The Lentil

King Whitts: City 2-0 Crystal Palace

2011-11-05T19:35:00.003Z

This was a tough match for City (are there any easy matches in this division?), but on the back of a 3-0 away win at Derby in the week, even a Palace side that hadn't conceded in their last six matches shouldn't have put any fear into the Bluebirds.

Malky Mackay is moulding this squad into a genuinely tough to beat side, with a team ethic that has been starkly lacking in Dave Jones' sides of the past few seasons.

As was fitting for Bonfire Night, this started off as a slow burner, but burst into life and left City's faithful dazzled by the sparklers provided by a fantastic 2-0 win.

In truth, the first period was a fairly turgid affair for City bar one Miller glanced header and a thunderous shot from Whittingham that cannoned off the bar. Heaton, in for the ill Marshall, was the busier of the two keepers, as City struggled to win second ball, hold onto possession or pass with any accuracy.

However, in the second period City started to pick up the pace, and with great effect. Miller was put through one on one with Speroni, who had been inspired against us at CCS last year, and it looked like he was in the same form as he denied Miller's effort. That though was the spark that lit the blue touchpaper, and thereafter, City were virtually unstoppable.

On 69 minutes Taylor put the ball to the ever industrious McNaughton who layed the ball off to Miller who finished clinically with a shot across Speroni, the first goal Palace had conceded in over 550 minutes of play. But just 11 minutes later they'd conceded again. Nauts was up-ended outside the box to the right, and in prime Whittingham territory, City's King-Pin hit a beautiful shot right into the top corner with Speroni flailing and failing to get to the ball.

Despite a too late rally by Palace, City kept a second consecutive clean sheet. It looks like the back four are finally beginning to gel - some mistakes still, but with the assured Heaton marshalling the defence, there were few worries in the second period.

All the players were great today, but Whittingham was magnificent, pulling the strings and creating the guile City needed to break down a good defence.

Make no mistake. City are far from the finished article, but this tops off a very decent return of results as we go into an international break. City will be full of confidence, Mackay will be very pleased with his charges, and dare we say it - has City's November hoodoo finally been put to rest?

City lie a comfortable 4th, although Birmingham way down in 12th, but only six points behind have an incredible four games in hand. At this stage of the season would I have taken that? I'd have bitten your hand off.

Up the City!

Great win: Derby 0-3 City

2011-11-03T16:19:00.003Z

Usually I'd be all over this - a three nil win for City away. And fantastic though it was, I just haven't got the enthusiasm to write about this see post below for the reason why).

So read about it here.

Ups and downs

2011-11-03T16:06:00.003Z

It's been a funny old few weeks. Well not so funny really, not funny at all.

Work has been rough. Very, very busy, things going wrong that shouldn't have and just generally draining. Beginning to look like things are turning a corner though.

Me & Mrs H both bought new cars in the last months as well (well new second user cars - who the hell can afford a new, new car these days?). Then, two weeks after she picked hers up, a lovely black Fiesta Titanium, some woman side swiped her pulling out into her as she was driving along the main road. Fortunately no-one injured (both my wife & daughter were in the car). The car was repairable, and she picked it up from the accident repair centre last Friday.

Then today, just three weeks after picking my new (one year old) Mondeo up, driving to work along the M4, I could see traffic ahead slowing but then the car in front of me just stopped, because the car in front of them just stopped, and though we weren't going fast, and I thought there was plenty of gap between me and the car in front, there wasn't. Smack. Three airbags deployed, front of my car a mess (their car hardly a scratch by the look of it). Again, and the main thing, no-one injured, though I was pretty shaken (have you ever been in a car with three airbags going off? They make a hell of a bang). No idea yet if the car is repairable.

So I'm pretty hacked off at the moment. We must have offended the God's somewhere along the way these last few weeks.

Sublime (and a bit awful): City 5-3 Barnsley

2011-10-22T17:48:00.005+01:00

After Tuesday's disappointing loss at London Rd, having been ahead with 3 minutes to play, City were looking to bounce back against Barnsley at the CCS today.

With Miller back from injury, Malky chose to play the diminutive striker at the head of a 4-5-1 formation with the returning McPhail in the centre. Still at central defence were Hudson & Turner, needing to build on a fledgling partnership that had conceded six goals in the previous two games. Despite the somewhat conservative formation for a home match, City looked bright early doors, and took only 10 minutes to go ahead after Miller calmly slotted past Steele after a superb pass from Don Cowie. Soon after Miller had a glancing header superbly saved by Steele, and from the resulting corner with City looking in control, Miller was forced off after a clash with team mate Turner in the box. Much to the surprise of many, it was Mason not Earnshaw that replaced him. He immediately had an impact when running at the Barnsley defence he was hacked down just outside the area. Whittingham lined up the kick, and his powerful shot was parried only for Mason to react quickest. 2-0 City.

Almost immediately however the Tykes equalised, when former City loanee Dany Drinkwater's free kick was wickedly deflected past the helpless Marshall. But the Tykes jubilation lasted only a couple of minutes as City pressed again, with Mason influential, and the ball came to Gunnarsson who teed up a volley and rifled it past Steele who had no chance. 3-1 City at half time.

Barnsley made three subs at the start of the second half, but it made little difference, as City were in complete control, playing some sublime football.On the hour Mason played the pass of the game to put Cowie through, and after he rounded Steele and poked home it was 4-1. Gunnarsson then made it 5-1 on 71 minutes flicking home Taylor's cross. Barnsley looked long dead and buried, and had nothing to offer, and City fans were expecting every run forward to result in a goal. But a needless corner given away by Taylor's flicked header on 82minutes was nodded home almost in slow motion with City's defence static, and four minutes later, City were again all at sea as they failed to clear and Vaz Te fired home. So 5-3 from 5-1 up, and City were suddenly on the back foot and looked a bit rocky. But they held out, and the game finished with that scoreline.

For 90% of the game City were outstanding. The 4-5-1 formation worked superbly (until McPhail went off when it started to go a bit pear shaped), and although it could be argued that Barnsley were poor, it was because City controlled the game. Mason particularly was outstanding, and there were terrific performances from Cowie, Whittingham, McPhail and Gunnarsson.

It's probably not fair to pick holes when we've won, especially when we won so convincingly, but there are negatives, and Malky will surely want to sort these out. McNaughton is a fantastic defender - possibly one of the best right backs in the division, but his distribution is pants. In the first 30 minutes, every time he got the ball his final pass gave possession away. And at the back, although it could be argued that Hudosn & Turner are building a working relationship, they've presided over 9 goals being conceded in the last three matches, and that is just not good enough.

Still, three points and +2 goal difference from the match IS positive. Cut out the crap goals being given away, and City are a force to be reckoned with.

An old boy and a Jack: City 2-2 Ipswich

2011-10-15T20:01:00.005+01:00

After waiting a couple of weeks for City to play because of the international break, I was denied watching this match because a stupid woman drove into my wife's car an hour before k.o. and I had to assist with sorting the resulting problems. Thankfully, and the main thing, both my wife and daughter who were just driving along the main road at the time were both ok. The car, which my wife has only had two weeks, a shiny black Fiesta Titanium is now a less shiny black and bent Titanium.

As for the match, I was kept up to date by radio and my son who managed to get to the stadium whilst I made my way back to the scene of the accident.

With Miller still sidelined Gestede and Earnshaw started up front, and it was the tall Frenchman who headed City aheadon 19 mins. But Ipswich were always threatening with former City legend Chopra, and ex-Jack Jason Scotland up front, and it was little surprise when the latter shot low to level on 30 minutes. It seems City were relieved to get in at half time without conceding. But, almost inevitably, on 51 minutes City old boy Michael Chopra nodded home to put the Tractor boys ahead. It seemed City were struggling, but fortune shone on them when referee Whitestone (who according to most people I've heard, including the commentators had a shocker) pointed tot he spot on 72 minutes for a handball offence. Peter Whittingham calmly slotted to make it 2-2. Shortly after Kevin McNaughton was brought down in the box, but the ref it appeared had given his quota of pens for the day.

So 2-2. I'd probably have taken that before a ball was kicked.

It's Miller time!: City 2-1 Southampton

2011-09-29T21:35:00.002+01:00

A third match in a week, a squad laid bare by injuries and the top of the table side visiting. Hardly a recipe for optimism. Indeed, my son predicted a drubbing, whilst I was for once strangely buoyed with optimism. A 2-1 win I told him before the match, and when we bumped into a Twitter chum (@bennifactor) who was also thinking we'd be lucky to get away with even a draw, he asked me why I was so optimistic.

Well, for one, Southampton have to lose sometime I said. Secondly, though fielding a weakened side, the work ethic Malky has instilled means this bunch of City players never say die. Thirdly, I was clutching at straws.

And so it seemed as for the first 5 minutes of the match as the Saints players passed the ball with ease as City players ran around like headless chickens trying, In the main unsuccessfully to get a touch.

But City settled, and Southampton, despite creating chances, were profligate. In truth there wasn't much to the first half, which seemed much like the Leicester match a few days earlier. Peter Whittingham also had three chances from free kicks around the box, but frankly never got close.

I was impressed by the Gunnarsson/Kiss midfield, the defence was solid (for the most part), but Mason wasn't getting much joy, and Miller looked like he's done most of the season. Hard working, but with an awful first touch and no killer instinct (apart from that goal against West Ham on the first day).

But n 56 minutes the game changed. Marshall collected a ball and immediately punted long for Miller to chase. For once his kick was accurate, and Miller running down the full back just beat the advancing Kelvin Davis to nod the ball past him and into the empty net. 1-0 City.

That was surely the prompt for the visitors to up their game. They had been guilty of spectacular time-wasting to that point, especially Davis in the Southampton goal. Quite how referee Gibbs hadn't booked him for this as early as the first half I'll never know - you could have made a cup of tea as he prepared to make his goal kicks - but I guess the reason was the same one I moan about every week. The ref and his assistants were agin poor in my opinion, and weak.

Still Southampton didn't get chance to press, and 7 minutes later a beautiful Gunnarsson pass set Miller free to slide the ball in for number 2, and City were in heaven.

Going 2 down did spark the visitors into life, and with Chaplow coming on, they suddenly looked more creative. Southampton suddenly had all the possession, and wave after wave of attacks on the City goal looked threatening. Chaplow shaved the post with a shot, Lambert missed a couple of headers, and Marshall kept Lallana out with a cracking save with his legs.

When the 4th official indicated 5 minutes injury time, things looked relatively sen up, but suddenly De Ridder was put through, and controlling the ball wonderfully with his hands, unseen by Mr Gibbs and Co, slotted past Marshall, leaving a couple of nervy minutes for City to see out. They did though, and make no bones about this, this was a wonderful win for City. The only downsides were both McNaughton, who battled hard all night (and was battered all night) and Kiss both limping off.

A brilliant performance by City, and the fans and Malky should rightly be proud of this performance.

Is anyone fit?: City 0-0 Leicester

2011-09-25T17:26:00.006+01:00

After the excitement of the Carling Cup match between these two sides in midweek, or rather the penalty shoot-out which City won 7-6, the match being a pretty dull affair for the most part, two very different looking sides took to the pitch this afternoon.

Malky started with the same 4-5-1 formation that did so well against Blackpool last week, whilst Sven kept only Matt Mills from the Foxes starting XI in midweek.

The first 20 minutes was a pretty turgid affair, our midfield nullifying theirs, and I can't remember us actually getting into their box in that time. But then Conway took a tumble and looked like he'd done his ankle, and limped off to be replaced by Earnie. Straight away we looked more potent, but our change in formation with Miller pushed wide right also opened it up for Leicester. There weres some efforts from both sides before Earnie cleared one of the line (so that's why he stays back at corners), but on 41 minutes, the sub was subbed as Earnie got injured. On came fans favourite Rudy Gestede. Though raw, he works hard and looks to have bags of potential. 0-0 at half time.

When the teams came out for the second period, City had made another enforced change with Darcy Blake coming on for skipper Hudson. I admit I was worrying now. Three players injured, and no subs left by the start of the second half.

City though looked the better side in the second period, and challenged for long periods without ever really forcing Schmiechel into a save. Kevin McNaughton looks more attacking this season, and though his final ball is often poor, he is clearly creating, and on one occasion squared a ball that Gestede really should have put away. Whitts had a couple of free kicks but didn't force a save. With Leicester finishing the stronger in the last 10 minutes, only some last ditch tackling kept a clean sheet, but which time Gestede was hobbling on one leg, and at the final whistle McNaughton was off the field with blood pouring from his face.

So a hard earned point, with not a lot of quality about the game. Malky's immediate concern will be finding 11 fit players for Wednesday's showdown with League leaders Southampton. In the last week we've lost Taylor, and McPhail and now there must be doubts about Conway, Earnshaw, Hudson and Gestede. With Parkin at loan at Doncaster, the cupboard is beginning to look pretty bare for the City manager especially with Miller continuing to look out of touch.

Up the City.

A winning draw? Blackpool 1-1 City

2011-09-18T11:32:00.003+01:00

I'm afraid I struggled to keep up with events at Bloomfield Road yesterday, even via Twitter as I and Mrs H were in the company of friends at a brilliant wedding

Nevertheless, grabbed snatches of news via Twitter, texts and the Sky Sports footie app, told me we'd gone ahead via a Don Cowie header, only to be pegged back to 1-1 via a Kevin Phillips "stunner" that he later admitted had been an intended cross. The BBC report is here.

Bloomfield Road is always a tough place to go - we didn't win there for something like 30 years until very recently, and before the match I'd have probably taken a point. But the news feeding back from both players and fans alike is that we truly deserved to win, so it's a shame that we didn't come away with all three points.

Malky seems to be shaping the side nicely, and showed some variation as he played 5 across midfield with Gunnarsson replacing Earnshaw.

Couple of tough games coming up now - both against Leicester, as we take them on in the beer cup on Wednesday, followed by the League match on Saturday.

Scrappy - but a win: City 2-0 Doncaster

2011-09-10T18:36:00.010+01:00

It seems an age since City last played, and on the pitch it looked like they hadn't played for a while too.

Before we get to the match though, a couple of other matters.

Firstly, and tragically, the death of Cardiff City fan Mikey Dye at Wembley has shadowed a lot of people's thoughts. Around the pubs, and stadium collections were being taken for his family, and outside the "Ninian" Gate, fans and the club had laid scarves, flags, wreaths and other assorted City memorabilia in his honour. A minutes applause was held before the game started and was very well observed. Whatever the circumstances surrounding his death, and these have yet to be established, this is a shocking event.

Also, last night the father of Swansea City's manager Brendan Rogers' passed away, and when this was announced there was also generous acknowledgement. Something that perhaps we might not have seen a few years ago, and possibly something that says although rivalry on the pitch is fine, off it, respect is beginning to show through.

Elsewhere, fans of the View From The Ninian podcast (what do you mean you've never heard of it! Get it here) who are also "Twitterers" met up at the Ninian Pub for the first "@ViewFromTheNin" tweetup.

As well as myself and @ministats, there was @rhodrielisjones, @bennifactor, a couple who's

name I didn't get and the VFTN lads themselves, Adam & Ben. It was great to put some faces to names and meet the legends who are View From The Ninian. The photo shows @ministats with Adam (left) & Ben. Thanks lads!

So, on to the game. I fancied City to win this comfortable, and when Earnie hit the post inside the first minute (he should have scored) and then within seconds a last ditch leg out from a Donny defender slid the ball agonisingly wide of what would have been a terrific own goal, things were looking rosy. But, it has to be said, that was about as exciting as it got in the rest of the first half. City starting with the same XI that started at Pompey looked nervous, static and when the did get the ball, largely bereft of ideas. Only Whittinhgam looked like he'd woken up this morning knowing he had a match to play. Miller & Earnie just aren't working as a front pair, and surely it's not long before Malky starts with Gestede instead of one of the diminutive pair. At the back there were a few hairy moments, as Gerrard in particualr looked slow and with the ball at his feet, well......let's just say the View From the Nin lads perspective that he likes headers is because he can't kick a ball to save his life at the moment.

So 0-0 at half time, and frankly Donny looking brighter and having forced Marshall into the save of the half.

After the break though, things warmed up a bit. City who's best player by a mile remains Peter Whittingham won a free kick wide on the right. Whitts hit a screaming cross in that was met by he who loves headers (Gerrard) and it was 1-0! Good job it didn't fall to his feet!

That relaxed City, but they still looked ill at ease, sitting deep and allowing Doncaster far too much of the ball.

The introduction of Aaron Gunnarsson for Blake in midfield settled things though, and the Icelander immediately looked at ease doing what City should have been doing all afternoon. Collecting the ball and playing an easy lay off to a free player. Indeed it may have been Gunnarsson (I can't remember specifically) who set Miller free , who again should have done better but eventually squared the ball where Whittingham found Earnshaw to slot home from 6 yards.

That goal was crucial. It killed the game, but importantly gave Earnie a goal and confidence after his howler against England at Wembley.

So three points, but it was never vintage City. I thought Whitts had a good game, but unfortunately not enough of the others were on his level. Gunnarsson looked good when he came on, as did Gestede, and as I said earlier, Malky really must start with him soon.

Miller it has to be said was awful. His first touch let him down all day - as it has all season. I know what he can do, but he hasn't shown it yet. Whether that's because he & Earnie are too similar I don't know. Gerrard needs to learn to kick a ball, or let someone else take free kicks from the half way line. His one attempt which flew right into touch just about summed up his kicking day, although I suppose we have to forgive him as he scored our opener!

However, for the moment, it's a win and 6th spot, and that's what counts.

Up the City.

Daveja Vu? City target Sky Blues Turner

2011-08-30T18:41:00.003+01:00

This sounds a bit like a Dave Jones strategy. Identify a player who hasn't played for (insert any amount of time here, but usually a long time), and aim to get them into City.

This happened so often under Jones, who shrewd though he often was in the transfer and loan market often bought players in who had a history of injury, only for them never to see the light of day in a City shirt - at least not in any real sense.

Today news that Cardiff are targeting Ben Turner, a former Coventry academy player, was their player of the year in 2008/9, but who hasn't played since November 2010 after undergoing surgery on a knee injury.

It's obviously early days, and before we write this off it's worth remembering that:

We haven't signed him yet
Birmingham are apparently also in the hunt for Turner
Malky Mackay isn't Dave Jones

Other rumours suggest that City's out of favour striker "Big" Jon Parkin, who hasn't had a look in under Malky apart from the Carling Cup matches might be going the other way as part of a possible deal.

With transfer deadline day approaching fast it'll be interesting to see what Malky can achieve, and me and the rest of the fans can only wait with bated breath.

Honours even: Portsmouth 1-1 City

2011-08-28T11:33:00.003+01:00

I can't comment overly on this match as I've been so busy I didn't see or hear the match, and only have picked up what's been on the BBC website report.

Pompey is always a tough place to go, a cliche maybe but true. From what I've heard it was probably a fair result. Nice to see Andrew Taylor get off the mark - goals coming from everywhere this season which is always good to see, but I guess ultimately disappointing to lose the lead once we had it.

Still, I think it's been a pretty decent start to City's campaign all told, and I've been impressed with the manager and the players and their approach.

Up the City!

Apple: Innovative, dominant or just control freaks?

2011-08-24T20:44:00.005+01:00

Despite their über cool kit, and oh so easy to use OS's, Apple have a habit of rubbing it's own users up the wrong way from time to time.

One of the things that irritates a lot of people about the iPhone and iOS, is Apple's insistence on approving everything, and apparently vetoing apps that it thinks are too similar to it's own offerings. They usually cite the need for control and having a closed ecosystem does have positives, but I struggle to understand the rationale why when developers are coding better apps than Apple can provide.

Now I think it's fair to say that the general consensus, certainly amongst nearly all the iPhone users I know, personally and online, is that the iPhone's default calendar app is pretty crap.

There are all sorts of things that someone who makes a lot of use of a calendar (which is most of us I guess), that the in-built offering can't do. It's views are limited, it can't set a default alarm for new entries, and more.

So inevitably a plethora of alternative have sprung up. Some are relatively simplistic like Agenda and some like Pocket Informant try to cram loads of features in.

I like the principle of the default app but want something a bit more. Utilitap's Week Cal fits the bill perfectly and I've been using it for some months. I particularly like the the various views the app offers.

Tonight I noticed there was another update for this in the App Store , but imagine my suprise when checking the details of the update, its said, and I quote:

Apple ordered us to change the old month and change the day overview from Week Calendar. We had no choice but to comply, otherwise there would be no Week Calendar app anymore

This is astounding.

Apple must be aware that users want more from the in-built Calendar app - if they don't their head is in the sand. They are clearly aware that there are better apps than theirs out there. But to make a developer remove functionality and stubbornly fail to develop their own app to provide the functionality that users want (unless by some miracle it's coming in the iPhone 5) beggars belief and is arrogance in the extreme.

I am seeing more and more people starting to talk about the closed nature of the iOS system as a problem rather than a plus. If Apple keep doing this, developers will get fed up, and they'll go and code for Android (if they're not already).

Apple needs to take a long hard look at itself in relation to this. Idiots.

I've "downgraded" Week Cal with the latest update, but I'm never going back to the default Calendar app. It's been long consigned to an "unused apps" folder, along interestingly with the default weather app, the default stocks app.....get my drift?

A crazy night: City 5-3 Huddersfield

2011-08-24T08:33:00.007+01:00

This was a crazy night at CCS. City, in control of the game at 2-0 after two good goals from Gyepes and Parkin, almost threw the match away on a terrible mistake from on the night captain Paul Quinn, who gifted the ball to Rhodes who shot low past Heaton to pull Huddersfield back into the match.

A second soft goal after City failed to clear made it 2-2 and with their tails up, Huddersfield went ahead through Rhodes again, with just minutes remaining (although he looked offside to everyone except the officials and Huddersfield fans and staff).

Amazingly, Cowie levelled it in the last minute of normal time to take the tie into extra time.

At the 90 minute whistle it was clear to see the devastation on the lower league side, as they thought they'd won it, and from that point there was only going to be one winner.

Conway added a second in the first period of ET, before Cowie wrapped it up towards the end. By then, Quinn was almost immobile with cramp, Gestede was running on empty, and everyone looked shattered, and understandably so, perhaps with the exception of Cowie who looks fitter than a butcher's dog.

City will be grateful to be through (unlike those Premiership teams who want to be out of the competition - yes Mr Warnock that's you). They should have breezed this, and were cruising at 2-0 before Quinn's aberration. There are still too many lapses in defence for me, but there are some real bright spots.

Young Joe Ralls looks an amazing prospect with his vision and skill. 1st XI regulars Cowie & Conway were superb, Keinan had a decent game as did Blake for the most part and Gestede looked good. Parkin was great for 30 minutes, and took his goal well, but I do fear for his long term prospects at City.

Malky replaced Parkin from Miller on 64 minutes and Ralls for Whittingham on 81 minutes and when the score was 2-2, presumably hoping to wrap up the game, but that was before Huddersfield re-wrote the script. However, it was Whitts composure and guile that eventually saw City through ably assisted by Cowie's never say die attitude.

