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Individually and collectively, City were painful to watch. Four subs angered us last week, 11 players did it this time. It was worse than visiting your gran and having to sit opposite her with her legs wide apart ... yes, it really was that bad, uncomfortable and nauseating. City embarrassed us and let themselves down too. No shape, no pattern of play, no appreciable tactics and no idea. So much for the good things I can say about them!
At times, and it pains to say it, Cardiff appeared to simply be going through the motions. You would never have thought this was a group of players who train together every day. The most basic skills, quality, passing, movement were badly lacking, passion, motivation and commitment was largely non-existent.
There were times it was so bad that I found myself openly laughing at them. At final whistle, a predictable and thoroughly deserved chorus of boos rained down from the few hardy souls remaining. For the first time in more than a decade, I joined in. I can only blame through disillusionment. Then, as now, I just had no idea where this team or my football are going. There's something clearly not right on and especially off the field at this club. If you care for it as I do, you should be feeling concerned and angry as the only way we appear to be heading is backwards.
City were able to name a 16 (hurrah!) to avid further embarrassment and scorn but only thanks to Steve McPhail passing a late fitness test and a bench including kid Jon Brown and not yet ready Riccy Scimeca. There is no competition for places at The Bluebirds when our "best ever squad" (Dave Jones) doesn't have enough players to call itself a squad. So City lined up Enckleman, McNaughton-Purse-Johnson-Capaldi, Whittingham-Rae-McPhail-Ramsey, Parry-Hasselbaink. Subs were Oakes-Sinclair-Thompson-Scimeca-Brown.
Darren Purse, whose weak clearing header directly contributed to Cardiff City's absence, cannot get a game if Johnson and Loovens are fit or not suspended but played the second game of Glenn Loovens latest ban as Captain. His error-strewn ways and clumsiness already apparent to my 10 yr old stepson as he drove towards Ninian Park from by the by-pass in the distinctive number plated motor. "He's playing today", I told him, "oh no, I hope he doesn't score an own goal" he honestly replied. It was no hex, Purse needs no help to cock up.
Changing managers faster that Dave Jones changes his team (although that's not difficult), Leicester started the game 2 places and 2 points above relegation, recent form even worse than Cardiff's and current manager Ian Holloway under threat. They brought a decent 700 fans to South Wales on a very windy St David's Day afternoon and lined up with Henderson, Stearman-Kisnorbo-Ingot-Clap ham, Hume-Clemence-Hendrie-Oakley, Howard-Campbell.
The crowd was a decent 13,355 and they were in good voice but City soon changed all that. The first calamity came within a couple of minutes when, under no pressure whatsoever, Peter Enckleman scuffed a ball 30 yards to send D J Campbell running back on goal at him unopposed, City's keeper atoning for his horrendous gaffe with a good low save but Campbell really should have scored. It got no batter for City as Leicester quickly fired another 3 efforts while Howard brought a good save from Enckleman.
City were a complete shambles and in huge disarray. Passes either finding Leicester opponents or touch, players slipping on the ball and failing to anticipate passes, all of Leicester's chances came form Cardiff unforced errors and they arrived regularly. City minds seemed to be elsewhere as did Peter Enckleman's head as he had another rush of blood charging out of his box to meet Clemence on the charge and missing out altogether, Roger Johnson rescuing or cause with a block on the line. City's sole response was Paul Parry putting a header at goal and it bounced up from a Whittingham deflected cross, it lacked power and direction but gave visiting keeper Henderson his only save (if you can call it that) of the afternoon.
If ever a goal summed up any game and City's standards, it was Leicester's winner on 27 minutes. Henderson punted an aimless ball down the pitch, it was heading for Enckleman but step forward DARREN PURSE who, with no opponent around, stuck a foot out just outside the box and directed the ball past Enckleman who was coming for it and into an empty net. "1-0 on St David's Day" taunted the East Midlanders to the goal scored by a West Midlander.
I've since seen it on tv and I still haven't a clue what Purse was trying to do and why he did it. The groan and abuse from City fans almost hit the same mark on the Richter scale as Tuesday's earthquake. It was suitably casual play from a player who has publicly admitted finding difficulty being motivated this season. Given his tendency to appear with a cup of tea for his half-time substitute kickabouts, I was a little surprised he didn't appear with some sarnies and a flask in his hands as he was starting the game.
There was no way back for City so I'll spare you too much of the horrific detail of the rest of the boreathon. City had one more chance only 1st half when Hasslebaink, one player who was doing well, went wide and chipped across goal missing the far post and Gavin Rae's head. In the 2nd half, they didn't have any chance, the only balls on goal were 70 yard punts by Purse and Johnson. Balls were long and aimless, their play completely clueless. City even had several free-kicks in highly promising positions just outside the penalty area in both halves, not a single one came within a sniff of being anything useful.
