" Cardiff City prove again how average they are "
Sat Apr 18, 2015 9:33 pm
" Cardiff City prove again how average they are as fans struggle to find cause for hope "
Saturday 18th Aprul 2015
By Steve Tucker
Football correspondent Steve Tucker reports on another drab affair at Cardiff City Stadium
By goodness there have been some blood-curdling encounters between these two old war-horses down the years both on and off the pitch – this, I’m afraid, was not one of them.
In the South Wales sunshine Cardiff City and Millwall saw out a deeply uninspiring encounter that was as short on thrills and spills as it was on quality right across the pitch.
If Russell Slade’s side had perhaps the better of the first period, again as they so often this season, they conspired to throw everything away in the second with only the crossbar preventing Mark Beevers from giving the South Londoners what would have proved three absolutely vital points.
The visitors, under interim boss Neil Harris, are fighting for their Championship lives at the bottom end of the table right now, but, for all that, they looked like toothless Lions for far too much of this encounter.
Slade’s Bluebirds, meanwhile, were poor in just about every department once more, particularly up-front where Joe Mason and Eoin Doyle barely got a sight of goal mainly thanks to the dreadful lack of service.
The problem is, for all the talk about progress and moving forward under Slade, performances like this just raise the same questions about the Bluebirds now and in particular moving forward into the next campaign.
Talk of them being contenders for promotion next campaign just seems absolutely absurd when you look at how poor they were here.
For most of the match Cardiff were clueless, pedestrian and extremely dull to watch.
One thing Slade will have to sort out too is his side’s terrible form in front of their own supporters.
Make no mistake, it is home form which has destroyed Cardiff’s dreams this season. This result means it is just two home wins in their last 13 attempts in the Welsh capital for the Bluebirds which is absolutely nowhere near good enough.
But if Cardiff were mostly wretched, Millwall were shocking in the first period in particular.
I mean, if the Lions were actually scrapping for their Championship lives it was hard to tell early on.
It took less than a minute for the Bluebirds to go on the offensive, former Lion Scott Malone, who was booed by the small band of travelling fans but who then limped off on 22 minutes with a tight hamstring to be replaced by Fabio, put the cross in and Mason headed wide.
Millwall roused themselves as Nicky Bailey took a shot, but it was hard to muster much emotion something one never really thought one might say in a Cardiff v Millwall clash.
The Bluebirds’ best chance perhaps of that first period came on 26 minutes and it was from a very tried and tested source this term.
Peter Whittingham, who was seeing a lot of the ball if not always making the most of it, swung in the corner and Sean Morrison got a head on it. For a change though the centre-half’s execution was wayward.
You wondered where the Bluebirds might get a goal from other than a set-piece. Mason and Doyle up-front looked toothless although, to be fair, the service was awful.
Doyle, in particular, huffed and puffed, but glimpses of goal were rare and when he did put in a good run the final ball was lacking.
It was not just Doyle who was guilty of that, Craig Noone was short on end-product too despite looking the Bluebirds’ most lively presence.
Whittingham went from distance and former Bluebird David Forde in the Millwall goal spilled it, but failed to add to the drama whilst Joe Ralls’ cross which bounced off the bar was kind of exciting even if nothing happened as a result.
Indeed Cardiff, who had dominated in the mildest manner, were lucky not to fall behind right on the stroke of half-time as Lee Martin was put through for the visitors only to turn in a miserable shot which David Marshall saved easily.
You wondered where Slade’s men might go in the second-half and the immediate answer was downhill. Harris seemed to have reminded his troops of the predicament they were in and he got a response.
Suddenly the Cardiff goal was to live a charmed life as an unwelcome flashback of Cardiff’s woeful collapse in the second period in their last home encounter against Bolton reared its ugly head.
On 50 minutes the Bluebirds were on the brink. A free-kick caused confusion in the Cardiff box and a Beevers’ shot slammed off the under side of the bar and bounced clear. Striker Lee Gregory saw his follow up pushed away at his near-post by Marshall. There was plenty of speculation on first sight that Beevers’ original effort might actually have bounced over the line, but Cardiff got away with it.
There was some good news for the home side as Anthony Pilkington came on for a second appearance since overcoming a hamstring injury. The wideman almost straight away slashed an effort over whilst Doyle, who was experiencing the law of ever diminishing returns, made a real mess of his own shot not long after.
Cardiff, though, were again guilty of putting in a below-par second 45 minutes although their first 45 had hardly been anything worth writing home about either and you got the impression Millwall felt they were now quite capable of nicking a win
And they almost did right at the death when two of Harris’ substitutes combined.
Ricardo Fuller’s pull back from the byline saw regular Cardiff nemesis Gary Taylor-Fletcher in the middle of the box and in space.
Somehow though he completely miskicked it and the Bluebirds’ blushes were saved.
As it is the South Londoners live to fight another day even if things do look a tad bleak for them. With three games left they are four points away from safety.
Cardiff, meanwhile, have to somehow prove to sceptical supporters that come next season this sub-standard showing is not going to be the norm.
Slade somehow has to show that this disparate, incredibly average-looking team, will, with a few additions, somehow be challenging at the top end of the table.
And, on afternoons like this, that might actually prove a more difficult task for the Cardiff manager then Millwall face right now just actually staying in the division at all.
