Our midfield is non-existent.

[GingerrrFox]

I'm sorry I know Andy King has his loyal supporters but I watched him today like a hawk and he was awful. He did 2 things of note, the run down the outside which led to his shot just past the post and the chance he fluffed after a good run through the middle. On the negativerhe is piss poor in the challenge, he got pushed off the ball numerous times, he is useless in the air and doesn't have the nasty/combative streak that you need to dominate the opposition midfield. Drinkwater's passing was shambolic at times and is too inconsistent but at least he gave it a go in the middle and tried to give us a foothold in the game. King just glides in and out of games too much to be a real force in the most demanding central position. Win the battle in midfield, you win the game 9 times out of 10.

Lingard has come in for some harsh criticism which I don't think is justified, I felt he looked comfortable on the ball and actually tried to make things happen when he came on, but it was hard for him as it seemed Zak Whitbread decided for the team that we would play hoof ball against two of the strongest and physically imposing centre backs in the league. He was at fault for their goal, under no pressure and aimed a useless long ball forwards, they won the challenge (surprise surprise) and scored on the counter. Cardiff are basically this season's Stoke, no football of note and nothing creative, hoof it to the target man and get Bellamy to feed off the scraps, score a lucky goal and sit back and be organised in defence.

WE NEED AN ENFORCER IN THE MIDDLE TO HELP US DOMINATE TEAMS.

[Charl91]

I think we do need another midfielder, one that can take games by the scruff of the neck. Personally I still like Danns for his energy or maybe even give James a run out. I'm not saying King isn't good enough, but we do need other options when things aren't going well.

[cc_star]

I'm sorry I know Andy King has his loyal supporters but I watched him today like a hawk and he was awful. He did 2 things of note, the run down the outside which led to his shot just past the post and the chance he fluffed after a good run through the middle. On the negativerhe is piss poor in the challenge, he got pushed off the ball numerous times, he is useless in the air and doesn't have the nasty/combative streak that you need to dominate the opposition midfield. Drinkwater's passing was shambolic at times and is too inconsistent but at least he gave it a go in the middle and tried to give us a foothold in the game. King just glides in and out of games too much to be a real force in the most demanding central position. Win the battle in midfield, you win the game 9 times out of 10.

Lingard has come in for some harsh criticism which I don't think is justified, I felt he looked comfortable on the ball and actually tried to make things happen when he came on, but it was hard for him as it seemed Zak Whitbread decided for the team that we would play hoof ball against two of the strongest and physically imposing centre backs in the league. He was at fault for their goal, under no pressure and aimed a useless long ball forwards, they won the challenge (surprise surprise) and scored on the counter. Cardiff are basically this season's Stoke, no football of note and nothing creative, hoof it to the target man and get Bellamy to feed off the scraps, score a lucky goal and sit back and be organised in defence.

WE NEED AN ENFORCER IN THE MIDDLE TO HELP US DOMINATE TEAMS.

We play to our strengths like most of the first 70mins,we play through the middle & the mid-field are good, King was playing very well IMO.

The game went away from us & the players got desperate and resorted to playing it long, missing the midfield out & King looks poor? Blame hoofer Konch & 50p head Whitbread.

We should be playing through the middle which is how we play when we're on top.

It's a team game & the team on the pitch need to realise that. We could see for the first half and after halftime how the manager set them up to play like that.

Knocky needs to learn some discipline too, his constant wondering in left RDL exposed & whilst he loses shape in every game, he'll get subbed in every game. (For what it's worth I'd play Knocky off the front man in either a central man in a 4231 of Dyer-Knocky-Marshall or a linkup man in a 4411, but we know NP won't.)

Signing a brute in midfield? Not for me, we don't want a clogger upsetting the part of our game which is fast football, we need to do more to ensure we can continue to play 'our' game just like QPR/Swansea/Reading/S'ton did in their promotion seasons - we shouldn't be resorting to spoiling tactics of our own - we need to be doing more to play how we can - if that's improving on players here then yes lets do it, but a clogger? No way, not unless we want to throw all that is good out the window

[fleckneymike]

He made an immense interception to deny them a fourth when he just got his heel to Bellamy's cross.

[GingerrrFox]

Also when you see their goal back on TV watch where Bellamy is and look who should be marking him but isn't.....I'll give you three guesses who it was out of position. Andy King.

[Guest Col city fan]

There have been a lot of goals conceded around our own penalty area throughout the season where it has been apparent that our midfield (whoever has been playing) hasn't had the defensive savvy or the energy to get back to block the oncoming player. This had been clear to me from the first game and still has not been rectified.

The usual suspects will of course, choose to conveniently overlook this but I think it's been a feature of a lot of the goals we have conceded this term.

[Mark_w]

He made an immense interception to deny them a fourth when he just got his heel to Bellamy's cross.

[Les-TA-Jon]

Andy King is a talented but flawed player. It turns out that when you've been in the Championship and League One for 10 years you're not entitled to flawless players.

He misses some chances. He misses some passes. He misses some tackles.

