Boxing Day Blues for Warnock’s City after another defeat

NEIL Warnock has admitted he’s looking at a lift from a Premier League loan star after transfer talks with Vincent Tan.

Tan was in attendance to watch Cardiff lose their unbeaten home record as they slipped to a 4-2 Boxing Day defeat to Fulham.

The result – the first back-toback losses suffered by the Bluebirds this season – pushed Cardiff out of the top two and would have issued owner Tan a reminder of the need to boost the squad to maintain promotion aims.

But Warnock agreed with Tan’s assertion about not spending “silly money”, and admitted he is eyeing up loan signings – with one from the division above.

Following the loss, Warnock said: “Hopefully we can bring a couple of people in during January. I spoke to Vincent today and he’s very supportive and knows what I want to do.

“January is difficult to buy players but there are four or five players we’ve looked at for loan – and if we can one or two of them to supplement the current squad I’ll be delighted.”

Warnock is looking at one permanent addition having been hit by injuries in recent weeks and the blow of the news that both Aaron Gunnarsson and Danny Ward will be out for lengthy periods following operations.

But he will be keen on one topflight loan addition to provide the necessary boost once the window opens, adding: “There could be one from the Premier League but I want players who can supplement what we’ve got and who can do it at this level.

“But there’s not a lot wrong, we just need to brush up on things a little, like giving away silly goals from one or two individuals.

“I was disappointed with the goals we conceded here, but overall I thought they were better than us.”

Cardiff face Preston at Cardiff City Stadium on Friday having lost their unbeaten record with the defeat to Fulham, and Warnock added: “It’s disappointing, but if you told me at the start of the season we wouldn’t lose it until Christmas and being in and around the top two, I’d have been delighted.” IT doesn’t take long for the Christmas spirit to subside and allow reality to return with something of a bang.

So it proved for Cardiff City whose own version of the Boxing Day blues continued.

In 18 matches the day after the festivities around the tree, Cardiff have won only twice. It’s tempting to insert your own jokes about Christmas stuffings, especially having shipped four goals at home when no-one had come to Cardiff City Stadium and scored two all season before this.

As a result, a first home defeat of the campaign and the first back-to-back defeats for almost a calendar year.

And something made all the more frustrating from the fact Cardiff waited until Boxing Day for their version of gift-giving, presenting Fulham with the invite they needed to wrap up all three points – and nudge the Bluebirds down to third on goal difference behind Bristol City.

Warnock was disappointed with the nature of the goals – at least the ones that mattered as Cardiff allowed the stylish Londoners to open up a twogoal lead within 56 minutes.

Twice Cardiff attempted a comeback, twice Fulham countered and kept their advantage, reminding all that the kings of the turnaround in this division can’t leave it so late every time.

But, while things return to normal after Christmas, this wasn’t the reality check in terms of a side believing their own hype or getting carried away with anything. Cardiff have got good grounding in that regard, and the fight they showed until the end even on a poor day reflected that.

This was perhaps a reality check for anyone who dared think that those dreams of promotion – and a celebration to beat any Christmas come May – were to be realised without some downs and downright hard work.

Coupled with the defeat at Bolton a few days earlier, it was a reality check in terms of how well Cardiff have done with the injury problems they have faced.

PWDLFAEqually, despite the welcome, goalscoring return of Kenneth Zohore, it was a reality check that it will take some time for he and other recovering stars to really motor once more.

With Vincent Tan in attendance, perhaps it was no bad thing for a little nudge about the need to spend in January, even if it’s not the silly money he spoke about before the clash. The squad could do with a little lift and a little strengthening, especially in a midfield that struggled up against arguably the Championship’s best.

It’s why while Warnock was disappointed with losing his home record and with the goals that caused it, he wasn’t about to join the doom and gloom.

“That’s two games lost on the trot which is disappointing, but we have to bounce back on Friday.

I’m not down-hearted or demoralised. People are dying over the world. We have lost two games, but we are still in a great position and I would still like my lads alongside me in the trenches.

“Our aim at the start of the season was to get into play-offs, but we have exceeded expectations so now the aim is a little higher. I still think we are well placed for that and with a little bit of help from upstairs, I see no reason we can’t.”

Cardiff won’t be able to play as sluggishly as they did here if they are to keep those aims higher. It’s happened a couple of times now and the side have had the power, the pace and the belief to force their way back onto the front foot.

Fulham, though, are a side that are in their element if they start to get a head of steam up as early as they did here, getting behind the backline on more occasions than most do in 90 minutes even before they scored their 12th-minute opener via Tim Ream.

Credit to the Cottagers, they didn’t crumble when the Cardiff response came, crucially lacking the little bit of quality it needed to really ask questions. Too few held their ground in the sodden conditions, too many looked sloppy by their own standards, too many made the wrong decisions at key times.

You expected a second-half response as so often has been the case, but Fulham struck first when Ryan Sessegnon teed up Floyd Ayite. All a little too easily.

It appeared game over, but then Zohore – who had been steadily improving – offered his own reality check.

Cardiff’s record without last season’s top scorer has been impressive, but here with a goal from 25 yards as he controlled on chest and volleyed home he reminded that a bit of X-factor will go a long way in the months ahead. He will be better for these 90 minutes and, you’d bet, that the Bluebirds will be better for it.

There was a push of belief as a result, but it opened the door for Fulham. A couple of fifty-fifty calls didn’t drop for Cardiff when it might have mattered and a counter allowed Sessegnon to get his customary Cardiff goal.

Callum Paterson provided some very late hope with an effort in injury time, the returning Rhys Healey involved and standing up Warnock’s assertion that he could yet bring something different to the party.

But with Stefan Johansen adding a fourth, it completed the Boxing Day blues.

Christmas over and done with, it’s time for Cardiff to get back to work. With Warnock still smarting from the defeat to Preston earlier in the season, perhaps their visit is perfectly timed.

And it might just prove that the real party season is still being lined up for late spring.