Hey Guys, Wish I could make it to more games, but unfortunately I cant. One day soon I will be gladly able to do a 200 mile round trip every Saturday while I am up here but that's beside the point. WE WON! Finally, did brilliantly to soothe my nerves, however, what I REALLY want to know, is everything, from the people who were there. Rudy sounded like he had a great game, Malky played him for 90 minutes for the first time I can think of. Vuckic also sounded promising, has he put Saturdays debut behind him? Whitts, is he back to his best? Was Miller good? How was Gerrard in defence? You get the idea!! Please tell me everything! All the best, UniBrumBluebird!
Rudy. Well done son. He still looks on times like Bamby after a few Stellas but that lad put a good shift in yesterday.All he needs now is to improve on his finishing and suddenly this lad will get the plaudits for his hard work. Vuckic came out of this one with a good performance following his last run out.Well done Malky for instructing him on standard Bluebird etiquette \0/ <0> \0/ <0>. Kev was an absolute rock and back to his best last night. Really disapointed at the end of the game when we gifted a goal to a poor Posh side.Goal difference could play an all important part in the latter stages. Seriously where do they get these referees from? Interesting after match quote from Ferguson,"We were in complete control of the game but it was a mad six minutes." Like father like son eh!
Rudy played well, though could/should have scored a hat trick, he snatches his shots at times. Vuckic was my MOTM until he went off, Malky beding him in slowly Whitts has his best game for a while but not up to his brilliant best. Miller was Miller a pain in the arse if you're a defender, likes the posts at CCS. Gerrard was okay last night but Posh were poor, he keeps my on the edge of my seat for all the wrong reasons but that's just my opinion. I thought we were poor until we scored but could/should have had a hat full the post and bar kept getting in the way. Not brilliant last night but a win I'd give us 7 out of 10.
H OR Swamp! Happy for you to merge this one into Uni's thread.Just noticed he posted one similar while I was typing earlier.
rudy is a good target man, won alot of balls in the air, he was out to impress after not starting many games, lacking technically but well liked by the fans because he puts himself about and chases lost causes, also had a 25 yard strike tipped over by the keeper, good match for him. vukcic, played quite well, decent technically, quite imposing for a player of his age, took his goal very well on his left foot, he'll go back to newcastle a better player after this loan spell. miller, works hard, bellamy esque in his demands of team mates to keep standards high, he comes alive around the penalty box like any good goal poacher, had a chance late on which he should have put away but at that stage it was 3-0 and didnt really matter.. gerrard, quite good at passing the ball simply, good in the air but prone to a lack of concentration and will make way for hudson when he returns
True, should have scored 6 or 7. Where Ferguson got his "We were in control" comment from defeats me? His guys worked hard up front and the lad who scored impressed with his mobility, speed and effort but their defence was pants especially after Zukiani (spelling?) went off. Rudy was superb in the air and won more good, directed headers in 1 game than Bothroyd managed in a season. If he can stay fit and gain confidence he is going to terrorize some defences this season. I though Vukcic was okay but he drifts in and out of the game and doesn't do as much back tracking and marking as we need with our system. Malky will sort him out as he did with his Ayatollah. "Someone tell him what to do" - class. Good vision and passing and took his goal well. Gezza is okay until he has to think - then we have a problem. Tough, reactive defending - great but constructive passing . Taylor is our main problem. He does a lot of good work but keeps going to sleep at crucial times - Boro, Blackpool - and gets caught out of position. Opponents know this and play on it. He was caught out twice last night before they scored - although I predicted 3 - 1 to us so I'm not too unhappy from last night. I would have preferred 6 or 7 nil though. Super Kev, super again last night. As well as getting forward as usual he put in some quality crosses as well - perhapos he is working more on this. All we need now is a goal from him. Wembley would be a good place to start.
