Back to County for Jarvis

County for the rest off the season

Cardiff City striker Nat Jarvis has signed an extension to his contract today he announced the deal on Twitter. He also announced he would be re-joining Newport County on loan for the rest of the season from Monday.

It will be is second stint with the Blue Square Bet Premier club he was previous loaned to them earlier in the season and the deal was to be extended. However, Newport failed to register an extension to the deal before the emergency window so it was back to the City with him.

Since signing his first professional contract by Cardiff City in 2010 he has make only appearance for the City that was in the Carling Cup. He came on early into the second half in the first round game at Oxford United. He scoring Cardiff’s third goal well into extra time.

Cardiff turn down bid for Whittingham claim

The Hammers want Whitts

Reports in the press are suggesting Cardiff City have turned down a £3.25 million offer for Peter Whittingham from West Ham.

The Cardiff boss Malky MacKay has sent out a warning via the press a number of weeks ago that his star player was not for sale and a major part of his and Cardiff City future. They [Cardiff] intend to buy not sell in the January transfer window fans have been told.

Only a week or so ago Whittingham committed himself to Cardiff saying he would have no complaints if Cardiff were to turn away offers from Premier League clubs. While the Eastenders are not in the Premier League, they are one of the favourites to gain promotion back into the Premiership at the end of the season. In August Whittingham put is commitment to the club on paper in the process tying himself to the club until 2014 after signing a new contract.

He said recently

"You're always going to get flattered.

"It means you're doing something right if you are being linked with clubs.

"But I've said all along that I want to be with Cardiff and I want to get into the Premiership with Cardiff and nothing's changed."

It is a lot of money to turn down if the story is true, but it shows Cardiff City board and management are serious in there push for Premier League status.

Manager on rumour Official Cardiff City website

End of the line for the Football League Show

The end of the road

The Football League Show is to be axe has the BBC turn their backs on live League football and that was just 10 games and season. Next season they could be no football at all on the BBC, but for Match of the Day and two Carling Cup semi-final with those rights due to end.

Given the opportunity, I always prefer the BBC coverage of sport including Sky. The BBC share the rights to the Football League in a deal worth £264million with Sky who made the bigger contribute to the figure, but with no free-to-air TV rights sold to date it is left to Sky who have secured a three-year deal for £195million.

If looks as if the BBC are more interested in tying up the future of Match of the Day, which is up for tender next year. With the BBC, pulling out that only leaves ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 to pick up the free-to-air rights. However, there has been no rush to beat the doors down at the Football League offices for talks. The Football League are hopeful of a deal  with the BBC that will keep the football League Show on the air next season. Their is talk of a deal over highlights without the 10 live game which could then be offer to other broadcasters.

Maybe they are waiting to see if they can get the rights on the cheap or something, which will not help the league club with less money to go around. It is sure to hit Cardiff City balance sheet with less money coming in  while at the top table of the Premier League pockets are over flowing with TV cash.

The Football League Show is on far too late just before midnight and unlike Match of the Day don’t have a second screening on TV. You have to watch via the red button or Iplayer someone like my ageing dad don’t want to play around with remote controls.

Forest a must win

CARDIFF CITY will be looking heap more misery on Nottingham Forest on New Year’s Eve and get back to winning ways themselves. It will be Cardiff’s second festive fixture on the road.

In fact, Forest have not won a game since the back end of November when they lost at Cardiff only picking up a single league point in the progress. Cardiff have a new November it is called December must Bluebird fans will understand my little joke. In the previous month, the Bluebirds only dropped 2 points out of a possible 15 while in December it is 7 points out of a possible 12 with Saturday’s game to go.

Cardiff City boss Malky Mackay is waiting on fitness reports on Kevin McNaughton who limped off at Watford with a tight calf muscle. Former Forest player Rob Earnshaw will hope start the game on the bench after he failed to make the bench at Watford.

Blake staying put

Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay has been quick to dismiss any suggestion that versatile Darcy Blake could be on his way out of Cardiff. The rumours mainly coming from internet chatter reasoning that because he is not getting first team football he could well leave in search of regular football.

