So, how different is a Mark Hudson Cardiff City team from a Steve Morrison one? On the evidence of today’s 1-1 draw with Burnley at Cardiff City Stadium, it would seem not much, but I’d say that what differences I spotted were more positive than negative.
One was the system used, there was a return to the back four favoured by Morison for much of this season before he reverted to a three in his last two matches, but this was more of a straight 4-4-2 than I can remember Morison ever playing even if it did tend to switch to a 4-4-1-1 some of the time.
As for style of play, I saw no difference whatsoever from the Morison approach introduced this season. If it was true that City sides of recent seasons were only really able to play one way, it seems equally true to say that the squad built by Morison over the summer is not too adaptable either. For a start, they do not appear to be physically able to make a decent fist of playing the direct game before you begin to consider other factors.
If you agree with me that, essentially, we had the same players using the same approach as we had under Morison, then it’s hard to see how much would change from what we’d seen previously if we assume that, first, Morison had not lost the dressing room and, second, the team were giving of their best for him. For me, we had our problems and weaknesses in our opening couple of months to the campaign, but a lack of motivation wasn’t one of them and, while there are rumours about how Morison handled some of the younger players flying about, I don’t think anyone can realistically claim he’d lost the dressing room when it included seventeen players he brought in himself a few weeks earlier.
So, if it’s also accepted that there isn’t a formation out there which could transform us into a much more threatening attacking unit, you have to think that when it comes to sticking the ball in the net, Mark Hudson can only make pretty minor adjustments which may or may not help the situation. Realistically, it can only be the confidence gained by better results and a lifting of the pressure our creative players and strikers are under that will see a slow, but gradual, increase in our goalscoring rate.
That’s why I said at the start that there were one or two minor differences which offered more hopeful signs. For a start, although I accept that I could be seen to be clutching at straws somewhat here, I liked the corner we worked in the first half when Joe Ralls swung it in to the near post where Callum Robinson came off the goal ,line from his marker and got his head to the ball to flick it towards the far post where it dropped just wide – it was only when I saw a replay of the incident that I realised just how close Robinson had come to scoring. It was clearly a planned move and it was as close as we’ve come to scoring from a corner this season, so it was good to see that some thought had been put in to trying to rectify one of our weak points.
The big plus out of the game for me though, and I think Hudson have to be given some credit for this, is that we no longer have to think that’s the end of that then when we concede the first goal. We finally managed to get something out of a match we went behind in.
This is the sort of thing I mean about increasing confidence slowly – by equalising so late on, we have some momentum to carry into Tuesday’s match with Blackburn. If I’m being honest, I was completely, and very pleasantly, surprised when we scored and I think we were helped to an extent by a timid opponent, but it doesn’t matter, we got a draw after conceding and, after Mark Harris at Middlesbrough, we have another forward who is off the mark when it comes to goalscoring.
In some ways, this was like our game against another relegated side in Norwich in that it was a match with not a great deal of goalmouth action in which we competed and defended pretty well and, in the end, we came out with a satisfactory result.
In his post match interview, Mark Hudson said that Burnley are the best team in the division. I’ll come to why I find it hard to agree with our acting manager there shortly, but they are fourth in the table with a quarter of the season almost completed. Therefore, best or not, you have to start thinking that they are going to be around that sort of position for the duration – they are a good side by the standards of the 22/23 Championship.
There are similarities between Burnley and City in that, after years of being a physical, long ball team by the standards of the division they were in anyway, Burnley have rebuilt their squad and are playing a more progressive, passing style under new manager Richard Kompany and his assistant Craig Bellamy.
For the majority of the game, I thought Burnley were better at playing their new style than we were (so they should be as well given the money they’ve spent compared to us). They scored early in the second half and were looking good for a while for a second, but then, after a quadruple substitution by Kompany not too far past the hour mark, they gradually went deeper and deeper and handed the initiative to City.
Now, given our scoring record this season and the problems we’ve had after going behind, you could understand in a way why Burnley felt they could sit back on their laurels content with a 1-0 win, but would we have been able to get our point without this change of approach by our opponents?
I don’t think we would have if I’m being honest. That said, Burnley were harried out of their measured stride in the closing minutes and were reduced to clearing it anywhere at times as the ball kept on coming back at them. Because of that late rally, I think we were good value for our point at the end, but,I’d also say that it was very much a case of two lost by Burnley rather than one gained – they may have only lost one out of eleven, but with six draws as well, you wonder about their “killer instinct”..
City started the game slightly the better and that header by Robinson I mentioned earlier was his third, and best, goal attempt as City, looking to play on the counter attack with a high press in which Mark Harris was prominent, suggested that they could, perhaps, repeat their Norwich win.
However, Robinson’s header proved to be something of a turning point as the visitors began to take control after that.
