Game #21 this weekend sees our last game before a very welcome break for some tin pot international competition in a far flung, backwards land… And before it's mentioned, no, as much I'd love to do International Matchday Threads for the Wales (sorry Cymru) games I shall be too bust soaking up the sun and drinking beer at 1.50E a pint for the first 2 games!!! Anyhow, I digress...... We are, once again at the CCS, hoping to turn around our recent poor home form, and this time we welcome high flying Sheffield Utd who themselves visit off the back off a “shock” defeat to a Rotherham side we played off the pitch just a few short weeks ago. How can you not love this division?? Paul Heckingbottom’s Blades come to us in 3rd spot, some 11 points better off than the Bluebirds and in decent enough form despite their recent setback against their Yorkshire rivals. With the recent 5-2 demolition of top team Burnley still fresh in the mind this will undoubtedly be City’s toughest test for several weeks. As you’d expect of a fairly recent Premier League side, they are packed with some quality players. 2 players currently sit on 9 goals each, outstripping the entire Bluebirds team by 2 goals just on their own, those 2 players being Iliman Ndiaye and everyone’s favourite chav Oli McBirdBrain… Oli McNugget does his best “hard man” impression whilst auditioning as an extra in a Goldie Lookin Chain video Names such as Sam Baldock, John Egan, Welsh International Rhys Norrington Davies are regulars in a defence that has only conceded 19 times in their 20 games so far. In midfield, John Fleck, Oli Norwood, Ndiaye and ex-Bluebird loanee Tommy Doyle bring a wealth of talent and experience between them. Up front, McBellend is their man of the moment, but old warhorse Billy Sharpe and the way too expensive ex-Jack Rhian Brewster make up the attacking threat (with 5 goals in 64 appearances for the Blades, that is working out at around £4.7 million per goal…. And Vincent Tan thought we’d wasted some money!!). Last season in December ’21, this fixture saw the Blades run out 2-3 winners at the CCS (we couldn’t have the same score line twice in a week surely?). This was a game that saw the Bluebirds take the lead through a Mark Harris goal, only to see skipper Sean Morrison sent off in the 52nd minute after which the game swung in the visitors favour. Mark McGuiness scored a consolatory 90th minute goal by way of response, setting up a tense finish but to no avail ultimately. Overall the Blades are the sharper of the 2 sides in this contest with 30 wins to the Bluebirds 26. 20 games have finished all square. Early Bluebirds Team News The big news (and relief) is of course the return to the side of both Cedric Kipre and Ryan Wintle following their suspensions for picking up 5 bookings. To say we missed them on Tuesday night would be an understatement and a half..... A return to action for Rubin Colwill, who will undoubtedly be buoyed by his inclusion in the Welsh World Cup squad is also a welcome sign, though on Tuesday, much of the talk around me in the Ninian was how neither he, nor Mark Harris want to risk injury before next week and hence weren't putting themselves about enough (sounds very much like fan conjecture to me but who knows, maybe a grain of truth there psychologically for them both??). Sadly it seems Philogene is out for this weekend due to a hernia issue/ a real shame as we were just starting to see the undoubted potential in the lad come through in leaps and bounds... hopefully it won't prevent a return post World Cup (not cause a return to his earlier form, or lack thereof too). Again it seems we will be waiting until after the World Cup to see any sign of Isaac Davies and Ebou Adams, but both are now back training at a higher intnsity it seems. Prutton Predicts Surprisingly, Mr Negative is tipping the Bluebirds to blunt the Blades and earn a useful point against them in a 1-1 draw. The bookies however have a different view, heavily backing an away win for our visitors; Home Win 11/5 Draw 23/10 Away Win 5/4 From the Mouth of the Hudson (and the other bloke) Mark Hudson “They’re a good team,” Huds continued. “Under Heckingbottom, they’re full of energy, they’ve got some really good players in that team as well. We know we’ve got to be better than we were on Tuesday night, much better and back to the performance we showed against Sunderland away. “We want to go into the break with a win. We know we’ve got to be ready for the game. Sheffield United will bring an intensity, a non-stop game that’s going to be high-energy and we’ve got to match and go beyond that. We're looking forward to it.” Paul One Heck Of A Bottom Cardiff last game before break, a go for it mentality? "We are doing that anyway, you have to treat every game like that but that will