The Blake has talked before about his need for regular football to maintain to current statues in the Welsh national team. However, the Cardiff manager is adamant he is part of his plans at the Bluebirds.

Mackay told BBC Sport, "No, it's not talk from within the club [about Blake leaving].

"It might be on websites, but certainly there's no talk from within the club.

"I thought Darcy did well when he came on. "He wants to play like every player at the club and you never know when you get your opportunity and that being the case you've got to be right and ready for that opportunity.

"And I think Darcy will be the first to admit that he's not been right and ready for that opportunity arising."

Some managers could test Cardiff resolve to keep the players but there interest if any could be ignored. Under Dave Jones and previous boards the policy was to sell if crazy offer were made. Cardiff do not need to sell has Blake signed a two year extension in October 2010 which would keep him at the club until 2013.

Former Wales striker Iwan Roberts suggested a month or so ago that Darcy Blake should consider leaving Cardiff City to further his career.

Taiwo to train with Chesterfield

It was reported early in December that Chesterfield were interested in Cardiff's 26-year-old midfielder Solomon Taiwo and now reports have him set to train with the Division One club.

He joined the Bluebirds in late August 2009 after a Man of the Match performance against the City in the Carling Cup. He was handed a three-year deal by then manager Dave Jones which runs out in the summer.

He is set to spend a week training with Chesterfield and if him has a successful stay he will join they on loan for the rest of the season. Chesterfield are in a battle to pull themselves off the bottom for Division One.

The Cardiff midfielder has found himself way out of the mix at Cardiff even failing to make the subs bench with is only start this season was against Oxford in the Carling Cup, but he only lasted 15 minutes before picking up an injury and had to come off.

He also came off the bench for the final minutes of the 2-1 win over Southampton back in September. Since joining the Bluebirds in 2009/10 from Dagenham & Redbridge he has more or less been at the fringes of the first team, but on signing he was described by Cardiff manager Dave Jones as "a good prospect, a strong player, a good athlete and comfortable on the ball".

Last, season when out on loan to his old club, Dagenham & Redbridge.

Few names linked to the City

CARDIFF CITY have been linked to a couple players over Christmas today there are press reports the Bluebirds looking at Nottingham Forest centre half Wes Morgan has a possible target. The player is out of contract in the summer and is refusing to extend his contract.

Forest are looking in the region of £250.000 for the player and Cardiff has competition for his signature with Championship rivals Reading interested in Morgan. City has also been liked with Celtic youngster striker Omar Bogle who is being release. The youngster only moved north of the border in the summer from Birmingham and reports suggest he settle well that Celtic. Again Cardiff will have to share their interest with a host of club including Rangers are on the track of the youngster.

A week or so before Christmas Cardiff were being linked with Shamrock Rovers striker Karl Sheppard

The opening of the January transfer window is days away for opening, but some clubs have already tied up players and are awaiting the opening of the window to complete deals. Cardiff City boss Malky Mackay is believed to have players in mind and in to local paper he his saying he wants at least two new signings. The main areas for strengthening are in attack and he as a need for a wingers which have been mentions for a while now.

He failed or was unable to being in any new faces during the loan period and after loaning out a number of players still managed to keep the Bluebirds in contention at the top of the league table.

Bluebirds on Christmas Day

You awaken Christmas morning on a mission running downstairs you bypass your stack of presents under the tree and head straight out the front door to stand on some roadside early o’clock waiting to catch the Cardiff City supporters coach to Newcastle. If there were such a fixture today, would you make the trip? Part of me would love to, but the pull of a family Christmas would keep me home today.

Cardiff fans have gripped over a Tuesday night fixture up north, but a trip on Christmas day would there be many takers. Back in the 20’s,30 and ever up to the early 50’s it was the normal for such fixtures and ever more has well has playing on Christmas Day, there was a return fixture on Boxing Day, yes two game over two days and they were not always derbies.

