Reasons for Relegation at Cardiff City

Fake Tan and Norse Myths

After an embarrassing 7 goal deficit from their last two away outings, Cardiff City are now doomed to reprise their regular place in the Championship. It took the Bluebirds over half a century to fight their way into the top tier, but a single season, coloured by fan protest and boardroom turmoil, has possibly condemned the club to another long Premier League exile.

The not so great Dane Andreas Cornelius.

Once upon a time, the fans dreamed of seeing their boys don the historic blue kit at the highest level. Even that did not work out right. Lucky red? Apparently not.

How could a team which won promotion so comfortably in 2013 become mere goal fodder to the rest of the division within a matter of months? Having found the net on only 31 occasions and conceding a whopping 72 times, few positives can be gleaned from the wreckage of this disastrous campaign.

Back in September the mood was totally different. Malky Mackay had assembled a reasonable, if unglamorous, squad of budding pros to aim for survival. Such optimism was vindicated during the dying throes of August as Manchester City’s star-studded roster was outsmarted in the Welsh capital, beaten by a Fraizer Campbell brace from set pieces.

Unfortunately for the Taffy faithful this type of shock result could not be replicated across their remaining fixtures. Even more damagingly, CCFC have lost resoundingly against similarly drop-threatened sides such as Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and West Ham. A third of their total thirty points which were ultimately scavenged came from the carcasses of the other relegated clubs, Norwich and Fulham.

Nevertheless, results alone are not to blame for a run of consistently poor form. Vincent Tan, the club owner; philanthropist; megalomaniac tycoon and part-time Bond villain made Mackay’s situation untenable by a series of undermining and damaging moves. He continues to claim that the Scottish coach, along with head of recruitment Ian Moody, drastically exceeded their transfer budget without his consent for a selection of underperforming summer signings. Judging by the disappointing contributions of Andreas Cornelius (£8 million), Gary Medel (£11m) and Peter Odemwingie (£2m) the Malaysian entrepreneur is not wrong.

Whatever the justification though, Tan’s actions in publicly shaming his manager significantly unnerved the squad as it approached a crucial phase of December encounters. As the only man willing to bankroll his property on its ludicrous level of debt, Cardiff supporters are tethered to the uncompromising businessman for the foreseeable future.

Contrary to general opinion, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has shown signs of good management since his appointment. Nobody expected the desperate side to claim a 1-0 victory at Southampton or the remarkable last-minute comeback at the Hawthorns. Even so, some of the worst results have come under the Norwegian’s tenure, including the shambolic and damning scoreline away to Sunderland. Following that nightmare, the original super-sub’s men went thirteen miles up the road to play out a lifeless 3-0 loss against a dangerously self-loathing Magpies team. With that meek surrender relegation was confirmed.

In such a tight season amidst the lower reaches of the table, two points could have made all the difference. Alas, such an elusive pair was within grasp of a managerless Cardiff as they faced the stupendously weak Teeside outfit on a cold winter evening. Ten minutes before full time the home side were two goals in front. But with a late mackem double levelling the scores, the greatest opportunity to ever appear at the Cardiff City Stadium – or even the former Ninian Park – withered away into the New Year gloom.

Thus the pendulum in the relegation race had suddenly swung the other way. Along the way Gary Monk inflicted a crushing derby day defeat in his first game as Swansea boss and Wigan Athletic unexpectedly ousted their opponents from the FA Cup.

Nobody can know for sure whether Mackay would have ensured a finish of 17th or above. Still, it remains a fact that the Bluebirds’ most creative player, Jordan Mutch, was signed for a relatively paltry fee from Birmingham nearly two years ago, failing to be consistently picked for the first XI by the former Watford gaffer. Mackay is clearly no corrupt sleazebag but nor is he a footballing genius either.