TUESDAY DECEMBER 4th
CHAMPIONSHIP - Game 19/46 - at NINIAN PARK
CARDIFF CITY (0) 0
CHARLTON ATHLETIC (0) 2
Holland 34, Reid (pen) 80
I'm struggling to remember the last time I felt so dispirited at a Cardiff City game as our play off and promotion hopes took a severe bodyblow (yes I am taking the p*ss). This latest home defeat, a shameful and gutless display, was so bad I couldn't even get angry and frustrated about it. A crap game that would barely have graced League Two was won by Charlton courtesy of two more City defensive howlers, that was the total of the visitors efforts, while we offered and created absolutely nothing at the other end.
Thommo offered one half-hearted save to the Charlton keeper whose only job otherwise seemed to be getting wet standing still in the steady drizzle. The Addicks were distinctly average but organised, they never need to get into top gear yet they still performed better than City in every area of the park.
City were too embarrassed to name a Man of the Match for the first time I can recall, there genuinely was nobody anyway. Ali on the tannoy summed it all up when City strolled off half-time to "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" and disappeared at full-time to "Oops, I did it again".
Add in a morgue of an atmosphere, dreadful half-time "entertainment"(!?!?) of blokes kicking footballs at a wooden plank construction while Timmy Mallet turned up from '80's hell to walk around the pitch perimeter hitting everyone on the head with his pink chopper and those dire closing minutes which was a throwback to City's 80's dungeon days with a ground full of blue plastic seats on view as upto three quarters of the meagre 11,874 fans went early as City ended the night just as they did after last month's away thrashing at Charlton - in 20th and 2 points above the drop. I suspect any City fans calling the Samaritans in despair were probably being told it may be better to give it up!
Charlton’s inconsistencies sum up the Championship this season. Pants at home, they’ve lost 4 of their last 5 including two stuffings in the past 7 days to Sheffield United (0-3) and Burnley (1-3). Sod’s law that their only recent home victory was the 3-0 bashing of City just 24 days ago but that score disguised a very even match until, in first half added time, City were denied a blatant penalty then The Valiants went straight up the other end and incredibly scored two in a minute, game over.
On the road, and similar to Cardiff, life’s a complete contrast for Charlton. This win was their 4th away on the spin following up victories at Southampton, Brizzle Zity and Preston. .Why? Undoubtedly they are more comfortable with their set up where they use pace to play counter-attacking football, string 5 or 6 across midfield (which smothered us), midfield big boy leader Andy Reid, a class apart from the rest out there tonight, pulling the strings and the lanky but physical Chris Iwelumo leading the line superbly causing trouble and holding up play. Add in old pro full backs in Danny Mills and Chris Powell, the latter of whom dealt snuffed out Paul Parry and it wasn't pretty but effective and the easiest 3 points Charlton will collect all season.
For the record, Alan Pardew;s side were Weaver, Mills-Fortune-Sodje-Powell, Ambrose-Reid-Sam-Holland-Zhi, Iwelumo .
As for City, they are clear struggling and stumbling along but it’s worth noting that reverse at Charlton was the only defeat in 6 league games while form and confidence have shown signs of picking up over the past 10 days, now it's back in tatters. This was a gauge of whether we were genuinely progressing and could pull away from the bottom, it suggested we've gone nowhere.
It was always going to be a problem with Dave Jones and his inexpensively assembled but massively (over)paid squad, it remains limited and flawed and you somehow knew Peter Ridsdale acting a complete arse on the back of a scrappy win over Norwich and tedious draw at Leicester saying Dave Jones' job was safe was always going to see the joke rebound on the clown.
Some say, finally and belatedly, Dave Jones has started making decisions and big calls - even if they were bloody obvious ones - but has he really? Gunter's got back in as McNaughton was injured, Fowler and Hasslebaink squeezed out by claims of injury too, only Loovens for Johnson has been his only unforced change. The most obvious move should have been the first of all – Tony Capaldi dropped.
After being hauled off after an hour at weekend, I thought Jones would finally do it but, no, he brought him back for more. Jones was insulting our intelligence and being a fool to himself and how it cost, Capaldi's comedy defending in the only thing I can remember him do - bar a long throw - conceded the corner which led to the opener and off he want at half-time but there was no way back for us already. “We’ve yet to see the best of him” will probably be written on Capaldi's gravestone!
