A terrible night for Cardiff City in East Anglia saw them crash 2-0 to relegation strugglers Norwich City, they deserved no better. The result was bad enough but as City were the only losers in the top 9, it proved to be doubly damaging.
The inquests will be conducted into how City were so bloody awful and let themselves down badly away at relegation threatened Southampton and Norwich in the last I0 days but, by contrast, so impressive beating Barnsley and Doncaster at home. It makes no sense.
Three players limped off on Saturday – Kennedy, Bothroyd and Chopra – and only Chops was fit and flew with the team yesterday. In came the almost forgotten Tony Capaldi for his first outing of the season at left back while Eddie Johnson was rewarded for his recent excellent form – and a goal! – with a start.
The bench was a strange affair with no goalkeeper once more, Purse and McPhail recalled, Burke recovered from injury and there no sign of Comminges who is good defensive cover and performed well off the bench in the last 2 games.
CARDIFF CITY: Dimi; Blake-Johnson,R-Gyepes-Capaldi; Whittingham-Rae-Ledley-Parry Chopra-Johnson,E. Subs: Purse-McPhail-Burke, McCormack, Quincy.
Norwich are staring relegation in the face and the game was an absolute ‘must win’ for them after continuing a poor run under their’ legend Bryan Gunn and former Cardiff # 2 Ian Butterworth which had seen them collected just 6 points out of 24, 3 of them coming in a shock win at QPR last midweek.. They remain in the bottom 3 and still have an uphill task to survive but their support is as impressive as ever – 23,717 were inside Carrow Road including 500 or so Bluebirds who, vocally, were giving as good as they got and, at times, better.
However City started slowly and never really got going. The home side missed two good chances in the opening half hour. City were under pressure but coping relatively well before they faced further injury as Darcy Blake was forced off with a calf so Paul Parry had to be converted into an emergency right back with Quincy coming on, the loan man sparking life into The Bluebirds who were far from fluent or impressive but slowly starting to assert themselves with Rae shooitng wide, then Roger Johnson fired straight at Marshall from a corner before Eddie Johnson deflected a rebound wide.
Half-time: NORWICH 0 CITY 0
Hopes that Cardiff would take their first half finish into the 2nd period were quickly dashed as The Canaries missed a sitter in the opening minute of the restart then flew ahead with, for City, an awful goal that – once again – hapless Greek keeper Dimi was completely to blame for. He is continually an accident waiting to happen and, objectively, it can now be argued that his erratic ways have cost City 3 points (2 at Wolves and another here tonight).
There was nothing on as Norwich hit a long ball over the top, Capaldi was slow to react but Dimi came out and should have booted the ball away yet waited for it to entre his area to pick up. In came Reading debutant loanee DAVID MOONEY (bet his club thanked him for this!) to nip in and plant a shot into the net with Dimi apparently feigning injury to cover his embarrassment.
City almost immediately levelled but Marshall made a superb stop to meet Eddie’s flicked header from a Whitts free-kick but the game just became one huge frustration for City. Subs were made, three were thrown up front and then 4 but all it produced were a succession of moves that broke down in the final third or scuffed efforts.
In added time, the game was ended as City tired playing the offside trap but failed leaving McDONALD to race clear and finish with ease. Gyepes made Marshall produce a wondrous late save to deny a consolation that would have been no consolation at all.
It was a game when central defence apart, our big names just didn’t show up. Rae and Joe struggled in midfield, the wide men produced very little and Chopra verged on being anonymous.
Next up is Bristol City on Sunday and it’s clear that City somehow need most of their main men back. Whether the likes of Enckleman, McNaughton, Kennedy, Bothroyd and co will be there, we can only wait and see… and start praying!
The inquests will be conducted into how City were so bloody awful and let themselves down badly away at relegation threatened Southampton and Norwich in the last I0 days but, by contrast, so impressive beating Barnsley and Doncaster at home. It makes no sense.
Three players limped off on Saturday – Kennedy, Bothroyd and Chopra – and only Chops was fit and flew with the team yesterday. In came the almost forgotten Tony Capaldi for his first outing of the season at left back while Eddie Johnson was rewarded for his recent excellent form – and a goal! – with a start.
The bench was a strange affair with no goalkeeper once more, Purse and McPhail recalled, Burke recovered from injury and there no sign of Comminges who is good defensive cover and performed well off the bench in the last 2 games.
CARDIFF CITY: Dimi; Blake-Johnson,R-Gyepes-Capaldi; Whittingham-Rae-Ledley-Parry Chopra-Johnson,E. Subs: Purse-McPhail-Burke, McCormack, Quincy.
Norwich are staring relegation in the face and the game was an absolute ‘must win’ for them after continuing a poor run under their’ legend Bryan Gunn and former Cardiff # 2 Ian Butterworth which had seen them collected just 6 points out of 24, 3 of them coming in a shock win at QPR last midweek.. They remain in the bottom 3 and still have an uphill task to survive but their support is as impressive as ever – 23,717 were inside Carrow Road including 500 or so Bluebirds who, vocally, were giving as good as they got and, at times, better.
However City started slowly and never really got going. The home side missed two good chances in the opening half hour. City were under pressure but coping relatively well before they faced further injury as Darcy Blake was forced off with a calf so Paul Parry had to be converted into an emergency right back with Quincy coming on, the loan man sparking life into The Bluebirds who were far from fluent or impressive but slowly starting to assert themselves with Rae shooitng wide, then Roger Johnson fired straight at Marshall from a corner before Eddie Johnson deflected a rebound wide.
Half-time: NORWICH 0 CITY 0
Hopes that Cardiff would take their first half finish into the 2nd period were quickly dashed as The Canaries missed a sitter in the opening minute of the restart then flew ahead with, for City, an awful goal that – once again – hapless Greek keeper Dimi was completely to blame for. He is continually an accident waiting to happen and, objectively, it can now be argued that his erratic ways have cost City 3 points (2 at Wolves and another here tonight).
There was nothing on as Norwich hit a long ball over the top, Capaldi was slow to react but Dimi came out and should have booted the ball away yet waited for it to entre his area to pick up. In came Reading debutant loanee DAVID MOONEY (bet his club thanked him for this!) to nip in and plant a shot into the net with Dimi apparently feigning injury to cover his embarrassment.
City almost immediately levelled but Marshall made a superb stop to meet Eddie’s flicked header from a Whitts free-kick but the game just became one huge frustration for City. Subs were made, three were thrown up front and then 4 but all it produced were a succession of moves that broke down in the final third or scuffed efforts.
In added time, the game was ended as City tired playing the offside trap but failed leaving McDONALD to race clear and finish with ease. Gyepes made Marshall produce a wondrous late save to deny a consolation that would have been no consolation at all.
It was a game when central defence apart, our big names just didn’t show up. Rae and Joe struggled in midfield, the wide men produced very little and Chopra verged on being anonymous.
Next up is Bristol City on Sunday and it’s clear that City somehow need most of their main men back. Whether the likes of Enckleman, McNaughton, Kennedy, Bothroyd and co will be there, we can only wait and see… and start praying!
No comments:
Post a Comment