Match Day Thread Burnley v Cardiff City, Fug Me....6 Pointer!

This game would normally finish 2-1 to Burnley or a similar scoreline Masky thinks. The time is right though, with a westerly wind and the correct stars alignment...and some dodgy handling by the keeper....hmmmm! Going for a city win, what else is likely.....it’s do or die......Get In There! 3-1 Cardiff City!

Match of the day....first on!

 

Need to have the same mentality we had against Chelsea and also play to the same level. I'm sure we can score against them as they have conceded just one less than us. Massive game.

 

Ray Pointer starting for them?

 

Or Leighton James

 

No, he's in court.

 

Again?

 

It's either that or he's on lollipop man duty.

 

Thought he lost that job as a result of "indiscretions" and being a total tw@t.

 

I think being a total twat was enough.

 

I heard he actually had a minor stroke which gave the impression he’d been on the pop.

His radio tantrums were epic, City fans winding him up. “Now listen pal....”

Anyway back to saturday we’ve got Mike Dean refereeing.

City will need to be at their best versus a Burnley side which have found some form. It would be great to reverse that disastrous result at CCS but our away form up there is hideous; a real bogey ground.

 

Dean a known homer as well.

Unless he's reffing at CCS of course. Had him twice this season, away at Spurs and Arsenal, both losses.

 

Will NW keep it tight for the first half then go for it 2nd half, or go for it from the off?

The team selection will say a lot. I’d like to see Reid play instead of one of the holding midfielders.

Niasse or Zohore or both?

 

He seems to have been playing a 4231 formation of late. Seems to have been working well.
Might have mentioned on the odd occasion ( ) that it was a formation we should have a go with earlier in the season.
Hope he sticks with it.
Back five as is, with gunnar and arter in front. Murphy, camarasa and hoilett across the park with Niasse up front.
Ringing the changes with Ken and Reid off the bench, possibly switching to 442 or 4132 if we're chasing the game.

 

Given up trying to predict the side. It seemed pretty straightforward at the start of the season with over £20M spent on two young offensive minded players. You should be able to swap the side around those two imports, but as it's turned out, it's been 20 million pounds wasted.

Warnock has relied upon his promoted Championship players to do the job with the addition of a couple of last minute "at the death" loanees in Arter and Camarasa. We were very lucky that last couple of hours of the summer window to get them - don't tell me that was always planned. Without them we'd be down by now along with Fulham and Udders.

To win this one at Burnley - and let's face it we've just got to do that - we needs to take the game to them and not sit on our hands waiting for them to slip up. Be positive, push on and rely on the back 4 plus Gunnar to deal with Woods and Barnes.

The front 5 whoever they are (and it's got to be a front 5 not a front 1) have got to play further up the pitch. Sitting back and inviting Burnley on will give them the edge in a game that's far more crucial to us than them.

 

Phil Bardsley missed Burnley's last game after cutting his leg on a ping-pong table and is a major doubt for Saturday's match.

Peter Crouch remains absent after appendix surgery, while Aaron Lennon and Steven Defour are also still out. Ralph Coates expected to start after a lengthy layoff!

Cardiff have no fresh injury concerns, with long-term absentees Sol Bamba and Callum Paterson again sidelined by knee and ankle injuries respectively.

Reserve keeper Alex Smithies could make his return for the under-23s next week.

@Guymowbray: Burnley - only beaten four times in 14 games in this season's 'second half', after losing 13 of their first 19 league fixtures. That's top-six form from the last game in December.

A third win in a row here would all but guarantee their Premier League status, and they can then reflect on just how problematic playing in the Europa League qualifiers proved.

Defeat for Cardiff will be a huge problem for them, with at least three wins likely to be needed from their remaining games.

The ever-positive Neil Warnock would be right to put a different spin on this though. Win, and by 5pm Saturday they could be in touching distance of Brighton and Southampton.

Burnley manager Sean Dyche on whether a victory will end their relegation fears: "You can't guarantee it because, like anyone, you want to work on facts not maybes. I would suggest it [victory] would put us in a very strong position but we certainly won't take anything for granted until we've looked after ourselves.

"We're on a very good run again, a very good turnover of points, but we've got to continue doing that because more points are needed and that's our intention."

Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock: "We've just got to concentrate on our own games.

"I think it's Brighton who we can catch, especially going there a few days after the Burnley game. If we can beat Burnley, we could haul them in, but we've really got to win three out of the four games against teams around us. That will stand us in great stead."

Cardiff will give Burnley a good game, but I don't see where the Welsh side's goals are going to come from. With nine in 15 matches on the road, they are the lowest scoring away team in the top flight this season.

Prediction: 2-0

Head-to-head

• Nine of the last 13 meetings have been draws.
• Burnley's win in the reverse fixture in September was their first in 14 matches against Cardiff.
• The Clarets haven't lost a home game against Cardiff since May 1988, winning six and drawing eight since then.

Burnley

• Burnley have won back-to-back matches, having lost the previous four.
• They have lost just one of their last 14 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the relegation zone (W7, D6).
• Defeat on Saturday would establish an outright club record of nine Premier League home losses in a season.
• Ashley Barnes has scored three goals in as many league starts against Cardiff.
• Sean Dyche has never lost against a Neil Warnock team, winning four and drawing one of the five managerial meetings.

Cardiff City

• Cardiff have lost five of their past six matches, winning the other.
• The Welsh side have claimed eight points away from home this season - only Huddersfield and Fulham have a worse record.
• The Bluebirds have only scored one first-half away league goal this season.
• They have only won four of their 34 Premier League away games (D6, L24) and have not led any of those matches at half-time.
• Victor Camarasa has scored two goals in three Premier League appearances, as many as he had scored in his previous 21 in the competition.

I met a fine lass from Burnley, she said your huge todger will hurt me...
I said don’t worry darling, I’ve been drinking six Carlings...
And it’s fast asleep on my knee!

 

Still no Ray Pointer?

 

He's that way >>>>>>>>

 

Former Burnley due Kindon and Fletcher used to do an after dinner stint a few years ago; saw them at the Marriott. Fair play there were good.

Not sure Burnley old boy and friend of the bluebirds Leighton James will be cheering us on tomorrow

 

I saw Kindon at a charity night at the Marriott. He was excellent. Probably one of the best after dinner speakers I have seen.

I had forgotten that. Was a great night. Either Cardiff Civil Service FC or Bobath Cymru. Derek Redwood, accountant and big City fan used to organise them.

 

The maths doesn't look good but anything can still happen. Can't contemplate anything other than a City win today, though if you believe in miracles, a share of the points wouldn't be the end. It is possible that any points Burnley get today (if any) could be their last this season given their last 4 games. We would then need 9 points from our last 5 games to overhaul them - however unlikely, not impossible.

That Burnley win and the 3 points they got at Bournemouth really pissed me off, not because of Burnley, but for the gutless performance of Bournemouth on the day. They could really make up for it today by putting the skids under Brighton to keep them in range as well - then it's down to us on Tuesday.

A win for us today would put us right back in it though we still have to rely on other teams losing - that's the bugger of it all.