Mon Jan 19, 2015 11:01 am
"My Fear is that Cardiff could be dragged in to a Relegation battle" Says Nathan Blake
Monday 19th January 2015
One win in seven games means Russell Slade's side are in real danger of having to look over their shoulders, according to Bluebirds legend Nathan Blake.
My fear right now is that Cardiff City might end up sleep walking their way into a Championship relegation battle.
Look, I’m not saying it’s going to happen and I think there are by far worse teams out there than Russell Slade’s men, but I have always said that this time of year is pivotal to a team’s fortunes, it really defines what the season is going to all be about.
By the time you get to the end of January and into February, with the right results, the Bluebirds could have been at least knocking on the door of the play-off places. They have not got those results so far.
One win in seven in the league tells its own story and right now it is not a pretty picture at all.
On that kind of form Slade and his side can forget all about looking up at the top six, but, if that kind of run of results continues, they are in real danger of having to start looking over their shoulders.
The Bluebirds may have had that good run of home wins when Slade first took charge, but their away form has been poor all season. If you continue losing away and start coupling that with the failure to pick up results at home, well, let’s just say you don’t have to be a genius to work out that it can be a recipe for disaster.
Sadly the latest defeat on the road at defeat at Norwich was typical of the way the Bluebirds have been playing of late under Slade.
A dreadful first-half was followed by a bit of a fight back in the second, but a good 20 minute spell in a game is no way good enough from Cardiff. Particularly when you can only start performing when the pressure is off, when you are beat, when you are three goals down and then you come back, but having left yourself with a near-impossible mountain to climb. No, not good enough at all.
OK, I know I am banging on about it, but I believe the Bluebirds poor possession statistics this season are a big part of the problem, I really do.
At Norwich, thanks to the second-half, they were not as bad compared to what they have been like. I believe the Bluebirds finished with like 41%. In the first-half it was at 30% for a while which is just a joke really.
I know you can win games with little possession, Cardiff did it at Watford not long back, but it is the exception rather than the rule.
It’s obvious, you make everything happen when you have possession. It’s simple, you force more corners, more free-kicks, you have more shots on goal when you have the ball and handing that initiative to their opponents is the big failing for me from Cardiff throughout this campaign.
It is, of course, up to Slade himself to turns things around right now. A football manager’s job is complex with many different aspects to it from the training to the man management, to the technical work and, naturally, the picking of the side.
I’ve said from the start, the squad Slade inherited at Cardiff was always good enough to do something in this division and my view on that has not changed.
Has Slade found the best group of men for the challenge yet? That is open to debate. One thing I am certain of is that to get the best from the squad tactics and the formation need to be looked at and perhaps dramatically altered.
Slade after the final whistle at Carrow Road spoke about maybe having to change personnel and while the manager needs to build confidence and be positive, it is true he has to deliver some harsh home truths to his players sometimes too.
Of course we do not want this column to all be about doom and gloom and if we were looking for a positive at Norwich it maybe came in the shape of striker Alex Revell. His signing from Rotherham did not set the pulses racing, but as an attacker myself back in the day I can tell you that making your full debut and scoring and providing an assist is, on a personal level anyway, something that you dream of.
Perhaps that will spark Revell into a run of goals, it is sure to have boosted his confidence, and that is surely what Cardiff’s season needs right now, a spark, a ‘moment’ as I would call it. Maybe that will come through a player like Revell going on to score five, six goals in his next four games.
Perhaps the ‘moment’ though will be a match itself. I remember when the Bluebirds were last in the Championship under Malky Mackay, the year they were promoted. They went to Blackburn in early December, okay the Bluebirds were playing well anyway, but they went to Ewood Park and they maybe should have lost the match. Instead everything went their way, Blackburn missed a sitter, everything Cardiff touched that night turned to gold and they won it 4-1.
I actually think Mackay’s men lost their next game, but it was the ‘moment’ I believe true belief started to surge through the players veins. The ‘moment’ they began to sense the Premier League would be theirs.
The Bluebirds right now need a game like that. Let’s hope it comes at Middlesbrough next up or maybe even at home to Derby at the end of this month. Whatever, Slade and his men need their ‘moment’ and they need it fast. City are 10 points off the play-offs now and anything is still possible, but, conversely, they are 11 points off the bottom three and, I repeat, anything is still possible.
Mon Jan 19, 2015 5:13 pm
I don't know what's happened but I find Blakey making a little bit more sense lately than hitherto was the case. His usual stance was to mouth or write platitudes without rocking any boats. However I note he fails to make any serious attempt at suggesting remedies for our present malaise. I'm not sure he wishes to court controversy.