Taiwo signing confirmed

Solomon Taiwo has become Cardiff City's 7th summer signing, 6 of them permanentm after completing a medical for his reported £250,000 switch from League Two outfit Dagenham and Redbridge.


The player - a midfield lynchpin for the Daggers - has been tracked by City since last season but his potential was highlighted by an outstanding display for the Londoners against Cardiff in Carling Cup Round 1 action a fortnight ago and his impressed in their flying start to the League campaign which saw them in 2nd spot.



City boss Dave Jones has describes him as "a good prospect, a strong player, a good athlete and comfortable on the ball who, with no disrespect to Dagenham, playing with better players around him he should up his tempo and the qualities that he has got."


Jones admits it is a punt but believes the players has the qualities to make an impact at this level and moved quickly to dismiss some thoughts amongst sections of Bluebird followers that he may be a replacement for Joe Ledley by adding, "We haven't bough in a midfield player because of what might or might not happen with Joe. We have brought in a midfield player because we are trying to bolster our squad. Hopefully that reassures the fans".


Welcome to Cardiff City, Taiwo.

Solomon wisely set to join City

It's being reported tonight that Dagenham and Redbridge's powerful midfielder Solomon Taiwo is in South Wales tonight finialising a potential £250,000 move to Cardiff City.

Solomon who? You may ask.

He's a 24 year old Nigerian born player who has been with 9 South East mainly non-league sides and 1 in America with 5 years before joining League Two outfit Dagenham and Redbridge in 2007. His start there was tainted with 2 red cards but he has since become a pivotal and influential player for the Daggers.

Two weeks ago tonight, Taiwo shone at Cardiff City Stadium in Daggers Carling Cup defeat and that obviously convinced Dave Jones to make a move although he has been tracking the player for some time.

Cardiff have needed extra central midfield cover and Taiwo fits the bill although, clearly, he is a gamble.

Video Highlights of Cardiff City Cup win and Dave Jones' reaction

Here's the BBC edited highlighted package of City's 3-1 victory over Dagenham & Redbridge in Carling Cup Round 1 action.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/8197773.stm

And this is Dave Jones' opinion of that game.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/cardiff_city/8196527.stm

CARDIFF CITY 3 DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE 1 - how the press saw it

I had a creche on the subs bench, says Dave Jones

WalesOnline

Cardiff City boss Dave Jones happy to see goal hunger

WalesOnline

Championship - Jones backs Chopra

Yahoo!

Spot of bother, but Cardiff City are too strong

WalesOnline

JONES SALUTES DAGENHAM EFFORT

Sportinglife.com

Cardiff 3 Dagenham 1

Sportinglife.com

Cardiff City 3 Dagenham & Redbridge 1

Guardian Series

Cardiff 3-1 Dagenham

Sportbox

Dave Jones' reaction to City's win over Dagenham & Redbridge

Click link below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/cardiff_city/8196527.stm

CC Cup Round 1: CARDIFF CITY 3 Dagenham & Redbridge 1 match report

Dave Jones' men, despite a late scare, coasted into Round 2 of the Carling Cup with a 3-1 win over Dagenham and Redbridge meaning the new stadium has opened to competitive fixtures with 2 wins and 7 goals scored. Tonight on a warm sunny evening, City were two up inside half hour with Rae and Bothroyd on target, the latter with a twice taken penalty.


They could/should have got more but predictably, if wrongly, over-elaborated and dropped a gear which allowed the visitors forced their way back with a goal in the final 10 minutes and caused a few flutters afterwards before sanity was restored as Peter Whittingham finished it in added time with a superb finish to an equally fantastic move.

+++++ THE TEAMS +++++

CARDIFF CITY
Dave Jones was as hacked off as Swansea fan looking at the current Championship League table condemning the madness of playing this round of the competition in an international week. He had a point with City having 8 men away on duty. Total absentees were 13 with injuries included but a goalkeeping crisis was averted with Enckleman asking not to be in Finland’s squad for a friendly. With the day’s sporting headlines declaring “Gerrard pulls out of Holland friendly”, I guess our centre—half did the same.

