Was it really just 3 weeks ago that we saw Bluebirds bow out of the League Cup at the hands of this weekends hosts Blackburn Rovers? City now face the tough task of trying to pick up maximum points at a ground that we’ve not tasted victory on since 2012, when we ran out 4-1 winners, since then we have picked up a measly 5 points from 7 games, though that does mean of course that from a positive perspective, we’ve only lost 2 of our last 7 league visits to Ewood Park (worryingly though these have been the 2 most recent trips!). Will that 5-2 defeat in the League Cup prove to be a psychological advantage for a struggling Rovers team or with the line-ups for that mid-week game having been much changed will it prove to just be a mere blip in the Bulut master plan, only time will tell? We travel North (yet again) following the International break in somewhat less imperious form than recent weeks, coming off the back of defeat to Middlesbrough and a hard fought, and in some respects slightly fortunate point gained at home to Watford, whilst our hosts come into this one having picked up just their 2nd win in 6 in their last game prior to the break, a handsome 4-0 win away at QPR. Last season saw the Bluebirds go down 1-0 in this fixture, surely this time around though we can do something about our woeful recent record here in Lancashire against our struggling opponents? Our hosts have a few injured players returning to fitness, leaving manager Jon Dahl Tomasson with a few selection headaches as his side face a Welsh double header in a week with Wales's second side heading to Ewood Park next weekend following Rovers' mid-week trip to Millwall after their game against Wales's leading light. Bulut's Bulletin Well, what a difference a couple of weeks has made. Prior to the enforced break the squad was looking stretched beyond a healthy position, however news is now in that Yakou Meite should be fit to return to the squad this week, with Kion Etete potentially returning next week, both ahead of the predicted month or so out. Possible good news has also arrived in the shape of Arron Ramsey already returning to some light training/running, meaning he too may well be back well ahead of the initially feared 2-3 months out. Callum O'Dowda however is still some way off following his operation. Much has been made of the Colwill/Robinson dilemma in recent days, with Erol expressing the need for the pair to give more for the overall benefit of the team. Whilst this is not too much to ask, persisting with a more functional, hard working midfield trio could conceivably continue to contribute to our very recent downturn in form. Will he take a chance and give either playmaker a shot from the off, only he knows at this stage but many a Bluebird will be glad if he does. Up top it's very likely Ike Ugbo will hold down his starting place, but with Meite coming back, a shortened stint on the pitch may well be possible for the loanee unless he really puts in a shift again. Previous Meetings Goals, let alone wins have been hard to come by up at Ewood Park for the Bluebirds but here's a few including a spectacular finish from a certain Ken Zahore back in 2017, a "golden" oldie from Mr Jones and that excellent 4-1 victory in 2012. What Are The Odds On That? VT fresh from his International break (a week in Porthcawl followed by a few days in Kuala Lumpitforward) really doesn't fancy us to come away with a result here. The cup game perhaps still influencing his thoughts maybe? Well I Never Did you know that Manufacturing textiles in Blackburn dates back to the mid-13th century. Later in the early 19th-century, anti-power loom 'Luddite' riots started, and the mob destroyed Bannister Eccles' Jubilee Factory on Jubilee Street, Sons' Park Place factory, and others. There's a few folk on these message boards are a little bit de-ludded, does that mean they have repented after their previous riots up North?? The motto of Blackburn Rovers is 'Arte et Labore' which means 'By skill and hard work' in Latin. Having had David Batty play for them maybe they need that to be 'via violente solum' only?? Sharing The Love Heroes and villains for this one..... Promotion winners, a run-away "star" and cup final heartache. Craig Conway Following 2 goals in a man of the match performance for Dundee Utd in the 2010 Scottish Cup Final, United manager Peter Houston indicated that he expected Conway to leave the club at the end of the season, due to the Terrors being unable to match his wage demands and on 21 June 2011 Conway agreed terms with Cardiff City. Conway scored his first goal for Cardiff in just his 2nd game with it coming against Oxford United in the Football League Cup. He then followed up his goal against Oxford with another goal against Bristol City in a 3-1 win in the league just four days later. Conway played his part in helping the Bluebirds reach the League Cup Final in 2012 but was an unused substitute at Wembley. In his second season, after a rocky start and few appearances, Conway went on to play a crucial role in Cardiff's Championship-winning season, including scoring the goal that sealed the title in a 1–1 draw at Turf Moor against Burnley in April. On 13 September 2013, Conway joined Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion on a 93-day short-term loan, running until 14 December 2013, scoring his first and only goal in this loan period on 7 December 2013, in a 3–1 victory against Leicester City. In January 2013, Conway moved to Blackburn Rovers on Deadline Day, scoring his first goal for the Club 23 days later in a 1-0 win over Reading. The Scottish international went on to amass an impressive tally of 178 league appearances for Rovers and gained promotion to