Oppo Forum: https://www.cardiffcityforum.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=2 I'll keep this one shorter than usual due to the amount of distain around the club at the moment rightly aimed at the players who cannot be bothered and of course the ownership. After last night's utterly toothless and pathetic display at Sunderland where we were rightfully beaten for the third game running, our shirkers in yellow travel to the Welsh Capital to take on a Cardiff Side who have started better than a lot predicted pre season. Under Bulut they have amassed a very respectable sixteen points from their opening ten games and are looking upwards towards an early playoff push. Gone are humdrum days of Warnock who tried to instil a philosophy of survival, and they now play with a swagger that has been missing since they gained promotion a few seasons back. The ground is very impressive, with their fan's obviously delighted to be higher than arch rivals Swansea City are right now. We all remember the Masina Freekick goal that won the game in the dying seconds, the 5-1 smashing we gave them in the PL and of course even last season we managed to leave with a (somewhat undeserved) 2-1 victory on a wet and cold midweek which was our third victory in a row. It's pretty different this time around though isn't it? Three straight defeats and two wins in the opening ten fixtures sees us just outside the trapdoor to a division anyone born after 1997 will not remember us being in. Fans' and the current head coach were rightly pi$$ed off after last night's game, one of our worst under the Pozzo ownership for certain. Speaking of, this "extended contract" is still up for debate among fans, due to us being is such wretched form and our away form continues to be dismal. I don't know what's going on at the club at the moment, but this has to be one of the lowest points I have seen as a supporter, even though there are still 39 games to go and anything could happen, it does make any loyal fan wonder which direction this club are going to go, with our lord and master still insists he has changed his stripes for the better. Surely, a heavy defeat here with the same cba attitude of last night would see him reaching for the P45. It's not fair on VI, and it's not fair on the fanbase that have stuck with this team through all the bad times and the good, to be witnessing a group of players who, as individuals, have talent, but cannot seem to work together in any cohesive manner on the pitch at the moment. We haven't won away since January, we aren't going to win this one either. I do not think we will play as badly as last night, but I still cannot see us coming back from Cardiff with anything. Cardiff 2 Watford 0
Like with the Sunderland game, there's absolutely no chance we'll get something here. However, if we're hell bent on using the 4-3-3 "shape" we should at least mix it up a bit, if only to send a message to some of the players who are not performing. None of them deserve to start the next game anyway. Bachmann Ngakia - Pollock - Sierralta - Morris Kone - Livermore - Kayembe Asprilla - Ince (false nine) - Sema (if fit, otherwise Chak)
Does anyone really care about the games anymore? I gave up on them a while ago, but sadly I still go through the motions of it all. That habit is going to take a little longer to break away from. But if Ismael's latest round of motivational talks got through at all, we should see an upturn in performance. However, if it's a continuation of recent effort and attitude, then it'll be a sign that he's lost the dressing room. So, in a way, this game is a huge indicator for me to show if the players want to play for Watford and Ismael anymore. If we see a repeat of Sunderland then we're well and truly done for. If there is a will and desire shown, which lasts an entire game (not just a few minutes at the start) then maybe, just maybe, it could at least give hope of some green shoots. If we show commitment and massively reduce the stupid unforced mistakes, we might actually get something from this game, but I have little faith that the players have the appetite for the fight....so I'm predicting another lame defeat.
Strangely looking forward to this one. Have we reached the bottom or can we go any lower? We will find out at the weekend!
We can go three places lower. QPR might well beat Blackburn on Saturday which will ensure we're in the bottom three. 22nd, in the relegation zone with 9 points from 11 games. What a joke.
I still don’t feel we are playing particularly badly. It’s just that winning at football isn’t just about playing moderately well. It’s about consistently doing the things that win or don’t lose matches at a high level, time and time again. VI has to raise the professionalism and expectancy of the players. Not a single wasted free kick, corner, poor throw on. No hesitation on the ball. Everything at 99.99%.
Weird one, I found I woke up this morning and frankly didn’t care. Apathy. That’s where the pozzos have got me.
Will be ******* hilarious when Cardiff batter us 5-1 sending us into the relegation zone with Ismael sacked shortly after. Like last night, I won't even bother watching us on a stream and will spend my afternoon doing something worthwhile.
You must be watching a different team. Our defence has been atrocious in recent games. Really simple basics missed. Defending like a recently formed, untrained under 12s team. Crosses and shots from level 9 on the football pyramid as well
Gino wont sack him until the new year now if things dont improve, he has made his bed and now has to lay in it for a bit, will probably take us down just to prove a point.
I will watch it as I always do, I do pay the club £5 a month for the audio as a back up if I cant find a stream, I feel dirty giving Gino that. @reids , what formation, tactics and players would you go for for this match?
The midfield might not be the most dynamic, but Kone gives it legs, Livermore experience, Keyembe work rate. Unfortunately when you are down, you don't need to be going to the team with the 2nd best home record in the league.
I'm going and I'm going to boo the fuc out of our players and manager, and will be leaving when we fall 2 goals behind. But there is safe standing at least.
The darkest hour is always the one just before the dawn. A much better performance here and a point on the road.
I truly am interested in what motivates people to spend good money to travel 550-600 miles midweek to watch us at Sunderland or 300 odd miles to watch us in Cardiff when the team are playing so poorly that a loss is inevitable. And the players are still so dislikable. As is our owner. And back room staff. And, quite frankly, most the fans
Better locate a nice restaurant/bar/club to head to at that point, or else it'll hardly be worth all that travel for 10 minutes of football.
They probably think the same of their partner they leave back at home lol. That’s the only reason I can think of
As crazy as it sounds considering the last few games, I wouldn't make too many changes. They are a side that are happy to let the opponent have the ball - they don't press much (no side in the league has allowed more opposition passes per defensive action) and they generally don't have much possession (7 sides have made less passes in the league so far). This plays into our hands somewhat, the games we've struggled in recently have been against sides who play similar sort of playstyles to us (lots of possession + pressing) so I'd expect us to dominate possession + hopefully chances. Ramsey injured (3 goals - 1 penalty) is a big blow for them. Attack: They've been poor at defending in a variety of different situations including High Crosses, Cutbacks and Through Balls (both High + Low). Considering their weakness in the air I think it could be a game where Rajovic is effective, but I think I'd still go for Bayo - his movement in behind is better than Rajovic and Bayo isn't bad in the air which ticks a lot of boxes. Defence: There are a few worries however when looking at their offence against our defence. They have created a lot of chances from switches in play which we can see in the graphic below (red means it was a successful pass) to the back of the 6-yard area and they've managed to score a few goals from those balls to the back-post as well that you can see in the video (Ugbo is great at picking up those chances). Those balls to the back have lead to some cutbacks as well which is another area we've struggled in. Set-pieces could be another concern, although Ramseys delivery not available could be a nice bonus for us there. Overall there's not many changes that I think could improve us. Martins back would be a big bonus but understandable if he's not available. Provided Martins is unavailable, I'd only make 2 changes - firstly bringing in Asprilla for Ince - this is a game where we need as much creativity on the pitch as possible and Asprillas versatility in that aspect will be a big bonus. I'd also start Kone over TDB, Kones been better than TDB on the ball so far this season and I think his skillset is more suited to Cardiff. Louzas been getting a lot of stick for his effort over the past few games which I get, but in a game where we're likely to dominate possession and need creativity I think we need him on the pitch.
