Playoff 2nd leg - Cardiff City Away Post Match Thread

[Samilktray]

Never thought I'd saythis but Howard was sensational last night, caused them so many problems, and Wellens really is a class act. I'm still 1 of the few who doesnt rate King, apart from the goal yesterday I didnt notice him do anything, or on Sunday. Not that it matters, epic performance.

[Kilworthfox]

Feisty old game that and I only caught the extra time!

Gutted for you but lets face it, you've had a bloody marvellous season! Onwards and upwards chaps. Automatic next year?

Gven the facts that Portsmouth especially & Hull are financially nackered.... YES, that should certainly be the aim, if we can keep the momentum, get players like Tunchev fit & playing regular and add attacking options! Hoiw about Forest certainly Automatic should be the aim, no?

[Ricey]

Gven the facts that Portsmouth especially & Hull are financially nackered.... YES, that should certainly be the aim, if we can keep the momentum, get players like Tunchev fit & playing regular and add attacking options! Hoiw about Forest certainly Automatic should be the aim, no?

Middlesbrough and Forest will be strong next year, as will Cardiff if they don't go up. I think Portsmouth will struggle at first, like Boro did this season, and I can't see either of Hull or Burnley boucing straight back up.

[Simi]

Well, that was something.

Was completely speechless at the end for a while and seeing some of the faces upset was hard to take as well.

Howard, Solano and Richie Wellens were all absolutely phenominal.

Not sure Howard lost a header all night and when he decided to chest it and take it down, his distribution was first class. Solano was running on empty from about 80 minutes but somehow found the energy to deal with McCormack when he came on. Not only that but he stepped up and took a fabulous penalty. Wellens just defined the term workhorse. Tackle after tackle he won. Used the ball well as well and closed down everything.

This is what we need to be proud of, the sterling performances from the whole team last night. I may have singled out those three but all of them put in monster shifts last night and did us proud. The lottery of penalties let us down and Yann may have done something stupid, but don't let that overwelm how much the team have achieved this season.

We'll be back.

[dandannieldanok]

So so gutted but we really did great stuff in the 120 minutes. They were inevitably going to create chances with the quality attackers they have in their side but once we got our goal, we coped admirably. I really thought at 1-0 down on the night that would be it but the players did a great job in turning it around. Steve Howard was awesome all night long, so many 'if onlys' regarding his stupid sending off that cost him 1st leg involvement. That shot he had near the end of the game deserved to go in. Weale made some great saves as well through the game. Such a shame it's come to a end but so many positives.

Really hope we can emulate our achievements next season. We'll need more investment in the playing squad but we've got a cracking squad to build from here.

[maddog]

The only worries now is NP leaving, which i have a bad feeling he will.

Or MM doing something stupid if we start badly next season.

[Guest Bilo]

Next season will be the same as this season in a way with around ten teams having a realistic hope of promotion. Obviously it's very early days and we don't know which clubs will have which players or even managers but my early instincts say Boro, Forest, ourselves, Reading, Burnley and possibly Norwich are all likely to do well next season.

This depends on a lot of course, whether we keep our best players and Pearson, whether Davies leaves the City Ground (which looks touch-and-go), whether Reading can make good on their ominous form towards the end of the season, Burnley's financial position is far healthier than Hull's or Pompey's and this may make them a threat, but Laws is likely to be on his last legs if they make a bad start. Time will tell as to whether Norwich can emulate our achievements, Hull and Portsmouth look buggered financially and stabling that ship will be a main priority over a promotion charge, Leeds look a shaky outfit since January and may struggle and whoever loses the play-off final is, in my mind, unlikely to make a similar push again based on the subsequent performances of past play-off final losers.

As for the teams I've mentioned as favourites.

Boro - Likely to go well next year as still financially well off and an experienced manager in Strachan. Undoubtedly a threat but poor away form will need to improve.