the Championship as League One runners-up in 2017. Conway announced his retirement from playing in a post on his Instagram account on 18 March 2022. Oddly, Conway also made a name for himself as a barber whilst playing football, cutting several team mates hair! Peter Enckelman Finnish International Enckelman joined the Bluebirds in January 2008, initially on loan from Blackburn Rovers, becoming Cardiff's third loan goalkeeper of the year after Ross Turnbull and Kasper Schmeichel. He made his debut for Cardiff on 29 January as a substitute in a 3–1 victory over Queens Park Rangers after Michael Oakes was forced to be taken off after taking a blow to the face. He remained the club's first choice goalkeeper for the rest of the season, playing in four of the club's FA Cup matches, including the 2008 FA Cup Final, but a mistake from him resulted in the only goal of the game for opponents Portsmouth. He made his move permanent following his release at the end of the season by the Lancastrians having made just 3 appearances in a 4 year period at Ewood Park. Despite spending his loan spell as first choice goalkeeper, he started the 2008–09 season as second choice goalkeeper to loanee Tom Heaton with his first league appearance of the season coming in 22 November when he replaced Tom Heaton during a 2–1 defeat against Plymouth Argyle after Heaton sustained a calf injury. In the following match, Enckelman was handed a start in place of Heaton and went on to remain unbeaten for over ten matches, including keeping a clean sheet during a 0–0 draw in the fourth round of the FA Cup against Arsenal. The following season, Enckelman faced another challenge to be the number one goalkeeper at Cardiff with the signing of Scottish international David Marshall from Norwich City. After sharing goalkeeping duties during pre-season, he started the season on the bench behind Marshall before making his first appearance of the season in a 3–1 win over Dagenham & Redbridge in the first round of the League Cup. At the end of the season, he was one of five players released by the club, with Enckelman moving on to St Johnstone. Junior Hoilett David Wayne Hoilett Jr joined the Bluebirds in October 2016 becoming Neil Warnock's first and arguably one of his best signings at the club. His debut came on 14 October, against severnside rivals Bristol City in a 2-1 win with Hoilett scored his first goal for Cardiff during a 3–2 victory over Huddersfield Town on 19 November 2016. The 2017–18 season saw Hoilett's most productive campaign, finishing the season with twelve goals, including scoring against former club Queens Park Rangers, and notching a brace against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup, as Cardiff finished second, gaining promotion to the Premier League. On 26 June 2018, Hoilett signed a three-year contract in the Welsh capital. He scored his first Premier League goal since 2012 in a 2–1 comeback win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on 30 November, which BBC Sport called a "fabulous first-time effort from 25 yards" – something us Bluebirds would almost come to expect from the Canadian, with several of his 25 goals in the Blue of Cardiff City being long distance shots. On 9 May 2021, Hoilett announced his departure from Cardiff City at the end of his contract via Instagram. He had spent five years with the club, amassing 184 appearances across all competitions. His last appearance for the club came on 27 January against Barnsley in the first game in charge for new manager Mick McCarthy, with Hoilett moving on to Reading in August 2021. (Fowler hails his taxi ready to do a runner to Premier League club Blackburn) Robbie Fowler (I can almost hear the hisses and boos from here) Following his release by Liverpool in 2007 Fowler signed a 2 year contract with Cardiff City as Dave Jones continued to turn to “experienced” players in his quest to get promotion for the Bluebirds. He missed the season's opening fixtures due to a lack of fitness, eventually making his debut in a League Cup tie. He scored his first two Cardiff goals on 22 September against Preston North End, and then scored twice in his next game, a third round League Cup tie against West Brom, which Cardiff won 4–2. This led to a fourth round tie against Fowler's former club Liverpool, at Anfield, to which even the home crowd appeared to urge Fowler to score seeing that it may be the last time he would play in Anfield but the Bluebirds were knocked out in a 2–1 defeat – Darren Purse scoring for the City. In November, Fowler travelled to Frankfurt, Germany to see a specialist sports injuries doctor to try and resolve a recurring hip problem that had left him lacking fitness in early season fixtures for the Bluebirds. He eventually returned to full training in late November and made his comeback on 15 December as a late substitute, however he went on to suffer another injury blow just days later after a mistimed tackle in training from club captain Darren Purse left him with damaged ankle ligaments. Due to the new injury blow Cardiff and Fowler made plans for him to go to Colorado, United States to undergo keyhole surgery on the hip problem, which had plagued him in recent seasons, in the hope that it would finally resolve the problem. It was later announced that Fowler could miss the rest of the 2007–08 season for Cardiff after his hip operation revealed that the injury was worse than previously thought. Surgeons were forced to perform a micro-fracture for the hip to heal properly. He attempted to make a comeback at the end of the season to play in the FA Cup final against Portsmouth but did not feature in the game in and thus did not receive a runners-up medal having not made