There’s no escaping that City are in free fall. No wins in eight is a rotten run in anyone’s book and a quick glance at the league table is sufficient to make the sphincter tighten.
Where once we were gazing upwards, dreaming of squirming our way into play-off contention, now of more concern is whether Bolton, Burton and Sunderland have picked up points and closed the gap on us. If form tables are your thing we’re already in the bottom three.
Even more concerning is that this current slide shows no sign of arresting and our head coach has given up trying to explain away the reasons behind defeat, relying instead on going ‘all in’ on the officialdom. Yet, while he may or may not have had a point, he’ll know deep down that his team, after a bright first half, were second best after the break to such an extent it was hard to argue they deserved anything from the game.
It was Neil Warnock’s birthday, he’s the managerial equivalent of a Rottweiler, Cardiff had been absolute garbage in that first half and he has a reputation for ‘losing it’ at half time. That the Bluebirds would emerge after the break breathing fire was an absolute given, yet when it happened City were simply unable to resist.
In addition to scoring three times they also hit the woodwork and missed a penalty, so it could in fact have been a lot worse. It could also have been much worse if, instead of it being been one of City’s better away performances, they had stunk the place out. And there’s the rub: one of our better away performances in terms of aesthetics ended in a comprehensive defeat that could have been a lot worse.
That, if nothing else, should rattle a cage or a two in the corridors of power. We may be in the embryonic stages of a ‘project’ – and I’m fairly cool with that – but along the way we do need to win some games of football, else the project is taking us backwards. And I’m fairly sure the project plan doesn’t include a site visit to League One.
Yet for all the unedifying talk of ‘this lot just aren’t good enough’, the optimist in me still thinks there is still enough in this squad to at least compete at this level – something we’ve barely done over the last eight games.
It may just be my half-full glass that so irritates folk playing tricks with me again, but for 45 minutes we took it to the team who are second in the Championship and caused them all sorts of problems. We only have the greed and pride of Nelson Oliveira to thank for going in only 1-0 up instead of 2-0.
Whether, given the brittleness of our defending, that would have been enough to lead us to a point or three is a moot point but it would have given City their first two-goal cushion of the season to work with.
That’s too many ifs, buts and maybes though and, however it’s dressed up, the fan and the brown stuff are perilously close right now, and all set against the very gloomy backdrop of this week’s AGM.
Steve Stone and Stuart Webber were both honest in their assessment of the current state of play, the current direction of travel making their damning assessment of the club’s finances even more brutal and stark.
All of which brings me back to the project. The same one that now virtually guarantees we’ll have Alex Pritchard and James Maddison on our books for the maximum of six more months. Our two shining lights, who we hoped would help catapult us back to the Promised Land, are working out their notice. That’s how it feels.
There appeared a resignation from board level that this now is our lot. We’ll use the self-funding model that is used by precisely no-one in the top two divisions to prune and prune until there is nothing left to prune, and then rely on the sale of players and a gem or two coming through from the Academy.
My biggest fear is what happens when there is no-one of genuine saleable value in the squad and if the Academy fails to produce Championship quality players. Then what?
Delia and Michael’s obstinate approach to even entertaining the prospect of external funding is of course their prerogative – and I respect that – but given the blunt assessment by our two executive directors, one has to wonder if they are at least considering alternative ways of making the lives of Messrs Webber and Stone that little bit easier?
The fact I think they should is irrelevant however and short of a Yellow Army whip round that produces an eight-figure sum it’s tough to see this situation changing anytime soon. We have little option but to act like grown ups and suck it up, although the current level of disillusionment and season ticket renewal time may be a toxic combination that the board are unable to ignore.
Either way, what does need to happen is that Daniel Farke and his team must find a way to win a football match or two, one that doesn’t rely solely on the return to fitness of Alex Tettey, reportedly angling for a move to Rosenborg. Minus a win anytime soon the current indifference and resignation could very soon boil over, and no-one wants that.
Can I ask a question of those who were able to watch the game?
“Tame surrender” is the online Pink’Un headline. Is that right?