Forest - Started slowly then went mad between October and January by destroying all before them. It went very wrong after that though as a shallow squad, poor away form and fragile nerves/confidence proved their downfall. If Davies grows tired of their transfer policy in the summer and leaves, their threat is diminished. If he stays, they'll go close.

Leicester - Other beaten play-off sides have struggled in the following season before but with our team spirit being so strong, Pearson being so adept in the transfer market and the right investment from Mandaric, there's no reason why we can't do well again next season. Will need to hold on to the likes of Hobbs, King and Fryatt though.

Burnley - Surprised a hell of a lot of people by going up and no-one by coming straight back down again but they've shown financial nous by not spending like mad in the Premiership, and come down by far the most financially stable of the three relegated clubs. They'll need to make a good start though as Laws will be out on his arse if they don't.

Norwich - Won League One with only less point than us, have good support and are financially stable. Key ingredients to do well. They also showed good consistency to snatch the title from a Leeds side that looked certainties at Christmas.

[maddog]

Just seen the Bruce foul again, wtf was he thinking.

No need to even touch Chopra, and had he not hesitated he would have cleared it.

Berner was on the line, Weale was there even if Chopra got round him he may not have scored.

[Fox92]

Just seen the Bruce foul again, wtf was he thinking.

No need to even touch Chopra, and had he not hesitated he would have cleared it.

Berner was on the line, Weale was there even if Chopra got round him he may not have scored.

I think it was Weale's fault. Bruce told Weale to come out and he didn't.

The game overall though, pleased with Howard and Wellens in particular.

Weale doesn't even look like he's going to save a penalty.

Think both goals Weale will be dissapointed with. The first one I think he could have not rushed out and the penalty I think Weale should have came out.

[RedHux]

Gven the facts that Portsmouth especially & Hull are financially nackered.... YES, that should certainly be the aim, if we can keep the momentum, get players like Tunchev fit & playing regular and add attacking options! Hoiw about Forest certainly Automatic should be the aim, no?

Yea, without a doubt. Hopefully we'll do some strengthening in the summer. A left back, just one will do...any one. Defensive mid as McKennas about knackered and another forward or two and we should be about there.

Assuming Billys staying that is. There's talk of him going elsewhere and whilst I don't doubt that he'd be off like a shot should a better job offer itself, I'm guessing it's typical BD mouthing off to get what he wants. At times he's like a gobby brat and it irritates the hell out of me. Pretty decent manager though.

I think for you what's important is replacing the players that leave. Be it back to their parent club or whatever. You should definitely keep that Neilson fella though. Speaking as a Forest fan of course.

[Corky]

I think it was Weale's fault. Bruce told Weale to come out and he didn't.

The game overall though, pleased with Howard and Wellens in particular.

Weale doesn't even look like he's going to save a penalty.

Think both goals Weale will be dissapointed with. The first one I think he could have not rushed out and the penalty I think Weale should have came out.

The first goal was a natural reaction for a keeper. They are told to come out and make it difficult, it was a composed finish.

Both keepers had no chance with the first 6 penalties though.

[Lillehamring]

I imagine the reaction will have been different if it went in. At the end of the day with those penalties you win some and you lose some. In all honesty they should never have had a penalty for their second as Chopra was miles offside.

And what a performance from Big Steve absolutely played his heart out.

this sums up my thoughts entirely.

to all of you 'fans' slagging off kermo - how many of you have actually had to take a penalty in a play-off semi final? none of you, right, so shut up and think about what you are saying before posting embarrassing crap about how we lost because of 'arrogance' -

kermo made a brave decision, unfortunately for him the keeper chose not to commit to a big dive and was still close enough to get a hand on it... as babylon said, he could have belted it and missed, waghorn hit his solidly enough and the keeper reached back to get a hand on it.

fair enough, blame players who shoot wide, but don't blame players who have had a peno saved, because that is as much to do with the keeper making the right decision.

it's pretty clear there are plenty of city 'fans' who have wanted kermo to be a failure from day one - he has never had a decent run in the team, but has always put in a decent effort when he has had the chance -

he isn't a bad player, he's a leicester city player and he took that penalty on behalf of all leicester fans, and in those circumstances that took real balls.

