The Hatters claimed their fully deserved win thanks to 2 goals in the final 10 minutes from (more) defensive calamities but that masks the reality of another uninspiring Bluebirds performance during which they were slaughtered in the 2nd half, only Luton's ineptness, Leggy's defending and Alexander's heroics prevented the margin being far worse.
After a magnificent run from February to November of this year when City lost just 2 out of 26 league games, it really does look as if our players and tactics have been fully sussed by Division Two opponents. City have now lost 4 of the last 10 league games or 3 in the last 6. Even those we're winning have been unimpressive, sometimes lucky, and have to go back as November 2nd (home to relegation haunted Peterborough) to find the last time that City turned in an impressive performance.
There really is little doubt where our problems lie. Every time opponents raise their game, we regularly seem unable to fight fire with fire. Our big name "star" players let us down more than most. When opponents change their style and tactics, we seem unable to react. We lack ideas, creativity and invention and have over-relied on little Earnie.
Managers, Lennie included, have been given more financial support and backing than any manager, not just in City's history, but the history of the lower divisions to get the players they want only to waste the opportunity by over-spending on limited players and crucially, dismally failing to bring us width. They also seem to have their favourites, ignore others and bewilder us with tactics and substitutions. How it's now hurting Sam, City and those of us who follow this club.
Cardiff's 1,500 travelling fans made huge sacrifices to support the Bluebirds at Luton for a midday kick-off and we deserved better. Those who travelled by coach had to get up at 6:30am, those who drove - myself included - had to take it easy with drinks on Xmas Day.
The one blessing was that. travelling to Luton, the roads were empty. Despite conditions that worsened as the morning progressed, mist and rain, I got there in 2 hours (2 and a half hours if you're a traffic policeman!!). Once there, pubs were closed or did not open until midday although we were lucky and found one obliging landlord who let us in before his advertised opening time.
What can you say about Luton's ground, Kenilworth Road? I take back everything bad I ever said about Swansea's Vetch Field, this is as bad, possibly worse. How did it ever house top class football not so long ago? Locked in the middle of a run down residential area and close to a commercial area that roughly consisted of a Sainsbury's, a pub, 5 grocers, 10 halal meat shops, 20 pizza shops, 30 chicken/chip shops and 40 kebab houses. Hard to believe but the stadium had more rust and corrugated iron than Colchester.
City's away end was dark and dismal, a seated area behind a goal. We all stood of course but you needed to in most parts simply to see the goal nearest us. The toilets were two urinals and a loo with a single door entrance/exit in an area smaller than the bathroom in your house. The Luton main end opposite us was a terrace converted to a stand but only the front half had seats, the back of it appeared condemned. To our right, a series of pitch "executive boxes" that looked as if Luton had bought a series of old style double glazed conservatories (the lane behind the ground to access it looked was pure Coronation Street, the "executive car park" for it had a cooker and fridge dumped outside). To our left, an old style pitch length stand and something like an off cut of Wimbledon's centre court adjoining the far end of it to the converted home terrace-cum-stand.
The pitch was close up though. There was barely any grass run off past the touchlines and two foot of gravel before it was met by the stands. The managers were outside their technical area if they made one step outside their dug out. I saw Joe Kinnear on the pitch with the linesman running around him at least half a dozen times as he got wound up by the action. As run down and out of date as we know Ninian Park is, it still looks like state of the art compared to half the places we visit.
It did make for a good atmosphere though as the stadium was packed. Luton was a sell out and there were limited empty seats in the City end but the crowd was just 7,805. There was good banter though, the Luton fans baited Lennie Lawrence who they blame for their recent slump, he was their manager until 2 years ago. They also asked us to sing in Welsh and joined in whenever City fans did the ayatollah.
Team-wise, Lennie named the starting 11 who beat Colchester last Friday thanks to Earnie's heroics. Yes, that still meant Fan at centre-half, Barker at left back, Campbell on the left wing. As we struggled to win last Friday with this line up and formation, was it really any surprise that we succumbed to a better team?
The first half was pretty even but there were signs of what was to come. The game started at fast pace, City's passing style letting them down and stopping them being too fluent and the main/only outlet seemed to be Rhys Weston on the right. Every time, City had it on the left, it was generally switched. Campbell saw the ball on the left but never threatened to put a ball over or get around his man although he looked lively. When Croft warmed up and was asked by fans why he was dropped, he could only shrug his shoulders. Luton's sub warming up in '50's style shorts (must have been made by his aunty for Xmas) had some good banter with us. Crowe, their little left winger, gave us some good comedy too in the opening stages as he kept falling over or running the ball out of play.
