That’s magic... how piled up the points

ASK any Cardiff City fan what they think of Lee Tomlin and you’ll pretty much receive a universal thumbs up.

The ‘Lee Tomlin is a Blue’ chant that resounds from the Canton Stand says everything.

He is the player who offers the composure, creativity and class that the Bluebirds otherwise so often lack in the final third of the pitch.

There are some players whose worth to the team goes way beyond black and white statistics. Talisman Tomlin is one of those.

But in his case, a look at the stats and the direct influence he has had on the side since Neil Harris came in as manager is quite eye-popping and demonstrates just how much Cardiff rely on him.

Let’s leave aside the fact Tomlin actually gets Cardiff playing, offers something different to route one and set piece threat, and always has the fans on the edge of their seat.

Just look for a moment at the games he has directly influenced with his goals and assists.

Because of Tomlin, Cardiff have gained an extra 11 points under Harris that they otherwise wouldn’t have done.

Put another way, his efforts have kept Cardiff within five points of the play-offs. Without them, they would be sitting on 31 points and down with Stoke in joint 20th place in the Championship table. his talisman ‘The Magic Man’ and wasn’t doing anything of the sort.

Tomlin scored a superb goal, calmly chipping into the net over crowded bodies, then set up Robert Glatzel’s equaliser with that audacious volleyed flick – perhaps the assist of the season.

It’s hard to know which moment of genius was better.

One point gained SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 1 CARDIFF 2 (Dec 29)

One of the few games where the Bluebirds were on the front foot from the off, and didn’t need Tomlin to rescue them.

However, invariably, he was at the hub of that excellent early start which saw the Bluebirds roar into a two-goal lead. First Tomlin set up a goal for Glatzel, then a classy pull back enabled Junior Hoilett to score.

Three points gained BIRMINGHAM 1 CARDIFF 1 (Jan 18)

Cardiff were trailing 1-0. Guess who popped up with a second-half equaliser?

Magic Man himself.

One point gained CARDIFF 2 WEST BROM 1 (Jan 28)

Harris didn’t start Tomlin in Tuesday night’s win over the promotion favourites and without him Cardiff were lacklustre, lacking any threat in the final third.

At 1-1, on came Magic Man to rescue the day again... which he did with that sublime free-kick winner.

It wasn’t just about Tomlin’s technique for that, though. He was the one who actually won the free-kick in the first place with a driving run at the Baggies defence, something that had been previously lacking from the team.

Two points gained FACTS AND FIGURES

What the above demonstrate is that without Tomlin’s direct impact, Cardiff would have 11 fewer points.

That would have left them close to the drop zone and in danger of a relegation fight.

Instead, whilst the Bluebirds are still only 12th, they can rise to eighth and only two points off the play-offs by defeating Reading tomorrow.

If they do win that one, you can guarantee Tomlin will play a significant part.

SO WHY DIDN’T WARNOCK PICK HIM?

This is something of a mystery, given Warnock was raving about his £3m capture when he signed Tomlin from Bristol City.

To be fair to Warnock, there were personal issues Tomlin was dealing with behind the scenes.

However, the manager didn’t feel Tomlin’s fitness levels and work-rate were up to scratch for his Cardiff side this season, even though the player himself felt he was in the best shape of his career.