[C-man]

Ahh man, just found this. Not sure if it's been posted yet. RIP.

Fan dies watching Cardiff City play-off game

A football fan died of a suspected heart attack watching Cardiff City's Championship play-off semi-final against Leicester City on Wednesday.

The man in his 50s, from Ebbw Vale in Blaenau Gwent, was taken ill in the Ninian Stand at Cardiff City Stadium.

He is believed to have had a heart attack during the first half of the game following Cardiff City's opening goal.

He was treated in the stand by medical staff.

Cardiff fans have left tributes to the man on supporters' message boards. His name has not been released.

Cardiff won the game on penalties to secure a place in the Championship play-off final against Blackpool at Wembley on 22 May

[marbelladave]

Morning,

For my fellow expats and those of you not at the game, my views gleaned from the 'Corporate' seats in the Grandstand about half way into the City End first half.

On arrival I have to admit that the team selection left me very worried, Pearson reverting to type and picking his League 1 line up with Gallagher filling in for Oakley on the right and a slightly makeshift defense.

For the first 20 minutes these worries were totally justified, our long balls forward just kept coming back and Cardiff were in total control. Whittingham, Burke and Ledley all looked comfortable playing the ball around in a manner our midfield could not begin to match, largely because they were bypassed by the long balls played to Howard and Fryatt. That Chopra's goal was the only one was astonishing, we really should have been 2 or 3 down by the time he scored.

Our first goal was typically Leicester, ball up to Fryatt whose attempted flick spooned in the air in the 'D' to be met by Howard who did enough to guide the ball through for Fryatt, to simply drive the ball through Marshall who could not get enough on it to keep it out.

Similarly the second goal came from what looked like a hopeful cross and just bounced off a couple of heads and into the net. The local fans around me went very quiet indeed, they just could not believe it. Although Cardiff pushed forward City held out against the pressure well enough to keep ahead up until half time.

The second half started brightly with both sides getting forward, Burke had a good shot well saved then a few moments later Fryatt had an attempt blocked for a corner. Gallagher hit it horribly, failing to clear the first man and was lucky that the ball came straight back to him. Controlling the ball he flicked it over Chopra with ease and then hit a pin point cross to King on the far post. who frankly never looked likely to miss as he buried it into the bottom corner. We were going to Wembley!

At this point, either side of the hour mark, we were totally dominant and looking for a fourth, but as we tired Cardiff came back strongly and scored from a spot kick that should never have been. Chopra was clearly offside when the ball was played in and Bruce should have cleared the danger, instead the linesman missed an easy (as these things go) call, Bruce hesitated, then tripped Chopra quite unnecessarily and Whittingham scored.

For the rest of the second half and most of extra time Cardiff were the dominant force, hitting the woodwork at least twice and forcing Weale to make a couple of very decent saves and although Waghorn almost squeezed one in from a corner City were left hanging on for penalties.

The shoot out itself was a bit of a French farce, 3 good penalties from each side then Kermorgant getting it horribly wrong with an attempted 'dink' over the keeper that Marshall got an arm to and kept out. This miss piled intolerable pressure on Waghorn who's kick was at a height that allowed the keeper to make a decent save. We were out, finished! Cardiff went mad and we went home. Fook it!

[MikeyT]

Just seen this on SSN website, an interview with Pearson after the game, for those of you that haven't had a chance to see it yet.

My link

[bakedalasker]

As a Cardiff fan I felt we made hard work of it last night. The first 20 minutes we should have had the tie wrapped up. At half time I could not believe we were 2-1 down. When you got your 3rd goal I was dumstruck but never felt it was all over for us. I just felt if we are going to win this then we are going to do it our usual way, the hard way. I felt we deserved the equaliser at that time and were unlucky not to get a third. However as the game went into its final stages it was there for the taken of either club. thats part of the game Leicester had the best chances with our goalie denying your a winner.