Cardiff City did play Newcastle in 1926 Christmas Day and for all their trouble lost 5-0 that year Cardiff had no Boxing Day fixture, but on the 27th beat Arsenal 2-0 at Ninian Park. They played each other again in 1952, but I'm not sure Cardiff City Supporters club were running buses to either game.

A delve into The Definitive Cardiff City F.C by Richard Shepherd (ISBN 1-899-46817-X) showed the Christmas Day fixture was very were much regular fixture until the last game was 1954 at Ninian Park. West Brom was the visitors with the ending in a 3-2, a win for the City with Trevor Ford (2) and Stan Montgomery. The crowd that day was 22,000+ somehow these days cannot see that kind of attendance or would there be a rush to the stadium. Boxing Day fixtures have always been a crowd pull so could football come back to Christmas day one day in the future.

The first reference to a Christmas Day game I could find was against Croydon Common, 1911, a game the Welshman won 4-0 with a reported crowd of 8,000 a figure sounds estimated. It was not just at they were playing football on Christmas day, but the following day (Boxing Day) the fixture would reversed especially in the early years. Both clubs were in the Southern League Division Two at the time and the Boxing Day fixture saw the Bluebirds travel to their London ground Croydon Common Athletic Stadium that they shared with Crystal Palace at the time

The Church owned their ground and the lease prohibited its use for any purposes on Good Friday and Christmas Day.

Who the hell were Croydon Common, a quick internet search came up with not much but they begun life in 1897 as an amateur church team competing in local leagues they turned professional in 1907 on joining the Southern League but disbanded in 1917.

On 1916, Cardiff played a friendly on Christmas day away Merthyr Town and won 2-0. It was not unheard of for teams to play three games in five days. One game that caught my eye was the 1926 Christmas Day trip to Newcastle lucky for the players there was no Boxing Day fixture mean they didn’t have rush back. It world have been a hard slog to get to Newcastle even with a Christmas Day train service. Out of interest, the following day 27th Cardiff played Arsenal winning 2-0 at Ninian Park a few days later (New Year Day) Cardiff travelled to London and lost.

The most famous Christmas Day football match not even played on a football pitch, but a battlefield during the First World War. The game took place Christmas Day 1914 during the first Christmas of World War 1. By mutual consent an estimated 100,000 British and German troops along the Western Front declared a truce, and those near to Armentieres in France sang Christmas carols before leaving their respective trenches to play a football match in sub-zero temperatures in no-man's land. Before the match - between the 2nd Battalion the Royal Welch Fusiliers, the Saxons of 133 Infantry Regiment, and the Prussians of 6 Jäger Battalion gifts were exchanged - the Germans giving two barrels of beer and the British a plum pudding. The Germans won - differing reports give the score as 2-1 or 3-2 - and the following day hostilities resumed, by mutual consent.

Below there is a list of games played on Christmas Day followed by a Boxing Day fixtures

1911 25th Cardiff City 4-0 Croydon Common Southern League Division 2
1911 26th Croydon 2-0 Cardiff City

1912 25th Cardiff City 1-1 Pontypridd Southern League Division 2
1912 26th Luton Town 2-0 Cardiff City

1913 25th Cardiff City 1-1 Merthyr Town Southern League Division 1
1913 26th Merthyr Town 2-2 Cardiff City

1914 25th Plymouth Argyle 2-0 Cardiff City Southern League Division 1
1914 26th Cardiff City 2-0 Plymouth Argyle

1919 25th Merthyr Town 1-1 Cardiff City Southern League Division 1
1919 26th Cardiff City 1-1 Merthyr Town

1920 25th Coventry City 2-4 Cardiff City Division 2
1923 25th Sheffield United 1-1 Cardiff City Division 1

1923 26th Cardiff City 3-1 Sheffield United

1924 25th West Ham United 3-2 Cardiff City Division 1
1924 26th Cardiff City 2-1 West Ham United 1925

25th Cardiff City 3-2 West Bromwich Albion Division 1 1925
26th West Bromwich Albion 3-0 Cardiff City

1926 25th Newcastle United 5-0 Cardiff City Division 1

1928 25th Leeds United 3-0 Cardiff City Division 1
1928 26th Cardiff City 2-1 Leeds United 1929