This was ultimately impressive by City, with a determination to see the game out that sometimes was lacking under Jones and the previous squad. It's not perfect though. We need more consistency in defence, and are leaking too many easy and giveaway goals.

Still, for the moment, lets revel in a fantastic night with plenty of goals. I wonder how many of the "fans" who left when Huddersfield scored their 3rd on 88 mins missed a City win and another to goals? It's never over until the fat lady sings.....

Blooobirds!

Dogged draw: Burnley 1-1 City

2011-08-20T17:05:00.003+01:00

City fought out a tough draw at Turf Moor today after the home side got off to a rapid start courtesy of a free header for Austen inside 2 minutes.

That put City on the back foot, and the radio commentary talked of a sluggishness and tiredeness about City, which is a it worrying only 2 weeks into the season.

City appeared to be struggling to put any rhythm together whilst Burnley were quick on the break. Anthony Gerrard seemed to be lucky to get away with a rash challenge midway through the first half, with Radio Wales suggesting he was lucky to get away with a straight red.

You can't count City out though, and on 40 minutes Earnie popped up for a tap in to draw the sides level.

Listening on the radio, it sounded a fairly open match, although most of the attacking seemed to be coming from the Burnley players. Malky made some changes with Blake for Mason and Gestede for Earnie, (no Parkin on the bench - presumably his twitter rant still rankling with Mackay).

The defence still sounds dodgy I have to say. Nauts has yet to find his usual imperious form, and it seems doubts still remain about Gerrard. Mackay has said he wants another three or so players, and it's clear amongst those is a defender, and probably a striker. The Miller/Earnshaw partnership isn't one made in heaven, and whilst Gestede has potential, Malky is yet to risk starting with him, and Parkin seems persona non grata in the League at least. Maybe a booming performance from the big man on Tuesday in the Carling Cup, assuming he starts may make the manager think differently.

In the end, Malky will probably be happy with a draw against a decent side on their turf. There's a bit of light relief next Tuesday with a home tie in the beer cup against Huddersfield, before another away trip to Portsmouth.

So a steady start to the season for Bluebirds.

Honeymoon over: City 1-3 Brighton

2011-08-17T22:23:00.003+01:00

City were undone by a flock of seagulls tonight at CCS.

Malky Mackay's honeymoon period is over. After destroying a poor Bristol City side on Sunday (who incidentally managed to be Leicester away tonight), City were never able to reproduce the scintillating football of that match.

Brighton look a good side. They've (mostly) been together a yearor so, and won League One last term, and clearly have a manager in Gus Poyet who has transferred his playing ability into management ability.

The Seagulls looked comfortable for all but a 10 minute period in the middle of the fist half, when it looked like City, unchanged except for Mason for the injured Gunnarsson were beginning to raise the tempo, but a suicidal crossfield ball from Mr Reliable Kevin McNaughton gave Barnes a virtual one on one with Marshall and his finish was deadly accurate. By then though, Brighton had shown their intent, having had one ruled out for offside, and three more close line decisions having gone against them.

City, playing a diamond midfield were never at the races, giving Brighton the chance t utilise the space and pace of Mackail-Smith. It was he who turned Hudson inside out, and then won looked a fairly soft penalty which made it 2-0. As City chased the game, even more space opened up and Hoskins broke away to shoot past Marshall on the angle who probably should have saved it. Whittingham got a consolation goal from the spot, but 3-1 was probably a fair reflection on the game. Cynics might say Brighton made few chances. True - only four or five attempts that I can recall. The difference was they put three of those away and didn't need to create any more.

City looked out of sorts from Sunday's performance. Marshall insisted on booting the ball up the middle from goal kicks to Earnshaw & Miller, combined height 2ft 4 inches against the ginat Brighton centre backs. When we did get possession we were wasteful, and in truth at times we looked tired - but we were chasing the game from early on.

My view, for what it's worth is Miller and Earnshaw aren't working. It should be one (my preference is Earnie on the three games I've seen), plus Gestede, who did more in his 23 minutes on the park than Miller did in 90. The midfield needs to be stronger. It's nice not to see a rigid 4-4-2, but with Whittingham deep and Mason at the tip of the diamond there's a huge hole that was exploited to the full by Brighton tonight.

Still it's early days. We were never ging to win everything, and it'll test both the players and more importantly the new manager to see how we respond to this defeat.

Swans learn a tough lesson

2011-08-15T21:56:00.003+01:00

Manchester City 4-0 Swansea

I'm not going to gloat. I'm not. Well maybe just a bit.

The Jacks learnt the hard way of the gulf in class between the Championship and the Premiership as they were soundly beaten 4-0 away at the Etihad Stadium by Manchester City.

Much though local rivalry prevents me from admitting it, I was, and remain impressed by Swansea's style of football. Get the ball down and pass it. And for 20 minutes or so this evening, they looked if not comfortable, not madly out of their depth.

But then Man City turned up through the gears, and it pretty much became a backs to the wall effort. How the richest side in the UK if not the world weren't up at half time no -one but perhaps new Jacks 'keeper Vorm knows.

After the break it was more of the same, and inevitably the floodgates burst. First Dzeko who should have scored in the first half from close range, and then the man who's going to make all the headlines. Aguero, £35m of Argentine brilliance. Talk about an instant impact. One goal, an assist for Silva for City's 3rd and then in the dying embers of the game a screamer to make it 4-0. It wasn't a hat-trick, but ref Mike Dean must have thought it good enough as he handed the ball to City's new superstar (move over Balotelli) at the final whistle.

Swansea were never in it after the first 20. The question is can they in the oft repeated words of former Cardiff manager Dave Jones, "get up, dust themselves down and move on"?

Only time will tell. I think they will have enough to beat some sides this year, but on today's performance, when they come up against the big boys, it's going to be hard....very hard.

And before any Swans fans accuse me of dissing them when Cardiff aren't even in the Premiership, I know that. I'm trying to be objective here. Honestly. Any team might have found it hard tonight. It was Swansea's tough luck it was them.

Super City: City 3-1 Bristol City

2011-08-14T18:12:00.007+01:00

Cardiff City followed up last weeks away win at West Ham with a highly impressive 3-1 demolition of Bristol City in front of over 22,000 at CCS, Malky Mackay's competitive home debut as manager.

Fielding the same starting eleven and bench as last week, hopes were high, but after only 10 minutes Mackay's tactical nous was being tested as enforcing midfielder Gunnarsson left the pitch with a nasty looking ankle injury. I suppose I was expecting him to be replaced with Quinn, a full back, and shifting Andrew Taylor up into midfield - perhaps something that would have happened under Dave Jones, but no, Mackay instead brought on the young striker Joe Mason. Immediately he had an impact, running at the Bristol defence he was fouled first by McAllister and then Spence, both drawing yellow cards inside his first few minutes on the pitch.

This period of play galvanised City, and a few minutes later they were in front after Conway's sublime cross was nodded past former England 'keeper David James at the far post after the Robin's defence went awol.

Cardiff were rampant now, and everything just kept coming back at Bristol. Their passes went astray, City cleaned up and pressed harder. Whittingham was pulling the strings in midfield, with outlets left and right. It was no surprise that 5 minutes after the opener, Joe Mason ran at the defence, sent a ball across the face of goal 20 yards out that Conway hit beautifully into the bottom corner for 2-0.Even at this early stage, the City fans were giving it the 'ole", and giving David' James a bit of stick with repeated chants of "England's No. 1".

And more was to come, when Cowie's poweful shot was parried by James, then went loose leaving returning legend Earnshaw the simplest of tap ins for City's 3rd, followed by his trademark somersault. David James should probably have been booked for his reaction, kicking the ball right out of the stadium, but in truth, the defence in front of him was pretty dire, and his handling wasn't great, so a lot to be annoyed and frustrated about.

For City fans, after the often dogged and sometimes downright stubborness of a Dave Jones side, it was so refreshing to see City players rushing into the box when we attacked, and those same players fighting back to defend every time Bristol attacked - which in truth wasn't very often. How many times last season did we see precisely no-one in the box when we attacked? A lot.

However, warning signs are still there. A couple of times the Robins thrust forward, and in truth should have pulled one back after Marshall was forced to make a great close save, only to see the ball hooked back to Pitman, who managed to hit the bar from about 3 yards out with an open goal begging.

After the break, things were understandably more restrained. City had the job almost done, and Kieth Millen had obviously re-organised his disheveled Robins at half time. He brought on the diminutive Campbell-Rice who attacked down the right, and started to give Taylor and Cowie something to think about. Stead also came on - someone who's haunted City in the past, and to give credit to the Robins, they did start to threaten. Eventually it told when Campbell-Rice's cross was picked up by Maynard on the corner of the 6 yard box, and he neatly turned Gerrard and fired past Marshall.

But it was a consolation goal for Bristol, no more. City had the ball in the net through Mason less than a minute later, but it was ruled offside.

Last week's super-sub, Gestede came on, and though he didn't make the same impact, he gave Bristol something else to think about.

City saw the game out comfortably enough, and that win sees them top of the table after two games. Man of the match? The fans vote was Joe Mason, who has been christened by the faithful "Joe Messi". Hard to argue with that the way he impacted the game, but in truth, any one of the eleven could have got it today. They were magnificent.

Brighton will be a sterner test on Wednesday. Bristol City I think will have their work cut out this year unless Keith Millen can sort that horrible defence out.

As for City? Well, at the moment, Malky can do no wrong. Two wins from two games, goals from around the team, passion, or as we like to say here in Cardiff "passhun", a vocal, clearly passionate manager. Life is good. We're not complacent, there's an awful long way to go, but after the performance today, I'm looking forward to the journey.

Up the City!

Miller's Hammer blow: West Ham 0-1 City

2011-08-07T15:06:00.005+01:00

Cardiff City started their 2011/2012 Championship campaign with a 1-0 win away to title favourites West Ham courtesy of a late strike by Scottish international Kenny Miller.

City fans probably are still not sure where to pitch their hopes for the season with a new manager and almost completely new squad in place, but if today's performance is anything to go by, they should have no fears, and could well be in contention come April/May next year.

West Ham certainly had the best of the first half an hours play, but City gradually came into the game and arguably finished the first period stronger. City grew in confidence and generally passed the ball well, with Hudson and Gerrard at the back having no real scares, giving Marshall, preferred in goal to Heaton a relatively comfortable time. City pressed on a few occasions with Miller and Robert Earnshaw not really getting a major chance. It was evident that Gunnarson is no Andy Legg, as his two long trhow efforts went straight behind for a goal kick.

The BBC coverage I have to say was a bit poor. Dave Jones was one of the pundits, and though not everyone likes him, it was a bit harsh to hear Gabby Logan questioning him on how the current City team compared to his. All other commentators/pundits were generally fawning over West Ham, who undoubtedly have the quality with the likes of Nolan, Cole, Parker, Collinson etc.

In the second period the game began to open up a little, and the Hammers had the best chances. Piquionne hitting the bar, and Whittingham clearing one off the line with his knee. Marshall made several good stops, including a fizzer from Matt Taylor.

Mackay changed things around, bringing on tall Frenchman Rudy Gestede for Earnshaw, and Mason for Conway, and it was Gestede that made the impact. Hi first missed a decent headed chance. His height and strength added a new dimension and a minutes into three of stoppage time he brushed of Piquionne on the touchline, ran into the box and pulled the ball back to Miller. It looked like the ball had gone too far behind him, but he twisted and shot high into the net

through the hands of England 'keeper Robert Green to seal the points and send the travelling City support home in ecstasy.

Make no bones about this. This win a great win for City. Away from home, on national TV, against the favourites for the title in a side packed with genuine Premiership quality.

Every City player deserves credit. They looked and played like a team. They were all outstanding, but my MoM was David Marshall who made a couple of crucial stops.

I'd have settled for a draw, but realistically expected us to lose. To go home with all three points, and having looked generally assured throughout, send all sorts of really positive messages to players, fans, and the wider Championship. Yes it's early days. Yes there are still 45 matches to go, but hey. You can't get sweeter than beating the Hammers on their own patch on opening day.

Bluebirds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Turkey - and I'm not talking Christmas!

2011-08-05T20:37:00.003+01:00

Well we're back from our summer holidays. This year we went all inclusive to Antalya in Turkey.

All the piccies are available here.

It was a fantastic (if very hot) holiday. The hotel, the Delphin Palace, was immense - not just in size, but the food, the staff, the decor. Brilliant.

The temperatures were mad. On the hottest day the temperature guage just outside the pool hit 50C! The lowest it recorded was about 30C, even at night. Every day it was above 40C.

Sadly didn't get to see much of Turkey as only left the complex one day to go into the old town (Kalieci) which was fantastic - all the small bazaars, spice shops etc.

Would we go again? Definitely!

The season dawns. What lies ahead?

2011-08-05T20:30:00.003+01:00

And so the season kicks off again. As I sit watching what has to be said, a fairly droll affair so far between Hull and Blackpool, City's opener is still some way off - a 1pm ko v the Hammers on Sunday.

It's the start of a new era, as the "Malkyasian" revolution begins in earnest. Who knows what ups and downs Cit fans are going to see over the next 10 months or so? Hopefully attractive football with plenty of wins.

I'm still unsure to gauge quite what a good position for us to finish in would be. Heart says the play-offs, head says top 12 in this new era under Malky Mackay with an almost totally rebuilt squad.

One thing's for sure. I'll be there!

Pre-season: City 0-1 Celtic

2011-07-21T13:04:00.003+01:00

The Bluebirds got their home pre-season off to a start against Scottish giants Celtic at the CCS last night.

In Malky Mackay's first home match in charge a crowd of over 10,000 saw City new boys Joe Mason, Arron Gunnarsson, Don Cowie and Andre Taylor start. It was good also to see Anthony Gerrard back in blue. It was also great to see City old boys, Joe Ledlely, Glenn Loovens and Adam Matthews playing back on City turf, albeit for the opposition!

City started very brightly. Big Jon Parkin had a great opportunity but blasted wide, before Gunnarsson glanced the bar with a header and Mason's spectacular volley went just over.

Celtic though took the lead just over the half hour as City gave away possession and Stokes, who's not the tallest beat everyone to the ball to head home past Marshall.

After that it became increasingly difficult for City to fashion many clear cut chances.

After the break, both sides made a raft of changes that inevitably disrupted the flow of the game. A 1-0 defeat isn't a bad result. Mason and Gunnarsson impressed me, Whittingham looked City's classiest player by far. Cowie didn't get enough of the ball, Gerrard & Hudson looked generally solid, Naughts worked his socks off (as usual). Parkin still fails to convince as anything but a lumbering target man (and not a great one at that). The jury is still out on Naylor at left back.

Time will tell, but the players looked keen and happy. No egos out there last night. We need a few more in though, and talk is Kenny Miller is on the verge and having a medical today. Be a good signing I think.

Lion comes to Mac

2011-07-13T21:18:00.003+01:00

The latest iteration of the Apple Mac operating system, "Lion" allegedly comes to UK users at 1am tomorrow morning according to Mactrast.

This is an exciting and major release for Mac users, with a raft of updates, enhancements and general UI developments.

I'm going to be downloading it as soon as I can (though won't be waiting up until 1am to do so), and am looking forward to using it on my Macbook Pro.

Not long now - City v Celtic

2011-07-13T21:13:00.005+01:00

It doesn't seem like that long since that dismal evening when Reading visited the CCS, but this time next week, me and @ministats will be sat in CCS watching the Bluebirds taking on Celtic in a pre season friendly.

Our challenge for the evening will be trying to identify all the new faces that have arrived at the club, replacing Bothroyd, Burke, Chopra, Bellamy, JET, Olifanjana, Samuel etc. One face though that won't need any careful checking of the programme of course is dear old Earnie, back at the club for a second spell.

Its a new look City, with a new manager, and a new season of hope.

I can't wait!

Jay's a Ranger

2011-07-13T21:06:00.003+01:00

As expected Jay Bothroyd has moved on and been snapped up by Neil Warnock at QPR.

Despite my occasional lambasting of JB (mostly for the amount of time he spent lying down), there's no doubt that he did a decent job at City. It's a shame (but has been inevitable for a long time) that he's gone, but I honestly wish him well.

I believe that on occasions he has the ability to wind fans up by comments (OK tweets) that aren't entirely thought through, but he's young (ish) and a footballer, so he's not alone in that by a long chalk. It's also fair to say that he's probably put up with a fair amount of unwarranted abuse (as opposed to banter), including one recently horrific racist remark in a tweet. No one needs or deserves that.

I hope he does a job at QPR. I think it's a better move for him than Everton. Neil Warnock doesn't suffer fools gladly, and I'm sure will manage him in the same way that Dave Jones did here.

STS-135: Shuttle history

2011-07-08T20:18:00.003+01:00

I've always been a fan of space. Sci Fi as well as reality. I remember as a kid watching and following the Apollo missions, the moon landing, the lunar rover, the trials of Apollo 13 (the real life one not the film). I also recall having a magazine called "Speed" I think in which the first ever issue mentioned a re-usable space vehicle, and thinking it would never happen. Well it did, and after 30 years in service (yes, it was that long ago), the final ever shuttle mission blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre as Atlantis set off for the International Space Station (ISS), another wonder in it's own right.

Whatever your views on space flight and exploration, and I'm all for it, it's amazing to see a spacecraft like this launch. One can only speculate at what it's actually like to be on board at launch time. I sneaked a view at the streamed launch on Nasa TV at work today, and my hands were sweaty and my guts tight as the launch loomed. Imagine what those sitting atop all that power were feeling!

This was history in the making. the 135th and final flight of the shuttle program. I rang the kids at home and got them to watch it on the 'net. Maybe it'll be something they remember in years to come. Maybe not. I don't think they were in quite as much awe as me.

Watch the video - it's 9 minutes but the pictures are amazing, right to the end when the main external fuel tank separates. Who'd have thought when watching jerkky B&W footage from the moon way back when, I'd be able to sit at my desk and watch a live stream of this quality..... awesome!

Malky's squad taking shape

2011-07-06T20:59:00.006+01:00

So, things are taking shape at CCS, as Malky Mackay adds another two names to his increasing squad, and although he hasn't gone back directly raid the Watford cupboard this time, the Hornets link remains!

Andy Taylor, as speculated has joined the Bluebirds from Middlesborough, and the link is that the left back spent some time at Vicarage Road last season on loan, playing under Mackay, so Malky will know all about him and what he's capable of. Assuming he wants to start with Taylor, that's lokking like a back four of McNaughton, Hudson, one of Gerrard or Keinan and Taylor. Not too shabby, in my opinion, although we'll hold court on Taylor until we've seen him settle in I think.

The second arrival this week sees the return of the prodigal son. Robert Earnshaw left Cardiff seven years ago (can you believe it's that long ago?) for the heady heights of the Premiership with West Brom, and subsequently Norwich, Derby and most recently Nottingham Forest. Personally, and I don't think I'm alone in this, I don't think he ever set the Premiership alight. Leaving on free from Forest though, he looks like a good capture. When I saw the Echo reporting that he was saying Malky Mackay would be good for Cardiff, it sort of suggested that he might be interested in a return, and, here he is.

I have to say at the time, I wasn't wholly convinced that Earnie back at Cardiff would be a good thing. He was so prolific in his time at Cardiff as a youngster, and now he's 30, had several injuries, and often been warming the bench for much of his time away from City, you have to wonder whether this is the right thing for him, and for the club.

But I've warmed to the idea. He is unquestionably a City legend. He clearly wants to be here, he'll pull the crowds, sell shirts, and lets face it, can still do a job (sounds a bit like Bellamy last year...). I'd back him to score as many goals as Bellamy gave us last season.

Welcome back little Earn...

Remember the chant? "Earnie's gonna get ya...."

Watford-Cardiff, Cardiff-Watford

2011-07-01T20:24:00.004+01:00

New Bluebirds boss Malky Mackay has started the business of putting together his squad and support team for the new season, and much to his former employers chagrin, he's largely raiding the hornets nest in order to do so.

Scottish midfielder Don Cowie (pictured) becomes the fifth member of Watford's personnel to join the Bluebirds, joining backroom staff David Kerslake, Richard Collinge and Joe McBride plus the manager himself.

With wide-man Craig Conway being the first of Malky's signings last week, it appears that you either have to be Scottish, or in the Watford set up, or preferably both, if you have aspirations of playing for Cardiff City.

Seriously though, as fellow Twitterer and blogger @Wingnut1927 puts it "I'm liking the fact we are signing 'no names' at Cardiff. Maybe we will get players playing for the badge rather than their next bonus pay." I think he makes a very decent point here.

The other interesting point made by Graham Taylor in his understandably disgruntled moan about the exodus from Watford, is that Mackay clearly knows every detail of player contracts, and therefore what is likely to tempt those he wants away from Vicarage Road. I'd never really given much thought about why so many players leave clubs following their manager before, other than through some perhaps misguided loyalty to the man, but it's pretty obvious with these comments in mind it's in a large part due to the knowledge of contracts - you've still got to convince the player to come , and he's still got to want to come, but as they say, the devil is in the detail.

Jay Bothroyd

2011-06-29T19:33:00.006+01:00

So, Jay Bothroyd has been very cagey about his future over the last month or so, although as he's now effectively a free agent everyone has been expecting him to leave Cardiff City.

His tweets have generally been implying, "chill, I'm cool, nothing decided, just enjoying a rest, not thinking about my future right now..." Yeah, right.

Today, he's tweeted in response to the news that three of Cardiff City's backroom staff have been put on "gardening leave" until the end of their contracts. Specifically, his tweets today were:

"Can't believe ccfc has put Terry burton on gardening leave he is one of the best coaches in the league if not the best. !!!"

"Are people stupid how can the assistant manager be blamed for not getting promotion ?"

"Haha Cardiff fans have short memory ... Our team wasn't good enough as a whole thats honest and that's why we didn't gain promotion "

The second of those particularly doesn't look like the sort of response that suggests his immediate future lays at the Cardiff City Stadium, but then that's hardly surprising I'd say.

On the specifics of his tweet, I have a couple of observations.

Firstly, I see no factual evidence that Terry Burton is being blamed for the Bluebirds not getting promotion. I'd lay the blame, if blame is even the right word, at the door of Dave Jones and the players, although clearly as a key part of the coaching team TB has some accountability for the performances and results. At least in mitigation, Jay's second tweet acknowledges that the team as a whole wasn't good enough to gain promotion, although with hindsight, and an almost certainty that he won't be around to put that right next term that's an easy thing for him to say.

Secondly, if anyone has a short memory, it's not Cardiff City fans. We have long and painful memories of many disappointments over the years, long before JB turned up, fell over a lot and then disappeared into the sunset.

Don't get me wrong. I think Jay performed (at times) excellently, and the side generally looked a lot better for him being in it than when he was absent. But for me, his last season was in three part. Before the England cap when he was excellent, between the cap and the last three or four games of the season when he looked like he couldn't be arsed, and the last few games when he looked like he was trying but the rest of the team (by and large, with a few exceptions) just weren't up to the task.

