Grim stats from a dismal home campaign

In statistical terms, Cardiff City's 2021/22 home Championship campaign was not only the club's worst in decades, but it was also one of the poorest in the Bluebirds' entire history. While the stats alone don't tell the whole story, I reckon they paint a reasonably accurate picture of a season in which the team struggled badly at the Cardiff City Stadium from the opening-day draw with now-relegated Barnsley through to Saturday's stalemate with fellow strugglers Birmingham.

Defeats

The Bluebirds were beaten in no less than 12 of their 23 home league matches during 2021/22. The only other time the club has lost 12 home games in a 46-match Football League season was in 1994/95, when City were relegated to Division Three. However, the club's worst home campaign was 1984/85, when Alan Durban's side was beaten in 13 of its 21 home games during another dreadful season that ended in relegation.

There have been just seven seasons in which the team has lost ten or more of its home league games. All the others ended in relegation with the exception of 1933/34, when City finished rock bottom of the Third Division (South) and were forced to apply for re-election to the Football League.

Those seven seasons were:

1933/34 - 11 home defeats (22nd in Division Three South, re-elected)
1981/82 - 10 home defeats (20th in Division Two, relegated)
1984/85 - 13 home defeats (21st in Division Two, relegated)
1985/86 - 11 home defeats (22nd in Division Three, relegated)
1994/95 - 12 home defeats (22nd in Division Two, relegated)
2018/19 - 11 home defeats (18th in the Premier League, relegated)
2021/22 - 12 home defeats (currently 19th in the Championship)

Goals

City failed to find the back of the net in 11 home league games during the 2021/22 campaign and scored just 22 goals in their 23 Championship matches at the CCS, which equals a club record for the lowest total of home goals scored in a 46-game Football League season. The only other campaign in which the Bluebirds netted just 22 goals from 23 home games was the disastrous 1985/86 season, when the club was relegated to the Fourth Division for the first time in its history.

There have been just five seasons in which the team has scored 22 or fewer home league goals, and two of those were the recent Premier League campaigns.

The seasons concerned were:

1979/80 - 21 goals from 21 home games (15th in Division Two)
1985/86 - 22 goals from 23 home games (22nd in Division Three, relegated)
2013/14 - 20 goals from 19 home games (20th in the Premier League, relegated)
2018/19 - 21 goals from 19 home games (18th in the Premier League, relegated)
2021/22 - 22 goals from 23 home games (currently 19th in the Championship)

Cardiff were beaten 4-0 at home by West Brom and Swansea during 2021/22. The last time City suffered two home defeats by four-goal margins during a Football League season was back in 1999/2000, when Preston and Cambridge both won 4-0 at Ninian Park as the Bluebirds were relegated to the bottom division.

Points

City collected just 25 points from their 23 home games in 2021/22 (7 wins and 4 draws). The last time the club won so few points at home during a Football League season was back in 1999/2000 (5 wins and 10 draws).

Using the 'three points for a win' system, there have been just seven seasons in which the Bluebirds have gained 25 points or less from their home matches.

Those seven seasons were:

1933/34 - 22 points from 21 home games (22nd in Division Three South, re-elected)
1984/85 - 18 points from 21 home games (21st in Division Two, relegated)
1994/95 - 21 points from 23 home games (22nd in Division Two, relegated)
1999/00 - 25 points from 23 home games (21st in Division Two, relegated)
2013/14 - 20 points from 19 home games (20th in the Premier League, relegated)
2018/19 - 20 points from 19 home games (18th in the Premier League, relegated)
2021/22 - 25 points from 23 home games (currently 19th in the Championship)

As things stand, Cardiff are 20th in the Championship home table, although Hull and Peterborough could move above them next Saturday. Given their woeful home results throughout the majority of 2021/22, it's remarkable that the Bluebirds have never once found themselves in the relegation zone. I think it's fair to say City have been extremely lucky to find a small cluster of clubs at the bottom end of the Championship this season who, for one reason or another, are in even worse shape than they are.

