Scared of what Dougie

I would hope the players didn’t need geeing up for the semi-final return fixture at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday night. However, if I was Cardiff City boss Malky Mackay I would enlarge the below headline in today’s South Wales Echo and plaster in all over the training ground and the home dressing room because it go my blood boiling.

Is reason for making such is simple in the mind of Crystal Palace boss Dougie Freedman, the Bluebirds tending to fall at the last hurdle. This is a Malky Mackay team not Dave Jones team and any Cardiff City fan can see the different style of play between the two squad and Malky has yet to fail.

Speaking in the Croydon Advertiser Freedman said, “However, while it is only natural our players will be nervous before the game, I'm sure it will be worse for the home team who know only too well what it is like to fall at the last hurdle.

“I’ve seen Cardiff fall just short so many times over the past few seasons that they and their supporters must be scared stiff of failure.

“When you get in stressful situations it is difficult not to think of the past, and when you have their recent history of being beaten in the play-offs so often, they must have some very unhappy memories.

“In fact the last time they got over the line was when Lennie Lawrence was their manager, but unfortunately for them he is sitting in our dugout.”

Get a bit personal, what has Dougie done …. He only broke into management last season has a player was part of the Palace team that bottled it against Bristol City in the 2007/08 play-off semi-final. Since then the Londoners have been more or less bottom dwellers in the league table.

Freedman continued: “One of the hardest things to do in football is to come from behind in a semi-final and I think the win at Selhurst Park last week gives us a massive advantage going into the game.”

He must check is facts before going off on one because last season both first leg home round games were win only to be overturn in the second leg. The season before Aston Villa lost both legs while Manchester City won their home game only for their Neighbours Manchester United to win the second leg and progress on to the final. I could go on but it dosen't same much of an advange going into the second leg of a semi-final in the Carling Cup with a lead.