Luton were a small looking side with a man mountain in Steve Howard accompanied by the diminutive Tony Thorpe up front. Peter Thorne was doing well but feeding on scraps and Earnie looked really sharp and waiting to pounce.
City had chances in the first half, Earnie bringing a couple of saves from Emberson but not quite getting his shots off correctly. Andy Campbell hit a blaster straight at him but probably wasting the best opening as he ballooned over the bar after a wonderful City 6 man passing move that started inside their own penalty area. Rhys Weston hit the stand roof a couple of times but Thorne was closest though after a superb run from halfway and 20 yard shot that was denied by a full-length Emberson fingertip save.
Luton showed their danger and hints of what was coming though. A couple of shots fizzed across goal, Crowe skipped around Prior far too easily inside the area before shooting straight at Alexander from an angle, Thorpe's trickery gave him a clear close range opening before he luckily (for us) trod on the ball and wasted it, Leggy cleared one effort off the line and Alexander made a brilliant save to acrobatically tip over a 6 yard Howard header that looked in all the way.
It was fairly even with City looking good going forward but it was already apparent that we were weak at the back. Luton were passionate and fired up and we worked hard to try to match that. The game was there to be won by both sides, it was a case of who wanted it most and who was prepared to make it happen.
A sign of City's indiscipline came just before half-time though as Kavanagh was stupidly booked. He challenged and clearly had the last touch as the ball went out of play on halfway. He crazily argued that the throw was his before walking away with the ball just like the spoilt brat of a sulking kid we all played with after school who we wanted to smack. Kav had yellow, a fantastic and inspirational example set by our captain and leader.
Half-time: LUTON 0 CITY 0
Joe Kinnear walked across the pitch for the second half applauding his own fans. When City fans chanting he was a fat *******, he gestured and laughed back with us, which brought respect and applause back. Lennie was slagged off by their fans, City fans chanted "there's only one Lennie Lawrence". It took other fans abusing him for us to sing his name, possibly for the first time. He just doesn't have the rapport and laugh with us that managers usually do, does he?
The first 5 minutes of the half saw City start well. Peter Thorne produced a couple of fantastic touches and turns and was so close to putting Earnie clear. Then Earnie had an effort blocked and a header cleared off the line. Then it all fell apart.
Luton changed tactics, throwing a third man forward and playing direct football to give us problems. Good teams should be able to react and deal to that, we literally had no answer at all to it. The ploy kept Rhys Weston back, Andy Campbell was a spectator, Thorne and Earnie saw nothing of the ball and we were hanging on.
How City lasted 35 minutes of the 2nd half before conceding, I'll never know, we used up all our luck for the season. Barker was getting crucified on the left (can someone please tell me how/why City worked out he is worth £600,000???). Prior was tending to duck out of challenging Howard, the big man. Gabbidon protected him when fit, Prior's been found out in recent times without him.
Fan is a bad signing and was beaten, turned and exposed time and again. Midst the hype of his signing, I seemed to be the lone voice saying what rubbish it was that Chinese fans will flock to follow City, he had a suspect temperament, he was a midfielder, past his best and had hardly played decent competitive football in a year. In 4 games, he's proved those points.
Please don't say Fan won man of the match twice, he really didn't play well at Bournemouth, and we lost both matches anyway. Four games with Fan, seven goals conceded and three of them lost. He is comfortable on the ball and has some great touches but put him under pressure in the hurly burly of Division Two and he's quite simply not up to the job. The game we won was after he was sent off.
I admit that it's very unfair to pin blame on Fan, as he's not the worst, but he is indicative of our troubles. Please don't suggest he has helped or improved City. Centre half choices are limited at present but James Collins hasn't let City down yet in that role but Lennie wouldn't risk him.
If Fan is the Chinese David Beckham, just imagine how crap the Chinese Spencer Prior must be!!
The let offs came fast and furious. Alexander made another fantastic save, a decent penalty claim was denied, players were able to run along the by-line before shots were blocked or last gasp blockages occurred. Luton won 4 successive corners than, a minute later, another 2. Then their players looked like they were trying to win comedy awards as they fell over, sliced or totally missed the ball when the ball looked certain to fly in with good contact. A shot came off the underside off the bar (offside apparently) and Leggy showed more heroics by clearing off the line a shot that looked in all the way. Our defenders and their organisation went missing. Considering it included a recent Premiership player and a World Cup man, it was appalling and makes you despair.
