Match Day Thread Cardiff City v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fug, Fug And Fug Again...By Gum!

If Ron Flowers is not playing, we could win this methinks!

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo insists there will be no repeat of his touchline row with Cardiff manager Neil Warnock when the teams meet on Friday.

When Wolves beat Cardiff 1-0 in the Championship in April, Warnock reacted furiously to Santo running onto the pitch at the end of the match.

Soon after, an enraged Warnock rejected Nuno's attempts to shake hands.

Nuno said the two had since met and said: "I'm going to shake his hand, before and after. I learned my lesson."

Wolves won the Championship with 99 points last term, with Cardiff also securing automatic promotion after finishing nine points behind in second.

This term, Nuno has presided over four wins, four draws and five defeats, which leaves Wolves in 11th place, while Cardiff are 19th, only above bottom side Fulham on goal difference.

Ahead of the first meeting between the two clubs since that acrimonious encounter in April, Nuno, who in July signed a contract extension until 2021, said: "I respect him. What happened was clarified and we had a chance to speak, not only by phone but personally.

"We also spoke at the LMA awards and had a good moment. Things are clear, I respect him a lot."

In the post-match news conference after April's match Warnock, 69, called 44-year-old Nuno "a disgrace" but the Portuguese now says: "It's the past.

"I understood in that moment how Neil reacted and I apologised and I will not repeat it again."

 

Cardiff manager Neil Warnock has hinted he will make changes with three games in eight days looming.

Josh Murphy will likely be recalled, while Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Jazz Richards and Gary Madine are being assessed after recent injuries.

Wolves are again without Spaniard Jonny Otto because of a knee injury.

Diogo Jota is amongst several players pushing for a recall following last weekend's 2-0 home defeat by Huddersfield.

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@johnrodercomm: The post-match handshake between managers is filmed as a matter of routine at all televised matches, and it's usually not very interesting.

That wasn't the case in last April's Championship fixture between these two clubs, so there will be plenty of scrutiny on Neil Warnock and Nuno Espirito Santo on the touchline.

The latter will be looking for a reaction from Wolves after their defeat by Huddersfield, while Warnock will be hoping his side can make it two home wins in a row.

If they do, the Cardiff manager will enjoy the following day even more, as it's his 70th birthday.

Cardiff manager Neil Warnock: "We've had some good games against Wolves so [I've] been looking forward to it, not my birthday so much."

Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo on last season's spat with Warnock: "We had a chance to speak and clarified things, and now I can say we are good friends.

"It was a fantastic game last season, it was a very emotional game and we go again. Both teams know each other well and we expect a very tough game."

Head-to-head

• Wolves have won two of their last three games versus Cardiff, including a 1-0 away victory in the Championship in April.
• Both league encounters in 2017-18 were won by the away side.
• Wolves have won six of the last 10 fixtures, with Cardiff victorious in the other four encounters.
• This is their first top-flight meeting since Wolves claimed a 3-2 away triumph in February 1962.
• Cardiff lost a top-flight encounter 9-1 to Wolves in September 1955; it remains the Bluebirds' heaviest home league defeat and Wolves' biggest away league win.

Cardiff

• Cardiff have won two and lost three of their last five league matches.
• Seven of the Bluebirds' eight points this season have come at home.
• Victory would see them record successive top-flight home wins in a single season for the first time since 1961-62.
• The Bluebirds have not kept a clean sheet in 11 league and cup fixtures, with their last shut-out August's goalless draw at Huddersfield.
• Cardiff have failed to score in seven of their 13 Premier League matches, which is a joint high with Crystal Palace.
• They have scored the first goal in only one league game, in September's 4-1 loss at Chelsea.

Wolves

• Wolves are winless in five league games, which includes four defeats and three matches without a goal.
• All four of their league wins have come against teams currently below them in the table.
• They have scored two first-half league goals in 2018-19, the lowest figure in the division.
• They have won all four of their previous league matches played on a Friday under Nuno Espirito Santo.
• Wolves have used just 17 players - fewer than any other club - in this season's Premier League.
• Tommy Doherty could make his 200th league appearances for Wolves.

 

Hmmm.....nobody commenting on Masky's thread yet. Well, it's money where your mouth is time, so here goes.

Just looked at the odds on the game and City are underdogs at 11/4 to win it so I've stuck 20 quid on it to return me £75 (or fook all instead...)

Had a look at the odds for my exact 2-0 prediction league shot but it was @ 18/1 - that's a bit long even for me.

Will I regret it? I really, really hope so, but i'll take the 75 quid and be very happy anyway.

 

And be relagated from the BPPL, what a hoot!

Hoot! Twit!Twoo!

 

Is there going to be a division 3 then?

 

Shove that prediction up your arse Sutton.