From what I’m reading we were well on top in the first half, and despite the penalty (dodgy or not) didn’t give up in the second. I know journalists like to stir things up, and love it when there’s a change of manager as it gives them plenty to write about (political journalists are just the same with Prime Ministers). It often strikes me that some of the Archant guys are a bit too inclined to write what they think their keyboard warriors want to hear.
Second best, clearly, but “surrender”? That sounds over the top to me.
Why on earth are you worrying about definitions relating to one game for? There’s far bigger and more obvious problems than the state of the reporting.
We are in freefall (assuming you don’t need that word corroborated).
Football fans are a truly curious bunch.
Perhaps Jeff because he wants to know whether that headline is reliable or not.
In answer to your question Keith, I think it’s an unfair headline & not representative of the match.
I’m not a print journalist with any axe to grind, but I will admit to having spent the last 5 years or so of my career working for Sky Sports, which I hope has allowed me a level of objectivity.
I watched last nights match with more than a small degree of frustration.
We are still trying to ‘build from the back’ My recoding of that is that we waste far much time, and concede far too much potential advantage by playing our way out of our own box by playing as many as 20 square passes before we even reach the halfway line.
When I played football, it was drummed into us that you NEVER play square balls across your own 18 yard box. This team ethic is to start from that point far too often.
It slows down the game and allows the opposition to set up its stall for the next attack.
We can play some very pretty stuff, but the opposition know this, stand off, and then simply knock us over with physical presence.
Our midfield can be a beautiful thing when it opts to play the quick probing ball, but this square passing ethic prevails there as well.
One of the results of this is that the strikers come back into the midfield looking for the ball..
A classic example of this was a devine pinpoint cross to the centre of the box rom Murphy. A textbook centre forwards dream. That ball just ran right across the box with Oliviera miles out of position.
How many other championship teams have a midfield as good as Maddison, Pritchard and Hoolahan? I would suggest none, yet we can’t score goals.
Is it as simple as getting Tettey and Trybull back in harness?
Hopefully we will find out before this spiral becomes a death dive.
Nelson Olivera is rapidly making Cameron Jerome our only option up front
What manager would go away to a Neil Warnock side and play a selfish sulking Oliveira upfront and the 3 lightweights Hoolahan, Murphy and Maddison across midfield.
Go and get Lambert now to sort out this mess before it gets worse
“Working out their notice” is the perfect phrase to utilise and could easily replace OTBC as ‘our song’ right now.
Unfortunately, the mutually agreed patience is rapidly moving into apathetic imbicility.
Such drama.
It just limps from game to game, I thought we had a good first even Mark Walton was in agreement on the wireless. he then said the first 10 minutes of the second half are vital. The moments the words left his I knew we would fail to hold out, even if in questionable circumstances. From then on in we we beaten, to be honest Cardiff dd have that little extra help from the man in the middle, giving someone a birthday present.
But who expected City to stand up the more physical approach of all Warnock’s side, he hasn’t changed a great deal over the years, it works for him despite what the purist say or think..
We are in a right mess and after 55 years of being a close follower, I do not see a path out of it. Unless Mr Farke starts changing his ideals. I won’t say again about wrong players , there certainly isn’t the blend needed. We need a couple of Tettey type players, the grafters, who do the dirty work, we are suffering from such short sightedness a few of seasons ago allowing a Mr Johnson to leave .
Then this season with Howson, they have been replaced by numbers only,
On Tettey working a move away, who can blame him, he is 31 cannot complete for a full season. needs nursing management over games. His wife wants to return to her homeland, fair play to man for wanting it. No different to Howson stated he wanted to be closer to his home Yorkshire
That cannot be undone now, replacements were not right, and by the sound of it the right round peg for the round hole won’t be forthcoming this January and not before the flair has been sold in the next window.