Ryan Allsop was forced into the only save by either keeper of the first forty five minutes when he got down well to block Josh Cullen’s well struck low shot from fifteen yards and grab the ball as it threatened to bounce loose just in front of goal.
A poor back pass by the otherwise impressive Mahlon Romeo landed his team in further trouble and Burnley would have had a clear penalty were it not for a marginal offside decision in City’s favour.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson was not too far wide with a curling effort as the visitors enjoyed their best spell of the game with City glad to get in at half time with the scoresheet still blank.
That situation did not last long after the interval though, little more than three minutes actually. Niels Nkounkou has had more than his fair share of defensive calamities this season and a feature of the first half was how much room Gudmundsson was being afforded out on the right when receiving long crossfield passes.
Much the same happened when the Icelandic international was fed in plenty of space and crossed to where Romeo and Nathan Tella competed for the ball, Romeo went down as the ball bypassed both of them and flew beyond the far post to where Ian Maatsen crossed instantly and this time Tella was able to stab home from six yards.
City claimed that Tella had pushed Romeo over, but replays of the goal do not really back that up and so attention has tended to focus on the room Nkounkou was leaving his winger. I agreed with the criticism the Everton loanee received after he gave Afobe of Millwall so much room for their second goal, but, this time, I’m reluctant to blame him because it seems to me that he was playing to orders.
I say that because I can’t imagine Mark Hudson not tearing into Nkounkou at half time if he was under orders to stay tight to Gudmundsson – the fact that Hudson kept him on for the full ninety minutes tells me Nkounkou was under orders to stay narrow in the modern manner which I’m not a great fan of.
Fella’s goal was Burnley’s second and last effort on target of the game, but, maybe Tella would have had a third one if Perry Ng hadn’t deflected his shot over after Ryan Wintle had got in trouble following an unusually poor pass from Allsop.
An unmarked Jack Cork headed the resultant corner wide and that was virtually the end of Burnley as an attacking force.
City still hadn’t had a single on target effort at this stage, but they ended up with a better than normal four courtesy of Wintle’s snap shot, after a Ralls toe poke was deflected into his path, which was easily saved by Arijanet Muric in the visitor’s goal, Romeo’s vicious shot from the corner of the penalty area that the keeper was happy to punch clear and Robinson’s firmly hit effort from outside the penalty area that Muric was again equal to.
There was, of course, also the goal, but, with every cross City put in seemingly being dealt with by Charlie Taylor (credit to the left back turned centre back for being in the right place so often, but he was aided by the lack of quality in our crossing as we again showed our limitations when it comes to delivering the “final ball”.
There was one exception to that rule though when, with the game set to go into six minutes of added time, sub Jack Simpson, on for the injured Cedric Kipre, lofted a long ball that Burnley could only deal with by half clearing to Romeo and this time the full back’s cross was perfect as he picked out Robinson who got a great leap in to flick his header into the net from eight yards out.
Burnley’s marking left a lot to be desired, but it was a good striker’s finish by City’s newest signing to open his account for the club.
Sub Max Watters never looked like getting the better of Taylor as he ran in on goal in what was the only real scare either side had after Robinson’s equaliser and the game finished 1-1 – a result which I reckon has improved Mark Hudson’s chances of getting the manager’s job on a full time basis and, if nothing else, ridded him of the unwanted one hundred per cent losing record he had in four previous games as a caretaker manager.
There was a first league defeat of the season for the under 18s at Watford this lunchtime, Kyle Kenniford’s penalty made it 1-1 around the hour mark, but the home side won it with a late goal. Meanwhile, in the Highadmit South Wales Alliance Premier League, Ton Pentre we’re beaten 2-1 at Pencoed Athletic, while AFC Porth’s woes continued with a 5-0 loss at Tonyrefail Boys and Girls Club.
Finally, as has been the habit at the start of a new season in recent years, can I ask readers if they’re willing to make a donation towards the running costs of the blog. I say running costs towards the blog, but, that’s not really true this time because this year any donations will go towards costs incurred in the production and publication of the book I aim to have out for sale by October.
As mentioned this time last year, I decided to do another review of a season to follow on from Real Madrid and all that which was about 1970/71. This one is about the 1975/76 season and will be called Tony Evans walks on water. I finished writing the book over the weekend and now it’s a question of tidying it up, proof reading, inserting a few photos and designing a cover before sending it off for printing.
As always, the blog will still be free to read for anyone who chooses not to make a donation towards its running costs and, apart from the one in the top right hand corner which is to do with Google Ads, you will never have to bother about installing an ad blocker to read this site because there will never be any.
Donations can be made through Patreon, PayPal, by bank transfer, cheque, Standing Order/Direct Debit and cash, e-mail me at paul.evans8153@hotmail.com for further payment details.
Can I end by thanking all of you who read and contribute towards the blog in the Feedback section, but, in particular, a big thank you to all who have donated in the past and continue to do so now.