From a personal and selfish perspective im quite pleased im going to the KC next week to watch a game worth something, if not for us. On the whole though I think any football purist who follows our club has said they'd prefer Hull up rather than Watford, who although play nice football have pretty much beat the system to get, lets face it 'soon to be' top flight footballers who should never be at a club like Watford if it weren't for Mr Udinese. If you go up it'll be a great sight, iv'e felt the VERY worst in recent history, but that feel good feeling is still running through me and I wouldn't begrudge you that feeling...its just that bloody mental thing that is like a disease, and it seems you lot have caught it. Nothing worse than being up top and then gap cut shorter and shorter, it plays havoc on the mind, body & soul. If you do feck it up and miss auto's then I have to be honest with you and say you wont even make the final. Its a funny thing, but I can see free flowing footballing team Brighton stroll it. Your mentality will be completely wrong for it. History does show this is quite often a fact when team just miss the auto's by a point/goal difference/ last game of season. Anyway, it may not come to that. I want to see your lot steaming on to the pitch (not like Wolves fans) so hopefully a draw is enough. What to expect from a promoted team? I actually expect a pretty strong performance from our boys. If anything, the promotion has made the boys realise they need to sell themselves more than ever if they want to see any top flight footy, some more than others. We have a 2.5 million quid striker, Eti Velikonja who has played virtually no football for Cardiff (nobody knows why), he will be making a show at Hull, also your friend Campbell should start. What are my predictions from the game? Personally the longer the game goes with us level or leading the better it is for us, we've done well away as teams cant just sit back and play counter football, although I never expected Hull to be a team to do that, I think the match nerves may play into our hands. It can be debilitating and make a team play like a conference team all of a sudden...trust me, I know! Forget Wembley, next Saturday is Wembley for Hull City. Bruce needs to instil this into his men. Im glad to be part of it...without the emotional baggage. Such a strange feeling.
There is talk he might start, but just that...talk. If he isn't 100%, which I don't think he would be there is no way he'd start, why bother. Nicky Maynard has returned from his torn ligament he got from millwall back in Sept/Oct. He has played a reserve game the other day and got a hat trick, he is pure class and 'whispers' are that he will get game time...now, again...I dont see the point in playing the lad in such an intense game. Campbell is class, not played for a while but as soon as he came to us he performed. Scored with his first touch for the club at Leeds and scored every goal we scored in Feb. Class.
Our only hope is that MM doesn't risk his players for what is a nothing game for you (you've already had the home match today with the trophy..).. he won't want them being injured.. But you're going to have to play really **** to be honest cos our team are knackered.. One goal would give us such a lift, first goal will be vital.. if there is one.. if there isn't we hope Leeds hold Watford.. but if you ask me, Watford will kill them.
I remember at Ninian Park, last game if the season when you beat us and we both celebrated like mad cos we sent Leeds down to league 1, nit sure if there was something in the game for you?. 'We all hate Leeds scum' we sung. Hope this isn't karma and they do you a favour.
If Cardiff think about it , Hull City are less of a threat to survive th e drop than Watford would be if either are in the Prem . Cardiff then should rather have US promoted over Watford for sure I do accept that you can never tell with the Prem , but Watford have a lot of quality in place for next season and a much easier source to gather their resources.
Cheers Taff, always felt a bond with Cardiff, be warned though we have a nervous crowd pissed off with how the team has burned out and seems unable to imitate the actions of the tiger, still once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, or close the wall up with our English dead!
Anyone hoping Cardiff will lay down,will be sadly mistaken. Apparently Malky Mackay has a real soft spot for Watford.
Malky is likely to prefer Watford to go up - the Watford fans gave him a great reception a couple of weeks ago despite needing to beat his side. However none of that counts. Cardiff, Hull, Watford and Leeds will all want to finish the season on a high. The only thing that counts is that Hull alone can decide the outcome. They win - they are up. Difficult - of course but has it been easy to be in second place for much of the season. Hull can beat anyone in a one off game and as a Watford fan i am afraid that is just what they will do - which means that even if we beat Leeds it will count for nothing At this stage both Hull and Watford fans are fearing the worst - we had all but given up two games ago - now a little shaft of light has appeared. I hope the Hull fans are fantastic for their team next Saturday and that we at Watford are the same for our team This is what football is really about - the excitement, the hopes and the fears. I am so looking forward to next Saturday - whatever the outcome
We've not really changed our performance level since promotion was sorted and I expect another solid away effort at yours. We went to Watford and got a solid 0-0, we sort of owe it to this promotion race to do our bit and make you beat us. I don't think MM would let any side of his role over but the fact it's Watford will motivate him even more IMO. Its possible we'll have the holiday heads on already but as Taff says there's a lot of players in our squad with a PL question mark hanging over them. It's their last chance to show Malky that he needs them. I think you'll have to work hard and play well to beat us. If you do that then fair play and we'll see you next year!
Personally I would make you guys favourites - ourselves and Leeds have zero pressure and the freedom to go out and enjoy ourselves, and the pressure on you is nothing like that on Hull. If you win and Hull go up, you carry your rich run of form and confidence into the playoffs and probably win. If you go up automatically, Hull take a run of zero wins and 2 points or less from 4 games of which 3 were in the bottom 3 of the league into the playoffs. in all likelihood they wouldnt make it. Speaking as somebody who has watched his team go through an almost annual end of season botch job, I have a lot of sympathy with Hull at the moment, but would say you would have a significantly larger chance of progressing through the playoffs than Hull would. For that reason, the pressure on them to win next week is significantly higher than it is on you. From a purely selfish point of view I am so releaved that I dont have to go through the hell that you do next weekend. I just hope that both Leeds and ourselves treat the league with respect and play to win (Im sure we will) and that the deserving team (whoever that may be) follows us into the automatic position. On a side note, I think this does demonstrate the injustice of the playoff system. By rights, all 3 should be going up automatically. I am fully aware that we have benefitted from playoffs ourselves in the past (finishing 6th and going up in 2003 springs immediately to mind) but still rankles at times all the same.
Good post - thanks and I agree I think Leeds and Cardiff will play properly and try to win. The side that goes up will deserve to. I am happy with the play off system - I know that just now it would be better not to be there but at the start of any season you know that 3rd is no better than 6th so you go for second. This way the season is kept interesting for more teams for longer. I would like to see Hull or Watford win the play offs if they are in them - but think Brighton as the real form team will do it.
Should we beat cardiff.. Id bet on a watford v brighton play off final... Watford were absolutely class against leicester and have picked up their form again
Cardiff will put their best team out, make no mistake and Mackay will demand they they go for it because he's a professional. Any sort of win against Cardiff will be one our players will have to earn.
Am I reading this wrong or are you appealing to Cardiff to let us win because City are more likely to be relegated than Watford, which would increase Cardiff's chances of staying up? The smiley suggests it might be a joke (surely it has to be), but the last sentence makes me wonder??
Its nailed on Watford will win, city will be leading until the 93rd minute of injury time when Campbell will score an equaliser and laugh his head off for the abuse directed at him all afternoon. Its the city way!
It would be better if Cardiff were not in this position, we certainly do not want to stop you getting promotion as you have been second a long time. All we can do is hope you play out of your skins so everyone can see you did it yourselves. The best outcome is our two sides can celebrate together at the end of the game. If the gods are against you then look back at play offs its not always the team who are favs get it. best of luck, jck
What a load of rubbish The Pozzo family own the loanees, why would they return them to their parent clubs of Udinese or Granada?