A mess a self funding mess that offers no alternative than being the selling club again, heaven forbid we go back to the Dark days of being Chase-d by police horses again. (swear I still have the bruise)
I have no answers only that outside investment is needed and the limitation put on that by The Stowmarket duo must be relaxed. Or the alternative will be inevitable. Although I will say I quite enjoyed being the top dog in League 1
Agree, I am also an eternal optimist! We took the game to them first half but a little naive in that we knew Canny Colin would stick a rocket up them at half time and they would go all out. Galling as we played the better football and Cardiff were… Well a Warnock side. I think we’ve all been spoilt with recent promotions and we don’t have a god given right to return to the PL – Fulham, Reading at al with more resources are still waiting to get back there too, we are not alone. I think Tettey and Trybull combo will help us get a few points and it’s good to hear that Tettey has denied there’s. possible move though I cant see how we can keep him as he would have to have his wages slashed I guess. Anyway as someone who was there last night all I can do is support the team, keep away from the Twitter Typhoid Marys and keep hoping!
Huge respect Sharon… as one of the 600+ you deserve a medal plus some
Thanks! I’ll always go home and away and the fans were great last night. I’d rather see this new set up than the Alex Neil dross – And the away games the last two seasons were exactly that. We have some very talented players and we should be getting better score lines. Hoping a win or two will stop all the negativity.
A fair and accurate piece. I am another long time supporter but our owners are draining the love for NCFC out of me. There is a strong sense of history repeating itself with the drop to League 1 and the feeling of drift is becoming terminal. As soon as Delia gave that infamous interview she inadvertently announced that we had given up ambitions of going up and should be satisfied to bump along in the Championship provided she was in charge.. While we cannot compete with a cash rich Wolves we should be able to compete with the likes of Cardiff. All Warnock does is buy astutely and put round pegs in round holes and play to a system.. I’m sure DF is a brilliant coach in training but the system he is playing is wrong for the players at his disposal and isn’t working.
More worryingly I also get the feeling that there is a gap between our media loving chairman and Webber. Webber spoke very honestly the other night which does not go down well with others ‘the jury is out..’. As Webber rarely stays anywhere for long it would not surprise me to see him depart. As most of our better players were bought before he came this might not be terminal but he is the only one with any football knowledge and at some point soon the board are going to have to make a hard decision about DF’s future. I’m all for dreamers but the Championship is a league you have to kick and fight to get out of and with the exception of Hanley the snowflakes we are playing seem ill equipped to do that, let alone fight a relegation battle. Ultimately it is about getting the best out of what is available as Warnock does wherever he goes. Sadly I don’t think DF is doing this at the moment. Longer term we need investment and the current board to be cleared out if we are to survive and progress.. On the plus side the likes of Raggott, Abrahams and Morris should make us competitive at League 1 level…
This really is looking like a slide into Division One now. Players no longer believe in or are good enough to play Farke’s mind numbingly dull, negative system and simply can’t be arsed any more. Farke himself totally out of his depth and clueless how to change things. Looking for all the world like the last phase of the Roeder era. Never mind I expect Mick Dennis will be back soon to tell us everything is going to plan and how wonderful the owners are!
What’s most worrying to me is my thinking this morning – “What’s the point anymore?”………………
Last night, I think, proved just how awful and resigned to not winning, we´ve become. Cardiff were even so kind as to give us a head start, and we still managed to blow it in a major way. I´m amazed to hear some people still saying ” we all know we´re much better than this” when in reality, if we were, we´d be winning games instead of losing and drawing them. The fact is, we are no better than this, we´re poor, and in very real ´danger of departing this division through the unwanted door, unless things change drastically out on the pitch. Farke (and I keep on repeating myself) is the wrong choice, each passing game only does more to confirm that, and unfortunately he´s getting no help from his subordinates, who seem to be as equally inept as he. Unfortunately, sacking the lot of them isn´t really a viable option, when you consider our wobbly financial state, so we´re stuck with them, but, oh for someone like a Warnock, who knows this division inside out, to take things by the scruff of the neck, because lord knows, we need it.
Trying a new structure is all very well, but I´m far from convinced that we´ve got the right personnel on board to make it work – and that includes Webber, who very seldom stays anywhere, long enough, to make a lasting effect.