I'd keep Jay at City if we could, but it's not going to happen. I don't think he wants to stay - I don't think he ever did after he got his one (and probably only) England cap.

Hurrah for the weekend.

2011-06-17T18:48:00.003+01:00

Lawks, how I love weekends!

Who invented them? The bloke (for it surely was a bloke) should be given a medal. However, why he had to stop at two days is a mystery. Three would have been nice. Four greedy, but hey why not? Whatever, they're great, and there should be more of them.

Just started off with a Chinese takeaway. Should be off the the Glamorgan/Hampshire Twenty20 now with @ministats, but the weather is horrible, and I don't fancy sitting in the rain for a few hours with the hope of a 10/10 or worse 5/5 bash. Sooner watch it on the telly in Welsh (S4C) with a beer in the dry and warm of my own home.

Tomorrow a few chores (the one downside of any weekend), and because the forecast is so atrocious, unlikely that I'll get out into my garden which is one of the way I like to chill a bit. Still, tomorrow evening we're over to see some good friends for tea, and no doubt make final arrangements for a holiday we're going on together to Turkey in the not too distant future.

Then on Sunday it's Father's Day. We've got my Dad and my Out-Laws over for Sunday dinner, so that'll be nice. A lazy afternoon, and then before you can blink that'll be it. Weekend over and back to the grindstone.

But it's only early Friday yet!!.......

Malky it is! Up the City

2011-06-17T17:08:00.006+01:00

So, after a long, drawn out process that included final delays to a 3pm press conference that eventually took place at about 4.40pm, Malky Mackay has been installed as Cardiff City's new manager.

Apparently he's on a three year contract, and both he and Chief Exec Gethin Jenkins stated that the objective was to be competing at the top of the Championship, and Jenkins confirmed that there was money to spend, although stopped short - with a smile - of stating exactly how big the pot was.

At last, Cardiff City can move forward, and given the view that competing at the top = pushing for promotion, not doing a "season of rebuilding" (although obviously some element of rebuilding is imperative) and accepting mid-table mediocrity, expectations will no doubt start to build.

I'm pleased. As I've stated on several occasions, Mackay wouldn't have been my first choice, but perhaps I didn't know enough about him. I've warmed to the prospect over the last few days, and genuinely wish him all the best in his challenges - of which there are bound to be a few.

On another note, City's new season kit was unveiled today, and what do you know? We're not being sponsored by a company. We're being sponsored by a whole country! How amazing is that?

Blimey. All of a sudden, things are looking up.

Bluebirds!!!!!!!

Now it's Malky...probably

2011-06-16T20:35:00.005+01:00

After the shenanigans around Alan Shearer the other night...will he, won't he, he's definitely coming, no he's not....it now looks like it's odds on that the man in pole position before Shearer came out of left field, Malky Mackay, the current incumbent at Watford is the man most likely.

He certainly wasn't my preferred choice. That was Chris Hughton. But, he's not a bad go to option. He seems to have done a fair job at Watford with not too much in the way of resources, and is reckoned in game to be someone with a bit of managerial promise. Certainly, he got one over Dave Jones when the Hornets thumped us at Vicarage Road at Christmas, and they were one of the few teams to get the better of QPR last season, in a match where they performed brilliantly.

So he has got something. Rumour has it that he's keen on the City job, but it's just a rumour - no way I'd know of course. And after Shearer was almost shoe-horned in (by the frenzied media if no-one else), how does he feel about not being first choice?

We'll see of course, it could be all off tomorrow and we'll be back to square one - again. I don't think so though. I think this is it.

If he does come, he's going to have his work cut out. The clock is ticking, and the cupboard is bare. How much money he (or anyone else) is going to have to spend is anyone's guess. Not millions I'd wager, especially as it's likely we'll have to pay at least some compensation to Watford if Mackay does come.

Whoever it is, and I'm warning to the idea of Malky, I wish him all the best.

In other news, tonight's Echo speculates on potential incoming players. Old City favourites Gabbidon and Earnshaw are mentioned. They'd surely be a crowd pleaser, though personally I think their best years are way behind them - even at the Championship level, although as many have pointed out, Earnie coming off the bench would be a decent shout.

Either way, the 11 that take the field in August aren't going to look anything like the 11 that finished the season just gone.

Shearley not?

2011-06-14T20:20:00.003+01:00

Well talk and rumours are now rife that Shearer is in line for the City job.

I'm still not convinced - let's wait until a decision is made, but the media is now near certain old Al is going to be the new City manager.

I can't think what the logic is here. Sure, he's a legend, a known face, but his managerial experience is very limited, almost non-existent in fact apart for a short spell at Newcastle, when, certain he could save them from the drop, they were relegated.

Especially if he's going to have to rebuild a near derelict squad from scratch. I don't know, I just don't know.

Stop dithering

2011-06-14T12:42:00.001+01:00

Cardiff City have yet to make an announcement on their new manager.
Rumours are rife, and this morning various comments had Alan Shearer installed as hot favourite ahead of Malky Mackay who has been the bookies favourite for the last week or so.

I can't see it being Shearer personally, and I'm pretty sure i wouldn't want him over Mackay or Hughton - he just hasn't got the managerial experience.

We'll see in due course obviously, but the time this is taking is now becoming unsettling.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The cupboard was bare....

2011-06-10T21:17:00.003+01:00

Whoever the next Cardiff City manager is, and according to the latest rumours we should know this weekend, he's going to feel a bit like Old Mother Hubbard when he looks in the playing cupboard, because it's pretty bare.

Tonight's Echo showed the Bluebirds current squad as its stands for next season, and certainly isn't going to put fear into any of the other teams in the Championship. It reads like this:

'Keepers
Tom Heaton
David Marshall
Jordan Santiago

Defenders
Darcy Blake
Anthony Gerrard
Gabor Gyepess
Mark Hudson
Dekel Kienan
Lee Naylor
Kevin McNaughton
Paul Quinn
Alex Evans

Midfield
Stephen McPhail
Peter Whittingham
Aaron Wildig
Solomon Taiwo
Jon Meades
Ibrahim Farah

Strikers
Nat Jarvis
Jon Parkin

That's 20 players. Three are first year pros. Three were out on loan last year. Of the strikers, one's a first year pro and the other only came in at Christmas and barely got a look in (and whilst a fan favourite hardly strikes fear into the opposition (apart from their snack bar).

We've got 9 defenders, but our defending was pretty ordinary last season (I'm trying to be generous, OK!).

Only about half of the players played anything like regularly for City last term.

OK, so it's only June. We haven't got a manger, so it's unlikely anything will happen until we do, but looking at that lot, he's going to have his work cut out and he's certainly going to have to earn his corn to make City competitive next season.

Oh, and Chopra has gone......

Chop chop

2011-06-09T20:43:00.004+01:00

So Burke's gone, and now it looks quite possible that Chops may be on his way too. At this rate, I'm not sure we'll be able to field 11 players come August.

Seriously, it would be sad to see Chops go. I don't think he had the best of times last season. A combination of injury and Dave Jones intransigence in picking him at times meant he didn't get on the field as much as he, or indeed the fans wanted.

I always thought he brought something to the team. Even if he wasn't scoring, his runs and general awareness made us a better side when he was in it in my opinion.

However, there's no doubting that there were some off field shenanigans that Jones had to deal with too, but that aside, I believe he's been an asset to the club in his spells with us.

Is a move to the Tractor Boys a positive move for him? I suppose he'll get more games than he did last year, but with a new manager (as yet unknown), might he be better off just hanging on a bit? Incidentally I saw a tweet tonight that Alan Shearer was being quoted at 4-1 for the manager's job. Sounds a bit ludicrous to me, but a fellow Geordie were it to happen.

We'll see, but I suspect we may have seen the last of Chops, and for me, that would be a bigger loss than Bothroyd.

Apple goodness....Lion, iOS5 and iCloud

2011-06-08T21:49:00.003+01:00

For users of Apple products (and that's me with an iPhone 4 and a Macbook Pro), the keynote delivered by Steve Jobs and his crew at this week's WWDC has shown us some wondrous goodies that we can expect over the next few months.

I'm no techie, so I'm not going into any massive detail here, but essentially there are three strands to what's coming.

Lion - the new incarnation of Mac OSX - the core Mac operating system. Already a super slick user interface, Lion brings a whole host of UI enhancements, better and clevere multi-touch gestures, improved apps and a whole lot more. And all for $29.99 (though here in the UK that'll probably translate to a more expensive £29.99. And that's for a 5 license OS - yes, you can install it legally on 5 Macs!
iOS5 - the latest operating system version for iOS devices - the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Again a whole ream of developments and enhancements - too many to go into here, but some notable ones include improved notifications, better handling of previously purchased apps, improved mail app, and great use of the lock screen. It's coming in the Autumn.
iCloud. The new way to sync your data across all Apple devices. At the moment I use MobileMe (and pay for the privilege). That's now effectively dead in the water. When iCloud arrives it basically means if you change data on one device (my iPhone for example), that data is automatically updated on my Macbook Pro. In the words of Steve Jobs...."It just works" No set up, no fiddling, it just works. And.....it's FREE! Awesome.

If you want more detail about all this lovely Apple goodness, then trot across to any of the tech blogs/sites which are awash with the detail of these three core elements. Me, I just can't wait to get hold of them.

Au Revoir Burkey

2011-06-08T21:43:00.002+01:00

So Chris Burke has gone to Birmingham, where most of our good players go. Well Roger Johnson anyway. Was never convinced by Jerome myself.

Anyway, Burkey goes with my blessings. He did a good job for us for a couple years, though I felt he was a bit undercooked this last season. I'm sure the Blues fans will welcome him. Just hope he has an of game when we play then next year!

In other City news, there's still no sign of a manager, although rumour has it that Chris Hughton is in pole position. He's my preferred choice as I've said a few times, but as is the way with these things we'll have to wait and see. Hopefully not too long....

New Cardiff City Blog

2011-06-08T21:35:00.003+01:00

There's a new Cardiff City blog around town, and it's called "You are my Cardiff". The author is City fan and twitterer @wingnut1927. (What is it with this 1927 lark????)

I'm sure this will be a fascinating read, so whether you follow another dedicated Bluebird on twitter, or via his blog, make sure you drop in regularly!

So where next for Cardiff City?

2011-05-30T19:36:00.003+01:00

Inevitably the rumours have started flying on who will be the next Cardiff City manager. Consensus amongst the fans seems to be the need to move quickly in order to build over the summer, but will the Directors be in a rush to fill such a critical post.

The message boards are awash with possible contenders, and not being in the mood to disappoint, here's my thoughts on those names being bandied around.

Craig Bellamy
I just can't see it. He has no managerial experience, though undoubted passion for the club. Passion doesn't win titles, and I'd rather he was playing for us, though frankly I see even that as a major doubt.

Chris Hughton
This is the man I want. Performed heroically under extremely trying times at Newcastle. A real "football" man (whatever that is), and clearly has the ability to manage at the highest level - just look what he did with Newcastle - if you think expectations are big here at Cardiff, they are nothing compared to the Toon!

Alan Curbishley
I've always thought Curbishley a good manager. He did wonders for Charlton, but he's been out a while, and not sure the fans would take to him.

Roy Keane
He'd undoubtedly get the "up and at 'em" brigade on side. I'm not convinced he's achieved enough to make me think he's be able to do a job here.

Roberto Di Matteo
A marvellous player, but I'm sorry, I just don't rate him as a manger.

Iain Dowie
Seems to be one of those "go to" people, but never done much as a manager. I don't think he's the sort of person City are looking for.

Ian Holloway
Been there, done, it, got the T-Shirt. Clearly bonkers, and likely to have a favourable amount of support. I think he's be OK, but he's said (I think) that he's staying at Blackpool.

Peter Reid
Who? Oh him. How long has he been out of management? No thanks.

Gary Megson
Oh no, please.

Gareth Southgate
I'd rather Megson than Southgate

Martin O'Neill
Are we likely to be able to attract someone of the calibre of O'Neill to Cardiff? Possibly. Could he do a job here? Possibly.

Malky Mackay
Another of those managers hewn from a long line of decent Scotsmen who turn out to be half decent managers. Wouldn't be the worst appointment.

Gus Poyet
Has done an outstanding job at Brighton. Would he want to swap the Withdean for the CCS? No brainer if he's asked.

Billy Davies
Scottish - see Malky Mackay above. However, another manager that has so nearly made it and failed on a couple of attempts. Wouldn't this be a case of frying pan and fire?

Sam Allardyce
Thought the pressure got to him at Newcastle. If things didn't start well, he'd be on his way soon.

Ryan Giggs
Please....It's not going to happen.

Swansea City in the Promised Land

2011-05-30T19:16:00.003+01:00

Though it galls me to say it, congratulations to Swansea City, who this afternoon grabbed the final Premiership place up for grabs in the 2011/12 season when they beat Reading 4-2 at Wembley, and in so doing achieved what Cardiff City so disappointingly failed to do last year against Blackpool, and this year in the regular season.

As a Bluebirds fan, it's a fact of life that I want Cardiff to be better than Swansea. But this season, in footballing terms we weren't. Whichever way some narrow minded Bluebirds fans want to carve it up, the fact is Swansea finished higher than us in the league, and with a side with less "stars" in it than ours, and have managed to achieve the holy grail of Premiership football and will be playing next season at Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, Anfield, whilst next year we'll be plying our trade at London Rd (Peterborough), the Withdean Stadium (Brighton) and St Mary's (Southampton) which were all hosting League One football this season.

To be fair, Swansea have played good football under first Roberto Martinez, then Paulo Sousa and currently Brendan Rodgers. They play to their strengths, and play attractive football - in comparison, the Bluebirds who on their day can be sublime were too often inconsistent, lacking a cutting edge, and awful defensively. We looked like a team full of individual players rather than the team that Swansea seem to be.

Maybe next season things will change. The Bluebirds will be the underdogs in South Wales next season, and maybe , just maybe that, and a new manager will mean the pressure is off a little bit, and we can concentrate on rebuilding - as we'll surely have to, and fighting another season in the Championship.

In the meantime, the Jacks are in the Premiership - we're not. And we need to get over it. Yes it'll be galling watching them every Saturday on MoTD, but no more galling than it was watching Blackpool this year. And look what happened to them......

Cheers Dave, and thanks

2011-05-30T12:50:00.003+01:00

So, the deed is done. Dave Jones has had his contract terminated - or been sacked if you like.

It's been coming, and many fans, myself included have been calling for this for a while. In my case, I've given him the benefit of the doubt (apart from a blip over last Christmas), until the end of the season when I said that not getting us promoted with the squad at his disposal should see the end of his reign.

And so it now is. Before we all say good riddance, let's just remember where he's brought the club to. Not the Premiership, granted. But it's in a much, much better place than when he arrived six years ago.

We've been to Wembley three times, including an FA Cup final. We've got a new stadium, new training facilities and he's brought players in we'd never have expected to see in a City shirt. Granted some of them didn't live up to expectations, but Hasselbaink, Fowler and Bellamy to name three.

But all things come to an end, and it's time to move on. Given it's taken a couple of weeks I don't think this is a knee jerk reaction by the Directors, and there were rumours starting to come out that Jones was staying. But he's gone. So who to replace him?

Let's wait and see, but either way, this is the start of a new era for Cardiff City.

Up the Bluebirds.

(oh, and Up Reading too - today at least)!

Deadly cucumbers claim more lives

2011-05-30T10:57:00.004+01:00

This isn't funny in the slightest, although the headline on the BBC news link "Deadly cucumbers claim more lives" is like something from a classic "B" horror movie.

In fact, what's happened is that some cucumbers have somehow become infected with a strain of e.coli and some people have died from the resultant infection.

Keeping it all together

2011-05-29T11:07:00.004+01:00

Regular readers will know that I've got a pretty eclectic approach to computing. I have no real affinity for any one OS, and have desktop devices running Windows 7, a Macbook Pro on Mac OSX and a netbook running Ubuntu netbook edition. Chuck in my ever to hand iPhone, and the challenge for me is keeping everything together and in sync.

In all honesty, it's made a bit simpler in that the Ubuntu netbook rarely sees the light of day. It's an old Asus Eee with virtually no memory or storage, and I put Ubuntu netbook on it more as an experiment than anything else (it works fine though).

What is happening therefore, is a slow and gradual transition to cloud computing. Applications I tend to prefer are cross platform, and with an ability to sync seamlessly with whichever device I'm using . I'm not a complicated, or power user, which makes life simpler still, and what follows is a brief description of my key picks.

Dropbox
If you work in different locations on different computers and haven't used or come across Dropbox yet, you're missing out. You install the Dropbox client on all the devices you use and it creates a Dropbox folder - so it's installed on all my PC's, laptop, netbook and I have the iPhone app. Whenever you are connected to the Internet, whatever you have saved to this folder is synced to Dropbox. Then, whenever you connect using one of your other devices, all the changes are automatically synced back to that device. Simple. Add in versioning, so you know which is the latest version, and the fact that it's free for up to 2GB storage, and you not only have a way of keeping everything in sync across multiple computers, but some free online storage too.

If you are going to check it out - drop me a line first. I can refer you, and that helps me boost my storage space!
Highly recommended.

Evernote
One of the things that many people require from their computing devices is a good way of collating all those snippet of information, notes, screenshots etc. There are literally hundreds of thousands of solutions out there, but one of the best is Evernote.
Evernote, like Dropbox is cross platform, and you can sync to all your platforms. Like Dropbox it's also accessible online, and like Dropbox free at the basic level.It also has browser extensions so you can clip all, or bits of web pages directly to your Evernote account.
You can record text notes, voice notes, photo notes, documents - pretty much anything. It's fully searchable, you can have multiple "notebooks" within your account, and use tags on notes. A Premium version (which I use) brings added benefits, but for most people, the free version is just fine. If you need to store "stuff", then this is the way to do it.
Brilliant!

Email/Contacts/Calendar
Gmail is my preferred email route, because everything is available on any Internet connected device. It's got a a lot of functionality too - more than most people realise, you've just got to dig a bit to find some of the optionsd and settings.

My calendar and contacts are all handled by Apple's "MobileMe" service. You have to pay for it, but it keeps my calendar and contacts beautifully in sync on my Macbook and iPhone (I tend not to do anything that needs calendar and contact access on the PC, although I could always access Mobile Me through the browser if I wanted to.

I've tried a few times to manage contacts via Google Contacts, but I find there's always some corruption/duplication though the sync process back to the iPhone/Macbook. I know some manage this perfectly fine, but I've never managed to do so to my satisfaction.

So there you have it. Core functions of email, contacts, calendar, notes and document sync/storage handled through some first class online/cross platform applications, that are free.

It's a no brainer.

Is he, isn't he? Will he, won't he?

2011-05-23T21:27:00.006+01:00

Hot on the heels of the news that Jay Bothroyd and Chris Burke (plus Adam Matthews and in all likelihood Gavin Rae) are set to leave Cardiff City, comes rumours that Bothroyd is still in talks with the Bluebirds over his future.

You couldn't make it up.

Personally I can't see the big striker staying. If he gets a whiff of a Premiership contract with one of the big clubs like Stoke or Wolves I suspect he'll be off at a canter, and I suppose, who can blame him. After all, real loyalty in footballers is a scarce commodity these days. It'll be a shame though - I thought at times he didn't pull his weight this season, and got too precious - especially after his one, and in all probability only England cap, but he banged in the goals and we (nearly) always looked a better team with him in than out. One thing's for sure, we're going to need a decent man up front next term, and in all honesty, I can't see it being Jon "The Beast" Parkin.

Burkey goes with best wishes from me. I don't think he ever got to the heights of last season, but he's an honest pro. I thought he looked a bit lightweight this year, though to be fair was in and out of the starting line up, and often didn't get the ball enough for me.

And finally, what of DJ? I think most Cardiff supporters would be keen to see him depart, and today' s news sees him being linked strongly to West Ham. What a bloody irony that would be if he goes to Upton Park, and takes the Hammers straight back to the Premiership.

Who to take over if he does? I've said my piece in a previous post - I fancy Chris Hughton to come and do a job here, but who knows. I just hope it's someone with a bit of nous who can start to rebuild - because that's surely what we have to do, a side to challenge for the Premiership.

Just now, with our season barely put to bed, I have absolutely no expectations for next season, other than not being relegated. If there's still money in the pot, and we can acquire a good manager and some decent signings over the summer, maybe, just maybe, those aspirations will rise to a play-off place, but my dreams of automatic promotion to the top tier were this years dreams, now dashed and broken. I can't see us being in as good a position to mount an effective challenge for a couple of seasons.

Cardiff City Player Ratings 2010/11

2011-05-18T22:22:00.006+01:00

So, as is customary from me at the end of the season, here are my player ratings for the team. As usual, I've only rated those who I think have played enough, or whom I have a particular comment on. These are wholly and unapologetically subjective, based mostly on what 've seen from the Grange End, heard on the radio or watched on TV and I'm happy for you to argue differently.

There are no rights, no wrongs, just opinions, and these are mine.

David Marshall (Keeper) 7/10
I thought Marshall started well, but he made a few errors, Heaton (who I think a better all round keep) got in, and then when his chance should have come again he's suffered injuries. Not the No1 in my opinion, but solid - most of the time

Kevin McNaughton (Defender) 9/10
Nauts is my player of the season. He always gives 100%, will play anywhere he's put and runs forever. A couple of bloopers here and there, but a truly fantastic season. He'll be devastated.

Lee Naylor (Defender) 4/10
I think Naylor is one of the worst acquisitions City have made in recent years. He's OK going forward, but awful defensively (not good for a defender). The crowd know it, and sadly opposition managers know it too.

Gavin Rae (Midfielder) 5/10
I don't know why Jones hasn't used Rae more. City have looked lightweight in midfield on occasions. Rae won't set the world alight, but he's reliable.

Mark Hudson (Defender) 8.5/10
A contender for my player of the season. Started so slowly (literally and metaphorically) but grew into the role and was immense in 2nd half of season until injury. Why he was on bench in run in and not on field is one of life's mysteries.

Gabor Gyepes (Defender) 6/10
Had a great first season with City, but has become a shadow of that player. Too many errors and too slow.

Peter Whittingham (Midfielder) 7/10
Whitts, oh Whitts. Sometimes brilliant, sometimes absent without leave. Another decent goal return, and occasionally sublime, but should control games more. Goal of the season for me.

Michael Chopra (Striker) 7/10
I'd start Chops every time, but clearly Jones doesn't want to. Not enough goals, but not enough starts.

Jay Bothroyd (Striker) 8/10
The ultimate enigma. So much talent, but too much belief (or arrogance) that he can do it on his own, and that he's always being picked on (he will be - he's big and good). If he spent more time on his feet than his arse, he'd be brilliant. Looked as though he couldn't are less a bit too much for me at times. Cheers Jay, don't expect you to be here next term.

Stephen McPhail (Midfielder) 7/10
I was one of Macca's biggest critics a couple of seasons ago, but how we miss him when he's not there, providing control in the middle. Sometimes he even plays a forward pass these days.

