Cardiff & Wolves' March/April form.

[Stat Brother]

Cardiff:-

played 12
won 3
draw 7
lost 2

points 16

Wolves:-

played 11
won 5
draw 1
lost 5

points 16


As you can tell I'm still struggling to come to terms with Cardiff's promotion.

Quite how Hull, Watford, and too a lesser extent, Palace, have managed to hand 'the richest prize in football' with absolutely no fight at all, over to Cardiff, is amazing.

It's bad enough winning promotion on a draw, but to back that up with drawing for the title too.

Hardly the stuff of champions.

 

[Icy Gull]

Our form after we won the League One title bordered on relegation form didn't it? One of the reasons that Saints fans and manager gave us little credit I imagine. Cardiff had promotion pretty well wrapped up a long time ago, if they'd had to up their game I imagine that they could have

It seems that the fear of relegation often produces a team in better form than the one going a bit shakey as it comes close to bottling playoffs or promotion. Compare Palace's recent from to Peterboroughs if you can without laughing

 

[algie]

Does it really matter? Cardiff won the league because they were the best team over a course of a season.

 

[Rugrat]

It's been a pretty poor league this year evidenced by teams worrying about relegation for much of the season are all of a sudden in or around the play offs (Charlton, Brum, Ipswich). Most of the general stuff I've read about Baadiff hasn't described them as anything more than a decent well organised side. Seems that we have been getting much better plaudits than them and are one of 5 or 6 teams who might reflect in a "we blew it" way.

I'm convinced that if Ulloa and Upson had been here for the duration we would have at least 10 points more

 

[Stat Brother]

Key point there Icy is AFTER we won.
We won 8 consecutive to win the league, the stuff of champions.

Late Feb/early March Watford & Hull were both vying to get within 2 points of Cardiff, neither did.
Palace weren't too far away either but were on unrealistic form.

Had either one of them managed to make that move, by actually winning a couple of games, I think Cardiff would now be in the playoffs desperate for the season to end.

 

[algie]

Key point there Icy is AFTER we won.
We won 8 consecutive to win the league, the stuff of champions.

Late Feb/early March Watford & Hull were both vying to get within 2 points of Cardiff, neither did.
Palace weren't too far away either but were on unrealistic form.

Had either one of them managed to make that move, by actually winning a couple of games, I think Cardiff would now be in the playoffs desperate for the season to end.

If you had bothered to look or in my case i already knew, you would also know we went NEARLY two months without winning a match. That was even before our end of season woes.

 

[Simster]

Does it really matter? Cardiff won the league because they were the best team over a course of a season.

Quite. Why stat brother feels the need to post so many utterly pointless threads is beyond me. It's getting almost as tedious as reading Return of the Rev.

 

[Stat Brother]

If you had bothered to look or in my case i already knew, you would also know we went NEARLY two months without winning a match. That was even before our end of season woes.

Quite. Why stat brother feels the need to post so many utterly pointless threads is beyond me. It's getting almost as tedious as reading Return of the Rev.

I'll put my hands up for the Ulloa one that's fair enough.

I'm swayed with Cardiff as my colleague supports them and has been giving it large, all season.
I wasn't expecting some kind of 'invincibles' performance.
Other than the run of odd goal victories in 2012 none of which longer than 3 games it's hardly been an inspiring campaign.

Now they are on a near identical run of form as second from bottom Wolves who have looked like relegation fodder for most of the season.

 

[supaseagull]

Does it really matter? Cardiff won the league because they were the best team over a course of a season.

Couldn't beat us though could they?

 

[Stat Brother]

Couldn't beat us though could they?

Or Peterborough.

It's been a great league to watch, but it also seems to have been the 'easiest' to win, by virtue of there being no competition for first place.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

I think any side promoted this year will struggle. Cardiff's budget of 25 million is below what some championship sides will spend (pre fair play). I will be interested to see who they can attract, what model they try and follow I.e Norwich (lower league) Swansea (foreign scouted talent)

Hull may bore their way to survival if they find a striker.

Watford may just bring in Udinese squad on dodgy passports to try and survive. But even they would get found out.

Gus would really need to work wonders. Lets hope Barber and Bloom can spend wisely if it happens.

Only Forrest possibly have the wealthy backers willing to over spend that West Ham, Southampton and Reading.