Saturday 18th Aprul 2015
By Steve Tucker
Football correspondent Steve Tucker reports on another drab affair at Cardiff City Stadium
By goodness there have been some blood-curdling encounters between these two old war-horses down the years both on and off the pitch – this, I’m afraid, was not one of them.
In the South Wales sunshine Cardiff City and Millwall saw out a deeply uninspiring encounter that was as short on thrills and spills as it was on quality right across the pitch.
If Russell Slade’s side had perhaps the better of the first period, again as they so often this season, they conspired to throw everything away in the second with only the crossbar preventing Mark Beevers from giving the South Londoners what would have proved three absolutely vital points.
The visitors, under interim boss Neil Harris, are fighting for their Championship lives at the bottom end of the table right now, but, for all that, they looked like toothless Lions for far too much of this encounter.
Slade’s Bluebirds, meanwhile, were poor in just about every department once more, particularly up-front where Joe Mason and Eoin Doyle barely got a sight of goal mainly thanks to the dreadful lack of service.
The problem is, for all the talk about progress and moving forward under Slade, performances like this just raise the same questions about the Bluebirds now and in particular moving forward into the next campaign.
Talk of them being contenders for promotion next campaign just seems absolutely absurd when you look at how poor they were here.
For most of the match Cardiff were clueless, pedestrian and extremely dull to watch.
One thing Slade will have to sort out too is his side’s terrible form in front of their own supporters.
Make no mistake, it is home form which has destroyed Cardiff’s dreams this season. This result means it is just two home wins in their last 13 attempts in the Welsh capital for the Bluebirds which is absolutely nowhere near good enough.
But if Cardiff were mostly wretched, Millwall were shocking in the first period in particular.
I mean, if the Lions were actually scrapping for their Championship lives it was hard to tell early on.
It took less than a minute for the Bluebirds to go on the offensive, former Lion Scott Malone, who was booed by the small band of travelling fans but who then limped off on 22 minutes with a tight hamstring to be replaced by Fabio, put the cross in and Mason headed wide.
Millwall roused themselves as Nicky Bailey took a shot, but it was hard to muster much emotion something one never really thought one might say in a Cardiff v Millwall clash.
The Bluebirds’ best chance perhaps of that first period came on 26 minutes and it was from a very tried and tested source this term.
Peter Whittingham, who was seeing a lot of the ball if not always making the most of it, swung in the corner and Sean Morrison got a head on it. For a change though the centre-half’s execution was wayward.
You wondered where the Bluebirds might get a goal from other than a set-piece. Mason and Doyle up-front looked toothless although, to be fair, the service was awful.
Doyle, in particular, huffed and puffed, but glimpses of goal were rare and when he did put in a good run the final ball was lacking.
It was not just Doyle who was guilty of that, Craig Noone was short on end-product too despite looking the Bluebirds’ most lively presence.
Whittingham went from distance and former Bluebird David Forde in the Millwall goal spilled it, but failed to add to the drama whilst Joe Ralls’ cross which bounced off the bar was kind of exciting even if nothing happened as a result.
Indeed Cardiff, who had dominated in the mildest manner, were lucky not to fall behind right on the stroke of half-time as Lee Martin was put through for the visitors only to turn in a miserable shot which David Marshall saved easily.
You wondered where Slade’s men might go in the second-half and the immediate answer was downhill. Harris seemed to have reminded his troops of the predicament they were in and he got a response.
Suddenly the Cardiff goal was to live a charmed life as an unwelcome flashback of Cardiff’s woeful collapse in the second period in their last home encounter against Bolton reared its ugly head.
On 50 minutes the Bluebirds were on the brink. A free-kick caused confusion in the Cardiff box and a Beevers’ shot slammed off the under side of the bar and bounced clear. Striker Lee Gregory saw his follow up pushed away at his near-post by Marshall. There was plenty of speculation on first sight that Beevers’ original effort might actually have bounced over the line, but Cardiff got away with it.
There was some good news for the home side as Anthony Pilkington came on for a second appearance since overcoming a hamstring injury. The wideman almost straight away slashed an effort over whilst Doyle, who was experiencing the law of ever diminishing returns, made a real mess of his own shot not long after.
Cardiff, though, were again guilty of putting in a below-par second 45 minutes although their first 45 had hardly been anything worth writing home about either and you got the impression Millwall felt they were now quite capable of nicking a win
And they almost did right at the death when two of Harris’ substitutes combined.
Ricardo Fuller’s pull back from the byline saw regular Cardiff nemesis Gary Taylor-Fletcher in the middle of the box and in space.
Somehow though he completely miskicked it and the Bluebirds’ blushes were saved.
As it is the South Londoners live to fight another day even if things do look a tad bleak for them. With three games left they are four points away from safety.
Cardiff, meanwhile, have to somehow prove to sceptical supporters that come next season this sub-standard showing is not going to be the norm.
Slade somehow has to show that this disparate, incredibly average-looking team, will, with a few additions, somehow be challenging at the top end of the table.
And, on afternoons like this, that might actually prove a more difficult task for the Cardiff manager then Millwall face right now just actually staying in the division at all.
Re: " Cardiff City prove again how average they are "
Sat Apr 18, 2015 11:11 pm
average is a strong word. or not the right word, umm,i will be nice and use the word, well below par 
Re: " Cardiff City prove again how average they are "
Sun Apr 19, 2015 9:05 am
Tucks, the away team are not responsible for entertaining home fans 