The pretty football got Cardiff NO where, So Now all that

The pretty football got Cardiff NO where, So Now all that matters are wins and points and Cardiff have done a complete u-turn, but the buzz is back with the players and the fans, its unbelievable what just two wins can do.


Romaine Sawyers' words about the style of player after his winner against Reading on Friday night were pretty telling.


By Glen Williams



Romaine Sawyers' :

"Earlier on in my career I would have struggled (with the style), but now I know what the gaffer is expecting from us," the player said. "It's about minimising risks, getting up the pitch, picking up on second balls and playing from there.

"The good thing about the gaffer is that he is taking every game as it comes. Against Blues it was a bit of a scrap, going long, hooking things on. [Against Reading] we put our foot on the ball and tried to play a bit more."

The key phrase there is "minimising risks" and that is why it is easier to get Cardiff out of sticky situations playing this way than it is by playing out from the back.

It hasn't been what punters would call 'pretty' football, but it has been efficient and effective. It means Cardiff are playing far more of their football closer to the oppositions' goal and, crucially, away from their own.

The pretty style of football got Cardiff no where, just nearer to League 1, at the end of the day, its wins and points that really matter.


Owner Vincent Tan seemingly lost patience and, with Cardiff in 18th, Morison was sacked.

Tan, the club and the fans want wins at the end of the day.

There is more than one way to skin a cat and Cardiff have shown that this season. They will be finishing this season playing a completely unrecognisable brand of football to what they did at the beginning of the campaign, but it's now a case of needs must.


Cardiff have cut the spending so they cannot afford to buy top-level Championship stars or wantaway Premier League players, so have a limited pool of players from which to pick. That has an immediate knock-on effect with regards to what managers they attract, too.

Being unable to cherry pick top managers or players and with the top brass unwilling to stretch their patience too far pertaining to the threat of relegation, it's been nigh-on impossible to change the style of football. It's far easier to pick the devil you know when push comes to shove.

But, with everything considered, what is Cardiff's identity? The feel-good factor around the club last week after the Bluebirds created a number of chances and won two games was like the Cardiff of old. Yes, it's pretty route one at times, but there is also some good football dotted in there, too. Especially at home.

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

27th January 2023 Sabri Lamouchi New Manager:



Tues Jan 31st 7:45pm Luton Town 1 Cardiff City 0 Crowd 9,031 Away Support ( 544 )


Sat Feb 4 – Hull City 1 Cardiff City 0 Crowd 16,584 Away Support ( 530 )

Sat Feb 11 – Cardiff City 1 Middlesbrough 3 Crowd 19,182 Away Support 1,820 )

Tue Feb 14 – Birmingham City 0 Cardiff City 2 Crowd 14,639 Away 845 Crowd Away Support (860 )

Sky Friday Feb 17 - 8pm Cardiff City 1 Reading 0 Crowd 18,879 Away Support ( 1,318 )

Sat Feb 25 – Norwich City v Cardiff City Crowd. Away Support ( )




12:30pm Sat Mar 4 – Cardiff City v Bristol City Crowd Away Support ( )

Sat Mar 11 – Preston North End (A)

Wed Mar 15 – West Bromwich Albion (H)

Sat Mar 18 – Rotherham United (A)



Sat Apr 1 – Swansea City (H)

Fri Apr 7 – Blackpool (A)

Mon Apr 10 – Sunderland (H)

Sat Apr 15 – Sheffield United (A)

Wed Apr 19 – Watford (A)

Sat Apr 22 – Stoke City (H)

Sat Apr 29 – Huddersfield Town (H)



Sat May 6 – Burnley (A)

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

For me it became quite obvious from the start the "pretty" football Morison was trying to introduce was not going to work.

I believe this became clear within the club staff and know how stubborn and arrogant Morison was relationships broke down and there was always going to be one outcome. The solution the club immediately put in place did not instal confidence although all of us wanted it to work.

Its still early days for Lamouchi. Things do look promising but that could change in the next game. If he pulls us away like Warnock did then he will get the applause he will deserve.

For me it became quite obvious from the start the "pretty" football Morison was trying to introduce was not going to work.

