Fellow Championship Club Brentford's Review on Cardiff City
Tue Jun 07, 2016 8:20 am
Fellow Championship Club Brentford's Review on Cardiff City
Brentford FC
Tuesday 7th June 2016
Next up in our series reviewing Brentford's league opponents for 2016/17: Cardiff City
Cardiff City 2015/16 season
League Position: 8th (2014/15: 11th)
Average league attendance: 16,463 (2014/15: 20,945)
Top league goalscorer: Anthony Pilkington (9)
It was a story of close but not close enough for Cardiff City last season as they hovered around the Play-Off places all season before ultimately falling short in their quest to return to the Premier League after a two-year absence. A longest winning run of two matches and the second-most draws in the league help tell the story of a season in which The Bluebirds never truly clicked into gear to make a top-six place their own.
In the close season Russell Slade was charged with further reducing the wage bill at the Cardiff City Stadium, after their relegation from the Premier League in 2014, with six players departing on permanent deals while another half-dozen left on loan. Only Gabriel Tamas [Steaua] and Idriss Saadi [Clermont] were signed with Sammy Ameobi [Newcastle United] joining on a season-long loan deal.
The Bluebirds started the season with a six game unbeaten run with wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest, and Huddersfield Town. Successive defeats to Hull City and Rotherham United checked their progress before another six game unbeaten spell. However, that run included four draws as Cardiff continued to struggle in front of goal. The Bluebirds netted just 17 goals in their opening 17 games before appearing to hit goalscoring form in December. Slade's side hit ten goals in four games with 3-2 wins over Bolton Wanderers and a dramatic late win by the same scoreline over The Bees moving them up to seventh place.
Form dipped in the early part of 2016 and that moved Slade to bring in Lex Immers from Feyenoord, Tom Lawrence from Leicester City and Kenneth Zohore from Belgian side KV Kortrijk all on loan. Immers scored on his full debut as The Bluebirds embarked on a run of just one defeat in nine matches to keep in touch with the top six. After a 2-1 win over Derby County on 2 April, the Welsh side took just six points from their final seven matches to finish the season eighth, six points outside the top six places.
The Ground
Cardiff City Stadium
Leckwith Road
Cardiff
CF11 8AZ
Click here for directions to Cardiff City Stadium
The Manager
Paul Trollope was appointed The Bluebirds new Head Coach last month, six years after his last managerial post in charge of Bristol City. Midfielder Trollope came through the ranks with his hometown club Swindon Town but departed for Torquay United in 1992 having failed to make a first-team appearance at The County Ground. After three years at Plainmoor he moved to Derby County, with whom he won promotion to the Premier League in 1996. He found opportunities limited with The Rams and had spells with Grimsby Town, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Coventry City, and Northampton Town, as well as picking up nine caps for Wales, before arriving at Bristol Rovers in 2004.
In his second-season at The Memorial Stadium he was appointed as Caretaker-Manager and guided Rovers to a mid-table finish in League Two. The following season was more successful with promotion to League One and a journey to the Football League Trophy final. Rovers reached the FA Cup Quarter Final in 2008 and consolidated their position in League One. Trollope parted company with Rovers in 2010 with the West Country side in the League One relegation zone and joined Chris Hughton's coaching staff at Birmingham City. He followed Hughton to Norwich City before taking up a coaching role with the Welsh national side which he still holds.
The First Meeting
10 January 1931, FA Cup Third Round - Brentford 2 Cardiff City 2
Brentford: Nash, Stevenson, Adamson, Lawson, Bain, Salt, Foster, W Lane, J Lane, Blakemore, Berry
Goals from Berry and Bill Lane earn replay for Bees against City
The Last Meeting
19 April 2016, Sky Bet Championship - Brentford 2 Cardiff City 1
Brentford: Button, Clarke, Dean, Barbet, Bidwell, McCormack, Yennaris, Woods, Kerschbaumer, Saunders, Vibe
Scott Hogan strikes twice late on to secure victory at Griffin Park
Head to Head
Brentford wins: 14
Draws: 11
Cardiff City wins: 19
Brentford FC
Tuesday 7th June 2016
Next up in our series reviewing Brentford's league opponents for 2016/17: Cardiff City
Cardiff City 2015/16 season
League Position: 8th (2014/15: 11th)
Average league attendance: 16,463 (2014/15: 20,945)
Top league goalscorer: Anthony Pilkington (9)
It was a story of close but not close enough for Cardiff City last season as they hovered around the Play-Off places all season before ultimately falling short in their quest to return to the Premier League after a two-year absence. A longest winning run of two matches and the second-most draws in the league help tell the story of a season in which The Bluebirds never truly clicked into gear to make a top-six place their own.
In the close season Russell Slade was charged with further reducing the wage bill at the Cardiff City Stadium, after their relegation from the Premier League in 2014, with six players departing on permanent deals while another half-dozen left on loan. Only Gabriel Tamas [Steaua] and Idriss Saadi [Clermont] were signed with Sammy Ameobi [Newcastle United] joining on a season-long loan deal.
