Cardiff City's uninspiring unbeaten start to the season - consisting of 5 draws and only 2 wins against relegation threatened clubs - came ended as 2nd placed Birmingham City departed Ninian Park with all 3 points having coasted to a 2-1 victory, both their goals coming in the first half before Ross McCormack grabbed a 'too little, too late' consolation in the dying minutes with what was City's sole meaningful effort on goal for the entire game.
It's a week to forget coming after the horror show in Swansea but, for City, the questions remain the same and you wonder if Dave Jones and his squad have the answers within them? This was another afternoon where Cardiff had plenty of the ball, worked hard and ran about a lot but ultimately showed no guile, craft or cutting edge quality coming through midfield and especially in its forward play. The effort and work-rate was there, without question, but there was an obvious lack of belief both on the pitch and in the stands.
CITY'S BALL BOY FORMATION TEAM
The powers within Ninian Park's corridors have been deluding themselves about the quality of this squad and it showed with today's selections in which Dave Jones had only 2 changes from Jackland - the formality of Jay Bothroyd replacing the indescribable Eddie Johnson while, with only 3 central midfielders on the books (with McPhail suspended and Scimeca injured), Joe Ledley was pushed into that area. The sub's bench - Enckleman, 3 defensive players and Eddie Johnson as the only forward told us there were simply no other options for the manager. For the record, it was Heaton, McNaughton-Purse-Johnson-Comminges, Whittingham-Rae-Ledley-Parry, McCormack-Bothroyd. Subs were Enckleman, Blake, Gypes, Kennedy, Johnson.
Birmingham, backed by a surprisingly small number (fewer than 700 fans) had a shock home loss to Blackpool last weekend but are 5 points clear of 3rd place after 8 games helped by 10 points from the 4 awaydays so far. Defensively strong like Cardiff, they enjoy more quality further upfield as evidenced by McFadden and Jerome starting with Marcus Bent and Kevin Phillips on the bench, any of whom would walk into City's side in its present state. It was a lucky escape though for Dave Jones that Marcus Bent walked out on him for the Brummies having agreed a deal. He would be another who wouldn't get us goals but would have seen City waste £1M, you have to seriously question Dave Jones' judgement of strikers. Their side were Taylor, Murphy-Ridgewell-Jaidi-Parnaby, Larsson-Agustien-Quincy-Carsley, Jerome-McFadden.
BEST MATES JEROM & LEDLEY SHAKE HANDS
The game was effectively won and lost inside the first four minutes as that was the time it took Paul Parry to waste a sitter by heading straight into the arms of Taylor then City's defence to slow to react to an innocuous through ball leaving
McFADDEN to plant a similar opener past Heaton with vain appeals for offside when, in reality, Darren Purse lost his man. All far too easy I'm afraid and more of that was to come, Birmingham celebrated in near silence from a stunned crowd.
City did fight back but it was more in hope than expectation. They were backed by the support but not at the same volume levels as normal and they did little to suggest they were going to score. The best moment came when Rae saw his effort blocked near the line, the subsequent corner was cleared but sent back with interest by Joe Ledley who shot into the ground forced Taylor to tip over on the stretch but that was it for a half of generally one way pressure. McCormack twice beat an advancing Taylor but found no support in the middle with Bothroyd and Whittingham failing to get there first time and his shot, with nobody available, drifting over later. City enjoyed a number of corners and free-kicks, which seemed to be their only hope, as they looked to Purse and Roger Johnson coming up in support but I don't recall any all afternoon causing problems other than that Ledley shot although Johnson had one blocked on the line by Carsley in the first half. It was predictable and almost football's equivalent of painting by numbers, Birmingham more than happy to absorb it.
Then four minutes before the interval, the killer blow. A simple throw in,
QUINCY had nobody near him so shot across goal outside the box, his effort was not fantastic but somehow had the beating of Heaton as it found the opposite corner when I would have expected a save. They almost made it three as well with McFadden's inswinging corner grazing the top of the crossbar. At half-time, a small kid got it in the net doing the same thing to win £200. That was almost the biggest cheer from City fans but it was bettered when the ref elbowed Larsson in the face and sent him crashing to the floor, good work fella!
Half-time: Cardiff 0 Birmingham 2, game over!
As the teams re-emerged with Ali playing Panic by The Smiths with his punchline of "Hang The DJ, Hang The DJ, Hang The DJ" as Dave Jones himself resumed his arms folded stance, I think most City fans wanted the half to pass quickly and painlessly while the Bob Bank Terracers in the 18,304 crowd could at least enjoy a warm sunny afternoon. It was painless but numbing. With little meaningful action, it did drag on a bit so many left long before the end, our fate having been long accepted.
I expected City to come back fighting with renewed urgency and vigour but once the first five minutes passed then, if anything, they got even worse. Whittingham had an early half chance but the crowd were mainly reduced to watching in silence, talking to each other or jeering Cameron Jerome (for ignorantly wondering in the newspapers why he gets no respect from City fans when he wastes no opportunity to talk down his former club so earns no respect) and more so for Bent. So toothless were City that some were pining for Eddie Johnson to come on. The inadequacies of the sub's bench were realised in a game going nowhere for Cardiff that Dave Jones made no tactical changes all afternoon or substitutions until just 15 minutes remained when a double change took place as Eddie Johnson and Mark Kennedy replaced the disappointing Parry and even more disappointing Comminges as the panto theme continued in the stands as Bent appeared for the final 15 while Jerome was taken off shortly after.
City defend a first-half free-kick
McCORMACK woke up a few of us by getting so close with a glancing header which was a fraction over before with just 4 minutes to go, he scored a beauty cutting inside a defender and hitting a powerful 20 yard angled drive across Taylor. It was the first non-penalty goal scored by any City forward for almost 12 hours - an awful record - but McCormack's 6th of the season ... Bothroyd, Parry and Johnson have still barely threatened to score, let alone achieve it. The Scotsman waved his arms to whip up the crowd for a final onslaught but even with 4 minutes added, it just didn't come although the hapless Eddie Johnson was close to getting a foot on the end of a lofted Kennedy ball as it bounced through to Taylor.
Dave Jones' post-match unintentionally humourous comments about being pleased with the response after Swansea and all that was missing was winning - how about drawing as well Dave? Truth is, City were limited, painfully limited. Defence didn't have a great deal to do but helped lose the game by completely switching off for both goals. Midfield didn't create and too many of them are not reaching the standards they did. Joe Ledley very quiet again, what on earth has happened to Paul Parry and, collectively, they play too narrow with the wide men constantly coming inside with, or for, the ball. Up front, Bothroyd works hard but City need far more than that while McCormack is trying his hardest but must lament not having a more able partner.
Cardiff dropped back to 11th and into the mid-table obscurity this side yet again look destined to be. However, I'm sure the optimists will point out that we're still only a point from the play-offs ... even if we're a million miles from the Premier League. The fact Birmingham could take the points in 2nd gear and never remotely looking in any danger was galling but I'm sure they'll do that to other sides as well. How City can out right their problems without getting a midfield or forward loan of quality and there's no suggestion they'll do anything before January, I really don't know. They will, though, get an immediate chance as soon as Tuesday night at home to Coventry to give home fans something to celebrate. That sole Ninian Park victory on opening day vs Southampton is but a distant memory and with our impotency, who's confident that wait will end?