25th Bristol City 2-0 Cardiff City Division 2 1929
26th Cardiff City 1-1 Bristol City

1931 25th Luton Town 2-1 Cardiff City Division 3 (South)
1931 26th Cardiff City 4-1 Luton Town

1933 25th Coventry City 4-1 Cardiff City Division 3 (South)
1933 26th Cardiff City 3-3 Coventry City

1935 25th Southend United 3-1 Cardiff City Division 3 (South)
1935 26th Cardiff City 1-1 Southend United

1936 25th Torquay United 1-0 Cardiff City Division 3 (South)
1936 26th Cardiff City 1-1 Walsall

1937 25th Mansfield Town 3-0 Cardiff City Division 3 (South)
1937 26th Cardiff City 4-1 Mansfield Town

1940 25th Swansea Town 1-3 Cardiff City War League

1941 25th Cardiff City 1-2 Swansea Town War League

1942 25th Swansea Town 3-1 Cardiff City War League
26th Cardiff City 2-2 Swansea Town

1943 25th Cardiff City 5-1 Lovell’s Athletic War League
26th Bath City 3-2 Cardiff City

1944 25th Cardiff City 3-1 Swansea Town War League

1945 25th Bristol Rovers 2-2 Cardiff City War League
1945 26th Cardiff City 4-2 Bristol Rovers

1946 25th Leyton Orient 1-0 Cardiff City Division 3 (South)

1948 25th Brentford 1-1 Cardiff City Division 2

1950 25th Cardiff City 2-1 Coventry City Division 2
26th Coventry City 1-2 Cardiff City

1951 25th Swansea Town 1-1 Cardiff City Division 2
26th Cardiff City 3-0 Swansea City

1952 25th Newcastle United 0-0 Cardiff City Division 1

1954 25th Cardiff City 3-2 West Bromwich Albion Division 1

Busy, busy, busy

CARDIFF CITY fans will have to dig deep into their pockets if they want to see the Bluebirds in live action has the Welshman are nearly solidly on the road until the end of January. There are unexpected Cup Semi-finals which makes the next somewhat more hectic.

• Monday, 26 December Watford away, k/o 12
• Saturday, 31 December Nott'm Forest away k/o 3pm
• Monday, 2 January Reading home k/o 3pm
• Saturday, 7 January FA Cup West Brom away k/o 3pm
• Tuesday, 10 January Carling Cup Crystal Palace away SF, L1, k/o 8pm
• Saturday, 14 January Doncaster away k/o 3pm
• Saturday, 21 January Cardiff home k/o 3pm
• Tuesday, 24 January Carling Cup Crystal Palace home SF, L2, k/o 7:45pm
• Tuesday, 31 January Southampton away k/o 7:45pm

That’s nine game and a possible tenth if Cardiff were to beat West Brom and eleven if a win against West Brom took a replay, great for the fans has we loved our football, but managers and players would see it has a nightmare. If there were a mid-winter break say in January where would all these game go? It a lot of game with a small squad, but hopefully there will be a few new face coming during the January transfer window

Over 1500 fans are off to spend Boxing Day travelling to Watford, but less are expected to hit the road on New Year’s Eve trip to Nott’m Forest before City start the New Year off with a home game against Reading.

The Rumour Mills latest

The Sunday Mirror have come up with the weakest of links to Cardiff City and a new possible signing with an interest in acquiring Doncaster’s star striker Billy Sharp, it would seem they have just chucked the Bluebirds name into the mix.

The Doncaster player has been strongly rumoured to be top of Leicester City in a deal worth £2m plus somewhat rich for the Bluebirds now. They have a host of other club interested, but funny enough not Leicester, but Southampton, Burnley and Ipswich.

The striker has scored nine goals in 15 games this season.

Sharp signed for Doncaster Rovers on 7 July 2010 for £1.15 million, with a three-year contract, which keeps him at Doncaster until the summer of 2013. The paper is suggesting Sharp has a £1.75millon buyout clause written into his contract, however Doncaster are rumoured to have turned done a £2.3milliom offer from Ipswich and a massive £3.25m rejected by the player himself.