I don’t think it will make much difference who we bring un as a coach / manager. And evenif we do achieve promotion in the next 2 or 3 years it will as before be temporary. That is because we need money. No matter how you look at it, to succeed in this business it takes a lot of money. Or you settle for less but be honest about it.
Once you start blaming the Ref you know things are going downhill.. No wins in eight has little to do with the officials. I am starting to worry that our Emperor’s clothes are not as impressive as we first thought.
I think last night highlighted the state of the club. We had some good spells in the first half. We had the opportunities to finish off a good team. The potential was there.
Inevitably at every turn we conspired to be our own worst enemies. Some poor play, some poor management decisions, and some poor refereeing, and the opportunity was gone.
I feel bad for the guys. I honestly don’t think they want to be playing the style they are and I don’t think any amount of persistence is going to turn it into a success.
As for the AGM, I don’t feel bad for any of those guys. I think they got off lightly.
Good round up Gary. The second half represented a serious collapse, even by our low standards. Frightening to think that but for the width of the bar and a squandered penalty Farkes shower would have conceded 5 second half goals.
As this crap season drags on Farke is closing in on Neil’s disastrous run 12 months ago, which bizarrely didn’t see the end of his reign.
The description of players working out their notice is painful and depressing, as well as true. What a shame we can’t serve notice to that tapeworm Jarvis or the lesser spotted Naismith. One wonders what January will bring, with oliveira and Murphy seemingly having downed tools. Will smith try and cash in early?
I suspect next week could well spell the end for herr Farke, sacrificed in the short term to assuage the growing mood of anger at the circus running the club. Quite what Webber and co would replace the German with is a good question, the phrase poison chalice was made for this soon to be vacant situation.
Sad, because an English manager with some knowledge of this level of football would easily be able to navigate this squad to 16 th position and safety by simply doing what Alan Irvine did last year. Ironically as the only ambition left at the club is to avoid the third tier Alex Neil would be ideal for this task.
The propensity of this board to,ignore toxic atmospheres, pitch side failure and declining crowds shouldn’t be underestimated Gary. One thing we can agree on is that their heads will remain in the sand or stuck in some other orifice while Rome burns fiercely. What will eventually do for smith and her gang is when that declining income hits her so hard in the purse that she is unable to continue with her hobby and the club is effectively taken away from her. Just how much damage the smiths do before that happens is a moot point.
This so called “project” has already run it’s pitiful course, the brief flicker of life when unlikely away wins were garnered is sandwiched between some of the most agonising muck witnessed since smith took over the club and that’s saying something. The performances and results at carrow road defy any description that Gary would print.
Next week Sheffield,Wednesday roll up. Hands up who fancies city for a home win?
The continuous failure is unbearable. Time has come to sweep the whole damn lot of them out of the club from top to bottom and start again.
We are a striker short of being a half decent side. Confidence is obviously in short supply but goals change things very quickly.
I refuse to write off this project this early. It’s not that long ago that we went to The Emirates and pretty well played them off the park.
If I can see that, pretty sure Messrs Webber and Farke can do as well.
Hang in there, keep the faith.
I’m clearly going to be in the minority, but I still felt there were positives in the performance. I felt we should really have taken a point from the game but there were clearly errors. However, whatever else the team can be accused of, I don’t think anyone downed tools & it certainly didn’t look like the players had lost faith & given up. For that reason, nor have I.
The Cardiff game was the first one I’ve been able to go to since Reading and as such, you could make an argument either way about how well I’m placed to take a view on recent events, However I’ll aim to stay positive as long as I can
Agree with most of the comments on here today. I loved the “romance” of Farke & Co. coming in and proving Webber right, but its just not working. He talks a good game but it soon became clear he had little knowledge and background of the brutal English league that is the Championship. We’re simply too predictable and however good some of our best players are we’ve been sussed out long ago and a game plan to beat us is relatively simple. Need a lot of luck now and some season-saving loan players to stop the rot. It’s clear you cannot survive in the top two divisions without investment.