be the message 'last one' but every team will be thinking that." Cardiff, 18th in the table but 7pts off top six? "That's the league we are striving for more consistency, they are the same but have been less consistent [than us] a tough team we have to respect that we want to go there and win" Sharing The Love He’s black, he’s mean, he robs your fruit machine……who else could we highlight but good old Nathan Blake?? Yes, his punditry/journalist columns may leave a lot to be desired at times but as a player for the Bluebirds he certainly brought a little bit of class occasionally to a team that was definitely a little lacking during that era. Joining the Bluebirds in 1990 after coming through the ranks at Chelsea (though never playing a 1st team game for them), Blake went on to become a regular and a fan favourite at Ninian Park, making 130+ appearances and scoring 40 times, including his memorable winner in the FA Cup v Man City in January 1994. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/wales/30755283 Just a month later, Blakey would leave Cardiff for Premier League strugglers and this weekend's opponents Sheff Utd in a deal reportedly to have been worth around £300,000. Utd were relegated that season and despite Blake leading their scoring charts for the next 2 seasons, they remained in the 2nd tier, prompting Blake to move again to another Premier League side in the shape of Bolton. We won't mention the rumoured way in which his song came about!! Nothing to see here!! Other notable Bluebirds making the list..... one or two there that our more "seasoned" posters may wish to ruminate about. So, can we show some steel in the capital and blunt the visitors attack? Will we make the Steel City men look more like a Tin Pot team?? Can we carve open the Blades back-line??? All I know is anything other than defeat has to be taken as a positive, and we must re-group during the World Cup break.... Bloooooobirds!! Lest We Forget.
Fantastic piece again before a well earned rest Brizzle. I'm going to miss the threads while the WC is on. Hope you have a great time. This game may get postponed as I have formed a protest group to block all routes the Blades may use to get to Cardif. My group is called "Just Stop Oli"
May not needed as apparently TwatyMcTwatFace is struggling with injury. Someone asked him to use the most underutilised part of his body. His brain.
But according to WoL today he may be available. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport...kCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar
Won't be at the game today as heading down to Devon with Mrs Brizzle and the Wurzle in-laws to help close down the family caravan for winter (I know, I know, makes it sound like they are some kind of Wurzle/ Jack hybrid)... Think this one is going to be our toughest home test yet, especially as we're coming off the back of a disappointing performance again from Tuesday night. I think this odd break that we now have has come at a good time for us. Hopefully Hudson can get some serious time on the training ground with the remainder of the squad and reintroduce Davies and Adams back into the main routines etc. Hopefully we get at least a point out of today, just to help set us on our way again after the break.
Doesn't make for great reading again.... Match facts Cardiff lost both league meetings with Sheffield United last season. The Bluebirds haven’t lost three in a row against them since December 1984. Following a 3-2 win at the Cardiff City Stadium last season, Sheffield United are looking for consecutive away league wins against them for the first time since December 1977. Cardiff have lost their last two home league games, conceding more goals in these defeats (5) than they had in their previous eight home league games combined (4). No side has won more away games in the Championship this season than Sheffield United (5), with only Preston (18) picking up more points on the road than the Blades (17). No player has been involved in more Championship goals this season than Sheffield United's Iliman Ndiaye (11 – 9 goals, 2 assists)
Attacking lineup. Sang and Harris in. Sawyers nowhere to be seen. McBurney nowhere to be seen either. Cardiff City XI: Allsop; Romeo, Ng, Kipre, Nkounkou; Wintle, Ralls, Sang; O'Dowda, Robinson, Harris. Subs: Alnwick, Nelson, Rinomhota, Whyte, Colwill, Ojo Etete.
Bagan dropped off the radar again. Definitely a more inspiring starting lineup than that against Hull. Of course, part of the latter was enforced.
Wouldn’t be displeased if that’s the last we saw of Sawyers. Great chance AT LAST for Sang in midfield.
A different game I know, but Masky couldn’t help but notice that a certain Willy Smallbone is turning out for Stoke.....made me think of Clingy and BFB for a mo! No offence intended pals