Agreed Rhondda, we did enough to win it against a below average Championship side - a better side would have punished us especially during that first half hour. Rudy was OK but still raw. Added some height and weight up front, and looks a promising prospect in a 4-4-2 set up - he's a long way off leading the line up there on his own. Wasn't sure about Vuckic after his debut midweek, but if he plays like he did last night we'll need to revisit his one month loan and keep him. Defence were never really under pressure with McNuggs showing some real class both at the back and going forward again with confidence. Gerrard has had worse games and continues to give 100% to the cause. Still think Huds back in will give Turner more of a comfort zone in which to play. Midfield were busy but without setting the park alight. The three first half goals in such a short time killed the game as a competition. The trip to Portman Road won't be that easy, but I still fancy us to overturn the Ipswich mental block this year that DJ seemed to have us locked into. Before anyone starts, I'm not having a go at DJ.
did we actually play 442 or was that just my inference from the line up. I think MM sees Rudy and Vuckic as opportunities to rest a few legs for the final push. I feel as if Miller needs a game or two off as well. It's not that he's playing badly, he's playing consistantly well, though maybe not with the flashes of brilliance we saw a few months ago that can turn a game. Happy to be put right if I've mis-read (actually mis -heard as I don't see much of us play only hear) this. I'm hoping we'll see more of the performances we had after Blackpool first time round when we first went 451. To do that, I feel we need to re-charge a few batteries.
Wow guys what brilliant responses! I almost feel as though I was there, so very happy to see Cardiff flying high and playing well. When I first started going to their games in the 90's (I know I'm a young'un) there were crowds of ~3,000. I remember Earnie's debut when he hit the crossbar with an overhead kick from 20 yards, was that against Colchester? I remember playing as a 5-a-side halftime team, got a picture of me in the Echo!! Ha, got Andy Legg's autogrph, and Earnies too. Shame his return to CCFC hasn't been as magical as many on here would have liked, maybe we could give him a few run outs? I agree about the Miller needing a rest comments, I really think we have a fantastic team here, the kind of team that hasn't been seen for years, talented, but incredibly hard working, professional young players. A real team, lets hope we can secure a top 2 spot, if not, I would still be delighted with the play offs- not just because of MM's mentality, but because we lots 12 players this season and were expected to finish mid-table at best. What a manager! Great win, sounds like we really have a team that can keep developing.
Remote, it was a 4-4-2 for sure pal. If that was a 4-5-1 set up, Kenny must have been invisible. Gestede was a necessity up front for this game, especially at home. Kenny certainly needed some help. He's had little reward for his efforts and looks like he needs a rest.
Thanks Sparkey, I thought it was, it's just he's been playing mason just off the striker, more a 4411 so didn't know if it was Rudy up front and Miller just behind. Agree that Miller needs a rest. Posted as such above. Could this be a route back for earnie. Get Rudy a couple of games under his belt and give Miller a breather with Earie next to him. Can't see Rudy and Mason, not enough experience. At least he's trying something different from time to time. Gives us options.
Earnie not an option unless we get a lot of injuries. Lost his initial pace and ball control not up to it. Cannot run the channels like Millar. Earnie is now no more than a goal poacher. Sad to say it but there it is. He may make the subs bench for the CC Final as a last ditch option.
It was 442 but not in the DJ way. We packed the middle at times and the full backs went wide. First half we were very poor but they couldnt handle the set pieces. A good Championship side would have probably been a couple of goals to the good against us. Rudy and Kev Mac were stand out performers. 2nd half we could have scored another 5 or 6 . Whitts ran the show , Kev best game of the season and Rudy was a real handful - pity hes just not a natural goalscorer. Couldnt disagree more about Vuckic - simply cannot justify being selected on Saturday. Way , way off the pace. All in all another good nights entertainment. Think the lack of pace we have outwide may be what costs us a play off place. However lifting the Carling Cup and having a good squad to build on will be consolation. I wouldnt mind signing Taylor their goalscorer. A far better player than the vastly overrated Boyd.