But if he was more consistent he'd be in the PL no doubt - something like 50 goals from 200 appearances from midfield? PL bound.

We'll just have to settle for a box to box midfield player, who has a great finish, is great in the air and can pick out some great passes.

[leicesterseddon]

Not this again.

Look, we all know King can do some things very well. He can pass well, he can shoot, he reads games reasonably well.

The problem is that in his position (central midfield), doing that sort of stuff on its own isn't good enough. There are a whole load of things that he can't do well, or doesn't do at all, like closing players down, tackling, winning headers. Until we get someone in that is a 6 or 7/10 in all of these areas our midfield, whilst being good enough for the top half of the table, will never be good enough for promotion.

[ian the fox]

A short pass then run away head down with his back to the ball ......not my idea of a midfield player . new players needed in the middle ,

Even games we won we failed to boss midfield completely , Brighton , Hull City & even Peterboro had too much play in the middle

[Babylon]

There have been a lot of goals conceded around our own penalty area throughout the season where it has been apparent that our midfield (whoever has been playing) hasn't had the defensive savvy or the energy to get back to block the oncoming player. This had been clear to me from the first game and still has not been rectified.

The usual suspects will of course, choose to conveniently overlook this but I think it's been a feature of a lot of the goals we have conceded this term.

Oh look hercule poirot.

[ithuriel]

Oh look hercule poirot.

[Thracian]

King was pretty much ever-present in the team which climbed to the top of the table with some of the best football played by a Leicester side in years. At that time he was shooting and scoring fairly regularly too, particularly for a midfielder, which is one of his talents.

What's changed is not King or the opposition. What's changed is our approach.

Yes, we conceded a bad goal today - and I'd blame a lot of things for that - but we lost because we didn't score at all, the same as last week against Millwall.

And we didn't score because we didn't pass the ball well enough, because we didn't drive forward with sufficient pace, unity and conviction as a unit, because we didn't show enough movement or inventiveness in the front third, because we achieved nothing with our set pieces and because we didn't take any of the few reasonable chances that came our way.

[beryllind]

Also when you see their goal back on TV watch where Bellamy is and look who should be marking him but isn't.....I'll give you three guesses who it was out of position. Andy King.

Agree.

On the whole he never man marks, he is telling and pointing to every body else to man mark but he never does ,he turns his back when it comes to a block. he does get free which is fine in an attacking mode, but he should close players down when in a defensive situation..

[artursteppe]

Under Pearson we have never, I mean NEVER had an adequate midfield. Always weak, always unable to be combative, always get bullied by the opposition and even though we have four fragile and physically wanting players in our 'engine room' ( that's a laugh ), we are usually outnumbered as well.

Now come on folks, where are all those posters who keep telling me I am wrong, but Pearson is right.

[GingerrrFox]

Agree.

On the whole he never man marks, he is telling and pointing to every body else to man mark but he never does ,he turns his back when it comes to a block. he does get free which is fine in an attacking mode, but he should close players down when in a defensive situation..

I was watching him in disbelief after the goal he was pointing to 5 yards in front of him and motioning "why is nobody there"....if he was in my team I would have been shouting that's where you should have been Dickhead! Konchesky was closing down the man crossing in, Drinkwater had tracked a man moving across towards the ball player, De Laet marking back post, Whitbread and Morgan along the 6 yard box where you would expect. Then King just stood there in no man's land ball watching. Get out to the edge of the box you daft twat!

[artursteppe]

Agree.

On the whole he never man marks, he is telling and pointing to every body else to man mark but he never does ,he turns his back when it comes to a block. he does get free which is fine in an attacking mode, but he should close players down when in a defensive situation..

I noticed him doing the 'Wellens' thing as well, particularly after his lapse ( ball watching ) brought their goal, just like a child who knows he has failed then trying to impress by being 'responsible' and directing others.

[kingfox]

I was watching him in disbelief after the goal he was pointing to 5 yards in front of him and motioning "why is nobody there"....if he was in my team I would have been shouting that's where you should have been Dickhead! Konchesky was closing down the man crossing in, Drinkwater had tracked a man moving across towards the ball player, De Laet marking back post, Whitbread and Morgan along the 6 yard box where you would expect. Then King just stood there in no man's land ball watching. Get out to the edge of the box you daft twat!

No not the case, my fellow St Ledger friend.

Konchesky was ball watching, didn't close down enough, and in moves like that, you have to stop the cross. Konchesky didn't attempt to stop the cross, if he closed down and stopped the cross, then the ball wouldn't of fell to Bellamy's feet in the first place.

If you are blaming King, then you should blame Konchesky, simply didn't stop the cross i'm afraid, and his performance as I've said as a whole wasn't anywhere near good enough.

[Leicesterpool]

Andy King is a hard worker, but i do notice when he's sometimes absent we score a few more goals and team play more relaxed, but that's sometimes!

[GingerrrFox]

No not the case, my fellow St Ledger friend.

