" Do you agree with Nathan Blakes comments ? "

Our columnist Nathan Blake picks the bones out of Cardiff City's opening-day draw with Fulham at the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday

Monday 10th August 2015

I fear my first column of the season might not bring the enthusiasm and hope for the new campaign I know some were feeling after the draw with Fulham.

On the plus side, Russell Slade’s men were better against the Cottagers on the opening day than they had been more much of the last disappointing campaign.

In my book though they had to be, Slade had his pre-season there to work on fitness and tactics and if there had not been any improvement at all them some very serious questions might have to be asked.

'OK performance'

For the record, I felt it was an OK performance from the Bluebirds, but certainly nothing to set the pulses racing and nothing to get too overly excited about right now.

Of course, trying to pass judgement on a side after playing just a single game in anger is pretty difficult as well as pretty foolish, too.

There’s a lot more to football than just events on the pitch. I may not have been totally inspired by Cardiff this weekend, but if they can go on a run of wins now and build some confidence, things might become very different.



The Bluebirds have got some talented players; that much is certain and if they can build some momentum we just might see something happen this season.

I know from experience that facing the same XI players when they are brimming with confidence is a much more difficult process than playing them when they are lacking confidence.

But looking at the Fulham performance, despite the improvements, my biggest fear moving forward is that Slade’s side might prove a little too predictable, with other Championship teams getting the measure of them too easily.

Revell criticism

Again, I thought they lacked forward momentum and a sense of urgency for too long. There was too much passing backwards and sideways for my liking. I felt the way Cardiff got the ball forward too was often problematic.

There was criticism of Alex Revell up front, but the guy was constantly fighting a losing battle. When you have got a 6ft 5ins centre-half on your back all game that long ball up for the flick-on is barely ever going to work. Nine times out of ten the Fulham defence dealt easily with it.

Joe Mason has not got the pace to make the runs in behind for those flick-ons, anyway. For me, the ball needs to be deeper so Revell can take it on the chest hold it up and maybe lay off to Mason, or runners from midfield. There were a lot of diagonal balls out to the flanks, too, which often came to nothing.


I actually thought, especially after they took the lead, Fulham started playing the kind of football that can prove successful in this division. Three players in midfield, a little diamond, playing little triangles to get the ball up to the feet of their strikers.

It’s the way the likes of even lower league sides like Burton and Shrewsbury are trying to play now and I would like to see more of it from the Bluebirds.

We are going to need to see that to be honest if they are going to have any kind of success in the Championship this season.

We know midfield has been a problem area and I think things still need to be better organised.

There was confusion too often with Kagisho Dikgacoi sometimes the deeper, holding player, but then Peter Whittingham was back there doing that, too. I’d like to see things a bit more organised.


Moore howler

Saying that, I thought Dikgacoi played well, one of the better performances, and I thought Anthony Pilkington had a good game, too.

Scott Malone looked good at the back, but there was no one really outstanding for me.



The individual performances mirrored the overall performance in, again that dreaded word, an OK showing, a normal Championship performance, but really, we should be demanding more of the Cardiff players this time around.

One man you did have to feel sorry for was goalkeeper Simon Moore, who is obviously desperate to make a good impression with the future of David Marshall at doubt at the club.

It was quite a howler Moore committed to let Matt Smith open the scoring for the visitors.



I think Smith had been battering him a bit and Moore was a bit concerned as he came for the ball he fumbled.

But these things happen especially to goalkeepers.

As a striker you miss a chance or you make a mistake as a midfielder and it goes unpunished.

It’s different for goalkeepers and Moore needs to lift himself because he actually made a couple of decent saves.



Improvement needed for Loftus Road result

If Moore needs confidence I think that runs true for the whole of the Cardiff side and, after the Capital One Cup midweek, their next Championship game is, for me, a chance for them to do those confidence levels the world of good.

QPR are just down from the Premier League and have the pressure that brings with it on their shoulders. A 2-0 defeat at Charlton in their first match will have done little to ease any anxieties.

If the Bluebirds can go to Loftus Road and get the win it would be a real boost for them and hang heavy on the Londoners.

Cardiff can do it on Saturday, but, let’s be honest, they are going to need more than just another OK day in the office.

I thought we played good football

Connolly was a bit dodgy at times , if we can keep a good performance when we get manga and turner back keep it solid at the back we can make our self a hard team to beat if we can pass the ball around like we did

Huge improvement

Agreed with some of the comments he made,but I still think that Blake is a company man and will not be seen to criticised the establishment to much

No and don't even need to read the article.

I thought it was better than "OK".

A decent assessment, it was much improved but yeah it was ok and work to be done

I think we can only judge the team after at least the first 10 games or so. I mean we've got a bit of a mixed bag of fixtures in those 10 but at least 5 evedently winable games form teams who'd we'd expect to beat or at least get something from the game.

Likewise with the likes of Wolves, Hull and QPR in that run of 10 games it will be good to see how competative we are with teams you would expect to be top 6 come the end of the season.

I don't rate or want Slade at the club but he's there and appears to have the clubs full support, more I think because he is a yes man and is reducing the costs my asset stripping. But all last season he complained about how unfit the team was etc, so he's had a pre-season and the opportunity to shape the team in his mold, so judge post the result away to Brighton on the 3rd October I'd say. If we're in the top 8 to 10 places then he's doing what he promised, if we're down in the lower reaches of the league like last season then we should make the change.

I'd settle for having Trollope in charge.

Really don't think Revell is good enough...It's not a matter of the service, but more to do with his predictable movement. I'd play one up front ,but the only striker who could do that job is Doyle and no way can Mason be dropped. It may well be Kenwyne with Mason when fit, but he's far too static.

Rarely agree with Nathan Blake and this time is no exception!

Out to give his (paid) opinion, of course, so needs to be a little controversial to 'stir up' debate

He does that well, but not usually in a positive way!

And this is a man who has ambition to be a future Cardiff City FC manager!?!?

I think Blake's right for the most part, the first thing I thought leaving the stadium was that we played "okay but better than the majority of last season's performances", if it wasn't for Noone's screamer everyone would've been in meltdown and the boos would've been ringing around the stadium

I thought he was pretty much spot on - an ok performance and an improvement from most of last season.

A lot more positivity coming into this forum, starting to love it keep it up blooooooobirds, and I thought (judging by the highlights cause I wasn't at the game) we played pretty well, all the we need to do is work on taking the chances and making the most of the opportunities,

I tend to agree with bulk of it. I didn't see mason being the answer and it seems neither does he

Blake is right.Anyone there could see that Fulham were more than comfortable with tall guys at the back, so put it behind...problem is no pace. Noone should have started at least he runs at people.I am afraid it was a dreary afternoon.
Same old same old.But with the cuts what can we expect?Even the stewards were nowhere to be seen, a family by me walked in with their lagers , hysterical...party time.Looking at the play offs is unrealistic.Tan is cutting to the bone and looking to sell simple! Problem is who will buy?

He's pretty spot on to be fair

Can't see how anyone can disagree with any of it. Spot on Blakey

Generally about right but he always paints a rosier picture than it actually is. He knows which way
his bread is buttered and doesn't knock the status quo. His remarks about Mason were way off though!

Nathan's an excellent pundit with vast experience at the top level and knows exactly what we have, what we are not doing and what we need to do.