It was crying out for Lennie to make changes but he let it go. It needed someone like Jason Bowen just to put their foot on the ball and buy us some time, help bring out and forward but when we finally did, it was Leo for Campbell with Thorne dropping slightly behind.
Leggy came closest in a rare foray and he was denied by three successive blasts in a melee, his final effort grasped on the line by Emberson as it was just about to roll over. He lead by example again, others were unable to follow him. Kav put over a good free kick and corner but we couldn't capitalise.
City's cause going forward wasn't helped by an inept linesman on our side who gave offsides when we weren't, flagged decisions the wrong way (in Luton's favour) and flagged for a Weston "foul" when Kimble clearly jumped over Weston 3 foot away from him. It got Weston booked.
Every City fan was accepting a point would be a good and lucky return but Prior messed up again. In a moment that summed up the whole afternoon, he somehow concocted to pass the ball straight to Tony Thorpe who found no problems in burying it past Alexander on 80 minutes. Luton went wild and you knew that there was no way back for us.
City were niggled and frustrated, emphasised by Leggy chasing a player to halfway with the intention of fouling him. When he didn't get there, Boland did the job for him. Yet another senseless booking. I hope Lennie fines there players for their stupid indiscipline, it's now costing us suspensions.
In the dying moments, Luton wrapped up the game. They won a corner and as it came over, I still don't know where our defenders were. Thorpe challenged Alexander on the goalline with nobody else near. Alexander punched under pressure and when it reached Howard, I swear no City player was within 10 yards. Unprofessional.
Howards' finish was superb as he hooked the ball straight back and right inside the furthest upright. A great goal but it owed everything to City having given up and I can never accept that.
City entered the Xmas period when we hoped Wigan and ourselves would pull clear of the rest. Wigan have, they're now 7 points ahead of everyone. We're now in 3rd amongst Bristol, Crewe and Oldham and have made life unnecessarily hard for ourselves. To the neutral observer, 46 points from 23 games is a superb return. To those who follow City, we all know it should have been a lot more and we've blown our chances to do that. But it's the manner in which we're doing it that really causes concern.
Cardiff's next 5 league games are against sides in the bottom 5, three of those fixtures are against the bottom two. Quite simply, we must make them count. Anything less than 12 points, I'd really hope for maximum, and we're in troubles. There's problems and real pressure at Cardiff City. The worst thing is, it's all self-inflicted.
Report from FootyMad
Lennie Lawrence made an unhappy return to Luton as he watched his Cardiff City side lose 2-0 at his former club.
The ex-Charlton, Middlesbrough and Bradford boss, dismissed at Kennilworth Road in the summer of 2000, saw Luton clinch a deserved victory with two late goals against his promotion-chasing teamAnd, to rub salt in the wounds, Tony Thorpe, who scored a bagful of goals, for Luton under Lawrence, broke the deadlock with ten minutes to go.
Luton top scorer Steve Howard then added a second in the last minute to secure victory in front of the delighted home crowd.
Home manager Joe Kinnear played a three pronged strike force, with Dean Crowe joining Thorpe and Howard in attack.
Crowe fired wide on nine minutes and Neill Alexander then saved from Howard a minute later.
Australian defender Chris Coyne headed wide from a Paul Hughes free- kick on 31 minutes but Luton keeper Carl Emberson saved well from Peter Thorne at the other end.
Alexander produced an even better stop in first-half stoppage time to deny Howard.
The Cardiff keeper was at full stretch to make a fingertip save from the massive striker's header early after the interval.
Andy Legg cleared a Coyne header off the line on 54 minutes, and Alexander then beat out a stinging 25-yard drive from Crowe.
A crucial deflection off Hughes prevented Cardiff midfielder Chris Barker hitting the target on 63 minutes before Luton then dominated the closing stages.
Alexander saved from Ahmet Berkovic after Howard's downward header and the Croatian midfielder then rattled the underside of the crossbar.
Thorpe broke the deadlock when Spencer Prior failed to cut out Crowe's pass and the Luton striker fired into the bottom corner from 15 yards, despite Alexander getting a hand to the shot.
Top scorer Howard then rattled in his 12th goal of the season with an emphatic volley after Cardiff's defence failed to clear Berkovic's corner.
External reports.
BBC
Western Mail
South Wales Echo (1)
South Wales Echo (2)