Konchesky was ball watching, didn't close down enough, and in moves like that, you have to stop the cross. Konchesky didn't attempt to stop the cross, if he closed down and stopped the cross, then the ball wouldn't of fell to Bellamy's feet in the first place.

If you are blaming King, then you should blame Konchesky, simply didn't stop the cross i'm afraid, and his performance as I've said as a whole wasn't anywhere near good enough.

Konchesky was poor in his closing down but his positioning was exactly where he was supposed to be, he delayed the cross but ultimately wasn't successful in stopping the cross. If Kingy had been marking Bellamy who was literally 5 yards in front of him there would have been no goal, simple as. Watch on the highlights tonight, Kingy eyes were dead fixed on the ball, oblivious to Bellamy free in front of him.

[Ely fox]

They pressed better than us and wanted it more. SO where is this team spirit we are supposed to have? Not sure if Pearson can motivate the team. At times we looked a bit lacklustre considering we were at home against the top side in the division. Not enough effort imo. Please make some changes for Hull!!!!!!!

[kingfox]

Konchesky was poor in his closing down but his positioning was exactly where he was supposed to be, he delayed the cross but ultimately wasn't successful in stopping the cross. If Kingy had been marking Bellamy who was literally 5 yards in front of him there would have been no goal, simple as. Watch on the highlights tonight, Kingy eyes were dead fixed on the ball, oblivious to Bellamy free in front of him.

But Konchesky has to stop the cross mate, that is his job, his job is to close down and stop the cross, but he failed to do that. He can be in the right position all he likes, but he failed to do that bit extra and stop the cross, it is an important thing in a left-backs games. Pundits say it week in week out, stop the cross.

Simply not good enough in my opinion, King may not of read the game, but Konchesky to me was at fault hands down.

[ccfcritchie]

I'm sorry I know Andy King has his loyal supporters but I watched him today like a hawk and he was awful. He did 2 things of note, the run down the outside which led to his shot just past the post and the chance he fluffed after a good run through the middle. On the negativerhe is piss poor in the challenge, he got pushed off the ball numerous times, he is useless in the air and doesn't have the nasty/combative streak that you need to dominate the opposition midfield. Drinkwater's passing was shambolic at times and is too inconsistent but at least he gave it a go in the middle and tried to give us a foothold in the game. King just glides in and out of games too much to be a real force in the most demanding central position. Win the battle in midfield, you win the game 9 times out of 10.

Lingard has come in for some harsh criticism which I don't think is justified, I felt he looked comfortable on the ball and actually tried to make things happen when he came on, but it was hard for him as it seemed Zak Whitbread decided for the team that we would play hoof ball against two of the strongest and physically imposing centre backs in the league. He was at fault for their goal, under no pressure and aimed a useless long ball forwards, they won the challenge (surprise surprise) and scored on the counter. Cardiff are basically this season's Stoke, no football of note and nothing creative, hoof it to the target man and get Bellamy to feed off the scraps, score a lucky goal and sit back and be organised in defence.

WE NEED AN ENFORCER IN THE MIDDLE TO HELP US DOMINATE TEAMS.

What a load of absoloute bollocks

Cardiff a hoofball to the target man team? **** off , bellamy hasn't played 2 games in a row this season

Peter whittingham the best player outside the premier league creative

Today cardiff ddnt play free flowing football because all they had to do was hit the two fullbackS on the counter , so they scored 1 sat back and waited to counter..

Often this season cardiff have created goals from playing football and that is why they score so many goals the last time cardiff ddnt score was the 22nd of september

Noone a flair winger with great technical ability

Whittingham the best creative midfielder outside the premier league you won't see a more technicaly gifted player outside the prem

Kimbo-kyung supposed to be the next big thing coming out of asia wonderful touch and football inteligence

Joe mason extremely skillfull wonderful movement

Bellamy.... Think what you like.

You really are bitter aren't you

[Leicesterpool]

Bellamy scored yes, but heavily overrated.

[kingfox]

What a load of absoloute bollocks

Cardiff a hoofball to the target man team? **** off , bellamy hasn't played 2 games in a row this season

Peter whittingham the best player outside the premier league creative

Today cardiff ddnt play free flowing football because all they had to do was hit the two fullbackS on the counter , so they scored 1 sat back and waited to counter..

Often this season cardiff have created goals from playing football and that is why they score so many goals the last time cardiff ddnt score was the 22nd of september

Noone a flair winger with great technical ability

Whittingham the best creative midfielder outside the premier league you won't see a more technicaly gifted player outside the prem

Kimbo-kyung supposed to be the next big thing coming out of asia wonderful touch and football inteligence

Joe mason extremely skillfull wonderful movement

Bellamy.... Think what you like.

You really are bitter aren't you

No need to have a go lad.

I wasn't really impressed with your side, I thought you actually hoofed it quite a bit as well, well both teams did, but it's definitely not the way I thought Cardiff would play today. You weren't that great and had about one shot on target, and no players really stood out for you, Marshall made some good saves, Bellamy is Premiership quality and looked quicker than all our players, and took his goal well. Thought Kim had a good game, looked pretty decent but apart from that you were very poor.