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

It could be worse. Taffy and his 'unstoppable JUGGERNAUT hahaha' could still be around.

They're eight points clear despite that form. Worthy champions, over the whole season they've been the best side - as we've said ourselves in the past when praise for our own titles has been grudging at best, the final table doesn't lie. Makes our results against them look even better, in my opinion.

 

[Icy Gull]

Or Peterborough.

It's been a great league to watch, but it also seems to have been the 'easiest' to win, by virtue of there being no competition for first place.

The fact that it has been such a competitive division makes it anything but easy imo. When was the last time a club in the bottom three beat the Champions home AND away?

For all their dosh the three relegated clubs have not done anywhere near as well as you'd expect BECAUSE the competition is so tight and they struggled to shake off the losing mentality that they acquired in the EPL last year.

I'd say it was as tough as it has been for years to get out of this division, Cardiff have just been more consistant than most, I don't buy the oft quoted poor division this season argument

 

[Rugrat]

The fact that it has been such a competitive division makes it anything but easy imo. When was the last time a club in the bottom three beat the Champions home AND away?

For all their dosh the three relegated clubs have not done anywhere near as well as you'd expect BECAUSE the competition is so tight and they struggled to shake off the losing mentality that they acquired in the EPL last year.

I'd say it was as tough as it has been for years to get out of this division, Cardiff have just been more consistant than most, I don't buy the oft quoted poor division this season argument

Agree that it's been far from easy, as evidenced by the compressed nature of the table, potentially 10 points between a play off spot and relegation! I guess there's an argument that says otherwise but for me there's been a distinct lack of quality in performances (your comment re 3 relegated is correct) pretty well across the board and it was really there for the taking this year.

It's always competitive but reckon it'll be a while before such a chance comes along again

 

[Stat Brother]

The fact that it has been such a competitive division makes it anything but easy imo. When was the last time a club in the bottom three beat the Champions home AND away?

For all their dosh the three relegated clubs have not done anywhere near as well as you'd expect BECAUSE the competition is so tight and they struggled to shake off the losing mentality that they acquired in the EPL last year.

I'd say it was as tough as it has been for years to get out of this division, Cardiff have just been more consistant than most, I don't buy the oft quoted poor division this season argument

Agree that it's been far from easy, as evidenced by the compressed nature of the table, potentially 10 points between a play off spot and relegation! I guess there's an argument that says otherwise but for me there's been a distinct lack of quality in performances (your comment re 3 relegated is correct) pretty well across the board and it was really there for the taking this year.

It's always competitive but reckon it'll be a while before such a chance comes along again

The word easy was in written emphasis as clearly Cardiff have won on merit, top of the table etc.

Rugrat seems to be explaining my points far better than I am.

Like you I don't believe the oft quoted poor division this season argument, and this also stems from the follow up point I've been hearing 'the 3 teams coming up are really going to struggle next season'.

But when the team that wins out does so by scoring a teeny weeny bit more than 1 point per game, for the last 2 months, still with all to play for. Shirley you can see how that argument becomes valid.

 

[Gazwag]

The championship this season is mad, who would have thought last August a team would need 58 points to avoid relegation and get into the play offs with just 9 points more - that just three wins between possible premiership football and league 1 football next season

 

[Brighton Breezy]

They also do not have a single player in double figures for league goals.

So much for needing a 20-goal a season striker to do well.

 

[darters74]

Couldn't beat us though could they?

Or even score against us!

 

[Gazwag]

They also do not have a single player in double figures for league goals. Neither do Hull.

So much for needing a 20-goal a season striker to do well.

Goes to show a 30 goal a season striker cannot guarantee promotion if there is a drop in form

 

[Stat Brother]

The championship this season is mad, who would have thought last August a team would need 58 points to avoid relegation and get into the play offs with just 9 points more - that just three wins between possible premiership football and league 1 football next season

But is that a sign of a strong division or a weak one?

It's certainly a great division and has been excellent to watch.


I do realise I'm taking the problems I have with the Premier League and arguing with them, against this year Championship.
But had Cardiff run away with the league there would be no finger pointing.
Or Cardiff & Watford duked it out.

It just feels like the moment Cardiff staked their claim for the title back in December everybody else has said 'ok we'll play (badly) for second place'.
That's not going to happen too often.