One thing for certain is that Steve Morison and his staff have got one hell of a job ahead of them this summer if they are to arrest a slide which has seen City produce some of the club's worst Football League stats for decades during 2021/22.

It’s no more than our fans expect, judging by the comments on here today regarding Vaulks and Joe Bennett. Less than average players are revered, despite the hard facts.

Despite our awful home record we had a higher average attendance than Champions little Fulham!

I note despite the appalling records we've broken the one thing we haven't done compared to previous bad seasons is we have not been relegated ... scant comfort but like the records we've broken are history it will also show were still in championship end of this season.

I note despite the appalling records we've broken the one thing we haven't done compared to previous bad seasons is we have not been relegated ... scant comfort but like the records we've broken are history it will also show were still in championship end of this season.

Scant comfort, Allan?

Not having a go at you here; just that those of us with longer memories than others will recall we would happily have settled for 21st on goal difference on the last day to ensure Championship football at one point this season, which is why I will give Steve Morison some leeway for next season after the job he did getting us out of the mire with a squad of youngsters, experienced pros who had seemingly given up and a pedantic child of a striker who sulked for nearly 5 months until he got his move

It's not a popular notion but I'm looking forward to next seaspn and seeing how/of the current manager can takes us further up the table with a squad that will categorically be his responsibility

This is another great write up by the OP, who always grabs my atttention with his considered thoughts on our club and its machinations

I note despite the appalling records we've broken the one thing we haven't done compared to previous bad seasons is we have not been relegated ... scant comfort but like the records we've broken are history it will also show were still in championship end of this season.

Scant comfort, Allan?

Not having a go at you here; just that those of us with longer memories than others will recall we would happily have settled for 21st on goal difference on the last day to ensure Championship football at one point this season, which is why I will give Steve Morison some leeway for next season after the job he did getting us out of the mire with a squad of youngsters, experienced pros who had seemingly given up and a pedantic child of a striker who sulked for nearly 5 months until he got his move

It's not a popular notion but I'm looking forward to next seaspn and seeing how/of the current manager can takes us further up the table with a squad that will categorically be his responsibility

This is another great write up by the OP, who always grabs my atttention with his considered thoughts on our club and its machinations

Exactly Chris.


TLG thank you for the facts and your update.

Very very sad reading though.

Despite our awful home record we had a higher average attendance than Champions little Fulham!

Great support by our fans, they deserve far better .

Despite our awful home record we had a higher average attendance than Champions little Fulham!

To be fair, their stadium currently consists of 3 stands and a building site.

Cardiff have only scored 6 more goals this season than Mitrovic

Even without those poor teams below us, we have still hit 50 points...which is usually enough to stay up in the Championship. We have just about been good enough to stay up anyway. But certainly big improvement needed.

City took 16 points from the five teams currently below them in the table. We can be thankful that the likes of Barnsley and Peterborough were so consistently hopeless and Derby had a 21-point deduction. Things would have got very uncomfortable otherwise.

I think Morison has an enormous job to turn this around. Let’s hope he’s up to the task.

City took 16 points from the five teams currently below them in the table. We can be thankful that the likes of Barnsley and Peterborough were so consistently hopeless and Derby had a 21-point deduction. Things would have got very uncomfortable otherwise.

I think Morison has an enormous job to turn this around. Let’s hope he’s up to the task.

Even if they were not as consistently hopeless the nearest team relegation zone to us is 16 points away. They could have won 5 more games and still been behind us.

To put it another way, if we had not had such a poor run of form under Mick we might have had a chance of play-offs. We lost 9 in a row, that's 27 available points and we are 22 points off the play-offs even despite our recent run of poor form. (only 16 points off after Swansea game which was effectively end of our season).

Of course the above is nonsense really but I think it applies to the original point too. At the end of the day we have been better than three teams (not including Derby and maybe four if we pass Hull on final day) and that is all that counts when it comes to staying up.

Plus recent form is likely poor due to end of season-itis having secured safety in March, after a terrific run of form after the transfer window, and SM experimenting to make further judgements on the squad.

What fo we expect with the shit and slow tactics

What do we expect with the shit and slow tactics