Why Cardiff fans should not hit the panic button
CARDIFF City’s start to the season has not, exactly, gone according to plan. The Bluebirds’ two wins this season came from scraping winners in the 88th and 96th-minutes, while their defeats were far more convincing – shipping an alarming six goals in two games.
And, before the season started, if you put it to City fans that they would be in 14th place after seven games, many will have been dumbfounded. Most will have been disappointed.
But while some continue to grow evermore frustrated after witnessing another draw – the Bluebirds’ third this season – against Derby, it is not time to push the panic button just yet. And here’s why.
HOME FORM
Cardiff are unbeaten at home in the league this season, winning two of their three games at Cardiff City Stadium. If they are to make steady progress as the season wears on, they will have to continue to make home their fortress.
The Bluebirds, in fact, have lost just once in their last 13 Championship games at home, winning 10 in the process, so they are making a habit of not losing in the Welsh capital.
That, they will hope, is a record which will extend this Saturday when Middlesbrough visit. A win will likely push them into the top 10 and the picture, all of a sudden, begins to look a lot rosier.
GLATZEL GOAL
There is no doubt the fans, and the player, will be immensely relieved to have seen Robert Glatzel score his first goal in a Cardiff City shirt on Friday night.
While Cardiff in recent seasons have struggled to find a striker who can consistently bag a substantial number of goals in a campaign, the German has certainly made an impression since his £5.5million summer arrival from Heidenheim.
Ahead of Friday’s clash with the Rams, the monkey on his back had seemingly manifested itself in the form of desparation. There has been no doubting of his ability, his speed or neat feet, but such was his desire to score, he was snatching at chances, scuffing his shots and looking somewhat frazzled in front of goal.
Now he has broken his duck, however, we are likely to see a calmer, more composed presence in the coming games. He will certainly hope that spot-kick kickstarts a little run of goals.
INJURY RETURNS
Perhaps the biggest boost of all. Not many Championship sides will have endured the awful injury situation which has befallen Cardiff City this season.
Sol Bamba, who has been out since March following surgery on his knee, has been sorely missed. Danny Ward has also not played so far this season owing to an Achilles injury, he started running on grass last week.
Neil Etheridge and summer signing Marlon Pack each sustained grade three hamstring tears within two weeks of each other as Neil Warnock’s nightmare seemed never ending at the start of the season.
Amid all that, Callum Paterson (knee) and Nathaniel MendezLaing (hamstring) have also struggled for fitness this term. And Lee Tomlin, who was also starting to regain a bit of a form, missed Derby after sustaining whiplash in a car accident last week.
It is a remarkable series of events which has seen seven players, most of whom would push for starting spots, if not be shoo-ins, all sustain varying degrees of bad injuries. The positive news is that all of them are not far away.
Bamba will be back playing for the Under-23s any time soon, Etheridge is nearing a first-team return, while Pack will not be far behind. Mendez-Laing will hope to be in contention for a start this week after it was earned he still wasn’t 100 per cent for the Derby game.