Cardiff City - Road To The Premiership (FIFAM 06)

[w3lshrugby]

Well, here is my Cardiff City thread. I'm playing on Fifa Manager 06, but I can't be bothered with pics right now - so its nice text results at the moment

JULY 2005 - The PreSeason

Rhys Williams has been appointed as the new manager of Cardiff City Football Club. Chairman Sam Hammamm unveiled the unknown, local, manager when Dave Jones left the club with immediate effect following an incident with the Police.

The Club expects Rhys Williams to help Cardiff avoid relegation, and to try to reach the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup!

HA! Fat chance I say to that!

03/07 - Cardiff City FC have signed a new sponsorship deal with Adidas .

Transfer Market - A ?550,000 bid for Kevin McNaughton has been placed by Cardiff City.

06/07 - Friendly Match @ Fulham

FULHAM 7 - 4 CARDIFF
HT: 3 - 2
Fulham: McBride 2, 51, 83, 86; Radzinski 20; Boa Morte 39; Diop 70
Cardiff: Lee 8, 68, 79; Barker 29

12/07

Transfer Market - Bid for Kevin McNaughton rejected. A new bid was placed for ?625,000 which was accepted immediately.

14/07 - Friendly Tournament 'John Charles Trophy' @ Ninian Park, Cardiff. Match One:

CARDIFF 1 - 1 WEST BROM
HT: 0 - 1
Cardiff: Lee 67
WBA: Kanu 23

15/07 - Friendly Tournament 'John Charles Trophy' @ Ninian Park, Cardiff. Match Two:

CARDIFF 0 - 0 PORT VALE
HT: 0 - 0

So, boring!!!!! And drawing with a League One team, disgusting!

16/07 - Friendly Tournament 'John Charles Trophy' @ Ninian Park, Cardiff. Match Three:

CARDIFF 2 - 1 BRISTOL ROVERS
HT: 1 - 0
Cardiff: Lee 44; Cooper 62
Bristol R: Leary 70

Finally got a win on the board!

17/07 - Carling Cup Draw is made. Round One - Cardiff City to play Doncaster Rovers at Ninian Park on the 24th of August 2005.

18/07 to 24/07 - Training Camp takes place in Marbella, Spain. Kevin McNaughton arrives at Cardiff City after passing a medical.

30/7 - Friendly Match V Birmingham @ Ninian Park, Cardiff:

CARDIFF 0 - 0 BIRMINGHAM
HT: 0 - 0

Another boring game, but a great result to draw with a Premiership team!

Best Selling Shirt in Pre-Season: Jason Koumas (81 Shirts)
Number of Season Tickets sold: 4,322. Bringing ?1.13 million to the club.

Injury List:

Kevin McNaughton (to miss first two Championship matches)
Kevin Cooper (to miss first Championship match)

So, a topsy-turvy month for Cardiff. A great signing of Kevin McNaughton was made, and he showed in the friendly against Birmingham that he was worth the money. A wierdly high scoring friendly at Fulham kicked things off. The 'John Charles Trophy' tournament held at Ninian Park, dedicated to former Wales great John Charles, was won by West Brom, but not after they had only drawn with Cardiff City FC. The draw against Doncaster Rovers in the Carling Cup is a tough one, but one that Cardiff should win.

The injury to McNaughton is a blow for Cardiff's first two matches away to Ipswich and home to Leeds, but we'll have to make do without him.

The question is, where will Cardiff be at the end of August?

If you would like to make a guess as to what position Cardiff will be in, and how many points they will have - then please do. The closest answer will earn reps.

 

[plympilgrim]

at the end of august 4th, end of season 6th in the playoffs with argyle winnig the league, unbeaten


great start rhys keep it up

 

[Jaztheman]

nice start mate keep it up

 

[GrayNicolls]

Very imformative on the pre-season there, Rhys.

 

[w3lshrugby]

AUGUST 2005 - The Start (Of The Decline)

After an average July, Cardiff were looking forward to a great August. However, the injury to Kevin McNaughton was going to be a serious blow to the start of their Championship campaign.