The Bluebirds started the season with a six game unbeaten run with wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest, and Huddersfield Town. Successive defeats to Hull City and Rotherham United checked their progress before another six game unbeaten spell. However, that run included four draws as Cardiff continued to struggle in front of goal. The Bluebirds netted just 17 goals in their opening 17 games before appearing to hit goalscoring form in December. Slade's side hit ten goals in four games with 3-2 wins over Bolton Wanderers and a dramatic late win by the same scoreline over The Bees moving them up to seventh place.
Form dipped in the early part of 2016 and that moved Slade to bring in Lex Immers from Feyenoord, Tom Lawrence from Leicester City and Kenneth Zohore from Belgian side KV Kortrijk all on loan. Immers scored on his full debut as The Bluebirds embarked on a run of just one defeat in nine matches to keep in touch with the top six. After a 2-1 win over Derby County on 2 April, the Welsh side took just six points from their final seven matches to finish the season eighth, six points outside the top six places.
The Ground
Cardiff City Stadium
Leckwith Road
Cardiff
CF11 8AZ
Click here for directions to Cardiff City Stadium
The Manager
Paul Trollope was appointed The Bluebirds new Head Coach last month, six years after his last managerial post in charge of Bristol City. Midfielder Trollope came through the ranks with his hometown club Swindon Town but departed for Torquay United in 1992 having failed to make a first-team appearance at The County Ground. After three years at Plainmoor he moved to Derby County, with whom he won promotion to the Premier League in 1996. He found opportunities limited with The Rams and had spells with Grimsby Town, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Coventry City, and Northampton Town, as well as picking up nine caps for Wales, before arriving at Bristol Rovers in 2004.
In his second-season at The Memorial Stadium he was appointed as Caretaker-Manager and guided Rovers to a mid-table finish in League Two. The following season was more successful with promotion to League One and a journey to the Football League Trophy final. Rovers reached the FA Cup Quarter Final in 2008 and consolidated their position in League One. Trollope parted company with Rovers in 2010 with the West Country side in the League One relegation zone and joined Chris Hughton's coaching staff at Birmingham City. He followed Hughton to Norwich City before taking up a coaching role with the Welsh national side which he still holds.
The First Meeting
10 January 1931, FA Cup Third Round - Brentford 2 Cardiff City 2
Brentford: Nash, Stevenson, Adamson, Lawson, Bain, Salt, Foster, W Lane, J Lane, Blakemore, Berry
Goals from Berry and Bill Lane earn replay for Bees against City
The Last Meeting
19 April 2016, Sky Bet Championship - Brentford 2 Cardiff City 1
Brentford: Button, Clarke, Dean, Barbet, Bidwell, McCormack, Yennaris, Woods, Kerschbaumer, Saunders, Vibe
Scott Hogan strikes twice late on to secure victory at Griffin Park
Head to Head
Brentford wins: 14
Draws: 11
Cardiff City wins: 19
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Re: Fellow Championship Club Brentford's Review on Cardiff C
Tue Jun 07, 2016 1:00 pm
A good article and (for me) this quote sums it up for us last season:
"A longest winning run of two matches and the second-most draws in the league help tell the story"
I'm starting to warm to Paul Trollope after speaking to a couple of Bristol Rovers people who know him well (my grandad was a Rovers player and some family still over there) and they enlightened me on his forward thinking coaching that uses a good blend of youth and experience; something we've all been crying out for
IMHO, Paul Trollope really hasn't got too much to do to make us a Top 6 side and if we are not, it will be down to him and his coaching staff; the same as with Russell slide in the end
At Cardiff City FC, some pretty fickle fans (which include me on occasion) ensure that it is a fine line between success and failure and the difference between 6th and 7th (or 8th in our last campaign) will have massive consequences for the mood of the club and its supporters
"A longest winning run of two matches and the second-most draws in the league help tell the story"
I'm starting to warm to Paul Trollope after speaking to a couple of Bristol Rovers people who know him well (my grandad was a Rovers player and some family still over there) and they enlightened me on his forward thinking coaching that uses a good blend of youth and experience; something we've all been crying out for
IMHO, Paul Trollope really hasn't got too much to do to make us a Top 6 side and if we are not, it will be down to him and his coaching staff; the same as with Russell slide in the end
At Cardiff City FC, some pretty fickle fans (which include me on occasion) ensure that it is a fine line between success and failure and the difference between 6th and 7th (or 8th in our last campaign) will have massive consequences for the mood of the club and its supporters
Re: Fellow Championship Club Brentford's Review on Cardiff C
Tue Jun 07, 2016 4:18 pm
Interesting. I like Brentford. Nobody likes a smartarse, I know, but Paul Trollope was manager of Bristol Rovers, not Bristol City. Tucker made the same mistake the other day in the Western Mail.
Re: Fellow Championship Club Brentford's Review on Cardiff C
Tue Jun 07, 2016 4:26 pm
llangainbluebird wrote:Interesting. I like Brentford. Nobody likes a smartarse, I know, but Paul Trollope was manager of Bristol Rovers, not Bristol City. Tucker made the same mistake the other day in the Western Mail.
That's Tucker for you!