I am sure the Cardiff City boss Malky MacKay who is in the market for a new striker would love to add a player of such calibre to his squad, but there is like to be a auction if Doncaster are willing to sell.

City drop two places

It was a bit of a groundhog day yesterday for Cardiff City with the visit of Middlesbrough at the Cardiff City Stadium, close to being a re-run of the last game between the two teams. Last season the Bluebirds were on an eight game run of game without defeat and on course for an automatic promotion finish, until the arrival of the North East club.

They process to kill off the party mood for the home fans scoring three goals and consigning the Welshman to another lottery that is the play-offs. Today fans were looking for some revenge even the few players in the today’s squad from last season were talking of unfinished business with Middlesbrough.

Cardiff headed into the game off the back of nine league games undefeated, but the big difference being that this time it was third v fourth in the league. Last season the visitors were struggling at the wrong end of the league table.

Has for today it looked like the day was going to be a toughie when Cardiff had a stonewall penalty call turned down after around 13 minutes. The Cardiff boss was not happy with the ref decision nor was the Cardiff City fans, but for everyone else there in the ground it was a relief. Minutes later Cardiff was a goal down when Nigerian Bart Ogbeche scored his first goal in English football.

It was not long before the home crowd had something to cheer about when an in swinging corner from Peter Whittingham was flicked on by Miller for defender Ben Turner to head the ball into the net, game all square again. It was Turner first goal for the Bluebirds and it was against a team he played for and supported since childhood. With minutes to go Cardiff took the lead with an assist from striker Kenny Miller for Aron Gunnarsson slot the ball into the goal.

With the game at 2-1 at the start of the second half, you can never feel safe, but within 15 minute of the second half restart, the visitor had levelled to game again. They had been piling on the pressure and with their nose back into the game the home team up their game making the run up to the final whistle. The goal saw the Cardiff City boss Malky MacKay make a double substitute with Craig Conway off for Joe Mason and Don Cowie for Rudy Gestede giving MacKay more options up front.

However, the visitors took the lead in the 75minute leading to a win has Cardiff failed to square the game or push for a win. They were chances but that final ball just wouldn’t cross the line so Cardiff dropped to fifth in the league table while the visitors moved up to third.

When Millwall was a nightmare

THINKING about Millwall today got me reminiscing about my travels to the old Den back in the later 70’s and early 80’s and the sense of foreboding everytime you would had to climbing on a coach or train.

Of every ground I have ever visited, the ‘Old Den’ was by far the scariest and didn’t help with the number of fans willing to travelling. My first trip was December 1978 just a year after the infamous Panorama programme 'F Troop, Treatment and the Half-Way Line' and of eight who said they were going only two of us boarded the coach for the trip.

The coach was not full of harden hooligans, but old faces we would see week in week out and a few curious who had seen the broadcast, a bit like me I suppose. When the programme seller offers you violence you just know you are in another world. A  veteran told us to stay away from the toilets and stick together, don’t wander off unless you have a death wish. The afternoon was somewhat defused with the home team winning and the quietness of the Cardiff fans, any show of support would result in the mass turning of Millwall fans heads watching you. It was like they were waiting for you to over step the mark, and if you did, they would be having you.

It was only third win of the season with them going into the game with the home team bottom of the table. The win didn’t lift them off the bottom and found themselves relegated at the end of the season.

Panorama 1977 Part 1 F Troop, Treatment and the Half-Way Line

Panorama 1977 Part 2

Panorama 1977 Part 3

Panorama 1977 Part 4

Manager of the Month a well iffy award

Congratulations to Cardiff City's manager Malky MacKay on winning Championship Manager of the Month for November! I hope he beats the curse that surrounded this piece of news as this month could be a nightmare. Luckily MacKay has one game under his belt already, a win over Birmingham so things have started well.

We have all since it before, a sudden drop on form straight after this announcement and cries of ‘We’re doomed’. I wish some other manager picked the damn award, anyone than MacKay, but thinking about it, he deserves the recognition for the sterling work he is doing at the club.