Chris Burke (Midfielder) 7/10
Can be devastating when he runs at defenders with pace, but 1) doesn't get the ball often enough, 2) leave the ball behind too often, 3) can't shoot for toffee. Struggled compared to last season.

Dekel Kienan (Defender) 7/10
Came from Blackpool and immediately instilled some calm and control into central defence. Looked good, always a threat at attacking corners for us, but last few games has looked suspect. Like to see him with Hudson next year.

Paul Quinn (Defender) 7/10
Another one I dissed early in his City career, but fair play he's knuckled down, and generally performed well. Occasionally a bit too panicky for me.

Jon Parkin (Striker) 6/10
"The Beast". Entered City folklore with a stunning goal on debut, but done nothing since. Bought as an impact player, he hasn't made one.

Jason Koumas (Midfielder) 6/10
Already a City legend, so 6/10 might seem harsh. Hasn't played that much and bar those couple of goals late v Doncaster, hasn't shown anything like the form of his previous stay with us.

Seyi Olifanjana (Midfield) 7/10
The big man brought in as the midfield enforcer, has had some great games. But he's had some pretty average ones too. Like many players, too much inconsistency. Wins the ball well but then gives it away far too easily.

Tom Heaton (Keeper) 8/10
I think Heaton is my preferred keeper. Not as big as Marshall, but a better all round stopper. Glad we bought him, and hope we keep him (and keep him fit).

Darcy Blake (Defender) 7/10
Poshest name in the squad. Good utility player, and perhaps suffers as a result. May be more of a regular next term, depending on departures.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Midfielder) 5/10
A real disappointment for me. On loan from Arsenal, and came with a big reputation. Showed flashes of brilliance, but looks one of lazy or unfit to me. Big name, big reputation, big disappointment.

Adam Matthews (Defender) 5/10
Must have really pissed DJ off with "that" OG against Ipswich. Cracking talent, warming the bench.

Aaron Ramsey (Midfielder) 8.5/10
Outstanding in his time back with us, showed us what a class player truly is. Ran the midfield, and we looked so much better with him there. We need a class midfielder like him next season for sure.

Craig Bellamy (Striker) 8.5/10
On a hiding to nothing. Either brings Premiership quality, or risks being dragged down to average Championship player level. Mostly brought the former, occasionally the latter. Certainly brought desire and passion. Some cracking goals. Very eloquent and honest for a footballer in his interviews He'll be absolutely gutted. Says he wants to stay. Not sure if he will now we haven't gone up. If he does great. I don't expect it.

Stephen Bywater (Keeper) 4/10
Sorry just don't rate him. Kicking dreadful, decision making awful, just poor. Priceless interviews though.

JLloyd Samuel (Defender) 6/10
Another Premiership loanee past his best. Backs off to much for me. Decent long throw, but that's not why we got him (I hope).

And finally.....

Dave Jones (Manager) 7/10
Oh how I struggled with this score. On the plus side, we got to the playoffs (again). But, and it's a big but, we failed again. He says it's a decent return. I can't imagine when Dato Chan Ten Gee said after the final last year Arnie like, "we'll be back" that he imagined anything except a promotion to the Premiership. Jones says we've got better year on year and so we have. But QPR, have been in the Championship less time than us and gone up, and Norwich have had back to back promotions - and IF the Jacks go up, it'll be in less time than we've been in this division. There is no doubt that we had the resources to go up this year, and therefore, for me it's a fail. I couldn't score less, because 4th is after all 4th. Might have been 8/10 for 3rd, but would have been 10/10 for automatic.
It's a hard life.

Coming soon City Player ratings 2010/11 season

2011-05-18T22:21:00.001+01:00

Cardiff City: Fade away

2011-05-18T21:38:00.003+01:00

So, where to begin?

24 hours since we lost 0-3 to Reading in the Play-Off semi final and time to start reflecting. This is a long one, so you might want to make a cup of coffee or grab a beer before continuing.

I have to say, that in August 2010 I was, like I suspect most Bluebirds fans, full of excitement and anticipation. Not just with the lip-smacking prospect of a new season - that's always there, but with a real belief that having come so close the previous season with the squad we had, the financial troubles fading (if not yet gone), that this was to be our season. I genuinely believed that we had top two credentials, and that if we played to our potential, we'd walk the division. Oh, if only I'd known then what I know now.

It all started so well. Bothroyd scoring goals for fun, Bellamy bringing that feel good factor, the sun shone, City were right up there. The autumn came, and we started towards winter. The 4-0 drubbing of Leeds away was some of the most stunning football I've seen City play in years - ever perhaps.

And then Bothroyd picked up that yellow card against Norwich that ruled him out of the Swansea game. And we all know what happened then. I genuinely believe that was a massive turning point in our season. We lost of course against the Jacks in a lacklustre performance, and capitulated in November, much of December and over the Christmas and New Year period.

Bothroyd went from golden boots to England cap to injury and has never been the same player since. The poor run over the depths of winter saw Dave Jones head called for on many occasions (even by me at one point), although with some additional apparently astute (at the time) loan signings, things gradually started to turn round.

But we never looked like a team that was truly comfortable in it's own clothes. Too often we looked like 11 players on a pitch - all decent players on their day in their own right, but rarely as a "team" playing for each other. When I look as Swansea, Reading, Norwich, Forest and even QPR, they look to me like a cogent, cohesive unit. City didn't. That's not the luxury of hindsight, I've said that several times this season.

Anyway, DJ continued to tinker with a defence that had been ropey all season. He never settled on one unit - partly due to injury, partly (in my view) to stubbornness - his unwillingness to drop Naylor after a string of abysmal performances for example, and some for reasons we'll probably never know.

It looked like we were going to have to settle for the play-offs, then all of a sudden with a handful of games to go, it was back in our own hands.

And we know what happens when a DJ team has their destiny in their own hands. They come up short. A draw against QPR at home in other circumstances would have been a decent result, but not when we needed to win. The hopeless capitulation against Middlesborough who made us look like a third rate parks team (with apologies to third rate parks teams), and then the awful blunders which cost us so dear on Tuesday. more painful for having watched the Swans play their way into the final with such aplomb.

To be honest, I had a bad feeling about the play off game. I didn't think we'd do it.

Is there blame? To be fair to DJ, he has brought the club a long way. Short termists, and the "I want it now" crowd tend to forget that. But every time we get close to something we come up short/bottle it (delete as you see fit). ~~Beaten~~ hammered by Preston to miss out on the play offs on GD, betaen by an average Portsmouth side in the FA Cup final, beaten by Blackpool last year in the PO final, and now finishing 4th and then losing in the semi with a squad that should have walked to automatic promotion.

Yes he's done a lot, but he can't finish the job. Thanks Dave, it's been a blast, but it's time for a change. Will he go? Not my call, but I think he will, and I think he should.

He's got the best out of Bothroyd (well for a third of a season anyway), but I'm getting cheesed off with the number of times he's said things like "we'll dust ourselves down and go again". I'm fed up with his bitching about the fans. We pay well to watch City and we expect them to give everything. Whilst some do, some don't (or can't). Do fans create pressure? Maybe. But you're professionals DJ. Deal with it.

Some of the loan players look uncommitted (more about that in my player ratings in another post to come).

I think it's time for a clear out. I think Jones will go. I think Bothroyd will walk away. Bellamy says he wants to stay. Does he? Really? With the prospect of another year at Championship level? We'll see.

Who would come in? Speculation at best. Who do I want? Chris Hughton is a manager I respect who worked well under immense pressure and speculation at Newcastle, doing a fantastic job.

Whatever comes, I will be there (with my little pick and shovel) next season. Come August I'll be full of new anticipation. I just hope we've got a manager and a squad who can turn that anticipation into a realisation. Meanwhile there will be one eye on the Jacks or Reading who will be playing Man U & Chelsea whilst we're facing the likes of Huddersfield or Bournemouth, or Peterborough or MK Dons.

In my heart and in my head, I think our immediate chance has gone. I said at the start of the season to anyone who'd listen, if we don't do it this year, we never will. I hope with all my heart that turns out to be untrue.

Gutted: City 0 - 3 Reading

2011-05-17T22:27:00.002+01:00

Really, truly gutted.

In the balance: Reading 0-0 City

2011-05-13T21:56:00.005+01:00

Bloody hell I've been so nervous all week, and it was a nervy 90 minutes watching City play the first leg of this Championship play off semi-final away at Reading. I was so nervous I had to hide behind two bottles of SA Gold.

It was a real hustle and bustle encounter, feisty at times in the first half and when Bellamy went off after 16 minutes I admit I feared the worst.

I though we were poor in that first period, giving possession away too easily in the middle of the park, unable to string two passes together. In truth though Reading pressed the last 20 of the opening half, neither side had a real clear chance.

In the second half City played better, but again the defences cancelled each other out. Neither keeper was troubled, and although Reading came close at the end, a draw was probably a fair result. I thought my MoM was Nauts (again) who was magnificent. I thought JET and Oli were poor. Oli wins the ball OK, but his control and passing so often let him down. The others worked hard, but no-one really stood out for me. Burke didn't get the ball often enough for my liking, and too many long high balls again to Bothroyd & Chops. We play so well when we play fast and on the ground. Why do we insist on booting it long?

So back to CCS on Tuesday and do it all over again. You'd like to think City have the advantage, at home in the second leg, but Bellamy's a doubt, Quinn limped off...but remember we beat Leicester last year, albeit on pens. I don't want to do that again though....Let's be positive. You'd take a 0-0 away from home any time in a two legged tie. Let's do 'em at home!

So no doubt the bookies will be odds on a South Wales final. There's water to pass under the bridge before that though.

Come on City...one more push.

Bluebirds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Play-offs (again): Burnley 1-1 City

2011-05-07T16:45:00.006+01:00

Well it's a bloody good job we didn't have to win at Turfmoor on this, the last day of the regular season to gain automatic promotion, because we didn't.

Where to start?

Well, I guess it all started to go wrong when we had 4 to play and everything was in our own hands.

Then we drew with QPR and it was out of our hands.

Then we needed Ipswich to do us a favour against Norwich and they got stuffed by the Canaries.

Then we needed Norwich to slip up against Leeds and they didn't.

Then we needed to beat Middlesborough and we put in arguably our worst performance of the season and got stuffed.

Then we needed Norwich to slip up at Pompey and they didn't and secured that precious 2nd automatic promotion spot..

Then we needed QPR to be docked points for the naughtiness over the Alejandro Faurlin affair and the FA dilly dallied and then got cold feet and smacked a fine on them which their owners can pay out of the petty cash tin.

Not that it wouldn't have made any difference though. After the debacle against 'Boro, with the side needing to re-assert their play-off credentials and at least give the fans something to shout and cheer,we were behind in the 13th minute and in what was a pretty tame performance by all accounts stayed that way until Bellamy equalised in the 90th minute. And that poor draw means the Jacks who once again showed that they play decent football in a squad with no delusions of grandeur, stuffed an already relegated Sheffield Utd 4-0, and in doing so finished the regular season above us in 3rd place on goal difference, shunting us to 4th.

And so it's the play-offs. After a run that saw us almost nick automatic promotion, we play Reading in the pot luck chance that is the playoffs. At least finishing 4th means the second leg is at home. All the other play-off contenders though finished with a win, whilst the best we could muster was a last gaps draw. I don't think any of them will be shaking in their boots at the prospect of playing us.

And so it's nicely set up for a South Wales derby at Wembley in the Championship final. IF we beat Reading, and IF the Jacks beat Forest. What a day that would be.

I hope to God we can do it. The torture of last years play-off final is still hard to bear. The thought (should we get there) of losing to the Jacks, well......

But there's a long way to go yet.

I am keeping the faith. It's back to nil points for everyone in the lottery of the play-offs, and literally anything can happen. We're two games from Wembley, and three from the Premiership. But so are the others.

Please.....just this once?

City blow it big time

2011-05-02T20:04:00.008+01:00

A win for City today would have heaped pressure on Norwich, playing later at Fratton Park.

Instead, City succumbed without even a whimper, 3-0 at home to a team lying 16th. Expectations were massive ahead of this match, with most fans still believing that the Bluebirds could clinch the 2nd automatic promotion spot.

All those expectations disappeared inside 3 minutes, as a long cross saw Leroy Lita outjump McNaughton to head back across Heaton into the corner for 1-0.

Worse was to follow 10 minutes later when Robosn made it 2-0 after more poor defending, and on 21 minutes the score was 3-0 when another poor defensive error saw Smallwood nick in at the near post.

By then, City were dead and buried. Heads were down, and though I hate to say it, they deserved to be behind. They couldn't pass, they were second to everything, when they did get the ball instead of playing the football we know they can they were just hoofing long balls up the field. It was a truly, truly abject display by virtually every single City player.

The second half saw Blake on for McPhail, and eventually, Chopra for Quinn, but despite almost all the second period possession, they could hardly muster a shot on goal.

City really know how to bottle the big occasion, and boy did they bottle this one. It's the worst home performance I've seen all season, just when they needed a good one.

Here's a tweeted account by a lad I sit next to, who's quite astute, and incidentally a ref. (@pearcey147).

Thought the whole team was utterly crap today, didn't look interested at all and couldn't have scored if we had played for a month.
Back four missed Hudson badly. Keinan lost his head, Samuel was being destroyed by Lita briefly and Kev is too short to be centre-back.
Olofinjana can't control the football, McPhail was non-existent, Burke was off the pace and Whitts and Koumas kept playing long balls.
Bellamy was trying to force it too much and can't cross the ball at all, whilst Bothroyd looked totally disinterested and was shit.
The referee was crap, thought we were playing basketball, was throwing cards around and the male lino didn't know the offside rule.
Jones should've gone in December, didn't pick Hudson for some reason, changed the setup about 5 times and has no motivational skills.

I'm gutted. Really gutted. And yes, the referee was crap.Appallingly so - talk about comedy officiating. Needs to learn the rules. Handball for one. Can't be offside from a throw for another.

Norwich will go up if the beat Pompey today, and I can't see them not doing that. Jones might have done a lot for City, but he can't get the best out of them in pressure games.

So it looks like playoffs again. I said I didn't want to go through the heartache of playoff again, but I'll take it now. But if we play like this, we'll be out of them in a hurry.

Of course, if QPR get deducted points we may still go up automatically, though we still need to beat Burnley, but that's just clutching at straws, and I wouldn't want to go up that way. Probably....

Saw a tweet from someone I follow suggesting City fans hadn't helped by booing their side. Well excuse me. I pay good money to come and watch 11 highly paid men kick a bag of wind about. When they play well, I'm entitled to clap and cheer. When they play like they did today, I'm entitled to my opinions that they were crap.

If I had a cat I'd kick it. Wait I minute, I have.....here puss.........

No I wouldn't kick the cat, but if you're a football fan, and particularly one of the almost 25,000 City fans who were there today to watch that debacle, you'll know how I'm feeling tonight.

Too nervous to post

2011-04-26T21:43:00.004+01:00

As I've said before on more than a few occasions, it's never an easy ride with City.This Championship run-in is as nervous a time as I've ever had in the years I've been supporting City. So much so that I've not even posted much and missed commenting on the last two results v QPR and Preston.

On Saturday, it was still all in City's own hands. A simple equation. Win their remaining 4 matches and they'd be promoted, whatever anyone else did. But QPR aren't top of the table for nothing, and twice came back against City in a pulsating match. On any other day, you'd have taken the point, gone home aglow with the quality and the superb goals and had a few beers. This though, felt almost like a defeat, because that result combined with Norwich's thrashing of Ipswich on Thursday (thanks Ipswich) meant automatic promotion was out of our hands.

So to Deepdale, just two days later a place we've not had the happiest of times at recently. I was listening to this on the radio, and how we didn't win about 8-0 was anyone's guess, but we did win, although a 1-0 win where despite early superiority we were hanging on at the end wasn't quite how I'd scripted it.

And for much of the last few minutes of the match it looked like Derby were doing a job on Norwich. They'd pulled back to 2-2 and as the City game finished it looked like we were back in 2nd with it all in our hands again, but cruelly, Norwich scored in the 7th minute of added time (yes 7th) to win 3-2 and keep hold of 2nd spot.

So two more matches to go. Again we need someone to do us a favour against the Canaries but with their matches against Pompey and Coventry, both with nothing to play for except pride, it's hard to see them slipping up.

We have Boro on Monday, followed by our last match at Burnley on 7th May. It's not over yet, and f we don't get it, we still have the play offs, but after last year I'd really rather not go down that route again if we can avoid it.

Come on City!

Come on Pompey!

Come on Coventry!

Closer and closer: City 3-0 Portsmouth

2011-04-16T19:15:00.003+01:00

Every game is a massive game now. With Norwich winning last night, City had to win to go back to 2nd spot, and they did so in some style.

The game started fast and open, and the atmosphere was brilliant with a big travelling support, it looked like we were going to be in for a treat, although to be honest I'd have settled for a boring match and all three points.

It took only six minutes for City to take the lead, when Bellamy's wonderful first time cross was headed back and into the net by Seji Olifanjana. Portsmouth were contesting everything though - sometimes quite robustly it has to be said. They looks so pumped up you wonder what their manager had said to them before the kick off. Whatever it was , it came back to haunt them on 18 minutes when Ricardo Rocha was given his marching orders after what appeared to be a head butt on one of the City players. It was always going to be hard from then on, and City doubled their lead in first half stoppage time from a corner. Bothroyd, who when the corner was given was on his knees, looked injured and then limped slowly into the box. The corner wasn't cleared properly, and after McPhail had had a stab at coring the ball fell to Bothroyd from a yard out. He doesn't miss those. Miraculously, his injury appeared much better as he raced to the Ninian stand to celebrate. I'll forgive him his theatricals this time.

In the second half, City continued to push and Pompey, became more and more exasperated as they chased the ball and 50/50 decisions went against them (though apart from being a bit picky about where throws and free kicks were taken from, I though the ref had a decent game).

A third goal was on the cards and came after Bellamy broke down the right, looked up and squared the ball for an onrushing Whittingham to smash into the roof of the net from six yards.

A few changes ensued - Parking for Bothroyd, Koumas for McPhail and Blake for Quinn, as City saw the game out without any major concerns.

I thought the whole team were first class today. Bar a few moments of long ball madness when playing to feet would have been better given Pompey were down to 10, and keeper Bywater's kicking which has to be some of the worst I've seen in a keeper for a long time, City were professional and committed throughout. I particularly though Bellamy, Olifanjana, McPhail and Whittingham were outstanding, but the rest were right up there too.

So, back to 2nd, and we are now just 4 wins from the Premiership. We know if we win the next four games, nothing can stop us, and that's a great position to be in. A tough match next week v table topping QPR, but we shouldn't fear them, especially at home.

Though we should only concentrate on ourselves, it's hard not to look around. Norwich scraped past Forest last night, and lie 3rd a point behind with a GD five worse than us. Two points behind them in 4th are Reading, the form team, unbeaten in eight . The Jacks lost against Burnley today and are 5th, five points behind us, whilst Leeds in the final play-off spot are 10 points adrift of us after their 2-2 draw with Watford.

But, as I say, all that doesn't matter if we win the next four games. So keep the faith, and let's do it!

City!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Massive night in the Championship: Sheff Utd 0-2 City

2011-04-12T21:46:00.004+01:00

It's been a massive night in the Championship. City started in 3rd place, but a 2-0 win at Brammall Lane, combined with the Jacks been held at home by Hull, and Watford drawing with Norwich, means the Bluebirds finish the night in the 2nd automatic promotion spot behind QPR who won again.

It was Craig Bellamy who got things off on the right foot, with a great goal in the 21st minute. JET notched the 2nd to ease nerves after City had been under a bit of pressure, and despite some late chances for the home side, City kept a clean sheet.

It's all in City's own hands now. Win all the remaining and we'll go up - simple. Obviously, it's not that simple. With the table so tight, nerves will play a part, and there are surely more twists to come, including a home fixture against QPR who are nailed on and have been for a long while) as division Champions.

Still, City should fear no-one. We know we can perform. The nerves will be the same at Carrow Road, at the Liberty and the Madjeski.

Come on City. Three points on Saturday at home v Pompey please!

And whilst I'm at it, congrats to Brighton, promoted to Championship on 11th April! Stunning!

Quick note: Doncaster 1-3 City

2011-04-11T22:53:00.002+01:00

Just a quick note to record City's great away win at the Keepmoat last Saturday. I've been up to my eyes in Dinas Powys Cricket Club's Nat West Cricket Force weekend (all Friday afternoon, and all day Sat & Sun, plus a club disco on Sat night), so haven't had time to breathe let alone update blogs.

Anyway, I knew amongst the painting and grass cutting that City were 1 up courtesy of Burke, and I heard they'd been pulled back to 1-1 with minutes to go. Somewhere between a paint can and a ground roller, someone mentioned that Koumas of all people had scored a brace and it had finished 3-1 to the Bluebirds. Stunning.

Back to (relative) normality now, and looking forward to seeing if the Bluebirds can stick one over the Blades tomorrow and then even more excited by Saturday's home date against Pompey.

Up the City! Keep it going lads....

That's more like it: City 4-1 Derby

2011-04-02T18:33:00.003+01:00

City needed a big performance after the international break. With only 8 games left, automatic promotion is still in the grasp of several teams, so no slip ups were needed.

Derby have been struggling at the foot of the table, but frankly anyone can beat anyone in this division, and City have often struggled against those fighting for safety.

The arrival of Derby also f course brings Robbie Savage. Love him or hate him, you can't ignore him. He was booed off the bus, booed in warm up, and booed every time he touched the ball. I reckon he loves it!

One amusing sight was City's 'keepers warm up. With goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson out there, there were no less than 5 keepers warming up. A new strategy perhaps. Don't even know who they all were - we had one other (Bywater who's on loan from Derby, not even in the squad today).

City with the solid Heaton back between the sticks started brightly enough. It took just seven minutes for them to take the lead from the spot, courtesy of Jay Bothroyd, after Bellamy was brought down.

City settled after that, and whilst Derby frankly posted no threat thereafter throughout the whole match, a few comedy defending moments did raise the heart to mouth on occasions.

City should have been two up after Bellamy was set free, but in taking the ball past Derby keeeper Jones, his touch was awful, and the angle became too acute and allowed the defender to clear off the line.

Half time, 1-0 City.

As we settled for the second period, I said to @ministats, "an early goal, the pressure will be off, then settle back and enjoy it. Sure enough, three minutes in, Dekel Keinan was first to a corner with a powerful header, and it was 2-0 City.

Just under 10 minutes later, it was the occasionally maligned defender Paul Quinn who stabbed home with a Derby player lying injured in the box, but the goal stood.

And on 68 minutes, after it looked like a great move had fallen apart as Chris Burke mis-controlled and the ball ballooned up, Peter Whittingham struck a thunderous volley past Brad Jones to make it 4-0.

Derby did carve a couple of chances due to poor defending, but one (I was at the other end of the ground) appeared to be hit over the bar from about a yard, and another clear header went yards wide.

