A rock solid defensive foundation, combined with a moment o
Mon Oct 19, 2020 10:46 am
A rock solid defensive foundation, combined with a moment of counter-attacking brilliance was enough to see off Preston North End at Deepdale, handing the Bluebirds a welcome return to winning ways, while also rounding off a superb end to the transfer window.
By Glen Williams
Monday 19th October 2020
It was a thoroughly satisfying afternoon, made better by seeing new signing Harry WIlson make his City debut.
Many fans will be excited about what the Liverpool loanee will bring to the table over the coming weeks, but there were several other notable talking points outside of what was a solid showing from the winger.
Another great win on the road but the home form now needs to be sorted
Mehmet Dalman admitted that with the capture of Wilson, Cardiff now have one of the best frontlines in the Championship, adding that the board would be disappointed if City were not in the top six by the new year.
No pressure then Neil.
But he has a point.
Wilson, Kieffer Moore, Lee Tomlin. Most clubs in this division would crawl through broken glass to have that kind of trio to call upon.
Harris is under no illusions about that. He knows all the tools are there, and the stunning form on the road is certainly a great foundation on which to build a top six challenge.
But for one reason or another, an empty Cardiff City Stadium has so far failed to stir something in Bluebirds - and that could prove costly if not addressed.
There's no 'big hitter' in the division this year. There's isn't a Leeds United or a West Brom that's going to go and dominate the top two spots.
This season could be much more open, meaning every point could be precious in the race for promotion.
The cause of Cardiff's indifferent home form remains up for debate, but the longer it goes on, the harder it may become to solve.
Some will perhaps point out that City don't have their loud and proud fanbase roaring them on, but it's not like Cardiff are the only side in this division missing out on a ferocious home support.
The climate is what it is, and Harris, who clearly has his own theories, now has a great opportunity to get the monkey off his side's back with a double-header of games this week, albeit a tough one in the form of Bournemouth and Neil Warnock's Middlesbrough.
"During the international break I watched the first couple of games and I watched a couple of 45 minutes from last season to look at why we perhaps lack a little creativity at home," Harris said.
"Ultimately, since lockdown and when we beat Leeds, every team that's come to the Cardiff City Stadium has paid us the utmost respect in playing a bck five or sticking 10 men behind the ball.
"In that case we have to be better in breaking that down. We have to find different ways of doing. Find a plan A, plan B, plan C. We have to play at a good tempo and ultimately we can't just expect to turn up and win games.
"When we're away from home, we're happy to grind down, we're happy to have a clean sheet mentality, and we have to have that at home."
By Glen Williams
Monday 19th October 2020
It was a thoroughly satisfying afternoon, made better by seeing new signing Harry WIlson make his City debut.
Many fans will be excited about what the Liverpool loanee will bring to the table over the coming weeks, but there were several other notable talking points outside of what was a solid showing from the winger.
Another great win on the road but the home form now needs to be sorted
Mehmet Dalman admitted that with the capture of Wilson, Cardiff now have one of the best frontlines in the Championship, adding that the board would be disappointed if City were not in the top six by the new year.
No pressure then Neil.
But he has a point.
Wilson, Kieffer Moore, Lee Tomlin. Most clubs in this division would crawl through broken glass to have that kind of trio to call upon.
Harris is under no illusions about that. He knows all the tools are there, and the stunning form on the road is certainly a great foundation on which to build a top six challenge.
But for one reason or another, an empty Cardiff City Stadium has so far failed to stir something in Bluebirds - and that could prove costly if not addressed.
There's no 'big hitter' in the division this year. There's isn't a Leeds United or a West Brom that's going to go and dominate the top two spots.
This season could be much more open, meaning every point could be precious in the race for promotion.
The cause of Cardiff's indifferent home form remains up for debate, but the longer it goes on, the harder it may become to solve.
Some will perhaps point out that City don't have their loud and proud fanbase roaring them on, but it's not like Cardiff are the only side in this division missing out on a ferocious home support.
The climate is what it is, and Harris, who clearly has his own theories, now has a great opportunity to get the monkey off his side's back with a double-header of games this week, albeit a tough one in the form of Bournemouth and Neil Warnock's Middlesbrough.
"During the international break I watched the first couple of games and I watched a couple of 45 minutes from last season to look at why we perhaps lack a little creativity at home," Harris said.
"Ultimately, since lockdown and when we beat Leeds, every team that's come to the Cardiff City Stadium has paid us the utmost respect in playing a bck five or sticking 10 men behind the ball.
"In that case we have to be better in breaking that down. We have to find different ways of doing. Find a plan A, plan B, plan C. We have to play at a good tempo and ultimately we can't just expect to turn up and win games.
"When we're away from home, we're happy to grind down, we're happy to have a clean sheet mentality, and we have to have that at home."
Re: A rock solid defensive foundation, combined with a momen
Mon Oct 19, 2020 11:22 pm
Fair report, but I'd have to disagree with the home crowd bit,yes it's the same for all home teams,but the home teams only won one fixture in this weekend's matches!! There seems to definitely be some kind of truth to not having the fans roar you on at home?? Home advantage has been evened out with no fans in attendance, just my opinion of course. 
Re: A rock solid defensive foundation, combined with a momen
Tue Oct 20, 2020 9:48 am
bluesince62 wrote:Fair report, but I'd have to disagree with the home crowd bit,yes it's the same for all home teams,but the home teams only won one fixture in this weekend's matches!! There seems to definitely be some kind of truth to not having the fans roar you on at home?? Home advantage has been evened out with no fans in attendance, just my opinion of course.
Spot on playing at home is no longer as much of an advantage, it's the crowds that made more of a difference than the surroundings, although lack of travel and familiarity should still give a small advantage.
We started this season very slowly we looked off the pace, maybe either a spin-off from last years playoffs and/or we didn't get the pre-season right?
I'm optimistic that we will pick up from here and a couple of home wins would certainly be a positive, although like the premier league I think the results are going to be erratic for the first few months until squad sizes start to take effect when more injuries kick in.