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THREE wins out of three and no goals conceded. As weeks go, they don’t get much better than last week for Cardiff City.
But spare a thought for their opponents – Brentford, Barnsley and Nottingham Forest – who didn’t exactly take defeats on the chin.
Following the Bluebirds’ impressive 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, Forest legend Kenny Burns lashed out at Neil Warnock, while manager Mark Warburton accused Cardiff of “continual delaying”.
And that type of reaction to Cardiff victories - which only serves to show how the Bluebirds have become a wanted scalp since Warnock’s arrival – has started to become the norm under the club’s veteran boss, as these examples show...
NOTTINGHAM FOREST 0-2 CARDIFF CITY
“Continual delaying” – Mark Warburton “We were frustrated at many things,” said Warburton. “The continual delaying. We have to learn, Cardiff are very good at what they do.
“But that has to be managed better than that by certain people. There’s other ways of dealing with that - I have to be very careful what I say, I want to keep within the letter of the law.
“Surely you deal with that early, stamp it out and it doesn’t become a problem. When I see someone stroll off the park and take that long, to applause, I find that very frustrating.
“But Cardiff are where they are because they deserve to be. I’m very respectful towards Cardiff, but they do have physicality.”
But credit to the former Rangers boss, he did eventually praise the Bluebirds for their display.
“I have no problem with Cardiff City, zero problem with Neil. All credit to Neil and his team,” he added. “He’s not my cup of tea” – Kenny Burns “Warnock might have enjoyed a lot of success over the years as a manager, and he looks to be doing the business once again at Cardiff City, but he’s not my cup of tea.
“He can have the three points from Sunday’s match between the Reds and Cardiff, I’d much rather have a manager like Mark Warburton in the home dugout at the City Ground – a likeable manager who gets his teams to play exciting, attacking football.
“While Warburton will no doubt have sent his team out to try to play their flowing, attacking football, Warnock sent Cardiff out to time waste by the look of it.
“Who time-wastes when a game is 0-0? Warnock’s Cardiff, that’s who.”
CARDIFF CITY 2-0 BRENTFORD
Can I have my money back? - Dean Smith “They’re going to be organised, strong and powerful and when they got two goals up you know they’re going to slow the game down,” said Smith.
“I’m disappointed that when you come to the level of the Championship, your own players have to run 20 yards to get the ball off the pitch.
“It just seemed that every free-kick, throw-in and corner took about a minute.
“Personally, I’d probably want my money back because the ball was probably only on the pitch for 20 minutes.“
BARNSLEY 0-1 CARDIFF CITY
Cardiff’s“gamesmanship”producesa “garbage” match – Paul Heckingbottom “It was garbage because we got beat ,” he said.
“I’d rather be in their dressing room than ours. It’s a disappointing way to lose a game.
“I’m not having a go at Cardiff, as they’re so difficult to play against. They have lots of goals in them, lots of experience and gamesmanship.
“I’m not having a go, but you expect stronger refereeing. I knew what the game was going to be like. It was going to be like that.” From earlier in the season...
WOLVES 1-2 CARDIFF CITY
“Aggressive” Bluebirds - Nuno Espirito Santo “It was clear the game plan Cardiff had – take out our spaces, be aggressive, don’t let our players have freedom that we’ve been showing,” said the Portuguese boss of the Championship leaders.
“There were too many stoppages, too much of the ball out of the game,