Very tired, but glad I saw the game (03:00) kick off here. Quality strike from Hoillet to get us the 3 points. Off to bed now. Zzzzzzzzzz

 

Happy dreams Taff. Think of the teams below us losing tomorrow and leaving us with some breathing space.
Every point is precious, but those three make a big statement. and means we won't be adrift tomorrow.

 

Great match and a thoroughly deserved victory! Ha spent most of the 2nd half complaining that they should take Hoilett offf

 

Thought Hoilett was slow tonight, couldn’t believe he wasn’t taken off! Then they gave him MOM, Great goal, hope it sorts his confidence out now!

 

Must say we are an absolute disgrace to the Premier League.

How dare we score 20 yard beauties and have the same sort of possession as our more illustrious opponents AND have the temerity to be out fouled AGAINST by a so called footballing team.

We are so blatantly nothing but thugs, cloggers and long ball merchants....

Patterson almost took their keepers head off with that disgusting foul in the build up to the goal!

1 more point and Jason Mohammed should send CHristo Sutton some pie!

 

Yep all around us were expecting Hoilett to be hooked. Sky gave him MOM and 9/10
Aside from his goal he was pretty poor.
Ralls likewise; didn’t expect to see him stay on after 45 but fair play he picked it up well 2nd half.
Our back 3 excellent tonight; have to feel for the keeper not keeping a clean sheet.
Wolves were nowhere as good as I thought they’d be.
Crying out for a proper centre forward.

Fantastic atmosphere 2nd half and can now enjoy the weekend

 

Seems a bit of a consensus about Hoilett on here and from what I heard around me - low key game, stunning strike - but did that make him MOTM? I'd expected him to be hooked anytime for Mendez. I'll take it all day long, but if the ball had clipped off the top of the bar and not the underside and in, I think it'd be different story.

As it is, brilliant result AND performance from the side and crowd as a whole - rocking atmosphere second half after the initial dissappointment of their opener when Gunnar let his man escape round the back. More than made up for it second half with a gritty performance that destroyed their midfiled - made Neves and Moutinho look like novices.

As Nin said, we can now enjoy the weekend and hope some other results fall our way unlike last week.

 

6 games in December, with 4 away we need to start picking up points on our travels.

 

I thought Morrison was man of the match. Great all round performance. Also a big shout to Paterson who ran his socks off.

 

Warnock working his way through the book of football formations, with some unlikely personnel filling the roles. He certainly thinks outside the box.
Would still like to see him play 4231. Gunner and Arter in front of the back 4 with flexibility in front of of that to start or off the bench. Possibly Murphy, Reid, Camarasa behind Paterson. With NML, Ward, Harris, Hoilett to bring into the mix.
Things looking brighter than they were a week or two back.

 

Hoillet was out of position and i still cant believe Bennett didnt get the job. We deserved the win but i dont want to see that personnel in that formation again.

Camarasa has to be central midfield with 2 alongside him.

Following on from his much improved sub appearance Hoillet played well again. We got away with it against a poor side but why we had Harris and Hoillet seeing out the game when we had 2 full backs on the bench i dont know.

Sol mom for me followed by Morrison and Camarasa.

 

Arter puts a shift and looks a step up from our other mids (unlucky not to get a goal from 1 of hid 2 strikes) but camarasa looks the find of the season.
Wonder if there's any chance of a permanent move?

 

Apparently Bennett, Richards and Cunningham all have hamstring strains of varying degrees! Is NW playing mind games or is there something wrong with the training regime?
I was extremely concerned when I saw the way we set up at the start and thought we were onto a hiding by a Wolves side looking to get back to winning ways.
A cracking game and both side played their part in it. I thought Camarasa had a poor game by the standards he has shown to date. A good goal from Gunnar to make amends for losing Doherty for the Wolves goal. Hoillet's goal was pretty special, but not man of the match special. For me Bamba or Manga for man of the match.

 

Anyone of the back 3 could have taken MOM.

Hoilett was OK in an unusual role for him, but as Bennett made the bench and able to play, that wingback role was perfect for him.

I also agree about Camarasa. Obvious quality and we're very lucky to have him, but fluffed his lines a couple of times despite all his efforts - he also should have scored twice.

 

The only thing I would say about the back 3 is that we looked extremely vulnerable to pace. None of our CB's are particularly quick. Whilst leaving Manga back at corners make sense from an attacking point of view, we were lucky that Wolves didn't make the most of the couple of 3/4 on 1 opportunities they had.

Bennett would have been a good option at WB. Picking up Gunner again on a one year deal looks like a good bit of business. Epitomizes the team really - lacking quality at this level but doesn't half make up for it with effort and determination.

Happy Birthday Warnock Still probably younger than the majority on here!