Been of the nerdy kind I felt an urge to seek stats and see if the curse has an effect on previous City managers. Surprisingly back in 2003-04 the then boss Lennie Lawrence won the January award off the back of two league wins and a draw. The following month it was two defeats a draw and one win, not a good month.

Next up the era of Dave Jones who won five times while with the Bluebirds and a quick glance it doesn’t look every good, but here goes

August 2006 – W D W W W
September – L D W W W

Not a bad set of stats that left Cardiff tip of the league back then and more importantly no sign of the annoying curse. The next time Jones was top manager was in January 2008 this time the curse bit hard.

January 2008 – W W D W
February – L L D L

That the end of January Cardiff were in 7^th place and by the end of February drooped to 13^th. Next up for Jones was October of the same year with more or less the same outcome.

October 2008 – D W D W W
November – L L W L D D

Allow Cardiff managed only a merger five points in November they did manage to keep they league position nearly dropping down three places. Beside Cardiff, a number of other top teams in the Championship had awful months.

October 2009 – W D W W
November – D L L L

Another nightmare November for Jones to suffer and the fans this cures looks to be the property of our former manager.

October 2010 – W W W W W
November – L D W L L

What is it with Dave Jones and October, for three seasons on the trot, he has won the October Manager of the Month award only to have a diabolic November. There are fans out there at believe the myth of the  'curse' comes from Dave Jones’s record at Cardiff City.

Last season the present boss at Cardiff Malky MacKay also won the Manager of the Month with Watford in March. So was his stats any better the following month, nope.

March 2011 – W D W W L
April – L L D D L L

Oh well it is not looking to good against Millwall tomorrow for the superstitious fans however

January is going to be mad

January is going to a mad time for Cardiff City and its fan with four league games, two Carling Cup semis and a FA Cup fixture, which could rise to eight if Cardiff beat West Brom. I hope Santa doesn’t cost you the earth with three away trips in seven days one being the semi trip to Crystal Palace.

On top of all those games the City boss Malky Mackay plans to be active in the January transfer window hopefully adding to his squad for the final push for promotion. Speaking with the local paper the South Wales Echo he talking of two or three with a striker and winger in mind, but things can change so quickly in football.

The Cardiff manager is insisting he has the backing of the clubs Malaysian owners and there are funds available. He has been in the market for a while looking for a new striker to sign-up on loan. During the emergency transfer window, but according to the article in the paper just missed out on bringing someone in.

Bluebirds boss Mackay said in the paper, “We do need to bring in players and the board will back me in that,” said Mackay, who has steered Cardiff to third place in the Championship – five points behind leaders Southampton. 

“But we will go about our business prudently and aim to get value for money. 

“I want players who will integrate into the team. 

“During January, and in the transfer window next summer, we need a gradual build-up of players into the squad. 

“But first we will look at the league table and what we are able to do in January. 

“The board have been very good in allowing me access to knowing what the financial situation is. This is a business and the financial situation now makes us a club going forward, rather than teetering on the brink of administration. Where I have asked the directors to back me they have, and we want to add to our squad in the right way.”

It would be interesting to see what money is there it should wake up agents on the search for a payday. From what I have read about Mackay, he is not one to rest in so any player he picks his target and then goes about building a dossier on the player.

He has five strikers at present Kenny Miller, Rudy Gestede, Earnshaw Rob, Nathaniel Jarvis who is like to go out on loan again in January, and Jon Parkin who has been on loan at Doncaster and now in on a short-term loan at Huddersfield. He as played for three teams including Cardiff so his he bared for another loan deal or playing for another club unless he stays with Huddersfield until the end of the season. I found this below on the internet

Are there any rules in place, which limit how many clubs a player can play for in one season?  

Currently under the FIFA Transfer Regulations, a football player is unable to play for more than three teams in one season. This applies whether the player has been transferred or simply is on loan with that club.  

