Andy Munro on Blues’ weekend trip abroad.
Blues have never really had a good record over the border and with a generally in-form Cardiff side desperate to improve their home form it was predictable that we would oblige accordingly.
Gary Rowett set out the side, as usual with one up front but good manager though he is, the Rowett family motto certainly isn’t ‘Only the Brave’. In fairness to Blues, Cardiff are still living off the fat of the Premier League and with players like Kenwyn Jones to call on, it was always going to be an uneven contest unless our players could raise their own personal bar. This they singularly failed to do, which was a bit of an insult to the hardy travelling band of Bluenoses.
Spector was again culpable, certainly for the penalty which virtually killed the game and the return of the Morro can’t come soon enough. Meanwhile, we seem to offer little threat up front with Donaldson working his socks off up front in his lone role but lacking support.
Playing one up front only works if that player is supported with a box to box goal scoring midfielder. A Championship version of the Hammers’ Nolan would be preferable to the lightweight scheming role that is Shinnie’s or Tesche. It’s also noticeable that when one winger gets the ball wide, the other isn’t brave enough to get where it hurts in the box.
I suppose the other main criticism is Rowett’s insistence of flogging the dead horse that’s Dyer instead of risking using Ziggy as an extra weapon. Mind you, when he does bring him on, the manager should be telling Ziggy to get in the box for Cotterill’s crosses rather than dawdling somewhere between the opposition penalty area and the halfway line, tempting the aimless long ball.
In truth, despite the mantra of “We’re not safe yet” and “They’re playing for their futures”, the players seemed to have lost their hunger. To make matters worse, the Bromsgrove Mourinho was sent to the stands following the type of touchline incident that the genuine article might have been involved in. Let’s hope that he doesn’t get a touchline ban having heard a Clarkesque radio interview with Assistant Summerfield…not a voice likely to inspire.
Whatever the players think, it’s certainly not over with the fat lady yet to even clear her throat. Rotherham is now a massive game with the hungry Wolves lying in wait shortly afterwards.