an appearance in the competition. Fowler was offered a new pay-as-you-play contract with Cardiff for the 2008–09 season in May 2008 and was expected to sign the contract. However, he pulled out of the deal, preferring to accept an offer of a trial at Blackburn Rovers from former Liverpool colleague Paul Ince. The move left Cardiff manager Dave Jones and chairman Peter Ridsdale furious after the club had assisted Fowler's rehabilitation throughout the summer. After training with Blackburn and appearing in a handful of friendlies he was offered a six-month deal by the club to last until January, but Fowler turned down the deal due to it being a shorter offer than the previous one he had rejected at Cardiff. After turning down the offer, Fowler made a shock enquiry about returning to Cardiff on the deal he had originally turned down, prompting anger from supporters and a swift "no thanks" from the club. He eventually signed a 3 month pay as you play deal but made only 6 appearances before being released. Fowler has since admitted that he made a massive error in leaving the Bluebirds. So, can the Bluebirds avoid the burn in Lancashire this time around? Can we taste victory and ensure Rovers' Dahliance with relegation continues?? Will Erol unleash our young Welsh talent to prove when it comes to winning, where there's a Colwill there's a way??? All I know is after Wales's heroics against Croatia we should be able to approach any game without fear, so lets hope Erol has got into their heads and imparted some bullish words of wisdom... Bloooooooooooooooooobirds. <0> \0/ <0> \0/ <0> \0/
Excellent work again Brizzo - can't wait to get back into the Championship harness after that fortnight of farming........ Vince - gimme 50 quid @ 12/5 on a City win please. please log in to view this image
Not much farming going on at the moment. No chance of a game of footy in any of our fields. Water polo maybe. Footy, no. An evening of rugby tonight. Wrong thread, but what the hell. RWC semi tonight.
Thanks as always Brizzle for another outstanding read. Nothing really to add other than to echo your words about approaching games without fear after that inspirational display by our proud national team. Fire em up Erol Bloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooobirds
Aah Blackburn Rovers, isn’t it, Bryan Douglas and Mike England, cold up north , kiddies playing football after school, jumpers for goalposts, you know sherbet lemons at half time and some tizer, back home to watch crackerjack, cheesie peesie for tea, mums knitting & dad’s gone to the Legion……off to Ewood tomorrow
TEAM NEWS Cardiff City XI: Alnwick; Ng, McGuinness, Goutas, Collins; Siopis, Ralls, Wintle; Bowler, Ugbo, Grant. Subs: Runarsson, Panzo, Romeo, Rinomhota, Adams, R. Colwill, Tanner, Meite, Robinson.
I still feel that Robinson and Colwill on the bench are a waste, despite Erol's gripe over defensive duties. One of those starting would occupy a midfielder or two, lessening the need for defensive duties. Edit: just waiting on the beeb to post today's creative formation for us.
Looking from that lineup there's no No10 in there. Siopis is a must as holding midfielder but I'd prefer Wintle to stay back with him and swap positions with Ralls. Neither are No.10's but Ralls is a better player further forward and Wintle has a decent record of mopping up at the back.
It lends itself to more of a 4141 than a 4231, the latter being the formation used during our run of 4 wins.
I must say I admire Bulut for sticking to his guns over Colwill and Robbo. Both on the bench and have something to prove - and they now know it. Good to have Meite as an option up top - a bruiser who will put himself about for the last 20 minutes.
Madley living up to expectations- surprised he’s not in a blue & white shirt. For City Ugbo is hopeless
Tanner, Robo, Meite and Colwill on for Bowler, Wintle, Ugbo and Ralls. Pushing to get something from the game.
Should have gone with my head not my heart. At least the subs improved our game. A lesson for Bulut maybe regarding his midfield choices and Ugbo the Useless.
Bulut has to realise that the Sunderland result does not mean picking a starting eleven with that passive midfield trio and Ugbo up top will always work. It’s failed again today and that should mean he’ll not start with such a negative approach again on the road. He should try and get Tanner & Bowler on the pitch together with Robinson and ditch Ugbo and one of Ralls or Wintle. Bulut needs to open his eyes and not he so naive and predictable. The opposition were rank average today and got away with a win due largely to City’s poor tactics/ team selection plus of course having 12 men against 10 for the time Ugbo was on the pitch.
Complain about Ugbo because all he did was score goals, now he is the only forward chasing around and not scoring. Meite is the only forward who has not scored. Bulut is responsible for the first five games and these last three taking five points from 24 and only one win in those eight games. Taking Wintle off and bringing Tanner and Colwill with Robiinson changed things compared to the rubbish he started with. Bulut said if he started with the subs we could have been 3-0 down? what an attitude for a manager! The way the subs played we could have been 3-0 up. Thanks to all those who wanted Ugbo running around instead of scoring goals they got what they wanted he is getting no chance to score now.One point from the last three and four from the first five with Wintle and Siopsis in a useless pairing in midfield and still plenty cannot see the real reason we are losing, One win from the last three and we would be 6th. This manager and the wrong players on the pitch have costs us dear.