I believe this became clear within the club staff and know how stubborn and arrogant Morison was relationships broke down and there was always going to be one outcome. The solution the club immediately put in place did not instal confidence although all of us wanted it to work.

Its still early days for Lamouchi. Things do look promising but that could change in the next game. If he pulls us away like Warnock did then he will get the applause he will deserve.

Ian,


Totally agree with your post.

Plus throwing 10-12 players in from the U23 squad two years ago was always going to fail and I said it strongly then and got slammed for it.

How many of them actually start nowadays and they are all a couple of years older?

For me it became quite obvious from the start the "pretty" football Morison was trying to introduce was not going to work.

I believe this became clear within the club staff and know how stubborn and arrogant Morison was relationships broke down and there was always going to be one outcome. The solution the club immediately put in place did not instal confidence although all of us wanted it to work.

Its still early days for Lamouchi. Things do look promising but that could change in the next game. If he pulls us away like Warnock did then he will get the applause he will deserve.

Ian,


Totally agree with your post.

Plus throwing 10-12 players in from the U23 squad two years ago was always going to fail and I said it strongly then and got slammed for it.

How many of them actually start nowadays and they are all a couple of years older?

It was a big risk driven by Vincent Tan. If Tan knew anything about football he would have not gone down this road.

I disagree slightly as I thought the football under Morison was enjoyable (got us safe first season) and then had to build a brand new squad out of peanuts.
It was a massive job for a anyone but as a rookie manager I thought he was doing a fine job.
But hey ho he got sack sacked for non football issues and one of our legends took over and sadly failed.
Now it’s all down to Lemouchi who seems to be a good appointment

With an unlimited budget you can build a squad to play whatever football you want. Realistically though there aren't enough players around at affordable prices that can all play that style to a level good enough for where we are at. So a manager needs to be pragmatic enough to see what he can get that closely aligns with what he wants or believes he can work with. Then build a team and ethos around their strengths. Realistically it's easier to get hard working fit players that can run all day that are a bit bigger but maybe aren't as technically gifted.

Reply FB:

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

I have to say that I don't find the current style of play anything other than refreshing in its approach, i.e. getting the ball forward quicker and having more attempts on goal with (to date) better outcomes...

As a certain previous manager once said, "Winning football is what we want..."

Don’t think it’s very fair to call Morison’s football a failure given he was seemingly kicked out for a bust up rather than results.

He only had two games with an actual forward in his squad (Robinson) and won one of them in which Robinson was instrumental!

I have to say that I don't find the current style of play anything other than refreshing in its approach, i.e. getting the ball forward quicker and having more attempts on goal with (to date) better outcomes...

As a certain previous manager once said, "Winning football is what we want..."

Totally agree .and it's not all route one.we do actually pass the ball about quite a bit .we just still seem a little light weight in the box and get. dispossessed too easy

I have to say that I don't find the current style of play anything other than refreshing in its approach, i.e. getting the ball forward quicker and having more attempts on goal with (to date) better outcomes...

As a certain previous manager once said, "Winning football is what we want..."

Do you think the Cardiff fans will take to the 'Lamouchi' style of football?

What winning?

The football is good imo. The odd long ball is not a bad thing. Look at Reading, every ball was long and to Carroll...

I have to say that I don't find the current style of play anything other than refreshing in its approach, i.e. getting the ball forward quicker and having more attempts on goal with (to date) better outcomes...

As a certain previous manager once said, "Winning football is what we want..."

Do you think the Cardiff fans will take to the 'Lamouchi' style of football?

What winning?

Morisons failure was not getting in better players up front.
The football was good on the eye but to execute it. You need quality as defenders are all back then...
Watters was Morisons downfall and the jack hammering killed him for me..
Hudson was awful.
Unambitious, predictable even...

Watching the Reading game I thought our football was easy on the eye.
Really enjoyed the watch and a win was the icing on the cake...

The trick to neat passing footy is players abilities, what makes me laugh we can't afford those types of players as they play at Barca and PSG we fish in the lower parts of the skills supply and its unfair to expect them to deliver skills that they don't have in abundance so Sawyers in my view is right, let them play as they see fit ,don't try and fit a square peg in a round hole. All we want is to see smiles and goals however it comes.