Extra time compared to the first 90 minutes was a none affair. For the penalties well I could not watch our guys take ours but watch your guys take theirs. Times like this you always think your guys are going to miss but the others guys could miss. Anyway if ever I wanted to see a bad penalty against us I saw it last night. What was your man thinking? Felt sorry for Waghorn as he took his penalty well but unfortunately for him our goalie made a good save.

Obviously delighted we are in the final. I hope we make it, its been a long time for us. I cant see Leicester being in this league for too long. I have lived in this area long enough to realise the passion for the club and its size. Lets be honest it was a bit of a joke you guys going down to league 1. As soon as you got promoted last season I felt you would get to the play offs. I think next season you will be challenging again. I'll be watching being a local.

[Mikey]

Got back about 3 last night, went straight to bed, and couldn't be fu<ked with school today....

The team and staff have been unbelievable all season, just a pity it ended in the way it did, so cruel. Thought the fans were immense throughout, as well as Cardiffs were most the time. The spirit we showed to come back from 2-0 down against one of the best teams in the league was unbelievable. Every single player put their all into a great game. Gutted for Waggy, looked distraught, he's had a great season and I'd love him to be back here next season.

Moment of the match for me was Bruno, a 32 year old, sprinting the length of the pitch in the 119th minute, leaving younger players in his wake, only to get brought down. Sensational.

Absolutely class night, so proud.

We'll be back next year.

[Ozwin]

Highly doubtful but have any of the players come out and said anything yet?

[Bryn]

To those saying we should aim for automatic next season, be very wary. Next years league will be tough, and we're actually looking at losing quite a few players. I personally think given the competition;

Forest

Cardiff if they don't go up

Leeds

Norwich

Ipswich

QPR

One of Millwall/Swindon/Charlton/Huddersfield

Burnley - gonna have some dosh

Portsmouth and Hull - Poor or not, you can't write off relegated teams. They have a knack of squeezing millions into their transfer budget even when they're destitute

Middlesborough, who I think will come back strongly

Reading

Sheff Utd, who finished the season strongly

Bristol City who have a top manager

Next season is going to be ludicrously tough. I personally think top 10 remains the highest goal.

[Guest]

Never thought I'd saythis but Howard was sensational last night, caused them so many problems, and Wellens really is a class act. I'm still 1 of the few who doesnt rate King, apart from the goal yesterday I didnt notice him do anything, or on Sunday. Not that it matters, epic performance.

My thoughts precisely.

[Koke]

Really hope we can emulate our achievements next season. We'll need more investment in the playing squad but we've got a cracking squad to build from here.

We got a good core of players and all we need is a few additions and get rid of the ones who Nigel deems surplus to requirement. The core spine of our team is pretty exceptional, and I'm sure Nigel will use the loan market effectively like he usually does. Even the likes of Howard and N'Guessan who have only been bench players have contributed a lot to our season.

With the Prem relegated teams being significantly weaker than the ones who got relegated last year, I can't see why we can't up in the mix again next season. The league will be a lot more open than it was this season.

[Finnegan]

Some utter bollocks.

Sorry, mate, but that's the worst post you've probably ever made.The bottom line is he didn't "bottle" it or succumb to pressure, he tried something obnoxious and showy to be flash and ended up putting egg on all of our faces.

I am not blaming our not getting to Wembley on him alone and I am not judging his ability as a footballer entirely on that one incident but it was childish, it was unprofessional and it was immensely embarrassing. And, yes, I'd have been irked at his irresponsibility even if it HAD gone in. I've always hated showboating at penalty kicks and I still do now.