The last 20 minutes or so was frankly pretty rubbish. City subbed Bothroyd and then Bellamy, and didn't look like scoring again. They just took their foot right off the gas (unlike Norwich who improved their goal difference by 6 at Scunthorpe). It was almost inevitable therefore that Derby grabbed a consolation five minutes into the added six, when a very dubious looking penalty (the player seemed to first lose control of the ball, and then run into a City player) was converted by - yes, none other than the ponytailed Savage.

So a good win (at last) for City. They looked hungrier than of late, and I thought Bellamy, Kienan, McNaughton were on top form today. Bothroyd, Whitts, Burke, Olifanjana and Quinn showed flashes, whilst McPhail was steady and debutant Jlloyd Samuel did OK. Heaton was completely untroubled, and almost got to the penalty.

I suppose you shouldn't look for negatives - after all it was a 4-1 win and we've moved up to 3rd after the Jacks lost, but there were a couple for me.

City could have dominated the game far more. Derby were poor - no question, but Parkin and JET who came on for Bothroyd and Bellamy didn't inspire confidence and neither threatened to show any goalscoring prowess. Parkin was penalised virtually every time he touched the ball for "nudging" defenders, and JET just looked lazy - "job done" attitude, being robbed of the ball for lack of opponent awareness on several occasions. And whilst we almost kept a clean sheet, there were some unforced errors at the back that need to be eradicated in the last few games.

Still to concentrate on that would be churlish. We won, we scored four goals, and we're third with 7 games to go.

Keep it going lads.

Blooobirds!

We Will Rock You

2011-03-27T22:04:00.004+01:00

All the Stattos went to see We Will Rock You at the Millennium Centre last night. As a Queen fan, I was looking forward to it, and I have to say I wasn't disappointed.

Though the story is a bit of a stretch, it's the music that counts and it was brilliant.

The lead role of Galileo was performed by Noel Sullivan ex of Hear'say, a completely rubbish "band", and one that would have ironically typified the story's "Ga Ga" bands (no instruments, dancing and no talent). But to be fair to the lad, he was excellent - a superb voice and a very good actor to boot and really stole the show.

The other well known "star" was Rhydian - he of the odd hair, eyes too close together and booming voice from the X-Factor a couple of years ago. He too was good, though I felt that Queen's songs weren't really his forte. He really on sung on a bout two or three though.

The other main leads weren't household names (at least not in this household) although "Pop" was apparently played by the bloke who was "Tricky Dicky" the market inspector in East Enders years ago when even I used to watch it. He too was good.

It was a real blast as all the biggest and best Queen tracks were bashed out, woven into the story with artistic licence used in some lyrics on occasions. And it wasn't just a soundtrack - the music was being played by a real band - hidden for the most part until the end of the show, they were truly awesome.

It was a great show - if you haven't seen it, it's highly recommended.

Divided loyalties

2011-03-25T20:08:00.002Z

It's one of those divided loyalty occasions tomorrow. England play Wales at the Millenium Stadium in a Euro 2012 qualifier, with Wales playing only for pride, and England needing the three points to keep their qualification aspirations on course.

And here's the issue. I of course am English, married to a Welsh lass. My kids are Welsh, and I'v lived in Wales longer than I've lived anywhere else (32 of my 51 years). I love Wales and the Welsh. Ordinarily I'd be desperate for Wales to win, and genuinely support Wales in all manner of things. But just for one day, I' going to have to revert to my roots.

Sorry folks, but that's just the way it is. At least for tomorrow.

And just for the record, why can't fans just get on? Why the need for hate?

Yes, no, yes, no - bugger: Millwall 3-3 City

2011-03-19T16:57:00.003Z

What a match. Listening to the commentary - especially in the second half, it was a roller coater of emotions, but in the end City failed yet again to see of opposition when they had the chance.

A goalless first half saw City lose Bothroyd (hamsting) and Hudson to injuries, though City dominated possession.

It was the second half where the blue touchpaper was lit.

On 49 minutes Chris Burke slotted home in the six yard box to give City the lead, but less than a minute later the conceded a penalty and it was 1-1. 10 minutes later Lisbie scored to make it 2-1 to Millwall. Shortlay after City were awarded a penalty, only for the decision to be switched to a corner after a consultation between the ref and linesman (who was miles away).

City pulled it back to 2-2 though Whittingham on 72 minutes and then to the delight of the travelling faithful City went ahead again on 79 minutes.

But you know what's coming. Millwall rallied again, and a goalkeeping error by Bywater, who has yet to convince a lot of people (me included) saw him rush of his line only to be lobbed by Morison for 3-3.

And deapite further chances for both sides to snatch all three points, that's how it ended. Breathless stuff, but not the result City wanted or needed. To go away, score three goals and not win is frustrating. With Norwich being held at Hull, the Jacks beating freefalling Forest, and lowly Sheffield Utd doing for Leeds, City stay 4th - a position they'd be in even if they'd won, but importantly they'd only have been one point of Swansea instead of three.

Personally, I can't see City getting 2nd and an automatic promotion now. I think it's between the Canaries and the Jacks.

City continue to flatter to deceive. Play some good stuff, but can't kill off games and concede sloppy goals, So, play-offs I think. Would we/I have settled for that eight months ago. Probably, but I was thinking back in August that if we didn't get an automatic spot, we'd only have ourselves to blame, and so it's proving.

One mention of a bad incident at the game. A City supporter fell from the first tier whilst celebrating City's opener. Sounds like he was badly hurt. Hope he's ok.

1,000 posts

2011-03-15T21:44:00.003Z

Blimey - realised tonight that I've posted over 1,000 times on this blog. Mostly mundane rantings of a deluded Cardiff City fan or inconsequential ramblings about shiny gadgets granted, but who'd have thought?

When I started this blog way back when, I posted a few times and virtually forgot about it. I've had another "break" along the way.

I'm not sure too many people apart from my mate Mike "Stabber" Baker (don't ask) read this drivel, but who cares?

Week Cal for iPhone

2011-03-15T19:37:00.004Z

For many iPhone users the default Calendar app is OK, but for others it's perceived as one of the weaker areas on the device. For a generation brought up on Palm's calendars, or third party offering like Datebook, the standard iPhone app just didn't cut the mustard.

Many pretenders to the crown have come and gone, often stymied by Apple's reluctance or stubbornness to let developers get right at the heart of the functionality they need to produce a decent competitor.

But then along came Week Cal by Wasabi Apps, http://www.wasabi-apps.com/weekcalendar/.

All of a sudden, here was an app that looked like it could offer a decent alternative including that fabled week view missing from Apple's native app. It got some pretty decent reviews, and I decided a few months back to stop using the default Calendar app in favour of the new pretender. And I liked it. It wasn't particularly barnstorming for me, but it was efficient, and that week view certainly made it better.

It's just gone to v3.0, and there are some great new additions to it's functionality. It's got a new year view - OK, not much detail here on an iPhone screen, but very easy to quickly navigate to a month/day.

More tellingly, and something that will possibly swing it for ex Palm users is a terrific Agenda/week view that you can customise with up to 8 different layouts. It almost looks like a Palm! (Note to self....move on...Palm's gone).

Additionally you can rotate views and have a different view depending on whether you're in portrait or landscape mode. For those that want it, there.s a global birthday alert (I have a wife for that). There are a myriad of other features including various full screen options, the ability to auto-hide bars, have different badge alerts according
to your preference, show or hide week numbers and change font sizes.

The neat ability to tap and hold to start data entry makes it feel much more useable than the native app, and generally this whole app gives a feeling of being very polished. I highly recommend this app for anyone who's serious about using a calendar on an iPhone. It's miles ahead of the native app, and Apple really should take a long hard look at this.

Hidden data use and the iPhone

2011-03-14T20:08:00.004Z

A salutary tale

I'm on O2 as my carrier using an iPhone 4. I, like most people was a bit miffed when O2 slapped on a 500mb cap on data usage. On reflection though, I rarely get even close to using that. Sensible use on 3G, plus using wifi wherever I can, including at home means my typical monthly data use over 3G is in the region of 80mb - 100mb.

A couple of days ago I paid a cursory glance at my usage in Settings/General/Usage and it was around the 30mb mark. About right given my billing month runs from 25th of the month.

Over the weekend I've mostly been at home (on wifi) or at Cardiff City Stadium - where regular readers will know I don't get a data signal. I haven't been doing anything different, or downloaded any new apps - though I have updated a few existing ones.

Imagine my surprise therefore when at 8.57am this morning a text from O2 pinged in saying I was at 80% of my data limit and they'd let me know if I went over it. Sure enough a quick check in settings showed around 400mb used. Somewhat perplexed, but with no time to check anything (I'm a busy man) I vowed to check things out this evening. Then 30 minutes later I got another text saying I'd exceeded my limit and now needed to buy a bolt on.

I suppose at least they told me rather than letting me carry on and shafting me with a hefty bill at month end.

Anyway, busy I may be but not that busy. I checked again, and use was at 477mb according to Settings. I re-booted the iphone and made sure there were no apps running. What I should have done was check what apps were running - but as I've said before I wasn't doing anything differently to normal.

I then contacted O2 - via chat as it happened. Their phone lines - my first port of call said they were very busy, but within 20 secs of being on the web site I was offered a chat session which I gratefully took.

The next 20 minutes basically confirmed what I'd been told by text. Yes I was over my limit, yes I'd need a bolt on and given I said I'd not normally come near this level of use, they did agree to "look into it", but I suspect they won't find anything.

So, for a £5 bolt on I've got another 500mb to tie me over to my next billing date in 10 days time. Worryingly, I still have no idea which app was the culprit.

My vague recollection is that the following were in the multi-task bar - but remember these apps re supposed to be in a suspended (ie effectively stopped) state.

Sky Sports Football, Safari, Mail, Twitter, Messages, ECB Cricket, Notes, Reeder, Facebook, Contacts, SafeWallet and Angry Birds. I don't (or rather very rarely) stream video or music and certainly haven't been doing this in the last few days. One of them though, appears to have been doing something rather naughty. Two pieces of supporting evidence were significant battery drain - down from 100% at 7.30am to 68% by 9.30 when normally I'm not down to 68% by the end of the day, and the fact the phone did appear to be quite warm at one stage.

So, conclusions?

Well, clearly not all apps go into a suspend state when you open another app or return to the home screen, despite what most people would have you believe. I've heard of this with apps like Pandora and Spotify but I don't use those. Gavin suggested it might be a location services issue, although I don't think I've changed anything since yesterday.

A bit of a mystery then. One things for sure. I'll be paying a regular trip to the task bare to check what's there and clearing them down, and I'll be paying a bit more attention to my data usage over the next few weeks.

City cock it up for the third time in a week: City 2-2 Barnsley

2011-03-13T18:01:00.002Z

Do Cardiff City really want to get promotion to the Premiership?

On the basis of the last week, you'd have to say no.

They've had three chances in the last 8 days to stamp their authority on the race for 2nd spot as sides all around them have faltered. But have they taken them? No they haven't, and worse, they haven't looked like being worthy of promotion contenders in any of the three matches.

Last Saturday, City bested an poor Ipswich for 45 minutes, and then switched off and were undone twice by the best player on the pitch, Jimmy Bullard.

On Tuesday, City were woeful against a Crystal Palace, but had the chance to go ahead through a penalty, but fluffed that and lost to a comedy goal.

Today against mid table Barnsley, the chance was there to leapfrog Swansea and Norwich into 2nd spot and they twice surrendered a lead through lapses in defending.

City started today's game at a snails pace, and you have to wonder if the desire to stamp a mark on game early is there. If City (and more particularly manager Dave Jones) think they have the quality to dictate the pace of play, than there are deluded. If you pass crisply and accurately to feet, counter fast and take you chances, then fine, but City are not able to do that despite their so called "talented squad". It's almost as if Jones tells the players to go out, be patient and chances will come. Come on, we're at home with the likes of Bellamy, Bothroyd, Chopra and JET. If we can't dictate a game at home we might as well all bugger off now.

The highlight (and I do mean "the only" highlight) of the fist half was a stunning strike by Peter Whittingham into the top corner to open the scoring on 21 minutes. But that's the sort of chance that misses 99 times out of 100, and it wasn't indicative of a dominant City, and it certainly wasn't indicative of the run of play. And it was countered by two lowlights of the first period when Chopra went off looking like he's done a hamstring on 25 mins, and the Tykes equalised after some poor defending on 29 minutes.

There were disgruntled sounds by the fans at half time, and you just hoped that Jones was giving the side a rollicking and telling them to go out and win the game in the second half.

But things didn't get much better in the second period - at least not at first. Passes were going astray, City were second to everything and Bothroyd was looking dreadfully off the pace, and the fans were getting on his back - deservedly so I think, for not chasing down balls and generally putting effort in. It seemed to work because he then started to play some of his best football of the game, but then in the footballing world that only Dave Jones occupies, he decided to sub Bothroyd for Parkin. Brilliant. Wait until you main man starts to play like he should and then sub him. Idiot.

Nevertheless, City were fashioning chances, and eventually the pressure told with a sublime Burke cross nodded in at the back post by Dekel Kienan. 2-1, seven minutes plus stoppage time, and the relief was palpable, and the crowd, having been so frustrated were delirious.

But of course this is Cardiff City, and again, they switched off. Barnsely made a sub at a free kick on halfway. The sub came on, the ball was passed to him he crossed and Gray headed home. 2-2.

It wasn't even comedy defending. It wasn't defending at all.

Inevitably, at full time, the boos rang out. I have to say, I can't blame anyone booing. City just don't look like, haven't looked like, promotion contenders since about October.

Jones goes on and on about the crowd getting behind the team. Well, 23,000 people were behind the team today. OK, the frustration was there at times, but after (both) out goals, but especially the second, the place was rocking. It would rock longer if City weren't so good at leting sides score so quickly after we do. But City are so, so fragile. Don't blame the crowd Dave Jones - you're the manager. You're the person who dictates how we play; who plays; gives the team passion, belief. And you're not doing it. It's all cliches and managing by numbers.

Frankly I have now given up on automatic promotion. If it happens great. I can't see it. We need other teams to keep faltering, and they won't. If City want to play next season at places like Glanford Park (Scunthorpe), or Brighton next season fine. If they want to play at places like the Emirates, Anfield and Old Trafford they have to buck their ideas up - now.

And, as ever, a word on the delightful officials. You''ll know by now, my general view of the standard of officiating in the Championship is, well, let's now beat about the bush, it's crap, bar one or two.

Today's villian? Take a bow Mr RJ Booth and your companions. Truly awful.Offside that weren't, onsides that were off, fouls that weren't, time wasting by Barnsley so blatant they must have a doctorate in it, handballs missed....the list goes on. How are these people allowed to officiate?

You can probably tell, I'm not a happy man tonight,

I give up. City bottle it (again) Palace 1-0 City

2011-03-08T21:33:00.007Z

OK, I'm done with the optimism. I'm seriously hacked off as City manage no point from 6 as they throw away the points against an average Palace side.

I can't believe we're going to have to settle for a play off place (at best), but the way it's going, that'll be as good as it gets.

Away at Palace tonight chances came and went. In other matches, City looked to be slipping down the leaderboard (again) as the Jacks, Forest, Norwich all went ahead, only for the Jack and Forest to be pegged back. At the same time City got a penalty, only for Peter Whittingham to hit a woeful penalty against the post, and Palace, inevitably end up grabbing a winner.

It's bad enough not being able to break down and beat sides like Ipswich and Palace, let alone throwing away glorious opportunities such as penalties when they present themselves.

It really feels like City are bottling it. I hate to say it, but you have to wonder.

City have been their own worst enemy this season, spurning chances, playing with an arrogance on occasion that other teams have just buckled down and ignored, worked together as a team and run rings around our 11 individuals.

I don't know what to say any more.

Never mind, maybe Jay Bothroyd will say "it's all ok because we played well and we'll definitley go up."

Get real.

Excuse me?

2011-03-05T20:51:00.004Z

Twitter is a marvellous medium. It's great that "celebs" and us ordinary folk can mix it together - or at least use the same medium - they rarely mix it with us plebs.

But sometimes they say such the most ridiculous things.

As you'll have seen from my previous post, City were beaten today by a mediocre Ipswich team that had more guile in one player than we've got in most of our squad.

Very shortly after the match, City striker Jay Bothroyd, tweeted "If we play like that we will def get promotion can't believe we lost that game "

Now where I come from, losing games, and getting NO points, is generally not the way to get promoted. There's absolutely no point in playing well if you don't turn that into points.

Now before everyone goes off on one, I'm generally a fan of Bothroyd. He had storming first half of the season, though personally, since his England cap and return from injury I think he's looked a bit "precious". He has undoubted skill, but is currently spending too much time with his hands in the air claiming fouls or the floor looking aghast at why he hasn't been given a free kick. However, I digress.

I'm sure he meant this tweet in the right way. I'm sure I could be more objective and say I understand what he's saying; that if we continue to play well, chances will come (and be taken), we will pick up points and we will be promoted. But that's at least one "if" and three "possibly's". I'm not that optimistic.

But tonight, I'm not being objective. I've spent more of my hard earned (relatively speaking as I've got a season ticket) going to the match, paid money for a programme, two 50/50 tickets to support the academy, drinks and food for my daughter, and watched a bunch of blokes trying to pass a bag of wind about, who are being paid handsomely to do so. And often they couldn't even do that.

We hear all the rhetoric. We (try) and remain positive, we support the team through thick and thin, we watch them lose against teams they should be hammering....

And then we see people say if we keep playing like that (erm ..... losing) we'll definitely be promoted.

We won't Jay.

The only way we'll be promoted is if we win (and that's the crucial word, win) more matches than everyone else around us. It'll be no good saying at the end of April/May when God forbid we're consigned to another year of Championship football, ah, but we played well.

I'm stopping now, because I'm getting really mad the more I write.

Aaaaaaarggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no no!!!!! City 0-2 Ipswich

2011-03-05T20:11:00.003Z

I'm very upset. Can you tell?

We knew Ipswich had two outstanding players in Connor Wickham and Jimmy Bullard. When you give a player like Bullard the run of the pitch, it'll come back to haunt you - and did it ever. But it was Bullard, and the Tractor Boy's 'kepper Martin Fulop, not Wickham who did the damage.

Ahead of the match kicking off, spirits were high. The Jacks had lost, Forest had lost, Norwich had drawn. A win and we'd be back to second spot. All in our own hands.

With Stephen Bywater getting the nod ahead of Jason Brown in City's goal, the Bluebirds started like it had to be wrapped up inside the first half. They played some outstanding football, JET in particular who looked the Premiership quality he undoubtedly is.

With Peter Whittingham pulling the strings vacated by Ramsey's return to Arsenal, City poured chances onto Fulop's goal, but the keeper stood firm. The one time he didn't, Keinan's headed goal was ruled offside. Whitt's hit the underside of the bar with a free kick, and Fulop pulled off several amazing saves when it looked easier for City to score.

All this was leading to one of those "could it be (another) one of those days", and on 67 minutes when Bullard ran on to a wide ball and smashed home from outside the box. City, who had been the only team in the match were stunned. Heads dropped, and they just forgot how to play.

with minutes to go, City conceded a free kick well over 30 yards out, and man of the moment Bullard stepped up and blasted home a shot to make it 2-0. Only a desperate save by Bywater kept it to 2 and denied Bullard his hat trick.

For me there were a number of key things in this match.

City played well, but Bothroyd, Chopra, and Bellamy did not. They spurned chances, controlled the ball poorly and made the wrong decisions when they had the ball.
City laid off Ipswich. They gave then far to much room/respect. In the first half Ipswich were poor, but everything, - really, everything was going through Bullard - and he had so much time and space to pull the strings, you just knew it would eventually come to something.
In the second period City were poor. Whatever Jones's half time talk was about, it was fatally flawed.
When we were chasing the game Jones made a substitution. A full back for a full back. Eh?
City's strikers for all the efforts we had in the first half were far too static. Musical statues anyone?
Bothroyd fell down a lot (again)
The ref could have been in a an Ipswich shirt. Seriously. I try to be objective about refs, but again the standard of all officials was shocking. Every 50/50 challenge went Ipswich's way.

I'd struggle to name a City MoTM. Whiits perhaps. But Bullard and Fulop were a different class today. Good honest pros who know what it's effort and hard work that win matches, not flah and talk.

City had a massive, massive chance to state their claim today, in front of a TV audience. Not sure what the half time chat was in the TV box, but along the lines I expect of about how it was only a matter of time before City scored.

On the pitch after the full time whistle, the only people the TV wanted to talk to were Bullard and Fulop.

Oh how they must be chuckling at the Liberty and Selhurst Park tonight.

Not good enough City.

Keepers, keepers everywhere...

2011-03-04T22:20:00.013Z

You've got to hand it to Cardiff City. They've found a foolproof way of keeping clean sheet's for the rest of the season - they've got five (yes 5) goalkeepers.

To be fair, they've always liked having at least three or four in the squad, so five's not too much of a step up, but stringing five across the goal line is an ingenious idea!

Actually, of course, it's not quite as simple as that. The current holder of the starting shirt, Tom Heaton (pictured), who's been in pretty spectacular form of late can't play tomorrow 'cause he's on the telly (Soccer AM). Or rather, he apparently needs a groin operation so he's out for a bit. The lad who started the season as number 1 - David Marshall, who's fallen out of favour has had surgery on an elbow injury - or maybe he's out of favour because he's had elbow surgery, so he's out - possibly for the rest of the season. City's 3rd choice 'keeper, the young, inexperienced at first team level, and it has to be said, very short, Jordan Santiago has a broken finger so he's out too. City's GK coach, who was a fine keeper, and is a great coach, Martyn Margetson probably isn't registered to play. So with City fighting for an automatic play-off spot, finding not one, but two 'keepers to come in and provide cover was an absolute necessity.

Earlier this week, after a bit on "is it on, is it off?", it looked like former England stopper Chris Kirkland, currently with Wigan was coming, but for various reasons, that's fallen through.

I can't say I'm dreadfully disappointed. Kirkland is undeniably a great keeper when he's fit, but he's had such a torrid time with injury - it would have been City's luck to get him, and then end up with him getting blown over by a gust of wind in the first match and dislocating a shoulder or his back going. On reflection, maybe just as well.

So City have turned to Blackburn and Derby, securing the services of one of Wales's own, Jason Brown, and Stephen Bywater - who if I remember correctly (it does, I just checked on Wikipedia) served for a brief loan spell with City back in 2002.

There's no easy ride for either of these guys. City are home against Ipswich tomorrow, and it's on the telly, at the unusual (for City) starting time of 5:20pm. Dave Jones will have a tough call deciding who starts, as I don't think either of them have had too much action recently. Brown of course is with a Premiership team, so perhaps the favour is with him. We'll see soon enough.

It's another big match for City. They're coming thick and fast now. Our recent record against Ipswich, home or away isn't great, but we need to win this one and keep the pressure on at the top of the table.