This also applies regardless of what country that player has plied his trade in, whether that is in Europe, Africa, or South America. As long as a player has represented a club in a league under the adjudication of a FIFA Member Association, they will only be able to play for three different clubs. 

However, this does mean that a football player is free to represent a total of three different clubs in any league in the world over the course of one season.

Parkin’s time with the club would surely be over if Mackay was to bring in a new striker even if, it was a loan.

Taiwo linked with move

Reports on Sky Sport are suggesting Chesterfield will make a move to sign Cardiff City midfielder Solomon Taiwo in January. A number of clubs are rumoured to the interested in the player one being Oxford United.

His only start of the season was against Oxford in the Carling Cup, but he only lasted 15 minutes before picking up an injury and had to come off. He also came off the bench for the final minutes of the 2-1 win over Southampton back in September.

Since joining the Bluebirds in 2009/10 from Dagenham & Redbridge he has more or less been at the fringes of the first team, but on signing he was described by Cardiff manager Dave Jones as "a good prospect, a strong player, a good athlete and comfortable on the ball".

Last, season when out on loan to his old club, Dagenham & Redbridge. On joining the Welshman in August 2009 he signed a three-year deal which runs out in the summer. It’s unsure if the rumored deal is a loan or permanent but he looks to be on his way out anyway.

Cardiff hit the Road to Wembley

The day of the Third Round, draw of the FA Cup and it was a long wait for Cardiff to be drawn with only three balls left in the pot. In the end it was Premier League West Brom away, it would have been better if it was a home tie.

It will be interesting how Cardiff City boss Malky Mackay will play this game. I take it the game will be on Saturday 7th Jan with the Carling Cup semi-final the following Tuesday and our in the semi clash Crystal Palace travel to Derby County.

Will Mackay yield to the option of holding back his first team and save their powder for the Palace fixture

City take all three points

Great win at the Cardiff City stadium over Birmingham and continue their unbeaten run in the league to 10 mean they also move back to third in the league table. The Midlands club when down to 10 man when Curtis Davis was sent-off. It was not long after that the Bluebirds took the lead when Kenny Miller fired home, scoring his seven of the season.

With three of the remaining, four league game in December away from home it will be important to keep the run of games going. Cardiff are now three points off West Ham who are in second in the table.

Sat, 10 December 2011 Millwall v Cardiff, 15:00  

Sat, 17 December 2011 Cardiff v Middlesbrough, 15:00 

Mon, 26 December 2011 Watford v Cardiff, 12:00 

Sat, 31 December 2011 Nott'm Forest v Cardiff, 15:00

The December fixture that stands out is the Middlesbrough home game, which based on today’s table would be a third v fourth fixture.

Maybe the Welsh Cup was wrong for Cardiff

Wrexham had two Cup games today something Cardiff City could have faced if they had entered the Welsh Cup, because it was reality for Wrexham. They had a FA Cup second round fixture and a third round Welsh Cup tie to play. So if Cardiff were in the Welsh Cup they would have to play in the Welsh Cup today as well as a league fixture tomorrow.

I have always been in favour of Cardiff playing in the Welsh Cup mainly because of the chance of European football. Even now I would still like to see Cardiff City back in, but somehow my feeling is it just won't happen.

I believe Wrexham opponents in the Welsh Cup Airbus UK, refused to rearrange the fixture and why should they. Because the likes of Wrexham and Cardiff play in the English setup, their fixtures take priority over Welsh fixtures.

It was a mixed bag for the North Walians with a win in the FA Cup against high flying Division One Club Brentford and a chance to test themselves against higher opposition, with the Premier League and Championship clubs entering the arena. Meanwhile back in Wrexham the reserves were taken to extra time only to lose 2-1 in a competition they were expected to reach the finals.

Hate the fact we are playing Sunday

I woke up this morning all excited it was Saturday and football then I remember Cardiff City were playing Sunday because the knuckle draggers (rugby fans) were in town sending me into a raged of hatred. Another nail in the coffin of the of the Welsh egg chasing hierarchy why can’t they play Sunday. It's not like the Cardiff v Biringham game is being moved because the game is on TV

While most fans have voiced concern of the return of strikers Michael Chopra and Ross McCormack to their form club, but it is the return of Chris Burke that occupies my mind. He is the only player who left in the summer I wanted to see stay with Cardiff even before Craig Bellamy. Burke is the kind of player who can open up a game with a simply pass of the ball or one of his darting runs down the right flank.