Playing Leeds second game is not what Cardiff would've wanted - a real tussler of a match so early on in a season can really dent a team's confidence.

Could Cardiff defy expectations and end up in the top 8 at the end of the month, or would they be consigned to the bottom three? And, for Matt, where would Plymouth end up????

06/08 - The Championship @ Ipswich Town:

IPSWICH 1 - 4 CARDIFF
HT: 0 - 2
Ipswich: Parkin 52; Mitchell sent off 58
Cardiff: Lee 3, 20; Boland 60, 83
Attn: 23,477
MOM: Joe Ledley (Cardiff)

An great way to kick off a Championship campaign at Cardiff City. The question was, could it continue?

09/08 - The Championship - Cardiff V Leeds @ Ninian Park:

CARDIFF 0 - 1 LEEDS
HT: 0 - 1
Leeds: Blake 22
Attn: 14,192
MoM: J. Wright (Leeds)

A disappointing loss after showing our great prowess in the match at Ipswich. But there you have it, you win some, you lose some. Luck of the draw I suppose.

Kevin Cooper returns from injury.

14/08 - The Championship - Cardiff V Watford @ Ninian Park:

CARDIFF 1 - 2 WATFORD
HT: 1 - 1
Cardiff: Ledley sent off 16; Carlisle o.g. 33
Watford: Scowcroft pen. 25; King 47
Attn: 12,397
MoM: Darren Purse (Cardiff)

A really disappointing loss, especially with Ledley throwing the whole game away being sent off so early on. The boys will get a talking to!

Kevin McNaughton returns from injury. Both Kevin's back now!


20/08 - The Championship @ Derby

DERBY 2 - 0 CARDIFF
HT: 1 - 0
Derby: Bisgaard 29; Smith 80
Attn: 21,881
MoM: Stromstad (Derby)

Now, I'm really quite shocked by how badly we are playing at the moment - what has happened to the form of the match against Ipswich. We need some points or face slipping into the relegation zone early in the season!

24/08 - Carling Cup Round One. Cardiff V Doncaster Rovers @ Ninian Park:

CARDIFF 0 - 3 DONCASTER
HT: 0 - 1
Doncaster: Coppinger 16; Forte 59; Guy 60
Attn: 8,546
MoM: Dave Mulinga (Doncaster)

You want to talk about disappointing football performances - look no further than this. A drubbing at the hands of League One, or maybe even League Two Doncaster Rovers! You should be ashamed! Argh! I'm not happy. Far from it - if the players don't buck up soon, it might not only be their status at stake!

27/08 - The Championship. Cardiff V Wolves @ Ninian Park:

CARDIFF 0 - 2 WOLVES
HT: 0 - 2
Wolves: Miller 9; Anderton pen. 29
Attn: 12,479
MoM: Anderton (Wolves)

This run seems to go from bad to worse - and now that we're in the relegation zone, will we escape?

29/08 - The Championship @ Sheffield Wednesday:

SHEFFIELD WED 0 - 0 CARDIFF
HT: 0 - 0
Attn: 20,169
MoM: Rhys Weston (Cardiff)

That's so much better than our last 5 matches - well done guys! Right, now to continue taking points out of the top teams. Still, not out of relegation zone, but we'll struggle to get relegated on form like that match just showed.

A dreadful month for the team started and ended with points, funnily enough! Anyway, with relegation currently in the balance, can Cardiff escape the relegation zone next month. Oh that Doncaster match was by far the month's worst match for Cardiff - the sods!

Here is the Championship table for those interested: (all teams played 6)

1. Sheffield United 18 pts
2. Leeds United 18 pts
3. Preston North End 12 pts
4. Norwich City 12 pts
5. Derby County 11 pts
6. Sheffield Weds. 10 pts
7. Crystal Palace 10 pts
8. Wolves 9 pts
9. Ipswich Town 9 pts
10. Southampton 9 pts
11. Coventry 9 pts
12. Hull 9 pts
13. Plymouth 8 pts
14. Watford 8 pts
15. Reading 8 pts
16. Luton 7 pts
17. Crewe 7 pts
18. Millwall 7 pts
19. Stoke 6 pts
20. Brighton & Hove 5 pts
21. Burnley 5 pts
22. Cardiff 4 pts
23. Leicester 3 pts
24. QPR 3 pts

If you want reps this time round, try to guess where Cardiff will be after September!