And finally, congratulations to the Jacks manager Brendon Rogers has just won the Manager of the Month award. That's usually a catalyst for an alarming slump in form. Let's hope it holds true..

Up the City!!!!

The iPhone Twitter app v3.3 Spawn of the Devil

2011-03-03T21:28:00.006Z

I have 3 or 4 Twitter apps on my iPhone, but my preferred one is the actual Twitter app itself. Simple and intuitive, it does all I want in a slick and easy way.

Today v3.3 became available, and it brings a number of neat tweaks and updates that make the whole process of tweeting even better.

BUT, and it's a huge but..............

One of the updates in v3.3 puts a trend bar at the top of the timeline - it's that horrible grey box with #worldbookday in the screenshot here. It constantly updates with the latest trending topics, and here's the rub. You can't turn it off.

I'm personally not interested in trending topics. I've never taken any notice of them, and I don't want them forced on me in a way that I can't turn off. They're worse than ads. I've got a few "lite" apps that have ads, and they're nowhere near as obtrusive and annoying as this.

The iTunes stores already has a ream of responses (including one from me) about how absolutely annoying this is.

A piece of software shouldn't make you angry, but this has. It's turned an app I use every day - several times a day, and generally have found to be a very decent app into something I hate in an instant.

I hope Twitter takes notice of user feedback and at the very least provides a quick update with the opportunity to turn this bloody thing off.

In the meantime I've switched to another twitter app.

I can't believe I've got so het up about this, but there you go. I am. Grrrrr....

Spring

2011-02-26T19:17:00.002Z

Don't generally post much about gardening on here, even though it's one of my "interests".

I don't have a big garden. Certainly not as big as I'd like, although it is south-west facing, so gets plenty of sun. It's on a bit of a slope, and has really heavy clay, so at the moment it's just like a bog. As it dries out it in the summer heat it opens into huge cracks.

I love this time of year. Been out in the garden a fair bit today "pottering" as I call it. The weather has been great, with the sun on my back it's been very warm. I haven't been at it hammer and tongs - mostly tidying up here and there and so on. It's amazing how much you can see when you get out there. The garden still looks bar, cold and wet from a distance, but get up close and there's all sorts poking through the wet soil. Spring is truly on the way.

My delphiniums (which I don't have much success with usually) are about 2cm high, and lupins are also on the way. Both usually succumb to a massive slug attack - the penalty from having heavy wet clay soil, so fingers crossed. I've got crocuses growing through the lawn, though the recent heavy rain has done for quite a few of them. And the buds on the roses and clematis suggest things are in full swing.

I've also been sowing a whole load of seeds - flowers and veg, using the conservatory in lieu of a greenhouse. Already stuff I sowed last week is beginning to show. Have to be careful though - a couple of sharp frosts and it could all go pear shaped, so have to be careful about what I do sow at this early stage.

What I enjoy most about gardening is it pretty much allows me to shut off from everything else, and just wander about at my own pace. I like that.

Tigers tamed: Hull 0-2 City

2011-02-26T16:54:00.004Z

City secured three important points at the KC Stadium this afternoon, overcoming a dogged Hull side featuring on loan City player Anthony Gerrard. Hull's loanee at the CCS, Seji Olifanjana didn't make the squad today carrying a niggling injury.

In a scrappy first half, neither side managed a breakthrough, although City arguably had the better chances including a decent shout for a penalty. Bothroyd managed to get the ball in the net, but was flagged for offside.

In the second half City stepped up a gear, and pressed looking for that elusive goal. Eventually it came on 65 minutes when Chopra headed in from McNaughton's sweeping cross. Shortly after, Craig Bellamy was booked for what seems like dissent, and Stephen McPhail followed him into the ref's book a few minutes later.

JET came on for Bellamy - looked like a tactical change as Hull were clearly targeting Bellamy with a view to him getting another yellow, and Burkey came on for Chops.

It looked like City were going to have to hang on for a tight 1-0 until well into the 4 minutes of added time, when JET, juggled the ball and then on the volley squeezed home from an acute angle to make it 2-0 and confirm the three points for the Bluebirds.

A great afternoon's work for City. Another clean sheet for Heaton and the back four, some great work in midfield from McPhail who was very impressive, and Ramsey who sadly looks like he's going back to Arsenal after this match, and importantly, goals from the front men.

A win was a huge result given the Jack's demolition of Leeds earlier, and with Forest drawing at Millwall, City sit third, one point behind fierce rivals Swansea, two in front of Norwich who won again, and 3 in front of Forest, who still have a game in hand (their match away at 'Boro on Tuesday) and have the same goal difference as us.

Blimey, this is going to be a tight run in.....

Next up for City, Ipswich a week today and a rare 5:20pm kick off.

Bluebirds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Foxes hunted down: City 2-0 Leicester

2011-02-22T22:26:00.005Z

A massive three points for City tonight as they saw of Leicester at the CCS in front of 22,000. I was nervous about this game. Leicester, another side on a good run, with some dangerous players pushing towards the play-off spots.

City, without Bellamy, saw Chopra & Ramsey both pass late fitness tests. The opening exchanges were brisk, but neither side really penetrating. The officials were sharp on offsides a couple of times when City looked to have broken the trap.

The breakthrough came on 21 minutes as from a throw the ball was swept across the 18 yard box and Chopra coolly slotted home his 10th of the season.

After that, City sat on things a bit. They were a bit static in the first half all round, and several times players got caught waiting for the ball to come to them, or just ball watching generally. You could feel the crowd urging them to up the tempo, but it wasn't happening. Leicester had several corners, but bar one headed effort and a few long range shots there was little to test Heaton.

Leicester started the second half the better, and Heaton did have to tip one round the post. However, City sealed this game seven minutes after the break, when McNaughton, who was generally having an off night for him, slotted the ball across the box from the left, and on loan Arsenal (but always for us City) player Aaron Ramsey despatched the ball for 2-0.

The Foxes heads dropped after that, and despite plenty of endeavour, never really threatened again. City in contrast built their confidence. Chopra came off (a precaution I think) for McPhail, and Bothroyd for Burke, whilst Olifanjana went off injured and was replaced by "The Beast", Jon Parkin. City saw out the remaining period almost at training match pace, and were never threatened.

I thought JET had the best game he's played for us (that I've seen) tonight, though Ramsey was king pin. I wonder of we can keep him a bit longer. DJ certainly hopes so. We need his craft and control. Bothroyd and Nauts had off nights and Paul Quinn, who I've derided a few times this season, had another good game. Whitts was pretty awful in the first half, guilty of playing long raking balls to no-one in particular. When they come off they're great, but it wasn't working tonight, and his tracking back was also not very good. However when we went 2-0 up and the pressure was off, he improved significantly.

Defensively, we're looking better than we've done all season.

A great win, a big three points made all the better as Forest only managed a draw against Preston. With the Jacks still winning, we're now 3rd behind our fierce rivals, but only five points separates them from Leeds in 6th spot. Forest, a point behind us have a game in hand.

It's going to be a tight, nervous run in, and any one of those probably down as far as 10th will be thinking play off at least.

Hull next up for City, away on Saturday.

Blooobirds!

Slip sliding away...: Forest 2-1 City

2011-02-20T19:30:00.002Z

Not much of a report this week, as 1) frankly I've just been too busy, and 2) I'm feeling pretty depressed about it all.

City again failed to show the necessary mettle to beat one of the other Championship high flyers, and I'm wondering (again), why with the quality we supposedly have, we can't really turn the screw.

Yes, it's been a decent run of late (too many draws for me), but we just can't seem to put a run together that has other sides/commentators saying "look out, watch Cardiff go".

Massive match v Leicester on Tuesday. Despite the fact there are still a lot of matches to go, I'm now beginning to think that a play off spot rather than automatic promotion is the more likely. And frankly, that gives me the willies. I really don't want to go through the play off saga again (though I'd take it rather than finish 7th or below), but it is a lottery. And I don't like lotteries, and the pain of last year's day out at Wembley is still very, very hard to bear.

So come on City. Pull your collective fingers out, and lets win at least 10 of the remaining games, though it might take more than that now for automatic.

So frustrating: City 1-1 Burnley

2011-02-15T22:18:00.003Z

Let's get this out of the way. This was a better game than Saturday's against Scunthorpe (though that wouldn't have been hard). In the first 20 mins it was actually quite exciting - open and fast. Then City retreated into a shell, forgot how to pass,forgot how to hold the ball, and were very poor. But Just on the half, Bothroyd dinked a delightful cross over, Chopra 4 yards out should have headed it in, but took it on the chest before smashing it home. 1-0 at half time, and City would have been very relived, Burnley, very disappointed.

In the second period, City again were far from their best, and Burnley grew in confidence. They were playing the best football, and it seemed only a matter of time before the got a really good chance. Inevitably, it was City old boy Steve Thompson, who couldn't hit the net with us if he was a yard out, who did just that, coming off the bench to glance a corner in at the near post through what looked like at least three City bodies.

Dave Jones had left Bellamy and JET on the bench in favour of Whitts and Burke, but Bellamy came on in the second period, but really didn't threaten too much.

This was City's game in hand, and we didn't make the most of it. Sure it's a point, but when defender wins MoTM (again), you have to wonder why your red hot strike force isn't getting the awards.

Hudson again immense at CB. He and Keinan have formed a decent partnership very quickly, and the defence looks strong now. But Ramsey was quiet after a great opening half hour, Olifanjana's second touch so often let him down and his distribution was poor, Whittingham looked lazy, and Bothroyd spent about 50% of the match on the floor. So often he's the difference. Tonight he just looked precious.

Burnley in contrast looked sharp, eager, willing to play, make runs, and for a side with relatively few "stars" and I say that with no disrespect, they looked a good side. Too often we still look like a side of 11 players, rather than 11 players who are a side.

Ref. Awful again.

Forest on Saturday away, and Leicester at home next Tuesday. Massive matches. Ordinarily I'd say we need 4 points from 6 from those two, and we really, really need something from the Forest game. Is it too much to hope for an away win? Then we need all 3 from the Foxes game. So 6 from 6 really. Huge ask, but it's getting to the business end of the season, and time will start running out very soon for those clubs aspiring for automatic promotion. We can't keep syaing we've got the squad if we're not getting the results.

Come on Bluebirds. Time to up the gears.

Turgid: City 1-0 Scunthorpe

2011-02-12T18:18:00.002Z

This was hard work. Very hard work.

City almost scored from the kick off with a quick break. The next 45 minutes it looked like they were playing "how many times can we pass it back to our 'keeper". Tom Heaton certainly had about as many touched as anyone else in that first half.

To be fair, Scunthorpe seemed to be playing a 5-5-0 formation, and the only time they had a whiff of pushing forward was when City lost possession casually.

There were a few boos at half time, which was harsh, but in some ways understandable. Scunthorpe were dreadful, and a side like City pushing for automatic promotion and with the talent at their disposal, should be flaying sides like Scunthorpe - even if they were packing the middle of the park. You've just to find a way through. But City were static, lethargic, and so often playing in isolation. Sound familiar? Me, and many others have said that a lot this season.

Quick word on the ref as usual. This week's candidate for clown of the year was Mr Crossley, who denied Craig Bellamy what seemed a blatant penalty for being hacked down in the box, along with several other bizarre decisions throughout the match. Admittedly he was nearer to the action than we were, but he seemed to be watching a different match to the other 21,000 people in the CCS (and I'm honestly trying to be objective here).

City's most likely route to goal was through Bellamy who made several good runs, but the options and finishing were poor. JET also got through and hit one thunderous shot, that was well saved.

JET is an enigma. Clearly he's got talent - he's played a Champions League match for Arsenal this season. But either he doesn't really want to be here, he's playing out of position or we just haven't seen the best of him. He slows it down every time he gets the ball, cuts back inside (left footed player playing on the right), and as I've said before appears pretty u/s in the air for a big tall lad.

Second half City pushed, the Iron packed the midfield again, and it looked like it was heading for a 0-0, despite City's dominance (they ended the game with 64% possession).

Burke came on for JET (as in the Reading game the crowd had been calling for this) and immediately City looked to have more about them. Koumas came on for Chopra who'd huffed and puffed without much joy, and eventaully the "beast", Jon Parking came on with Bellamy making way. Parking got the ball in the net but it was ruled offside, but a few minutes later, the breakthrough eventually came, with 4 minutes left on the clock. Koumas looped a cross for the left, Parkin headed back across goal, and Olifanjana nodded in from close range. The relief around the CCS was palpable.

Inevitably the game opened up as Scunthorpe who had clearly come for a draw were suddenly looking down the barrel. But City held fast again bot much pressure all told, though Heaton had to be sharp to keep one effort out.

It was a bizarre game. City had 21 attempts on goal (half on target) but it didn't feel like it. Scunthorpe had 5, and arguably the better chances of the match.

Why City don't play fast and furious against teams like Scunthorpe I don't know. When they slow it down they look pretty ordinary. When they up the pace they look in a different league.

On the plus side, it was three big points, especially as everyone else in the top 8 who were playing also won. It was also a second clean sheet - Hudson again had a stormer, and Kienan looks good.

It's another big match on Tuesday, when our game in hand against Burnley takes place at the CCS. Two things I want from that match. Burke to start, and three more points!

Bluebirds!!!!!!!!!!

Ubuntu Linux

2011-02-06T20:58:00.007Z

I'm feeling pretty chuffed with myself.

I've got an old Asus Eee 701 netbook, which has been gathering dust for a while. Originally it had Xandros Linux as an operating system (OS), which was OK, but not great. I eventually took the plunge and after much tweaking managed to install a very cut down version of Windows XP on it. That gave me the comfortable Windows interface, but to be honest it wasn't much fun on a 7" screen. Additionally the arrival of a 13" Macbook Pro consigned the Eee to the furthest corners of the study.

Recently, I got it out and was fiddling around, and decided to have a crack at installing Ubuntu's netbook Linux edition on it. Ubuntu is now one of, if not the Linux distro of choice for many, and has come a long way from the old command line only interfaces of Linux variations of yore.

So armed with a USB flash disk to download the distribution and act as the install disk, I duly cracked on. In the end, it was pretty painless - I consider myself an experienced rather than advanced user, and I can follow instructions, and it was straightforward. The Ubuntu interface was a revelation after my previous (albeit limited) experience of Linux. It's far more "Windows" like, and the Ubuntu software centre in particular does away with all that synaptic and repository stuff for installing software. which had previously put me right off. It's there hidden away if you want it, as is the terminal console - but I don't particularly.

It hooked up to my network like a dream, and I installed OpenOffice with no hassles - all this on a netbook with only a 4GB SSD mind you.

So, I've got a working Ubuntu netbook. Next up, though I wanted to connect my printer. This works over a wireless network, and the Ubuntu software centre didn't find the relevant printer drivers (it's a multi-function Canon MP560. So I downloaded the drivers after a quick google. I hadn't a clue what I was supposed to do, so double clicked a bunch of files, seemed to extract from the archive, tried to open/run some files that looked like executables and got a few errors. Another google suggested I had to edit an install executable. So I found a text editor, edited the offending line as instructed, and via a quick trip to the terminal window (really, this is gobbledy gook to me too) and a comand line instruction - bingo! Installed. Not only working, but I can print and scan - first time. Brilliant (considering I'm flying by the seat of my pants).

I've also just installed the brilliant Dropbox that allows you to store files "in the cloud" and then sync them and make them available to any device you install Dropbox on.

That just about does it for the moment. I've now got everything I need. A small, robust device, running a tidy OS that's Internet connected, I can print from and has all my key documents available to me via Dropbox.

If you're a real tech-head, this probably doesn't sound like very much of an achievement. Believe me, installing ANY OS is often fraught, one you are unfamiliar with is often treacherous. To get everything up and working, almost first time is an achievement, especially when you have to go digging in executables and editing files.

So all in all I'm very pleased with myself. I can now truly say that I am diversity personified when it comes to computing. I've got a Windows 7 desktop PC, a Macbook Pro laptop running Snow Leopard, an Ubuntu Linux driven netbook and an iPhone running iOS4.2. A tool (and OS) for every occasion!

Neat

Monster: Swansea 0-1 City

2011-02-06T15:24:00.007Z

There are games of football. League games, cup games, and derbies.

And then there's the South Wales derby. Cardiff vs Swansea. One of the fiercest rivalries in professional football, anywhere on the planet.

The Jacks had beaten us at the CCS back in November, and since then we've been pretty ordinary to be fair. I hate to say it but Swansea can play attractive football, and are a decent side. Neither side has ever done the double over the other in the league (any league) before, so this game had more than the usual bragging rights hanging onto it. In addition, with both sides pushing for a realistic chance of promotion to the big time, it was, truly a monstrous game.

Jones started with Bothroyd & Chopra upfront, many people preferred pairing, including mine. Bellamy and Whitts wide, Big Seji and little Aaron in the middle, and the back four of McNaughton, Quinn, Hudson and a debut for Israeli centre back Dekel Kienan. Swansea had 11 players also.

City should have been ahead inside a minute when Bothroyd turned inside the box with only the keeper to beat and dragged a tame shot wide. Otherwise it was a typical cagey start, with both sides probing. Ramsey had a couple of decent chances running at the defence, and had one good shot parried, which Chopra leapt onto but was marginally offside. There were the usual niggles you'd expect, with both Chopra and Bothroyd seemingly quite happy to be physical. Bothroyd and Tate had handbags at one stage, and Bothroyd looked in danger of being yellow carded for dissent. Sure enough, Bothroyd eventually went in for one (fairly pointless in my book) challenge in the middle of the park, and ref Mark Halsey decided he's had enough. To be fair, on replay it looked like the big man had trodden on Tate's boot with more than a hint non-accidental about it, but hey, he's a hard man and can take it.

Chopra then came very close to being booked with a two footed lunge, and was lucky to be carded, or worse. As the scrappy half drew to a close, Pratley for Swansea rushed at the defence and blasted high and wide. Heaton in City's goal had pretty much zilch to do in the first 45.

City made a change at the break with Darcy Blake coming on for the brilliant Kevin McNaughton in what must have been an injury worry - Nauts was seen wincing a few times in the first period.

City started the second half brighter, with Swansea right on the back foot, but the game again became scrappy as both teams looked for openings. Eventually the Jacks settled, and when they got the ball they usually got it to Sinclair who attacked with pace and directness.

City had another great chance to go in front when a ball whipped in saw Quinn head it tantalisingly wide. Then a few minutes later, Darcy Blake played a great one two, cut inside beating three Swansea players into the box and looked certain to score on the angle only to see his shot come back off the post. At that time I was wondering if that was it, whether we were heading for a goalless draw - or worse.

Swansea were also starting to get up a head of steam and Sinclair had a great run and shot which went over the bar. Burkey came on for Whitts after the latter was injured, and soon after Sinclair again got through only to have his shot superbly blocked by Blake.

A disappointed Chopra was replaced by JET, who's still to convince me. He looks good, but doesn't jump for headers, and seems deceptively slow for someone who's supposed to have pace. Another City chance went begging when Burke was released in the box, but instead of shooting which seemed the only option, he squared the ball without looking up and it was cleaned up by Swansea.

Sinclair was still the most likely and dangerous outlet for Swansea, and on his next run, Quinn took him out, and was deservedly booked for it. A couple of minutes later, the two tangled again when Quinn was trying to let the ball roll out, and he appeared to shove the Swansea player in the back. He could have gone for that, though it would have been harsh. Swansea by this time were coming back into the game strongly, and it was Sinclair yet again carving through the defence, only to be blocked by Hudson who was having an outstanding game at the back.

It looked like the sides were going to have to settle for a draw, when in the 85th minutes, Bothroyd controlled the ball out on the right, held it up, turned and sent the ball long and square. Ramsey controlled the ball and layed it off to Bellamy fully 25 yards out. With virtually no back lift he blasted a wickedly curling shot past the outstretched hand of de Vries and in off the post. The City fans at the Liberty Stadium and in my living room erupted as the Bluebirds took the lead. With five minutes plus 4 of added time, there was still time for Swansea who piled on the pressure, but City, so flaky in defence this season, stood strong. Hudson, Kienan, Quinn (who I've long worried over) and Blake were immense and when Mark Halsey blew the whistle for full time the relief was immense, on and off the field.

So, still neither side has done the double. City move up to 3rd, a point behind Forest, but crucially with a game in hand, whilst the Jacks drop to 5th.

City were good value for the win, looking far more solid at the back. My MOTM was Mark Hudson who I think had an exceptional game, but Ramsey ran him a close second. Kienan looks good in the centre at the back with Hudson, but needs to stay on his feet. Hopefully the injury to Nauts isn't too bad.

Massive, massive win. City fans will be happy tonight if it's anything like in our house! I haven't had a beer as I've had to take ministats to his cricket training after the match, but no doubt I'll have the odd celebratory snifter later!

City now need to push on, score goals and keep more clean sheets. Next up Scunny at the CCS next Saturday. Bring it on!

City!

Crazy: City2-2 Reading

2011-02-01T22:25:00.006Z

I've said it before and I'll say it again. It's never easy supporting Cardiff City. With the buzz of new players coming in, and importantly Jay Bothroyd not leaving in the transfer window, 21 thousand packed inside CCS to watch City take on a useful Reading team.

Useful maybe, but City were packed with quality. Bothroyd and Whittingham (our own), Bellamy (Man City loan), Jay Emanuel Thomas (Arsenal loan), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal loan). On the bench we had Jason Koumas, Jon Parking and Michael Chopra to name a few. The quality is mind boggling (to a Cardiff City fan). So hopes were high. The challenge though for Dave Jones is to get the quality playing as a team.

City looked bright early on, but it was a bit of sparring with both sides looking good going forward. Reading in particular had done their homework and singled out City's left back Lee Naylor as a weakness. Let's be frank here. He is. He's awful, and error after error had the crowd on his back early on. God knows what Dave Jones sees in him, but he continues with him, and every side who visit CCS pile everything down the left. But with the game looking evenly poised, City threw it away. Lee Nalyor (inevitably) failed to deal with a ball down the left, the resulting hacked clearance is hit back in by Liegertwood and deflected past Heaton. City stunned, and it should have been 2-0 a minute later as McAnuff weaved virtually unchallenged past static defenders into the penalty area and only a last ditch tackle by McNaughton saved the day. After this it was all Reading, and City were booed off by some of the crowd at half time. They had been poor - very poor.

Tactical change for City in the 2nd period, with Chopra on for Olofinjana, and immediately City looked brighter (no doubt with a flea in their ear too). And inside three minutes it was level, albeit from where I sat rather fortuitously. Reading's keeper Federici gathered the ball. Chopra, as he's want to do stood in front of him. As Federici made to punt, Chopra moved in front of him. In 99.9% of cases, the ref (of whom more later) would give a free kick to the 'keeper but he didn't. The kick was hacked only as far as Bothroyd, still wandering back. With no-one but Chopra and the keeper in from of him, he ran the ball back, round the keeper and slotted home for 1-1. Reading were furious, but to no avail, and frankly I couldn't care less.

