Cardiff City will drop out of the Championship top two if they fail to beat Aston Villa and Fulham win at home to relegation-threatened Reading. Steve Bruce's Villa, who have the option of giving Jonathan Kodjia his first start in five months, are now fourth, seven points behind Cardiff, having won just once in five games. Cardiff monitor Callum Paterson, who went off in Friday's loss to Wolves. That put Neil Warnock's Bluebirds now nine points behind the leaders. Midfielder Joe Ralls (knee) could feature for the first time since 25 February having returned to training, but full-back Jazz Richards (ankle) remains sidelined after suffering a setback in training. Villa have an eight-point advantage over seventh-placed play-off hopefuls, Millwall, who they visit on the final day of the Championship season. SAM's prediction Home win 46% Draw 27% Away win 27% SAM, the Sports Analytics Machine, is a super-computer built by @ProfIanMcHale of the University of Liverpool. Villa manager Steve Bruce told BBC WM: "It's all about your accumulation of points and, in the last month, we've not done enough. "When it comes down to the nitty gritty, we've been found wanting. Four points out of a possible 15 is not good enough. "Neil Warnock's been in it a long time and I've been up against him many times, so it doesn't surprise me the job he's done at Cardiff. "If we play like we did against Norwich again, we'll get turned over. I expect us to be better." Match facts Having previously won eight games in a row, Cardiff City are now winless in two. Aston Villa have won 12 of their last 14 home matches against Cardiff in all competitions, drawing the other two. The Bluebirds have won their last two Championship matches against Villa, winning 1-0 in January 2017 and 3-0 in August this season. After a run of 10 wins in 12 Championship games, Villa have won just once in five league games. Neil Warnock has lost all six of his away Football League meetings with Steve Bruce. All six with different clubs (Bury, Sheffield United, Leeds United, Crystal Palace, Rotherham and Cardiff). Robert Snodgrass has scored in three of his last five league matches against Cardiff, but did not end up on the winning side in any of those games.
Kick off shortly and what can we hope for? Two points clear with a game in hand, all the sides in this division would swap places with us surely? Have we become a bad side overnight, NO? NML back in the side, he must be producing the goods in training, think he looks a bit more muscular than he did at the start of the season, is this slowing him down? A couple of hours from now and our season may be defined. If we can win by the odd goal in three, Fulham will be deflated big time...let’s not hand it to them pals....c’mon! Onward, my bollocks!, hiyo Silver!
Still a game in hand but rather the points and what a time to lose your flair and determination .....Need to get back to winning ways and quick as you don't want the lottery of the playoffs.....Warnock needs to earn his wages now and get the team playing like they want the premiership like Fulham are showing and really need to make the game in hand count......Another £20 down the drain for me again...
We did not play well. The midfield was awful. Madine & Zahore were dreadful. Hoilett was abysmal. Only NML offered us anything. Yes we were unlucky not to score 2-3 and their shot hit the post & went in whilst ours didn’t but our few chances masked a poor lifeless and disappointing display which TBH after the last 2 games was hardly surprising. Unless our midfield starts performing offensively and that means Gunnarsson’s position is in jeopardy, then Norwich with their far superior skilful midfield players will have a field day; as will Hull. A better team would have mullered us tonight.
Hoilett seems to have had his confidence knocked by that last SECOND pen on Friday. Everyone looked nackered. I'm with Nin now. Resided to the play offs.