 

[Mr. Kurns]

hmmmmm good story, 18th with 32 points

 

[plympilgrim]

nice work rhys, shame bout the carling cup exit, but losing to leeds wasn't too bad, considering they're 2nd.

i see argyle are gonna mount a late charge for the title, they're are pretending to do bad, i reckon you will be 16th at the end of september

 

[GrayNicolls]

Wow Rhys, you suck.

You're doing pretty bad, but it's only the start of the season, I suppose.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

I say 23rd...

 

[pinchinator]

good start Rhys i guess nah your doing fine

they'll be 20th at the end of Sep

 

[w3lshrugby]

September 2005 - The Battle Is On

After a dreadful August, Cardiff would be looking to September to improve things and hopes. With the board becoming slightly nervy about the appointment of Rhys Williams, many things are at stake - including my job!

With a couple of "relegation" battle matches in August, Cardiff will be looking to at least collect another 4 points, if not more.

Could Cardiff survive another dreadful month, or would Rhys Williams be sacked?

10/09 - The Championship @ Burnley

BURNLEY 1 - 0 CARDIFF
HT: 0 - 0
Burnley: Akuhbiyi 70
Attn: 11,149
MoM: Colin Doyle (Burnley)

A close loss to a relegation rival at this stage of the season could prove to be costly - although a nice victory against other relegation rivals Leicester next time out would be nice.

13/09 - The Championship. Cardiff V Leicester @ Ninian Park

CARDIFF 3 - 1 LEICESTER
HT: 1 - 1
Cardiff: Lee 28, 57, 62
Leicester: De Vries 39
Attn: 10,812
MoM: Alan Lee (Cardiff)

Wahey! Our first 3 points since the match against Ipswich, this is such a great confidence booster, now let's try and get a couple more points out of some of our matches this month.

17/09 - The Championship. Cardiff V Crystal Palace @ Ninian Park

CARDIFF 2 - 2 CRYSTAL PALACE
HT: 2 - 1
Cardiff: Weston 8; Jerome 26
C Palace: Morrison 38; Granville 65
Attn: 12,192
MoM: Phil Mulryne (Cardiff)

A point against a team challenging for the title, great work guys - although we did blow the chance of 3 points here!!!

24/09 - The Championship @ Millwall

MILLWALL 2 - 0 CARDIFF
HT: 1 - 0
Millwall: Healy 2; Rose 61
Attn: 6,422
MoM: Rose (Millwall)

It's disappointing to lose this match after our recent couple of performances, but there were some sparkles in this match...

27/09 - The Championship @ Stoke City

STOKE 2 - 0 CARDIFF
HT: 1 - 0
Stoke: Sigurdsson 17, 66
Attn: 17,940
MoM: Sigurdsson

Always going to be a tough ask to come away from Stoke with points, but there we go, another poor month for the club, but there were some signs of improvement.

So, another disappointing month of matches comes to an end, Cardiff are still fighting for their lives, and the pressure is mounting on manager Rhys Williams. In October, they will be looking to escape from the relegation zone, but can they?


Championship Table (All played 11 matches)

1. Sheffield United 28 pts; 2. Leeds United 26 pts; 3. Norwich City 22 pts; 4. Sheffield Wednesday 21 pts; 5. Preston North End 21 pts; 6. Southampton 19 pts; 7. Crystal Palace 18 pts; 8. Coventry 17 pts; 9. Wolves 16 pts; 10. Watford 16 pts; 11. Ipswich 16 pts; 12. Millwall 16 pts; 13. Brighton & Hove 15 pts; 14. Stoke 15 pts; 15. Hull 15 pts; 16. Plymouth 14 pts; 17. Derby 14 pts; 18. Reading 13 pts; 19. QPR 13 pts; 20. Crewe 11 pts; 21. Luton 10 pts; 22. Cardiff 8 pts; 23. Burnley 8 pts; 24. Leicester 4 pts






The closest was Zorax, who earns reps.