City then picked up the pace and started to dominate. It wasn't great though. Emanuel Thomas who's a big lad was not having a good game. He won't (or can't) jump for headers, looks fast but plays very slowly (lazily?) and for a big lad isn't strong enough on the ball. The crowd were calling for Chris Burke, who duly replaced him and again City looked brighter almost straight away.

Reading still looked dangerous on the break though, and had a few chances, but it seemed only a matter of time until City scored. But it was Reading, breaking away in the 92nd minute who looked to have broken City hearts when they snatched a late, late goal though Manset. Half the crowd started leaving (and I was tempted), but with a few minutes of added time left, us die hards decided to stay, glum though we were. Then, in the dying embers, City got a free kick about 20 yards out when someone (not sure who) was hacked down. Reading were angry about the free kick, but it all kicked off as one of their players kicked the ball away and Chopra reacted. He and the Reading player were booked. Reading's wall looked about 7 yards back, with Whitts and Bellamy over the ball. It was Bellamy, and he hit it into the right hand side of the goal...2-2. Unbelievable scenes. That was the last kick of the match. If that hadn't gone in, City would surely have been booed off, despite a rousing second half. As it was it felt like a win, but sadly only one point, whilst those above us all won.

I think we should have started with Chopra (and Whitts on the bench), and with Kienan (and Naylor not even in the squad).

A word on the officials as promised. Mr GL Ward and his team. Frankly they were a disgrace. For one, one of the linesman needs a lesson from Sian Massey on the offside rule, because he made two or three appalling decisions. He also allowed play to go on when the ball was clearly over the touchline on one occasion when he was about three feet away. Not a bit over..a lot over.

Mr Ward himself was just, well, just crap. The bloke sitting next to me commented at one point (and he's not prone to comments like this usually) "it's beginning to look like a stitch up". On the other hand, he didn't award a free kick to the keeper on our first goal. But it does reinforce my belief that the majority of refs at this level really aren't that good.

So, where does that leave us? In practical terms, 5th, albeit with a game in hand over most around us, and only 3 points off 2nd. It's the bigger picture that's more worrying. Jones has a quality squad. But it doesn't look like he knows what his best starting XI is, or what to do when things aren't going right, or what formation to play. It's no good having the best "pound for pound squad in the league" (his words) if he can't get them playing the way other managers see to be able to get their players playing for each other.

And Naylor.....well, he's got to go.

My MOTM. Again, Kevin McNaughton. But I don't want our fill in centre back to be getting MOTM every week. I want our striker, or creative midfielder to be getting the plaudits.

Oh well. What's next up. Oh yes. Little local derby on Sunday. Away to the Jacks.....

Bluebirds......

3 big points: City 4-2 Watford

2011-01-22T17:50:00.011Z

This game put the spectre of City's 4-1 defeat at Vicarage Road at New Year to bed. It was also a fantastic game for the neutral. Not so for the City faithful, who were chewing their fingernails to the quick.

For us City supporters it was game of three periods. The first period saw City take a 3-0 lead with some scintillating football. The second period saw the Hornets pull back to 3-2 with two soft goals as City completely switched off. The third period saw City get some rhythm back, and see the game out, sealing the points with a fourth goal.

Bothroyd was back in the starting line up after a month out injured and massive speculation about whether he's staying or going. The other Jay - Jay Emanuel-Thomas, our new loanee from Arsenal also started, and with Chopra and Bellamy also in the starting 11, there was talent and pace in abundance.

The game was open and fast from the outset, but it was City who took control in the 14th minute after a raking crossfield ball by Whittingham found Bellamy on the corner o the 18 yard area. His first effort was blocked, but the ball fell to him again and he finished well. 1-0 City.

Three minutes later it was 2-0, after a scrambled City City clearance fell to Bothroyd, Chopra raced wide was was fed by Bothroyd who calmly slotted the ball home. 2-0 City.

To be fair to Watford they were giving it everything, and looked dangerous, clearly having targeted the left channel with McNaughton at left centre back and Naylor at left back as a potential weak spot. Everything was coming that way, and they did look dangerous.

But on 31 minutes man of the moment, Bothroyd made it 3-0 with a great finish after being fed by Whitts who'd been shaping to shoot himself, and many would have said City were home and dry. But we City supporters know different.

Two minutes later a long throw into City's box was left by everyone, it bounced and fell to Buckley who rammed the ball past Heaton to make it 3-1. It was a really, soft goal and Dave Jones will be furious with his defence.

But the shock of conceding rattled City who 's game went completely. They couldn't pass the ball, they stopped moving - basically stopped doing everything they had done up to that point. Watford in contrast, looked the team in the ascendancy, and the next goal was going to be crucial.

Naylor, who still looks suspect was subbed at 40 minutes with Gyepes coming on. It seemed like an injury, but either way, the extra height of Gyepes in central defence with McNaughton moving wide looked a good move. 3-1 at half time.

It was Watford who came out of the blocks in the second period and it took them only three minutes to narrow the gap to one goal, as Sordell beat Heaton with a curling shot, although it looked like Heaton slipped at the vital moment. Whether he would have saved it had he not slipped, I can't say without looking at it again - it was the other end of the pitch and my eyes aren't that good!

There was a worrying moment when it seemed Kevin McNaughton had been knocked out, but he eventually got up and carried on, so presumably can't have been out.

At this point, it looked for the world like Watford were most likely to get either a draw, or even a win, with City looking shell-shocked, but the weathered the storm. Burke came on for Bothroyd on 61 minutes, hopefully just a precaution, and Rae came on in the 74th minute to shore up the midfield in favour of Whittingham. It almost went pear shaped as Watford hit the post, but a short corner by Bellamy/JET put the ball in the mix in the area for Gyepes to stab home on 83 minutes for 4-2.

Watford to their credit threw everything at City, and had one disallowed for offside but the Bluebirds played sensible easy balls and tried to keep possession. It's something they need to work on though, as to often they give away cheap possession, but even with 5 minutes of added time, the Hornets were unable to find another goal. The final whistle brought rapturous applause, for what had in the end been a cracking game.

A word about the officials. They were dreadful. Mr Tanner and his accomplices missed many fouls for both sides, two good penalty shouts for City, and were generally very inconsistent, and Malky Mackay, Watford's manager was going apoplectic at times with the officials. (Dave Jones doesn't generally do apoplectic, or else he may well have been too).

So a big win for City and the 23,000 crowd. And vital with Norwich winning. Leeds and the Jacks dropped points in draws.

Nice to see Jay B back. JET looks quality too. Big Seyi was good today breaking it up in midfield, and Nauts was brilliant (again) at the back as was Hudson.

City need to keep this up, and with two more Premiership signings yet to make the team - Aaron Ramsey on loan from Arsenal, and former Blackpool defender Dekel Kienan, Dave Jones now has the ammunition he needs to mount a serious attempt on automatic promotion. Let's do it.

Bluebirds!!!!

Update

Just heard Malky Mackay's interview on the BBC. Claims that City were repeatedly fouling (especially fouling Buckley, and rotating the person who committed the foul so the ref wouldn't couldn't take action), and spent the whole game time wasting - suggesting that City do this a lot.

Err...what game were you watching Mr Mackay. City fouled no more than Watford, who I thought were quite dirty at times. And as for time wasting - though I don't hold with it, show me a team that doesn't do that when they're ahead in the closing stages of a game. I thought not.

Poor loser.

Rambo Returns

2011-01-21T21:21:00.003Z

Fantastic news today that Rambo is returning! Aaron Ramsey, once of the parish of Ninian Park is coming back on a one month loan from Arsenal as he seeks to regain the regular starting spot he had before his horrific broken leg.

It's only a month, but this will be massively welcomed by City fans who rate Ramsey as one of the most talented players ever to come through the ranks at City. It's a huge lift for the club to hear this news.

And hot on the heels of our second Arsenal loan signing in a couple of days, comes news that we've signed (all bar the dotting of the i's and crossing of the t's) Dekel Kienan, the Israeli international from Blackpool.

Assuming all the paperwork goes through, that's a pretty impressive January transfer window spree from Jones, with Jon Parkin, Jay Emanuel-Thomas, Aaron Ramsey and Dekel Kienan. And with Bothroyd appearing not to be going anywhere (fingers crossed) and coming back from a long lay off, that's like having another quality player come in.

We've certainly got the ammo, now we've just got to use it - Rambo style!!!!

Cardiff City - half time/term report

2011-01-21T20:35:00.004Z

OK, I've been meaning to do this for a while, but things have got in the way.

Here's my half term report on the main City squad players. I should point out that this is wholly subjective, and entirely based on what I have seen (and heard) of the team this season to date.

I'm not doing the whole squad, just those who I think have either played enough to warrant a mention, or who I care to mention anyway. You can of course feel free to argue otherwise. That's the point of opinion.

David Marshall ('keeper): 7/10
Has looked good in spells, and dodgy at times. Personally, I think his confidence has suffered a bit after a solid start. Still one of the best keepers we've had for a while.

Tom Heaton ('keeper): 8/10
The better keeper for me. Had to wait for his chance, but has been brilliant in several games IMHO. Still prone to the occasional lapse (aren't all keepers), and to be fair, both he & Marshall have had to put up with a pretty dodgy defensive unit in front of them.

Kevin McNaughton (Defender): 9/10
"Nauts" has been outstanding (again) this season. Early injury plagued him, but once those hammy's are warmed up he's generally performed consistently in an inconsistent defence. Can play either flank or centrally. Pacey, never gives up. Contender for player of the season so far.

Lee Naylor (Defender): 5/10
OK going forward, but frankly very dodgy in defence. Beaten far to easily. Teams worked him out very early on in the season, and we are consistently attacked (and beaten) down the left. To be honest, only still there because there's no one better in the wings.

Gavin Rae: (Midfielder): 5/10
Few opportunities, but I still rate him. Works hard, goes about his business without being flashy.

Mark Hudson (Defender): 8/10
Huds took a lot of stick early doors. He's not quick...alright he's slow, but he's generally assured, and has got better and better as the season has gone on. Lacking anyone consistent enough to partner him. However, neither he nor Gyepes (see below) even come close to scoring at set pieces.

Gabor Gyepes (Defender): 6/10
The big Hungarian is far to inconsistent, and prone to silly mistakes. When he's good, he's good, when he's bad he's awful. Neither he nor Hudson even come close to scoring at set pieces.

Peter Whittingham (Midfielder): 7/10
Not found the same form (or goals) from last season, and back to blowing hot and cold again. There's no doubt he's quality, he just needs to produce it consistently.

Michael Chopra (Striker): 7/10
Chops is crucial to our team. Not scoring enough goals, but his movement on the pitch makes a hell of a difference when he's in the 11. Needs to play from the start and regularly.

Jay Bothroyd (Striker): 9/10
Jay has been outstanding until his injury in December. Goals, hold up play, laying off - he's blossomed this season. He needs to buckle down and keep doing what he's doing. I'm sure we'll lose him if we don't go up, and it'll be a big loss.

Stephen McPhail (Midfielder) 6.5/10
Can be class in midfield, but too often for me innocuous or injured. He should be running games, not taking part in them.

Chris Burke (Midfielder) 7/10
Another hot and cold player. When he's doing what he does best - running at defenders with the ball at his feet, he scares the living daylights out of them. Whether we don't feed him enough, or what I don't know, but too often he's not in the game, and defensively he's not strong enough.

Paul Quinn (Defender): 4/10
Frankly I'm not sure what DJ sees in him. Has never impressed me. Too easily beaten, distribution is poor.

Andy Keogh (Striker) 7/10
Another one that works hard but doesn't quite produce enough end results. Doesn't seem "greedy" enough to me. Too often want to try and put someone else in, and for a striker, his shooting is terrible. Plays best with Bellamy.

Seyi Olofinjana (Midfielder): 7/10
A rock at the start of the season, lost it a bit in the middle, and slowly coming back to his best. On form breaks up play, passes it simple and scores the odd goal. Solid. Very solid!

Daniel Drinkwater (Midfielder): 7/10
On loan from Man U and the class shows. Well it did in the early season, but then injured and hasn't looked the same player since. Match time maybe?

Darcy Blake (Utility): 7/10
Darcy can play almost anywhere - and has often been asked to! Not tall enough for a central defender though. A good player, who needs to play regularly. Still young and the best is yet to come.

Adam Matthews (Defender): 6/10
Not sure what Adam's done to get so few games. Even at his age I rate him above Naylor and Quinn. He's pacey too and gets forward. Will we get the best of him before someone else snaps him up?

Chris Riggott (Defender): 8/10
Bear with me. I'm rating him 8/10 on the basis of one game. When he finally played he looked just what we were after. Someone to partner Huds who was composed, level headed and could defend. I really, really, feel for him. He's clearly desperate to play, but it sadly looks as though his persistent injuries will scupper his City career almost before it's started, and quite possible his playing career full stop.

Craig Bellamy (Striker): 8/10
Bellars brings Premiership quality to the Championship. Sometimes. Occasionally, he's just ordinary. But only occasionally. He's passionate, gives it all and is a wonderful talent - albeit with dodgy knees. When he's on the pitch he creates space because there's always two people on him. It's been great to see him in a City shirt. I just hope he's able to pull us up to the Premiership.

Dave Jones (Manager): 8/10
I've said on many occasions Jones is the best manager City have had since I've supported them (since the mid 80's if anyone wants to know) and I stand by that. Yes, occasionally he's intransigent (Google it), bloody minded, and downright moody. But hey, he's a football manager, and to be fair some of the crap written of him, questions he's asked, and so on would hack most people off.

There's no doubt that he had a bad run from November to the New Year, where it looked like (as it often does with him) that there's no "plan B". But despite that God awful run, we're still right up there. We've still got Bothroyd (just), we've got loan players (and good ones) in from Man U, Man City and and Arsenal. We've never had it so good at City, and sometimes we just need to remember that.

Bloody pot holes!

2011-01-19T20:23:00.002Z

I've complained about road surfaces before, although that was a specific rant at the Vale of Glamorgan about a certain stretch of road.

This is a more general observation about the state of roads following the recent freezing weather, which seems to have led to an unprecedented number of pot holes in our road system.

It's not just the uncomfortable ride that these result in - I had a puncture last week. First I've had for as long as I can remember, and the puncture was in the side wall - almost certainly I suspect caused by a pothole. There have been three other people with punctures at our work in the last week, and I suspect there are other vehicular woes associated with driving over the tarmac equivalent of the Himalayas.

I heard or saw a report recently about the cost of repairing potholes - it was something like £47 per pothole, so clearly not a cheap job given the millions that must be out there. The suggestion was also that the quality of the stuff they use to fill the bloody things isn't great, meaning they quickly degrade again.

Anyway, the long and short of it is I wish it were different. It's expensive enough motoring now as it is, without having to shell out for repairs caused by crap roads.

Another signing - still no defender

2011-01-19T07:26:00.002Z

City signed another loan player yesterday ahead of the FAC replay with Stoke, with Arsenal youngster Jay Emmanuel Thomas joining the Bluebirds until the end of the season.

I don't know too much about JET (as I will call him because his name is too long to keep typing in full) but seems to be a pretty versatile player in an attacking midfield, winger or forward role. He has started for Arsenal first team at Premiership and Champions League level, so clearly is a talented player who old vinegar face Arsene Wenger has seen something in.

He's tall - something City lack in parts, so that will be a bonus.

There's still no sign of a defender coming in though - lots of rumours, but no real action, and given that the defence seemed, and continues to seem the most problematic area, we really need to get our skates on and get someone in before the transfer window slams shut. Unless DJ's philosophy is going to be, it doesn't matter how many they scores, we'll score more.

If only.

Wembley dream over: City0-2 Stoke

2011-01-18T22:54:00.003Z

So that's it then. This years FA Cup dream is over.

To be perfectly honest, this was a ~~pretty~~ very turgid game. Neither side really needed the extra game, and it showed. Both fielded largely second string teams, and the game was often played at a pace more reminiscent of training matches.

I can't really remember a shot on target by either side in normal time. If there was one, it wasn't memorable.

City huffed and puffed, and Jon Parkin on debut put himself about. Stoke looked pretty uninventive. Both keepers could have stayed at home. Quality was lacking from both sides. The game cried out for one player to take charge, but it never came. City's most likely player to do that, McPhail went off 5 minutes before half time. Even at set pieces it was hard to see where and sort of half decent delivery for City was coming from. In most cases it appeared to be Lee Naylor. Not his fault, but enough said.

City could arguably have had a penalty in the dying seconds of normal time when Chopra appeared to be brought down by Collins, but ref Peter Walton either didn't see it, or with literally only seconds to go bottled the decision.

Still, on the bright side, City didn't concede in 90 minutes - never looked like conceding to be fair, and some fringe payers got a run out.

The thought of a further 30 minutes of extra time did for some of the original 13,000 crowd, but those that stayed had to wait only a minuted into extra time to see the Potters take the lead, from a corner. To be honest that looked the only way they were likely to score. By then, Hudson and Gyepes apart, the average height of the City side was about 3 foot 2 after Parkin had been subbed by Chopra mid-way through the second half.

The goal didn't really help matters either way. City looked like they were running on empty as extra time continued, and Stoke were understandably in no hurry to do anything much. Shortly before the end they grabbed a second when after failing to clear a scrappy melee close to the touchline, John Walter grabbed his second goal from an almost impossible angle.

It was disappointing at that point to see so many of those who had stayed for extra time, immediately get up and start leaving. City hadn't played badly and if you were staying on in extra time, surely another 5 minutes wouldn't have hurt to stay and clap the players for their performance and effort, even in a losing cause.

So with the old cliché "we can concentrate on the league" being wheeled out, we face Watford on Saturday. Hopefully, Bothroyd, Bellamy, McNaughton and Whittingham will be back, and City can get three points and their promotion push back on track.

If they put half the effort in they did tonight, but can add some quality that was sadly lacking, we should be OK.

Panto! Oh yes it is....

2011-01-15T21:13:00.003Z

For years, since our kids were small, we've had an annual outing in January to the pantomime at the New Theatre in Cardiff with our friends.

The kids are bigger now - 13 and 16, but we still go. It's a great afternoon out.

This year it was "Cinderella" and the "star" was Brian Conley as "Buttons". It was really funny - I was in tears at several points, but then I'm easily entertained by sometimes pretty basic humour. If you've got kids you should really make an effort to get to a panto. If you haven't, well go anyway.

So nearly: Norwich 1-1 City

2011-01-15T20:59:00.004Z

The Bluebirds almost managed a smash and grab at Carrow Road, but Norwich equalised in the 92nd minutes to snatch a draw.

I can only go by what I've read about today's match as I was ensconced in our annual panto trip at the New Theatre in Cardiff (which incidentally was great fun).

New signing John "The Beast" Parkin, made his City debut, and what a debut, hitting a stunning goal in only the 7th minute.

It seem that the match was fairly ding-dong from then on, with the home side piling on the pressure, and City defending desperately, and trying to catch the Canaries on the break. Norwich had a goal disallowed for offside, could (and in some reports should) have had a penalty, and hit the bar.

City too had their chances, but failed to put a second goal on the board.

It looked like City were going to get a priceless three points to keep them in second spot until Russell Martin popped up in the 92nd minute to break the hearts of the travelling faithful.

Still, a point away at high flying Norwich isn't a bad result, and given the pressure City were under for large parts of the game they'll probably be satisfied with a point, but will be annoyed they didn't hang on for all three.

The worst thing is all the other sides around us won, including the Jacks who leapfrog both Norwich and Cardiff into second spot.

Light relief on Tuesday as the Bluebirds entertain stoke in the FA Cup 3rd round replay at the CCS, but then it's back to serious business with the visit of Watford a week today, in a match City really must win.

Bluebirds!!!!!

2011-01-12T22:25:00.004Z

T-Mobile have kicked up a bit of a fuss by saying they are going to cut the unlimited mobile data use for it's customers to 500mb.

For those used to getting (and as importantly paying) for "unlimited" data, this came as a bit of a shock to say the least. If it had been me I'd have been really hacked off, but fortunately I'm not on T-Mob any more, I'm on O2.

Oh hang on, I forgot, my data cap is 500mb anyway. D'oh!

Anyway, turns out T-Mobile weren't quite right in what they were saying. They are only going to apply the cap for new customers and those upgrading from (I believe) 1st February. Those currently on "unlimited" data plans can stay on their current useage plan.

But here's the rub. When they say "unlimited" they don't mean it. It's not unlimited at all. There's a fair useage policy which basically limits the data you can use to 3GB. If you go over that (routinely) you'll be told politely by T-Mob to stop using so much, and if you persist they might well take more heavy handed action (knocks on the door in the middle of the night?).

I'm not sure how often that happens in reality, but that's not the point. The point is, today you get unlimited (sorry, 3GB) for your money tomorrow (or from 1st Feb) new customers or those upgrading will be getting 500mb for the same money (more or less). Hardly seems fair.

And in an increasingly connected world, giving people the tools to use data easily, but then restricting what they can do with those tools seems a bit arse about if you ask me. and it's not OK to just say find a wifi hotspot, because in many places - including most of the places I go, they're not abundant.

The theory is that a few data "hoggers" are ruining the bandwidth for the majority, but penalising everyone because little Johnny is misbehaving doesn't seem to be the right way to go about solving the problem.

I'm going to stop now, and enjoy using my 500mb data cap by browsing and tweeting and so on.

Remember though, use wifi where you can and it won't be an issue!

New signings....not yet

2011-01-12T22:18:00.003Z

There's little to report on the new signings front at City. Apart from "Big" John Parkin, we're still yet to see any confirmed new faces at the club. I guess it's only 12th January, but I'd rather hoped we'd have sorted a few more out by now.

Of course the rumour mill is hard at work. There's clearly a need for at least one central defender. Andy O'Brien snubbed us to stay at Leeds. There's talk of Loovens coming back to us, though I can't see it and Kienan from Blackpool amongst a couple of others.

Wayne Routledge, a left sided player who the fans loved when he was (briefly) at City until he snubbed us for more money and the bright lights is still being mentioned in despatches. Not sure what sort of reception he'd get if he did decide to come back?

The James Vaughan from Everton option has died a death or so it seems.

And there may well be others. Frankly, I'm getting fed up of listening to all the rumours, and will only believe stuff when it actually happens.

But I hope something does happen. And soon. We've got some big matches coming up.

Blackpool: What are they on?

2011-01-12T22:10:00.003Z

Though it pains me to say it after losing out to them in the Championship Play Off Final last May, Blackpool are making a great fist of their Premier League debut.

A side that came from nowhere in the second tier last year is now sitting in 9th spot in the biggest league in the world after defeating Liverpool under new (again) manager "King" Kenny Dalglish.

I don't know what Ian Holloway is feeding his lads on, but I wish he'd send some of it down to Cardiff. Picked by almost every pundit as an absolute certainty to go straight back down, the Tangerines are defying all odds, as they play generally attractive and attacking football. They don't seem to realise they're supposed to be second best to everyone else in the league.