However City still had a strong side with 7 of the starters who blitzed Scunthorpe at the weekend. Capaldi replaced the injured Kennedy while Marshall, Ledley and McCormack were covered by Enks, Rae and Comminges respectively.

City: Enckleman; Quinn-Hudson-Gerrard-Capaldi; Whittingham-Rae-McPhail-Comminges; Bothroyd-Chopra. The subs bench consisted entirely of Academy players feasting on water and spot cream with Santiago, Edwards, Meades, Evans, Jarvis, Farah and Wildig.


DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE
In true Soccer AM fashion, I ask the lad, ‘do you want to watch City tonight?’. “‘Who against?” he asks so I tell him it’s Dagenham and Redbridge. “They’re playing two games in one night, what time will it all finish then??” – he wanted to know.

A merger of two clubs in the 90’s, they made the Football League in 2007 finishing 20th at their first attempt and missing League Two play-offs by 1 point last season after losing at home to Shrewsbury on the final day – The Shrews taking their spot. A decent record for the Essex club whose gates are nearly always below 2,000 but who have exited this competition in Round 1 each year but they opened their league season with a 2-1 success at Crewe.

Captained by former Welsh international keeper Tony Roberts - who was 40 last week - their side were: Roberts; Doe-Arber-Antwi-Griffiths; Gain- Thurgood-Taiwo-Green; Thomas-Benson.

+++++ THE MATCH +++++

Dare I say true Cardiff City Cock Ups almost caused me to miss the start. I ordered two tickets but when I got to the pick-up point, only one was in the envelope. City's answer to that? - go to the Ticket Office and queue outside with everyone else to get your other ticket printed. Wonderful!


The crowd was just 5,355 - including 200 or so from The Daggers who were out to enjoy themselves and make a noise - with stands behind both goals closed for the night and they were able to chat freely as the game took some time to come to life. When it did, it was often when City injected some pace into proceedings with Peter Whittingham looking a threat and Capaldi getting forward and overlapping.


A couple of shots blocked or wide, Roberts made saves from Chops and Whitts but the first shot in real anger produced the first goal on 20 minutes. Again it was Whittingham causing problems as he cut inside a defender, burst in the area and had sight of goal. There was a groan as he elected to square it but that was immediately drowned as GAVIN RAE let fly from 20 yards to comprehensively beat Roberts to match his goal tally for last season.


Six minutes later, it was 2-0 and felt like game over already but the story behind the goal was interesting. Whitts again burst forward and threatened but he cut the ball to Jay Bothroyd just inside the box who went down under challenge to earn the softest penalty award. I didn't think it was one, many did mnay near me and the whole of the Daggers side.


However Bothroyd lined up to take the spot-kick and showed what a sloppy, arrogant player he can sometimes by barely walking up, let alone, running in for the spot kick but then knocking it towards goal with as much speed as a 80 year old on a Sunday drive. The penalty was saved with ease, the crowd reaction towards Bothroyd was hostile but he was saved by the ref who was pedantic and awarded a re-kick for encroachment, again quite harsh on The Daggers.


Next up, was a tiff between Chopra and Bothroyd. Chops remonstrating that as he had missed, it was his turn. Bothroyd was having none of it and hid the ball so Chops couldn't take it off him. A quite embarrassing state of affairs. BOTHROYD took it and blasted it away with most players celebrating with him but Chops walking back and leaving them be.


City almost added a third straight afte rwards as Roberts did well to block Chopra's close range stab while Comminges was denied on the rebound by a desparate block but the final few minutes of the half, until Enckleman was called on to make a stop, were pretty dull.


Half-time: CITY 2 D&R 0


D&R also had the first say of the second half as two City defenders blocked shots from a corner kick while an effort across goal wasn't too far away. The game appeared to be going through the motions but whenever City found the urgency and enthusiasm to inject some pace - which wasn't often enough - the visitors always had problems but they stayed in some contention thanks to more Roberts saves with Chops and Comminges both being denied one on one.


With the game not beyond doubt, Dave Jones' plans to use the kids were shelved although Aaron Wildig appeared for his debut in place of Comminges and did well, showing some good moments before City were punished for their lethargy as SCOTT grabbed a shock goal on 81 minutes meeting a whipped low cross first time on the bounce and steering his effort past Enckleman.