 

[plympilgrim]

oh dear, another poor(ish) month for u, hopefully you can improve next month, as i keep saying you and argyle are gonna make a late charge for the championship

i'll say 19th

 

[Jaztheman]

you will be about 19th after next month

 

[ZoraxDoom]

I'll say 25th

 

[w3lshrugby]

OCTOBER 2005 - The Month Of Change

Could Cardiff finally live up to expectations and get more than 4 points out of a month. The manager Rhys Williams has had increasing pressure on him, and the chairman will be looking to escape the relegation zone as soon as possible!

Cardiff have a month ahead of them which may or may not provide some results to scream about - one thing for sure is that if Cardiff want to get some points, they will need to improve on the poor form of the last two months. Perhaps we can get 8 points this month?

01/10 - The Championship. Cardiff V Luton @ Ninian Park

CARDIFF 3 - 0 LUTON
HT: 1 - 0
Cardiff: Ricketts 42; Jerome 64; Mulryne 75
Attn: 8,141
MoM: Andrea Ferretti (Cardiff)

Yes, a great performance from the lads against fellow strugglers and relegation favourites Luton, now we need to continue this performance into the next game, and then the ones after that!

15/10 - The Championship @ Brighton and Hove

BRIGHTON 2 - 2 CARDIFF
HT: 1 - 2
Brighton: Jarrett 36; Frutos sent off 49; Richards 90
Cardiff: Jerome 3; McNaughton 33; Cox sent off 63
Attn: 4,320
MoM: Darren Purse (Cardiff)

So close to getting another win in succession, but coming away with a point will do nicely as we slide out of the relegation area. Preston are the next match, a tough match, yes, but we'll try everything to get points!

18/10 - The Championship. Cardiff V Preston North End @ Ninian Park

CARDIFF 1 - 2 PRESTON
HT: 1 - 1
Cardiff: Jerome 43
Preston: Hibbert 3; Nowland 59
Attn: 10,462
MoM: Nowland (Preston)

Yes it was a loss, but we showed so much character, and fully deserved a point out of it - and we still aren't in the relegation zone anymore - so smiles all around please!

22/10 - The Championship. Cardiff V Crewe Alexandera @ Ninian Park

CARDIFF 2 - 0 CREWE
HT: 0 - 0
Cardiff: Cox pen. 54; Ledley 70
Crewe: Vaughan sent off 67
Attn: 8,764
MoM: Neil Cox (Cardiff)

Another win, that's two in one month - a great performance in the second half resulting in more confidence. And much needed confidence that is going into the away game against near top of the table Sheffield United next match!

29/10 - The Championship @ Sheffield United

SHEFFIELD UTD 1 - 1 CARDIFF
HT: 0 - 1
Sheffield Utd: Shaw sent off 42; Ifill 62
Cardiff: Jerome 24
Attn: 20,223
MoM: Short (Sheff Utd)

So great to come away from Brammal Lane with a point. Eight points in this month. We have thoroughly deserved more from this match!

The question is, how much more did we deserve that month? With only one match, against Preston, where we didn't score points. Could we be rueing that last minute equaliser from Brighton, and not taking advantage of the red card at Brammal Lane?

No-one will ever know!

Jerome has started to become a scoring machine for Cardiff, and this is great considering Alan Lee didnt get onto the scoresheet this month!

Championship Table: (All Played 16)

1. Norwich 37
2. Leeds 35
--PROMOTION--
3. Sheff Utd 33
4. C Palace 33
5. Preston 31
6. Southampton 28
--PLAY OFFS--
7. Stoke 26
8. Watford 26
9. Sheff Wed 25
10. Plymouth 24 - Plymouth climbing towards a play-off place!!!
11. Reading 23
12. Brighton 22
13. Wolves 22
14. Ipswich 22
15. Coventry 20
16. Millwall 20
17. Derby 18
18. QPR 17
19. Cardiff 16 - escaping the relegation zone
20. Burnley 15
21. Hull 15
---RELEGATION---
22. Crewe 13
23. Luton 12
24. Leicester 9