Omens, irony and ‘doing a Cardiff’

Nicky Maynard returns?

As Cardiff fans still celebrate their Championship title success and promotion to the Premier League they can breath a massive sigh of relief knowing the dreaded last game of the season at Hull City is no more than a duty. A game that has haunted the fixture list for months will be no more than an end note, a full stop or an exclamation point to the storyline of a wonderful promotion season.

At least that’s true for the Bluebirds. Spare a thought for the rest. For the Tigers, the looming spectre of failure, of ‘doing a Cardiff’, is all to real. No goals and only one point from the last three games has given Watford hope that they can overtake the floundering Humberside team. By beating Hull’s bitter Yorkshire rivals Leeds United on the final day of the season Watford will ensure Hull must defeat the Champions if they are to retain second spot. Steve Bruce’s men have for so long, appeared to be set for the second automatic promotion spot but now, not so much.

Even defeat at home to Watford earlier this month never seemed to matter. Ginanfranco Zola’s loan-built outfit struggled themselves after that high point, losing to Peterborough and Millwall in succession before righting the ship against Blackburn Rovers by winning 4-0. Hull had recovered beating Middlesborough and Ipswich on the road and despite losing at Wolves were six points clear of Watford with just three games to go.

But April 13th proved to be the unlucky for Hull turning point. A scoreless home draw with bottom placed Bristol City followed the Wolves loss and then came the Barnsley upset, losing 2-0 at Oakwell against another Yorkshire rival. Watford’s humbling of Blackburn was followed by a hard-fought three points at Leicester and suddenly there was a glimmer of automatic promotion hope.

Neal Ardley

Watford must beat Leeds on Saturday and hope the Championship crowned Bluebirds can silence the roar of the KC faithful by avoiding defeat. Who would say this couldn’t happen. In fact you would probably bet on it is going to happen. Long time rivals, Hull and Leicester, the Tigers and the Foxes, seem likely to be ‘doing a Cardiff’ of their own and will likely be skulking into their dens to lick the wounds come Saturday night.

The great escape in League Two last week was managed by former Cardiff City youth academy director Neil Ardley who rescued AFC Wimbledon from a swift return to the Conference backwaters. There are omens all around, many resplendent in their irony. It’s that time of year.What about the League One penalty miss of the season where in the last-minute Brentford conspired against themselves to hit the crossbar and see the

Happy Brian Flynn

ball cleared and immediately dispatched upfield into their own goal, robbing them of automatic promotion and handing the title and the automatic prize to the former Cardiff City favorite, Brian Flynn now manager at Doncaster Rovers.

Is that League One I see

Ironically Donnie look likely to replace Wolves in the Championship as their former manager and Swansea Jack Dean Saunders prepares for a second relegation in succession having gone down with Doncaster in 2012. Saunders former assistant and Wales teammate Brian Flynn will certainly be having the last laugh as he prepares for life in the Championship. Iwonder what Saunders thinks about his January decision to jump ship from Yorkshire for the sinking Black Country vessel that is Wolverhampton Wanderers right now? I wonder what the Wolves fans think?

In the Championship finale, Cardiff boss Malky Mackay can hand automatic promotion to his former club Watford, if the stars align themselves correctly. It could be one Hull of a finish. I fully expect the Tigers to be leading into the final minutes of the season and Watford to be drawing. Then take the unlucky Nicky Maynard to net the leveler for Cardiff and a Leeds own goal to send Watford up and Hull to the play-offs.  It just has to happen, doesn’t it?

City line-up for Bolton a sign of things to come?

Championship trophy

With two games to go and the Championship title already won there is little for Cardiff City to do but play out those remaining games while continuing the ongoing promotion celebrations.

Perhaps the title was delivered easier than most expected of a Cardiff team given recent history. Yet there was never a point in 2013 where any of their challengers got close enough to precipitate a nervous, anxiety ridden slump in the Bluebirds. A small wobble here and there but all in all a consistent theme of holding on to what you got as others floundered around you.