Suddenly, it was game on as Daggers forced a couple of corners, Quinn was skinned and a ball across goal was missed by a fraction of an outstretched boot and crosses were flying around City's area. We never do it easy, do we?


However City rode the storm and finsihed the night in sensational style with a smart move, Chops fed McPhail in the touchline, he danced past a defender and found WHITTINGHAM to swivel past two more defenders and smash a rising drive across Roberts high into his far corner. You beauty!


A good controlled performance on the whole but City got sloppy and almost paid the price. In all reality though, it was as comfortable a win as they could have hoped for. There was no real star of the night - they all put in reasonable shows - although that central defence still need to tighten up and control more, Enckleman still has wayward kicking and can't blame the pitch this year and we could do with being more direct and shooting when the chance is there instead of overplay.

Cardiff City start new season home to a Swear Filter

The new season's fixture list was published and saw Cardiff City at home on 2009/10 Championship opening day to S****horpe United.


The consequences of their awful play-off collapse and ruin of Premiership Dreams are now abundantly clear. A few weeks ago, we were dreaming of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea visiting the new Cardiff City Stadium ... instead we open up to Scunthorpe and Dagenham & Redbridge!!!!


The fixtures offer Cardiff a chance of the flying start to the season as first away is Blackpool (can't believe we're going there in the main August holiday season) followed by Bristol City at home and Plymouth away. A good haul of points looks possible.


Newcastle is the keynote fixture as they visit Cardiff on September 12 with City heading to Geordie-land in February. Meantime, Swansea games correspond to last season with Cardiff off to Jacksville in late November with the return fixture at Easter.


One pleasing aspect is that there are 5 midweek away fixtures but all are close journeys meaning all can be made with an early finish rather than time off work when we visit West Brom, Bristol City, Coventry, Reading and Plymouth.


Cardiff City and all clubs are arsey about fixtures lists being published (citing copyright and similar crap) so I can't publish them here. However you can view them at this link (I'm being just as arsey as not directing you to the official site which also has them!).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/cardiff_city/fixtures/default.stm

Cardiff City to cross swords with Daggers

The draw for the Carling Cup First Round, which is regionalised, was made this morning and given The Bluebirds a home time and first ever fixture against League Two side Dagenham & Redbridge.

Subject to tv wanting the game (as if!), the clash will be at the new Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday 11^th August, kick off 7.45pm and unless City get a home league game to start the Championship when the fixture list is revealed tomorrow, this will be the first competitive fixture at the new ground.

The Essex opponents are about to start their third season in league football and have adjusted well. Despite crowds of 1,500 most home games, they finished 8th last term missing the play-offs only due to a last day home defeat.

Unless there are any changes to the schedule, we will the match at Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday 11^th August, kick off 7.45pm.

The draw for Round 1 of the 2009/10 Carling Cup:

Accrington Stanley v Walsall
Huddersfield Town v Stockport County
Rotherham United v Derby County
Tranmere Rovers v Grimsby Town
Sheffield Wednesday v Rochdale
Bury v West Bromwich Albion
Notts County v Doncaster Rovers
Lincoln City v Barnsley
Scunthorpe United v Chesterfield
Coventry City v Hartlepool United
Darlington v Leeds United
Preston North End v Morecambe
Crewe Alexandra v Blackpool
Carlisle United v Oldham Athletic
Nottingham Forest v Bradford City
Macclesfield Town v Leicester City
Sheffield United v Port Vale
Cardiff City v Dagenham & Redbridge
Wycombe Wanderers v Peterborough United
Southampton v Northampton Town
Barnet v Watford
Hereford United v Charlton Athletic
Bristol Rovers v Aldershot Town
Millwall v AFC Bournemouth
Gillingham v Plymouth Argyle
Colchester United v Leyton Orient
Reading v Burton Albion
Exeter City v Queens Park Rangers
Cheltenham Town v Southend United
Brentford v Bristol City
Yeovil Town v Norwich City
Crystal Palace v Torquay United
Milton Keynes Dons v Swindon Town
Swansea City v Brighton & Hove Albion
Shrewsbury Town v Ipswich Town