“ Not that there should have been any panic Says “
Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:32 am
By Nathan Blake
Thursday 19th April 2018
Fulham taking automatic Spot for ten days did have some panicking.
Not that there should have been any sense of panic anyway. Cardiff may have briefly dipped to third in the table, but their game in hand away to Derby meant they still held the upper hand for me.
Irrespective of that, there were always going to be plenty of twists and turns in the closing weeks of the season and I will admit those so ready to write off Cardiff annoyed me.
It got my back up because I felt it was disrespectful to Neil Warnock and his players, almost overlooking everything they had done this season to put themselves in a position to challenge for the Premier League in the first place.
I guess that’s typical of the short-termism that exists in modern day football. Lose two games on the trot and the wheels have come off, you’re not as good as you were any more.
That’s okay if you’re viewing it from afar, which many were as they gleefully expected Fulham, they of the beautiful football, to kick on in second place and seal promotion.
Those of us close to Cardiff City, however, knew this team were never going to go away without a fight.
So what if Fulham suddenly went above us? There is a special togetherness about this Cardiff team — including their brilliant fans — which pretty much guaranteed they would bounce back instantly.
There’s a saying in football about how you react to defeat being the most important thing, not defeat itself.
Fulham look shellshocked as Brentford - and Cardiff fans - celebrate Neal Maupay's equaliser (Image: Getty Images Europe)
Cardiff had responded to four losses in succession over Christmas by winning eight on the bounce themselves. This time they responded to setbacks against Villa and Wolves with a wonderful effort at Norwich, a win made even sweeter when Brentford held Fulham to a 1-1 scoreline a couple of hours afterwards.
This is a team effort, and by that I mean everybody. The manager, his staff, the players and those fans who are there through thick and thin - whether it’s a 50-mile journey, a 300-mile trip, a Saturday afternoon game or a Tuesday night. They get in their cars, on their coaches, whatever the day, whatever the time of year, and offer their stoic support even though it means arriving home at silly o’clock.
The very fact Cardiff haven’t scored many goals this season, tend to rely upon clean sheets and sheer hard work, demonstrates how much of a battle the season has been. The backing from those fans, home and away, spurs on the players when times have got tough.
You don’t get Championship campaigns where everything goes smoothly for 46 matches. There will be downward spikes at times, but the key is having the character to come through that.
This Cardiff team have that quality in abundance.
Thursday 19th April 2018
Fulham taking automatic Spot for ten days did have some panicking.
Not that there should have been any sense of panic anyway. Cardiff may have briefly dipped to third in the table, but their game in hand away to Derby meant they still held the upper hand for me.
Irrespective of that, there were always going to be plenty of twists and turns in the closing weeks of the season and I will admit those so ready to write off Cardiff annoyed me.
It got my back up because I felt it was disrespectful to Neil Warnock and his players, almost overlooking everything they had done this season to put themselves in a position to challenge for the Premier League in the first place.
I guess that’s typical of the short-termism that exists in modern day football. Lose two games on the trot and the wheels have come off, you’re not as good as you were any more.
That’s okay if you’re viewing it from afar, which many were as they gleefully expected Fulham, they of the beautiful football, to kick on in second place and seal promotion.
Those of us close to Cardiff City, however, knew this team were never going to go away without a fight.
So what if Fulham suddenly went above us? There is a special togetherness about this Cardiff team — including their brilliant fans — which pretty much guaranteed they would bounce back instantly.
There’s a saying in football about how you react to defeat being the most important thing, not defeat itself.
Fulham look shellshocked as Brentford - and Cardiff fans - celebrate Neal Maupay's equaliser (Image: Getty Images Europe)
Cardiff had responded to four losses in succession over Christmas by winning eight on the bounce themselves. This time they responded to setbacks against Villa and Wolves with a wonderful effort at Norwich, a win made even sweeter when Brentford held Fulham to a 1-1 scoreline a couple of hours afterwards.
This is a team effort, and by that I mean everybody. The manager, his staff, the players and those fans who are there through thick and thin - whether it’s a 50-mile journey, a 300-mile trip, a Saturday afternoon game or a Tuesday night. They get in their cars, on their coaches, whatever the day, whatever the time of year, and offer their stoic support even though it means arriving home at silly o’clock.
The very fact Cardiff haven’t scored many goals this season, tend to rely upon clean sheets and sheer hard work, demonstrates how much of a battle the season has been. The backing from those fans, home and away, spurs on the players when times have got tough.
You don’t get Championship campaigns where everything goes smoothly for 46 matches. There will be downward spikes at times, but the key is having the character to come through that.
This Cardiff team have that quality in abundance.
Re: “ Not that there should have been any panic Says “
Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:57 am
Absolutely right, so many twists and turns.Its not over yet but we need a twelfth man for our last 2 home games ,so come on those of you who still are unsure about coming.Buy your tickets now
Re: “ Not that there should have been any panic Says “
Thu Apr 19, 2018 12:45 pm
I take your point Annis, and I must admit I was starting to have squeeky bum time, but prior to last Saturday we had a mini-blip at the same time a 7 point gap evaporated and Fulham were coming at us like an express train, from a position of real strength, we suddenly seamed to have no room for error and the fear of Fulham leaving us in their wake.
The caveat everyone was stating was that we didnt expect to be here, YES but having got there we all wanted to stay there.
The caveat everyone was stating was that we didnt expect to be here, YES but having got there we all wanted to stay there.
Re: “ Not that there should have been any panic Says “
Thu Apr 19, 2018 4:01 pm
Whistler wrote:I take your point Annis, and I must admit I was starting to have squeeky bum time, but prior to last Saturday we had a mini-blip at the same time a 7 point gap evaporated and Fulham were coming at us like an express train, from a position of real strength, we suddenly seamed to have no room for error and the fear of Fulham leaving us in their wake.
The caveat everyone was stating was that we didnt expect to be here, YES but having got there we all wanted to stay there.
And we had a bit of good luck on Saturday as we didn't play well but pinched a win and Fulham for once saw there luck run out. The difference now is Fulham have no room for error.
Re: “ Not that there should have been any panic Says “
Thu Apr 19, 2018 9:03 pm
Toughest league there is. Expectation is what got some panicking. Now it’s head down, focus, each game a cup final. Whatever happens Neil has worked wonders and got us dreaming. So much progress made, from when he took over.