Of course, it could still all go horribly wrong. Remember Hull, who made such a great start in their first season up in the Premiership. Didn't last. And though they escaped relegation that year but the skin of their teeth, they didn't the second time around and they're now 15th in the Championship. I genuinely wish Blackpool well. No really I do. I didn't, but I was one of the people that thought they'd be lucky to win a game, and they've proved me wrong, so good luck to them. And I love their manager. Mad as a hatter.

FA Cup 3rd Rnd: Stoke 1-1City

2011-01-08T17:35:00.006Z

Crikey, it's that time of year again when City set out on the road to Wembley.
Wembley has of course been our second home in recent years with the two visits in the 2008 competition, and "that" Play-Off final last year, which I still can't bear to recall.

At round three stage though, the dream of making the trip again, is just that - a dream. There's a long way to go, and we have to get past the first hurdle, Stoke City, at their gaff. Never an easy ask.

I fancied the Bluebirds for this one. Even without Jay B, Big John, and Bellars, I just had a feeling that we might sneak something. When Chops put us a goal up after just 8 minutes from what sounded like a stunning Stephen McPhail cross, things were looking good.

You just knew though that Stoke would come back hard at us. They're not the prettiest team to watch, but they are big, strong and have some very decent players. Kenwynne Jones and Rory Delap were both on the bench but both came on later in the game. Their Welsh manager, Tony Pulis has moulded them into a decent Premiership outfit - never going to win many (any?) trophies, but incredibly hard to beat. The fact they are an established Premiership side now is testament to his management, and you know the players really play for him.

And so it was that Stoke did come back hard, finishing the first half on top with Tuncay grabbing the equaliser right on the whistle.

Stoke started the second period like a firestorm, testing City's recently fragile defence to the limits. Listening on the radio it sounded like it was all Stoke, with City grateful for small counter attacks. It seemed as though it was only a matter of time before they took the lead, but somehow City held on, aided and abetted by a defence that was showing far more steel than of late, and 'keeper Marshall, who kept any further effort out. The fact that Stoke brought on Jones and Delap to try and finish this one in one go showed how much they wanted to win it, and how well City did to keep them out.

BBC report here

So a battling draw for City, who can now look forward to bringing the Premiership side back to the CCS on Tuesday 18th January. As we sing......

"I'll be there...., I'll be there....with my little pick and shovel I'll be there......!!!!"

Up the Bloooobirds!

Are you receiving me...?

2011-01-05T21:23:00.004Z

I've posted before about my frustrations of not being able to get a data signal on O2 at the Cardiff City Stadium on match days, and anecdotal comments by various people about the connection being "switched off" on match days, although other people on other carriers seem to do OK.

I got so fed up with this that I sent a "Mr Angry from Barry" email to O2 yesterday.

This afternoon a very nice young lady from O2 rang me to discuss this. Initially she suggested that the lack of connection was due to the mass of people at the match until I pointed out that:

People on other carriers seem to do OK
It's only Cardiff City match days - Wales international matches and Cardiff Blues rugby matches don't seem to have this problem (though admittedly the crowds for both are smaller than Bluebirds games)
I can text/SMS OK but get absolutely no data signal, almost as soon as I'm in sight of the stadium

She seemed genuinely willing to want to help, but was stuck on the "it's the volume of people" approach. I then told her that I'd heard (from two separate sources) that the data signal is turned off by O2 on CCFC match days. This threw her and she said she'd need to speak to someone else and promised to ring back.

She duly did 20 minutes later. She told me that after speaking with the "network infrastructure" team (or something like that) they could "neither confirm nor deny" that the data signal is turned off. Hmm....interesting. Sounds like a government or military sort of response!

She said that the mast was a small one and 0.4km from the stadium and that the most likely explanation was that in order to ensure a continuous connection for existing O2 users who reside in the vicinity when there are large crowds in the area, the likelihood is the connection is reduced (or switched off, but she could neither confirm nor deny that).

It doesn't help me, but at least now I know - I think. In addition she has arranged for a small discount on my monthly bill, as I complained (nicely) that in effect I'm paying for a service which is available but being denied to me in the 8-12 hours a month I probably spend in and around that area. A result!

The other option of course is to switch from O2 to a carrier that doesn't have the signal problems in the area on match days, but I don't want to do that....yet.

Maybe if everyone complains, they'll put a bigger, closer mast up??

Crisis. What crisis? City 2-1 Leeds

2011-01-04T22:34:00.005Z

Make no mistake. This was a massive game for Cardiff City. After some really poor performances and two good spankings in their last outings against Watford and Bristol City saw the Bluebirds drop to fifth, Leeds, unbeaten in 12 (since City walloped them at Elland Road back in October in fact) were the visitors to CCS. Victory would see the winners go to 2nd spot behind QPR.

There were some palpable groans (from me) when I saw that Bothroyd is was still not in the starting line up, and a slight surprise to see woeful left back Lee Naylor still in, and the slightly less woeful, and rarely seen Paul Quinn at right back, with the usually reliable, and very versatile Kevin McNaughton slotting in at centre back with Mark Hudson. Yet another surprise was a second game in a week for Craig Bellamy. Still, the manager knows best.

One point to note is that Lee Naylor has had some stick for what have been in all honesty some pretty awful performances. It was terrible though to see some of the City "fans" booing him when the team sheets were announced

City were out of the blocks in a hurry, and the chances (and corners) came thick and fast in an opening period that saw Leeds pegged back into their own half. It looked only a matter of time before City scored, and Craig Bellamy duly obliged in the 11th minute from close range. That only served to fire City up more, and peg Leeds back more, although the visitors did look dangerous when they got into the final third. In fact City had about 10 corners in the opening period and looked unlikely to score from any, whilst Leeds almost scored from their first. City though bossed the first half and went in one up.

It was not likely that Leeds would be quite so restrained in the second period, but again, City were in their faces from the off, showing a desire to chase and close down that has been lacking in recent games.

As I mentioned though, Naylor and Quinn both look particularly vulnerable, with poor passing, poor positioning and a seeming ingrained need to let the ball bounce before playing it, and that left a 1-0 advantage always on a knife edge. A sweeping pass from Leeds opened up a chance for Sam, one of Leeds' subs, who looked certain to score only for Heaton to pull off a brilliant save. But City failed to clear and the marvelously named Snodgrass curled a great shot in to level the match.

That blow took the wind out of City, and for 15 minutes they lost the plot. They reverted to route one, gave the ball way every time they got it and looked very likely to concede again. But they gradually settled again, and wih just over 10 minutes remaining, Whittingham fired a perfectly weighted long ball down the right channel for Chopra to chase. He outran the defender, but Leeds 'keeper Schmeichel seemed to be getting there first as he closed down the angle until Chopra finished superbly with an outstretched leg to send most of the 25,000 plus crowd into a frenzy.

Leeds pushed for a second equaliser, but City saw out the match which fires them back into 2nd spot, and takes a huge weight off everyone at the club and the fans.

This win doesn't paper over all the cracks though. Naylor (and Quinn) were both pretty awful again, and we depserately need some quality full backs (apart from Naughts, though he looks pretty decent at centre back too).

For the moment though, the heat is off. A very winnable FA Cup tie against Premiership Stoke on Saturday brings welcome respite from the tension of the league.

One final point, and one I think I've made before is that I can't get an internet signal on my phone at City matches. I can when Wales play, or the Blues are there, but when City are at home, the O2 data signal disappears. Apparently, I'm told by fellow Twitterer @Rhys1927 O2 switch off the data signal when City are at home. Why? Other carriers don't seem to. I pay good money to O2 every month to use their services, and they deem not to provide me with a service I'm paying for. That's why you don't get any match tweets/updates from me or @ministats during City matches. A Mr Angry email coming on I think.

It's never dull following City!

Bloooobirds!

Beast. Anyone else? Jones to stay or go?

2011-01-02T18:57:00.006Z

So it's a done deal. "Big" John Parkin, known as the "Beast" in some parts in now a Bluebird after his transfer from Preston North End. I've taken the mick out of him before because of his size, but he's ours now, and I think he's got the chance to become a cult hero at the CCS.

He's a big, big lad, but Dave Jones obviously sees something in him. Mind you he also saw something in Warren Feeney, Solomon Taiwo, Iwan Redan, Malvin Kamara and a few other s who never made the grade at City.

He's always caused City some discomfort when we've played against him, and whilst he won't win any 100 yard sprints, there aren't that many occasions to be fair when you need your striker to win a 100 yard race. So long as he's as quick over 10-20 yards that's probably good enough. And finally, we have someone else other than Jay Bothroyd to fill that "target man" role.

News on other signings is fairly quiet. All the hoo-ha about James Vaughan, which appeared done and dusted a couple of days ago has gone silent, and the other person who's actually been named with some truth about it, Andy O'Brien has secured his future at Tuesday's opponents Leeds. For the moment then, we wait with bated breath of news of other signings. Given Jones has been talking for what seems like months about another "four or five players coming in, we should see at least three more.

And what of Dave Jones? The various Bluebirds message boards are going into meltdown with rumours of his impending demise, although to be fair there still seems to be a fair amount of support for him as well. If not wholehearted praise, at least along the lines of "who's going to do any better"? And it's hard to see the owners sacking Jones after giving him money to bring new players in. Surely if they were going to ditch him, they'd have done it before Christmas, and give a new man the pot of gold?

We'll see. Leeds visit to the CCS on Tuesday night is clearly a massive, massive game. It's massive becase we desperately need three points. It's massive because we've been so awful recently, but especially in the last two games. It's massive for Dave Jones because despite what I've said above, another poor result could push the owners to the point of sacking Jones - and make no mistake, the fans will let everyone know if they think the performance is poor.

All done for another year

2011-01-02T18:43:00.002Z

That's it. Christmas all done and dusted for us for another year. We have one more day off tomorrow before kids are back in school and Mrs Stats and I are back in work (though to be fair Mrs S has had to work 4 days between Christmas & New Year, including New Year's Day, whilst I slobbed about - who'd be a nurse manager?).

Anyway, as usual, and despite best intentions, I've eaten (far) too much, drunk (a little) too much and am developing indigestion. Resolutions for the New Year therefore include easting less, exercising more and maybe drinking a tad less. Yeah. No seriously. Well maybe drinking a tad less.

It's a funny old thing Christmas. It creeps up on you out of nowhere, and is gone before you can blink an eye. It's certainly a commercial free for all these days which rather grates with me despite all the above. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to go into a silent retreat or anything, but when did you last see a holy Christmas card, or go to church for the right reasons, rather than falling out of the pub for midnight mass? And try as we might we always spend more on presents that we intend to.

So, the last of the family gathering has gone - we had 15 including us four for dinner today, we've seen nearly everyone we wanted to, the tree is holding up (but will be down tomorrow), and then it's the packing away of decorations, lights etc.

We've managed to accumulate 5 black bags of rubbish (that's discounting the 2 crates of empty bottles, 4 large bags of plastic and three large bags of cardboard and two large bags of paper that will be going to recycling. As an aside why is everything packaged in plastic these days? Does my head in.

So, back to (relative) normality on Tuesday. Frankly I prefer being on holiday!

And no, we won't be chucking our tree on the side of the road like in the picture - well, only for the local council to pick it up for yet more recycling....

Something badly, badly wrong at City

2011-01-01T16:49:00.004Z

Something is badly wrong at Cardiff City. At the end of October they were rising high, topping the table.

Since then, it's all gone horribly, horribly wrong. We're being beaten and held by very average teams, the manager looks clueless in terms of selection, tactics and his legendary lack of a "Plan B"

Since they beat Norwich at home on 30th October, their results have read as follows:

Lost 1-0 at home to Swansea

Drew 1-1 away at Reading

Won 4-2 away at Scunthorpe (if the game had gone on longer, Scunny would have equalised)

Lost 2-0 at home to Forest

Lost 2-1 away to QPR

Drew 1-1 at home with Preston

Lost 1-0 away at Boro

Won 2-0 at home to Coventry

Lost 4-1 away at Watford

Lost 3-0 away at Bristol City

That's 8 points from a possible 30. Despite that, they've stayed in the top three most of that time, but today's result sees them fall to 5th.

The January transfer window is open, but you have to wonder if manager Dave Jones is going to be around long enough to make use of it. City are showing relegation form with no hint of being able to turn it around.

We've got the one striker capable of scoring goals this year out, and looking increasingly discontent with his lot as the Premiership sides start lining him up (and he's out of contract this summer), we've got a defence leakier than a leaky sieve, a midfield that looks increasingly incapable of passing the ball at all - oh what joy it was when they only passed it sideways and backwards - do you remember those heady days? The remaining strikers, Bellamy included all "work hard" but mostly it's bluster.

The Malaysians who are running the club must surely be asking questions about whether City have got what it takes to get to the Premiership. At the moment, the answer is a clear and resounding "No".

City are rumoured to be bringing in striker "big" John Parkin from Preston. James Vaughan from Everton has also been mentioned in despatches. As my previous post mentioned, and the last two matches have sorely shown, it's defenders we need, although someone to score goals would be an asset. Oh and someone in midfield. Defender Andy O'Brien is staying at Leeds after seemingly almost being snared by Jones.

These players are paid an arm and a leg to kick a bag of wind about and they're not performing. Nor is the back room team. They need to sort it out and quick - Leeds are here on Tuesday.

It's not good enough. We're being beaten by distinctly averages sides with no top name players, and largely quiet managers who are tucking us up though willing team work, good research and a desire to win that's not evident in the City camp.

Spanked: Bristol City 3-0 City

2011-01-01T16:46:00.002Z

I'll leave today's summary to @CardiffCityNews on Twitter

"Lost for words to be honest. Defense has been terrible. The passing in midfield has been even worse. Strikers control severely lacking also."

The Ashes - they're ours....again!

2010-12-30T16:07:00.004Z

Ho ho ho! What a Merry Christmas it's been for the England boys down under. Despite a minor blip in Perth where Mitchell Johnson had a good couple of hours, the ~~South Africans~~ England players have dominated the Ashes series, and with one test to go have successfully retained the little urn.

I've forced myself to stay up late to watch at least the early hours of most days play so far, and England have been superb throughout. Only Paul Collingwood has really failed to shine, but his fielding remains a constant threat and he's snaffled a good few catches.

The top order batters, and Bell when he's been called on have been monstrous, and the bowlers superb throughout. The management of the team, and selection, especially post Stuart Broad's exit through injury have been spot on.

The series is not yet won however. A 3-1 scoreline - or even the current 2-1 would be far preferable to the Aussies clawing back to 2-2.

Talking of the Aussies, they have, bar Hussey, Haddin and twice Siddle, been atrocious. I'm not worried - indeed long may it continue. It's nice to see them struggling so much after thrashing the hell out of us over the last 20 or so years. Ponting, the skipper, has had a personal mare of a series, but few have come out much better, the selectors included. Ponting has been barely able to buy a run, he broke his finger in the last test, played though this one and is now out for the final rubber. Will that be it for "Punter" both as a test player and as skipper. It may well be. Much though I want him to lose, he has been a superb player for the Aussies. It's a shame a lot of people will remember him as one of a few (only two?) Australian skips who have lost the Ashes three times. Well, maybe not.

So, onward and upward lads. Make it 3-1 in Sydney, then win the T20 and one day series, and then the World Cup. Please?

New faces for City?

2010-12-30T15:53:00.003Z

Dave Jones has been saying he thinks he'll be able to strengthen in January, and it now looks as if the first new face is a done deal. Although the BBC website is reporting only that City are "keen" on the 22 year old Everton striker, the South Wales Echo that dropped through my door at lunchtime was claiming it a £1m done deal.

Vaughan has struggled to get a starting spot at the Toffees, and has got a history of injuries (sound familiar with Cardiff signings?), but has been out on loan at Crystal Palace for the last three months. He looks like a decent signing, and someone that will bolster City's attacking options further.

But, and it's the question nearly all City fans are asking, where are the defensive additions? Ask (almost) any City fan, and they'll tell you we are weakest in defence, and especially at centre and left back, where Lee Naylor has failed miserably to establish himself as a decent defender.

There are rumours of another "Premiership" player being in talks, and Jonathan Woodgate's name has been heard on the grapevine. He's another injury prone centre back, so he & Chris Riggott can share treatment table stories.

However, the fact that City appear to be moving for new players does make me feel rather happier - we certainly need to strengthen if we're to resurrect our promotion push.

The only cloud on the horizon, and one made slightly darker by the probable arrival of Vaughan, is will Bothroyd and/or Chopra go? Jones has said he won't let them go, but if someone comes in with a big bid - and Bothroyd in particular has been scoring for fun and has now got a senior England cap, will the temptation be too much?

I'd like to think both players will see the efforts City are making for the Premiership push, and want to stay and be part of it, but sadly these days it's all about money and "now". Let's hope I'm wrong.

Christmas goodies: Flip Ultra HD

2010-12-28T19:56:00.002Z

I must have been a good lad this year, as once again, Santa left some techno goodness under the tree for me.

I'm now the lucky owner of a Flip Ultra HD 8GB pocket video recorder. It's a marvellous, and very simple piece of video recorder gadgetry. Smaller (but about twice as thick) as my iPhone 4 - bearing in mind the iPhone is the "world's thinnest smartphone", there's really not much to this recorder. You turn it on, press the big red button and it records. To stop, press the big red button again!

To upload video, just "flip" out in-built USB adapter, whereupon on first connection you get the chance to install the Flip software (to Mac or PC), and off you go.

The only other two buttons on the device (other than the on/off and big red button) are a review and delete button. The settings are basic - language, whether you want sound on button press, the red recording light to show etc).

It runs on the inbuilt battery, which is removable, and replaceable by 3x AAA's. The 8GB holds about 2 hours worth of the HD video it records. Note that it doesn't take stills.

You wouldn't want to record an epic on it - or even anything overly lengthy. It's ideal for short clips which you might want to email, upload to YouTube of embed on a site.

The Flip software is pretty basic, but does allow you to do some pretty limited editing and movie creation. You van of course import it into any video editing suite that you may have that supports it's native MP4 file format.

It complements my Samsung FD30 perfectly. If I want longer scenes, with bigger zoom (the Flip has a pretty limited and digital only zoom) and fancy effects (which I never use), then the Sammy gets the nod. If it's quick clips and I don't want to lug my Samsung around (which is slightly smaller than a can of coke anyway) then the Flip will do the business.

Why have this and the iPhone that records HD video as well? The iPhone's definitely a good backup and is with me all the time, but for longer clips the Flip is easier to hold, is easy to upload, holds 2 hours without me worrying about either space or battery life on the iPhone.

It's beauty is it's pocket-ability and the high quality of the video you get. It's a far, far cry from the cumbersome handled recorders of some time ago.

I love it!

City shocker: Watford 4-1 City

2010-12-28T16:46:00.006Z

City are back to their Jekyll & Hyde ways. On Sunday at CCS v Coventry they were superb, but at Vicarage Road two days later against Watford, they took a right thumping going down 4-1, against a pacy, organised and up for it Hornets side.

Listening on the radio I heard words from the Radio Wales commentators like sloppy, poor, no game plan, a "tanking" and it showed in a match that City led (not for long), and eventually lost comprehensively.

Still missing Bothroyd - although Sunday showed that's not quite the end of the world, the Bluebirds were also without Bellamy today - two games in a week is too much for his fragile knee. Being without one of the two is just about OK - being without both frankly means we're unlikely to win.

The defensive frailties started to show early, with Naylor conceding a penalty inside 12 minutes, which Marshall brilliantly saved, and then against the run of play a super move saw Whittingham blast home to give City the lead. Watford hauled it back soon after, when another Naylor mistake gave possession away and led to their equaliser.

Shortly after Naylor who many fans (me included) think is a real weak defensively was booked, and he was eventually subbed before half time.

City, as so often in the past had no plan B to counter Watford's organised display, and to put it very mildly, had a shocking day at the office.

You could argue that two games in two days is too much - Watford haven't played for 18 days, but that's no excuse. They're professional footballers, they know it's a busy Christmas period, and they should be up for it both mentally and physically. People still say they have a good enough squad to go up, and I agree - but it's no good having a good enough squad if you can't play well enough as a team, and Sunday aside, City have been bloody awful since the end of October, and that's not good enough for promotion.

Dave Jones has got some sorting out to do. There is talk of money to spend in January, but the way City are falling off the pace (though unbelievably they are still second as results around them have favoured them, but the pack are catching, and indeed some have caught City - Swansea and Leeds are both on the same points), you have to wonder whether the owners will have the will to splash much cash.

A Merry Christmas: City 2-0 Coventry

2010-12-26T18:48:00.005Z

After a dismal run of form, Cardiff City finally came good in front of 24,500 at the CCS on Boxing Day. Braving a bitterly cold day, the faithful saw a Bluebirds side without talisman striker Jay Bothroyd either in the tem or even on the bench, edge past a defensively resolute Coventry.

In truth City dominated the match from start to finish, something they haven't done for a long time, and without a string of outstanding saves by Sky Blues 'keeper Westwood, the final score could have been far different.

It was a surprise not to see Bothroyd in the starting line-up, after he was due back from a hamstring tweak in the match before Christmas that was eventually postponed due to the weather. The extra week without a match made most people sure he's start today, and when the team sheets were announced and he wasn't in sight, a few inward groans must have gone round the stadium.

But to be fair, City didn't miss him today. Manager Dave Jones, so often it seems reluctant to start Michael Chopra, did so, and I think City are a far better team with him pulling defenders around, even when he's not in top scoring form.

Up front Andy Keogh worked hard, and despite some indecisive moments from him, it was his quick thinking and free kick that set up Bellamy to cross for Olifanjana's opener on 21 minutes. I think Keogh had a good game, and though he'll almost certainly make way when Bothroyd does return, he's proving a willing replacement for the moment.

McPhail and Olifanjana, the latter looking in a bit more like his early season form, controlled the midfield well.

Coventry rarely threatened, and when they did City were generally sound at the back, with centre back Chris Riggott finally making his bow in a City shirt. He had a decent game until subbed (probably through lack of match fitness), and looked assured with some good touches. Marshall barely had a save to make in the entire match. The Sky Blues did get the ball in the net once, but it was (correctly) ruled out for offside, but that's as close as they came.

The second goal for City was almost inevitable, and eventually came in a somewhat bizarre fashion, after Bellamy was floored just inside the Coventry half, and when the defence hesitated expecting a free kick which wasnt given, Bellamy got up, ran on and hit a shot that was wickedly deflected past Westwood. There was an uncomfortable few seconds for City fans and players as it was unclear whether the ref had given the goal because he was booking the player that had fouled Bellamy, but the goal stood, and that wrapped it up for City.

With Leeds being pegged back from 2-0 to 2-2 at Leicester, City leapfrog them back into 2nd with a game in hand, and even better festive cheer was knowing in the early kick off, the Jacks had been thumped 4-0 at leaders QPR, with the added bonus of Alan Tate having seen red.

So a great Boxing Day for City. Their first win on Boxing Day for many years. And if not an outstanding display, certainly looking as if they're getting back towards their best. Watford next up away on Tuesday, but the really big one looming is Leeds visit to the CCS on 4th Jan.

Up the City!