Apologies in advance for being long-winded, but this is how I feel and here goes......... "On another day we could have had 3 or 4" is something Malky used to say regularly and it always pissed me off. Essentially true of last night, but we've benefited ourselves in the past - when we do, it's down to our "great defending". The real problem was we had nothing but grunt to offer last night - the midfield was dreadful. The Grujic/Gunnar/Paterson combo just doesn't work for me - all too similar and no pace nor creativity. I'll keep Pato in there no problem, but Gunnar can go and Grujic wouldn't get into a Liverpool side in a million years. Why oh why did we stick the ball in the air up to Zohore when he can't use his head against a CB to save is life - I don't think he even really attempts to challenge for it. Then to cap it all, Madine comes on to replace him and the ball is played up to him on the floor. Hoilett was pants and has been for the last 3 games - such a difference from before this last international break - it's almost unbelievable how his form has dropped off. Ward on at 88 minutes and Pilks on at 90 - you're having a laugh - what chance does that give them to get up to speed? Positives? Our back 4 overall are as good as any in this division. Bamba outstanding with Morro and Bennett not far behind. Even Peltier who I've had reservations about in the past is solid and a better defensive option at RB than Manga. Finally their goal that won it for them was a classic piece of bad defensive set up by the midfield markers. Grealish had no City player within 20 yards of him when that ball floated his way. Gunnar had stuck to him all night all over the pitch but lost the plot for that set piece. Grealish had time to light a *** before picking his spot.
No supcon - wouldn't swap but you've got to call each game as you see it. A game we could have won with some luck going our way, but that's about all. Apart from the back 4, we're just not performing as a unit. Our midfield, wide players and target men are playing like strangers. Nothing wrong with the long ball game but at least play to strengths. It wasn't working properly before they scored but after that it was all too little too late.
The writing was on the wall at Sheff Utd when our midfield was non existent. You would have thought NW would have seen that and changed it. City needed busy players darting around like that horrible little cheat Grealish, rather than one playing deep, one playing up the field and one in the middle. They were like 3 lost souls in the desert. As for the substitutions! Ward showed more urgency in 5 minutes than Hoilett did all game. Pilkington had no chance to do owt and well Madine was just a passenger. Yes city had no luck at all as exemplified by the goal that was and the one that wasn’t (NML) and it does seem Sky enjoy showing the ill fortune we’ve suffered on our travels. Eg Readings 2 goals, Clarke’s deflected goal for Sheff U, Bamba’s disallowed goal at Millwall, Zahore’s disallowed goal at Sheff Wed and last night’s near misses. One hopes the tide will turn and Fulham will suffer some bad luck and injuries which have avoided them all season. Wishful thinking on my part. We all knew these 3 games would be pivotal. You can’t help feeling though City have been the author of their own downfall due to selection errors and wrong tactics irrespective of bad luck. Saying that it wasn’t bad luck to concede 2 free kicks in dangerously areas from which City have lost their last 2 games. Can NW turn it round? Will we see a radically changed team at Norwich?
Ralls HAS to be fit for remaining games. Both bad runs have coincided with essential players missing (Morro the first time, RALLS this). Got to question Warnock's judgement...would Tomlin & Bogle (or even Fred) be better options than Grujic & Madine?
In a way I was sorry to see Gunnar come back into the side despite the fanfare from WOL about the return of the "sorely missed long lost son". Ralls getting crocked provided a window of opportunity for Warnock the to bring back his old warhorse but it's backfired. Despite his image and past record, he's off the pace over the ground and mentally as well. Energy and skill is needed in midfield, and whilst we have plenty of the former in Bryson and Damour, I fear the latter is in short supply. Ralls has been badly missed - Gunnar is not that sort of player and it's showed.
I PRAY that Ralls is back for Saturday. Gunnars days should be numbered with us. Especially since he believes he's better than the club.
Agreed with all of the above other than Bogle and Fred being better than what we have - sorry Whiffle. I think Fred is still injured and is Bogle getting games/goals where ever he is on loan? I ask as I don't know. As ever Tomlin is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. He seems to have settled at Forest, perhaps because he is much closer to his family home? At least he can't play for Forest against us. It would be great to get a fit and firing on all cylinders Ralls back for Saturday. But having been out for a month is he fit physically and fully match fit? I suspect yes to the first and no to the second. When fit and on form he is what we need but we have seen in the past he can become anonymous if all is not right. Is there any scope to give him a Development Team game before Saturday? Ralls apart our midfield options are limited to mainly grunt with not a lot of skill. Ideas - anyone. Please e-mail [email protected] .