Whether the Bluebirds can raise themselves on Saturday after the week long celebration is a question. They face a Bolton team determined to win their own promotion charge and pip one of Palace, Brighton or Leicester for a place in the top six. It takes a strong will and plenty of character to pick it up again when you have achieved what you set out to do, especially when you don’t have to. Of course Mackay’s men will want to win for the fans and themselves, especially as the Championship league trophy will be presented at the end of the game. It will be a small embarrassment if the Wanderers can upset the party but an embarrassment never the less. Maybe we’re looking at another draw?

With the return of Leon Barnett to Norwich and skipper Mark Hudson still out there will probably be a return for youngster Ben Nugent partnering Ben Turner at the heart of the City defense. I expect Malky Mackay to also give another promising youngster, Joe Mason a starting place. The way to win this game will mean playing hungry performers like these two youngsters and other fringe players in the way that Gestede has performed recently. I would expect Mason over Gestede this weekend. All of that could be thrown if Frazier Campbell is deemed fit but why even bother to take the chance? Talk of Nicky Maynard playing against Hull City on the final day may mean a place for the former Hammer on the bench against Bolton, even as an unused substitute. Surely, Saturday would also be an opportunity for Etien Velikonja to find a place on the bench? Helguson (if fit) and Smith (if fit) will also be hoping to start the game on Saturday and these experienced campaigners deserve full applause for their professionalism both off the field and on the training ground as well as whatever they added on the pitch.

Two major players of this season will also be expecting to see the field for different reasons. Craig Bellamy will surely want to play a part in the game if not the starting line-up. The fans will expect him to start and lead the way. The same goes for Peter Whittingham the forgotten man of late. If ever there was a time for Whitts to come back in fresh, free and ready to excel, surely Saturday is the day. As solid as Gunnarsson and Mutch have been and Kim Bo-Kyung has excited at Burnley, Whittingham deserves his place at this historical moment in time. Despite the sentimental reasons, he should be rested and pumped.

Stalwart Kevin McNaughton has come in at an opportune time replacing the injured Matt Connolly and should retain his place unless Connolly is 100% fit. If he is then Connolly too deserves his moment in this game with SuperKev taking the bench. Craig Conway will expect to maintain his starting spot after his fine strike at Burnley and I’m sure Malky Mackay will also want to get his ultra-professional and first Cardiff signing, Don Cowie onto the field at some point if only from the bench,

Only Marshall, Turner and Taylor can be sure of their places for this game. The midfield could be anything for any number of reasons and so too the forwards. How Mackay sees the game and the Bolton attitude toward it will probably decide his formation, followed by the required players to fulfill it.

It’s likely Bolton will go for the win. It seems consistent to expect Cardiff to play their usual early attacking mindset at home, followed by a less adventurous middle period and a final 20 mins dependant on the scoreline. The game starts one way, changes, then changes again as both Mackay and the equally modern thinking Dougie Freedman exchange tactical thrusts. Freedman has proven a successful hire for the Trotters and if he should pip his old club Crystal Palace to a promotion spot he will have been proven ably profound in his decision to switch the London lights for dour, dark, Lancashire. If he outdoes Leicester it will be an immense case of ‘doing a Cardiff’ for the Foxes and perhaps the Bluebirds can steadily let go of that unhappy moniker.

All of the conjecture leads to a difficult selection problem for a game Mackay will want to win. It is also an opportunity to give younger players a further blooding and players who are probably going to leave the CCS in the closed season a final thank-you. I would expect both Helguson and Smith to move on and for Don Cowie the road is probably at its end as far as playing for Cardiff City goes. When Mackay talks about the brutality of moving ahead he sends a message that doesn’t bode well for Kevin McNaughton either. The out-of-contract Scottish defender is sure to be released, his Premier League chance having come too late. It surely is a tough game and profession.

You would have to be Gypsy Lee with a crystal ball to predict the starting line-up for the Bolton game and I’m not her. So I wont predict but here is the team I would play.

MARSHALL; McNAUGHTON, TURNER, NUGENT, TAYLOR; WHITTINGHAM, GUNNARSSON, KIM, CONWAY; BELLAMY, MASON; Subs: Lewis, Lappin, Cowie, Mutch, Noone, Gestede, Maynard;

What say you?