Leicester were more than happy to protect what they had but still had 2nd half shots on goal, albeit straight at the hapless Enckleman whose handling was fine but his positional play was manic and his kicking regularly finding the terraces.
However there were many candidates for worst City player and none emerged with any credit. Johnson and Purse, rarely under pressure, still made numerous errors and Roger couldn't even be bothered with his customary shouting and cajoling. The normally reliable Kevin McNaughton had perhaps his worst ever game in a City shirt, did he pass to anyone other than Leicester opponents all game? Capaldi had another match where he had no influence and made no difference.
In midfield, Gavin Rae was giving headless chickens a bad name with his erratic display while the unfit Steve McPhail found himself cheered as he was subbed. Aaron Ramsey started brightly but soon got dragged down while Peter Whittingham, one second half surge apart, was shockingly poor but in terms of commitment and effort. Up front, Paul Parry ran himself hard and worked but had awful service and did little when he had the ball while Hasslebaink faded out of the game after half-time and then we had Steve Thompson do nothing in a 20 minute sub outing other than run into, pull back or trip Leicester defenders stopping City moves and giving away free-kick after free-kick yet still moaning after blatant continual foul play. Perhaps the only positive was a 10 minute outing after a terrible time with illness and injury lasting more than a year and even then he was greeted with cries of "Leicester reject" from the away fans.
It was a depressing sight still being inside Ninian Park as the 90 minutes arrived, well over half the crowd has gone, saw a long time before the end. To see the fourth official add 5 minutes injury time was cruelty itself, it was greeted by boos from some City fans who had seen more than enough. To prolong it, Leicester used all three subs for the final minutes when the was no point slowing or disrupting the game, City had long since nullified themselves! Then when Darren Purse committed a late lunging tackle, the home fans in the Grandstand particularly let him have it with cries of "off, off, off" but he carried on and moments later gave away another free-kick when he missed a kick and handled. One day to forget for everyone.
The result surely ended the dreams of the few remaining fantasists and lunatics who still believed City could rescue a play-off challenge. The Bluebirds, be under no illusions about this, are in free-fall. They now 14th and 8 points adrift of Premiership dreams end. Instead, having collected a poxy 1 point out of 15 and losing playing badly to relegation-threatened sides for the second successive week, the focus must now be on collecting the 6 points needed in the final 12 games to ensure Championship safety. Believe me, on this and other recent displays, it's anything but a formality.
It's just as well City had that December and January run of 23 points in 10 games which, along with cup runs, have disguised how bad things have been overall. Without that spell, City would be in deep trouble as 21 points from our other 24 games underlines.
What made it worse was this was a day when City decided, earlier than ever, to launch season ticket sales for next season. It defies belief that they expect many to pay more than they already are. I defy anyone to tell me that Cardiff City are worth the £519, £30 extra!, they expect from me to stay in my seat in the Grandstand.
It was designated a "Thank You Day" for Ambassadors and to promote Cardiff City - someone clearly forget to tell our manager, our players and our tactics. As one mate commented later, the only good thing was the printing of the 7,000 Ambassador photos over 5 pages in the matchday programme because it gave us a chance to play "Where's Wally?" or find you own face instead of having that disgrace of a performance.
Report from FootyMad
An own goal by Darren Purse midway through the first half sent Cardiff City spinning to defeat.
They never looked like beating a Leicester City side struggling against relegation and could hardly string two passes together.
Stephen McPhail passed a late fitness test so the Bluebirds were unchanged from the side beaten at Sheffield Wednesday.
Ricky Scimeca was added to the bench which had its full complement of five players.
The visitors should have taken a fourth minute lead when a dreadful goal-kick by Peter Enckelman went straight to Dudley Campbell.
The striker raced towards goal but the Bluebirds keeper recovered to dive and grab the ball at the second attempt.
A close-range header by Steve Howard needed a fine reflex save from Enckelman as Leicester took control.
Enckelman was the busiest player on the field as he saved from Howard, Campbell and Iain Hume.
It needed a goal-line clearance by Roger Johnson to prevent Campbell from scoring in the 21st minute after he had pushed the ball beyond Enckelman and was bearing down on goal.
The visitors took the lead in the 27th minute when a clearance kick from keeper Paul Henderson flew down the centre of the field where Purse stuck out a foot to put the ball into the corner of his own net.
City had their backs to the wall for the last of the half and they were lucky to go in at the interval just the one goal down.
Steve Thompson replaced the unfit McPhail in the 56th minute but it made little difference as Leicester remained in complete control.
Cardiff were unable to raise their game in the final quarter and it was Ian Holloway's side who looked more likely to score as a poor game drew to a close.
External Reports
Western Mail
Wales On Sunday
The Times