City were Schmeicel, Gunter-Purse-Loovens-Capaldi, Parry-Rae-McPhail-Ledley, Thompson-MacLean .
They performed brilliantly at Hull but terribly tonight, neither the manager or his personnel had any ability or intelligence to deal with Charlton's tactics which they have only used all season in fairness (the tactically limited Jones unable to adapt or do anything rather than persevere with 4-4-2).
What followed for City fans, was "car crash" football, a truly horrible sight. The first half hour saw nothing more than a stop for injury after Schmeicel charged out to punch and laid out a City player ("Hope it's Capaldi?" was a collective call around me as we couldn't work out who it was but it was Joe Ledley who recovered), a great piece of defensive play by Chris Gunter deep inside his area and someone in the Grandstand falling up the stairs sending 2 drinks flying - now that's entertainment!
The die was already cast and never changed. Midfield strangled and, let's face it, Rae and McPhail are no competition for Andy Reid and Matty Holland. Long ball after high ball pumped forward with the accuracy of a man walking walk after spending all day and night on the beer and when they got deep, no fecking idea. Always overplay, always clueless, always whoever got the ball around the penalty area turning away from goal instead of bothering t face it or run at it and looking to play someone else.
The game's first shot of any notable description came when Thommo half-heartedly tried an effort from 20 yards that was comfortable for Nicky Weaver then Charlton took the lead on 34.
The goal itself was a joke and shows we have learned nothing at all. Charlton were given a corner by Tony Capaldi, a simple ball for him in the corner of Canton Stand and Bob Bank was completely cocked up and he headed behind, unbelievable. That was compounded as City pulled everyone back, the ball was headed away but nobody came out and they all stayed in the box. MATTY HOLLAND must have thought it was Christmas come early but it was a superb finish as he arrowed a shot through the crowd that left Schmeicel unsighted and motionless as the ball flew into his bottom corner.
There is nothing else to write about in the first half. Over to you Timmy bleedin' Mallett.
H/T: Cardiff 0 Charlton 1
City returned with a tactical masterstroke. Dave Jones took off Capaldi (what offs this was an injury rather than a decision?) then dropped Joe Ledley to left back (the only playing running at and getting past Charlton men and brought off the talented but lightweight Peter Whittingham. But hey, let's keep it 4-4-2 no matter what.
I'll save your eyes and my time from much more of this nonsense. The second half was a blur, nothing really happened. City mistakes 50, City good moments 3. It was such an uncomfortable and truly depressing experience. Some thought the players weren't bothered for their manager but I personally thought they were trying and working but had bankrupt of ideas and creativity. Nobody out there seemed to do anything other than "to me, to you" side and back basics. Midfield were awful, Thommo and MacLean who showed promise at the weekend were both completely anonymous tonight. A few shots were peppered at goal, all from distance and all high or wide.
Darren Purse epitomised the effort. A couple of runs deep from defence only to pass to a Charlton man when he got over halfway. A couple of times he had the ball when City men loaded in the box and let fly from 30+ yards which kept the kids happy chasing his shots in the Family Stand. Peter Whittingham, when someone finally decided to turn and face goal and have a pop was so close, I thought he has scored but alas not and that was it.
Except why not gift Charlton another goal before they go home and make things even easier for them? And, just for good measure, why not get Darren Purse to show us what an inspirational leader he is? First he gave away a free-kick and got a yellow card on halfway, a professional foul to stop an opponent racing away. Not football but it's part of the game and fair enough in the circumstances. However the free-kick came in and although a Charlton player was covered, in charged Purse needlessly to almost rugby tackle the man down for a penalty. His second penalty recklessly conceded in 4 days and very lucky he didn't see a second yellow than a red card, some refs would have done that.
The penalty was simplicity. Despite Schmeicels' best attempts, ANDY REID wasn't intimidated at all and lashed home low with Schmeicel going the opposite way in the 80th minute and the ground exodus could finally begin with many smelling the brown stuff as we're deep in the mire again.
Costs:
Tickets (2) - £38
Travel - £5
Programme: - £3
Pin Badge - £2
Food/drink: - £3 (so bad I couldn't even be bothered to get a beer!)
Total: - £51
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