lost games is the biggest indication of the never give up attitude MM has brought to the club and whatever we believe about the loss of attacking quality within the team we have to date only failed to score in 9% of games, against an average of 27% since we returned to the Championship. Not only are we scoring more often but we are conceding fewer goals on average and that’s why overall we are not losing games as often as we have in the past.

We have changed the manager, the backroom team and half the playing squad with a net result of being a more effective team unit. In my opinion this clearly shows how good a manager we now have and probably MM is the biggest positive at our club at this moment. In my opinion Malky Mackay is a fantastic young manager and a breath of fresh air in comparison to what we have had since our return to the Championship. Fantastic job Malkay absolutely fantastic.

Call it experience or historical statistics but in my opinion, and I’m sure many will agree, however good our start we are unlikely to reach the playoffs until the squad is filled out by the addition of at least 2 players, maybe as many as 4. Injuries and suspensions will catch up with us and therefore, again in my opinion, the board must support MM either through loans or more signings in January, if we are to reach the playoffs at the end of this season.

Both Cardiff and Notts Forest are trying to reach the playoffs for a 3rd consecutive season, this is no simple task as in the entire history of Championship playoffs only 5 other teams have achieved this;

Blackburn Rovers,
Birmingham City,
Bolton Wanderers,
Leicester City
Tranmere Rovers,

In the case of Birmingham City they reached the playoffs 4 seasons in a row before eventually winning the playoff final.

With 17pts from our first 11 games and having reached the 4th round of the Carling Cup we have made a good start but no more than average for a team expecting to reach the playoffs, it’s difficult to predict the affect our start will have on our final league position, as in our time in the Championship we nearly always fell away late in the season under DJ. But historically here are the points won after 11 games since our return to the Championship;

2003/2004 – 15 points
2004/2005 – 8 points
2005/2006 – 15 points
2006/2007 – 26 points
2007/2008 – 13 points
2008/2009 – 18 points
2009/2010 – 19 points
2010/2011 – 23 points
2011/ 2012 –17 points.

If you ignore the 2006/2007 season where we completely folded after a brilliant start the 18/19 & 23 points are the standard we should look at to achieve a playoff place. Notwithstanding we eventually lost out on goal difference in 2008/2009 without the standard DJ end of season falloff in performance the question is “Will we get the same from MM”.

Well sadly for me the risk is there unless our board backs the manager with at least another 2 players, better still with 4 players. I hope the board don’t expect MM to work with one hand tied behind his back because in my opinion he has started well, his team has started well and he will deliver the goods if he is backed.

As for our start to the season I say well done to MM, his backroom team and of course the players, but, it could have been better and maybe if the manager had more depth in the squad we could have won even more points. The loss of 4 CM players through August exposed the lack of numbers in the squad and the home loss to Brighton and away defeat at Hull could have been averted also the draws at Burnley and Portsmouth maybe could have been turned to victories.

I think we are nearly there but a goalkeeper (remember losing Marshall and Heaton last season), a wide midfield player with genuine pace and of course a good target man type of forward, although Rudy Gestede is doing a good job for an inexperienced player.

There is a well known saying that it’s not the size of the dog that matters in a fight but the amount of fight in the dog. Well our squad has plenty of fight in it but history will tell you we are light on numbers so put that right and I think that just maybe 2011/12 can be the year we achieve the dream of PL Football.

This is bigger than Annis`s new book !!

Can u all stop quoting -its taking me ages to scroll down my phone!
Great research gone into this Castleblue. A detailed piece worthy of any paid media review mate.
Your detail backs up the feeling most of us have -that we have something good here in MM if we can support him properly.

There is also no malicious knocking of DJ era to wind up the DJ love brigade - just the facts.

Great stuff mate
Good positive thread too -

Hopefully the negative arseholes will not contribute (we know who they are don't we taffy apple!) and we can have a clean thread.

Superb

Can u all stop quoting -its taking me ages to scroll down my phone!
Great research gone into this Castleblue. A detailed piece worthy of any paid media review mate.
Your detail backs up the feeling most of us have -that we have something good here in MM if we can support him properly.

There is also no malicious knocking of DJ era to wind up the DJ love brigade - just the facts.

Great stuff mate
Good positive thread too -

Hopefully the negative arseholes will not contribute (we know who they are don't we taffy apple!) and we can have a clean thread.

Superb

Thanks Eddiep I'm glad you enjoyed the thread. It is interesting that there has been a lack of negative comments but I think thats purely down to the fact that the vast majority of fans fully appreciate the efforts of MM and the team.