Burke signed a pre-contract agreement Birmingham joining official on a two-year deal on at the beginning of July, having left Cardiff on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling. Speaking this week in the build up to tomorrow’s game he said the move from Cardiff happen at the right time going on to say,

"This season, I have never felt better fitness-wise and strength-wise. I think I am playing my best football. 

"I am playing week in, week out and not getting subbed in the 70th minute or whatever. 

"Sometimes it is best to have a fresh start and a new manager - you don't want to get too comfortable at a club. 

"I felt it was the right time and knew if Cardiff didn't go up there would be drastic changes."

Was there a thin veiled pop at former boss Dave Jones there? He did seem to be the one subbed for technical reason. You can bet he will be get a warm welcome at the Cardiff City Stadium, but hoping he as an awful game.

Terry Burton off West Brom

FORMER Cardiff City coach Terry Burton is reported to be in line to become first-team coach at West Brom. Burton has been out of work since the summer and the arrival of Malky Mackay and his new backroom staff.

It was reported he was on ‘garden leave’ running out what was left of his contract at Cardiff. Burton joined Cardiff as assistant manager during the 2004–2005 season, with Lennie Lawrence's was manager at the club.

Changes are rumoured at the Black Country club with currnet coach Keith Downing promoted to assistant head coach and Burton joining Roy Hodgson’s staff as the club’s new first-team coach.

Looking forward to Jan

I am surprised that some fans are disappointed we didn’t end up with Manchester City in the draw for the semi-final of the Carling Cup. I am  happy to wait until the final to play them or Liverpool  and I'm sure the Crystal Palace fans feel the same this morning.

I slighted Crystal Palace by suggesting they had no chance against the mighty Manchester Untied and oh boy did I get that wrong On seeing the team United boss Alex Ferguson picked last night I was unsure with my previous thoughts. I don’t really care, but playing a team of benchwarmers and reserve players is never a good option the Palace team are first team veterans who play together week in week out in the cut and thrust of league football.

Back to the draw last night wasn’t it exciting I had everything crossed for Palace to be drawn against the Blubirds from what looked like a ice bucket with Carling written on it. It's was the best result for Cardiff City in what both sets of fans would agree is a winnable game. If you are looking at it from today, Cardiff has a slight advantage base on league form, but who knows what the form will be come January. Cardiff have drawn first blood between the two clubs this season with a Bonfire Night victory at the Cardiff City Stadium. The 2-0 win ended Palace's run of more than 10 hours of football without conceding a goal.

The first leg of the semi-final the week commencing Jan 9th will see Cardiff City making the trip to London before the return fixture on the week commencing Jan 23rd. Well are wait on dates but on semi will be on the Tuesday the other on Wednesday of that week with both games being televised with Sky and the BBC are sharing the games.

If the goal now is to reach another Wembley, final looking beyond that European could be back on the menu for the Welshman in the Europa League. It would be the first European nights for Cardiff since Standard Liege in 1993, now that’s what I call an incentive because win, lose in the final the door could be open to Europe.

From the Premier League official website 

If the winner of either cup gains European qualification through their league place, the runner-up of that cup competition will then qualify for the Europa League. 

If both the cup winner and the runner-up are already qualified through their league positions, the sixth place team will qualify (and seventh if this occurs in both cups).

There is a lot at stake for both clubs, but I am blinker to Cardiff you can guarantee both club will make money on the game. You cannot factor in when working out clubs revenue stream a cup run, but both clubs will see sell-out crowds and TV money that’s were the big money will come from. The prize money will see the losing semi-finalists will each take home £25,000 if Cardiff were to make the final the winners of the Carling Cup win £100,000 and the runners-up £50,000. Not a great deal of monies compared to the FA Cup.