Absolutely shambolic and he should be ashamed with his abject immaturity today. The people that are coming on here trying to defend the man make me seriously question their common sense. Which is sad, because for the most part a lot of you are the ones (like yourself, Val) who are normally calm and level headed. I suppose it's those attributes that make you cautious, make you take a step back and make you not want to appear like every other knuckle-dragger using Yann as a scapegoat.

Well I'm sorry, I'm no angry numbskull just desperately looking for someone to blame but what he did was genuinely out of line and should be recognized. Stupid.

[MC Prussian]

The knee-jerk reactions of some Leicester fans seem typical.

It was a dramatic game and we were lucky not to be 4-0 down after 20 minutes. How we managed to turn the initial deficit around, I still don't know. Must've been the use of playoff potions, I guess. But I thought for the following 45 minutes, we played really well. The 2-1 took the wind out of Cardiff's sails and we had a lot of possession in their half. Making it 3-1 through a Welsh was the icing on the cake. But I knew we were in for a ride afterwards. Nerves starting kicking in, I mean really kicking in. Yes, Bruce's challenge was stupid. I haven't seen the replay but thought he fouled Chopra inside the box. That goal turned it all around and for the next 20 minutes, I was clinging on to my seat. Unbearable situation. We could've killed it off at the end of regular time, but I think Waghorn missed a couple towards the end, as well.

And yes, Finnegan, you are indeed making Kermorgant a scapegoat. Your whole comment, whilst trying to avoid getting to the point, blatantly circles around that one particular statement ("..ended up putting egg on all of our faces." - Don't think so.). Kermorgant has been the preferred target for a couple of FTers and other fans for months during the regular season, the alleged weakest link in an otherwise pretty balanced squad/impressive surprise package. Anyone can miss a penalty. Everybody makes mistakes, in particular footballers who are under constant pressure from (some) fans - remember the monumentally embarrassing cock-up by Weale against Derby away? What Yann was thinking when he stepped up to the penalty spot, I can but assume. I'm disappointed, but I don't share this particular bitterness amongst a couple of fans and the stereotypical blaming game that has ensued since the final whistle has gone. I wonder why hardly anyone has the guts to point out that we lost the game at home already and that Pearson has as much to answer for having come up with a 4-5-1 formation that Sunday. Or how about blaming Howard for that stupid foul and the red card against Watford? Dyer and Gallagher were also pretty much useless for the majority of the game, apart from Gally's super lob that led to King's goal.

Looking back at this season and the players we got, we have pushed above our weight. That we have come this far is a compliment to Pearson, the players and the club responsibles. But anything other than another relegation worry or mediocre, uninspired football like the one I've witnessed between 2004 and 2008 is fine with me. The newly-installed positivity and the potential we've suddenly got in return have made us a real contender for the upper half of the Championship table. We are a big club, but whether we have an automatic right to be in the Premier League, I don't know. It'd have been nice going to Wembley and getting promotion. But this dramatic semi-final game alone has put us back on the map and I've heard our battling performance has earned a lot of praise from other clubs' fans around the country. I am thankful for that and it's another reason why this season has made me very proud of this club.

Yann Kermorgant will be an integral part for Leicester City in 2010/2011, answer the critics with more than just one goal and redeem himself personally.

[Joe.]

Just watched the penalty again. I still can't believe he actually tried that, one of the most woeful penalties I've ever seen in my life. You can talk up having the bottle to go and take one but there's absolutely no way I can condone anything involved in that penalty. Just terrible.

[Raj]

EVERY one associated wit h City should feel proud and yes even yann!!

At the time,and even now i cant believe he tried such an audaciuos peno but im sure he is feeling a cvnt at the moment!

I thought our fans were incredible and overall the players showed massive heart and courage to keep plugging away.

However taking off my City specs i think overall They probably edged it over 2 games cos of the attacking play they showed,altho they did tend to fall over a hell of alot.

We were like a boxer who just couldnt find that final blow to knock his opponent out.

Its a masive blow and to lose that way was horrible ,but at the end of the day,it is only football!!!

Up the city!!!