December 2012 Cardiff
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First match should be easy, as Cardiff are up against 12th place Bristol City. However second game is up against Premier League outfit Everton in the Capital One Cup Quarter Final. Although Everton are currently sliding down the BPL ladder (currently placed 10
th), Cardiff will play a rotated squad for the match against Bristol. To date Cardiff are undefeated and are neck and neck with Hull, so far in form Wolves may have a chance at un wrapping that, however Matthias believes December should be an easy month for the Bluebirds.
nPower Football League Championship 01/12/2012
Bristol City 0 - 1 Cardiff
Ashton Gate; Att: 20,339
Craig Bellamy (56)
Joe Lewis CS (10 in a row)
Man of Match: Matthew Connolly
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Was a boring match to start, only 5 shots between both teams by half time. Cardiff did well considering it was mostly a rotated team that played in the match. By the second half though, Bristol City had made many shots. By the end of the match Bristol City made 20 shots to Cardiff’s 9. Cardiff won that match due to their defence and Goal Keeper. Joe Lewis has yet to concede a goal in 1060 minutes. Now with most of the first team rested Cardiff can prepare to face Everton.
nPower Football League Championship Team of the Week ending 4/12/2012
18. Filip Kiss (M R), 30. Craig Noone (M L) and 10. Joe Mason (ST)
Capital One Cup Quarter Final 04/12/2012
Well surprisingly the odds are on Cardiff’s side, with the Bluebirds going in as 6-4 favourites. This would be due to Everton’s poor performances in the Premier League and probably taking into consideration Joe Lewis’s hot form. Moyes was already spotted in the media citing Nicky Maynard as the chief threat in this match. He is right to be concerned as Maynard is fresh and rested as he did not participate in the last match
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Everton 0 - 2 Cardiff
Goodison Park; Att: 30,543
Nicky Maynard (3)
Rob Earnshaw (24)
Joe Lewis CS (11 in a row)
Man of Match: Mark Hudson
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Wow, although Cardiff had the odds to win the match, considering Everton’s poor form as of late, Matthias did not expect such an easy win. Cardiff got two quick goals before half time and afterwards made plenty of shots on goal but weren’t able to convert any more. After the 55
th minutes Matthias decided to play a defensive strategy to ensure Cardiff win the match, which placed a lot of pressure on Everton and stopped them entering the box on a number of occasions. Although Everton had possession of the ball 54% of the time Cardiff created far more opportunities when they had the ball, kicking 17 shots, with 6 of them on target. And for the record, Joe Lewis now has now played 1150 consecutive minutes of football since conceding a goal. Personally this is a record for me.
Capital One Cup Quarter Final Results
Well this is perhaps the first instance this has occurred in football history but the Semi Final will include 1 Premier League Team (Stoke), 2 Championship teams (Hull and Cardiff) and a League 1 side (Sheffield Utd)
(BPL) Tottenham Hotspur 0 – 0p Stoke (BPL)
(CH) Hull 2 – 0 Manchester City (BPL)
(L1) Sheffield United 4e – 2 Manchester United
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Capital One Cup Semi Final Draw
(L1) Sheffield Utd vs. Cardiff (CH)
(CH) Hull vs. Stoke (BPL)
The first leg of the semi final will take place at Bramall Lane.
nPower Football League Championship 8/12/2012
Cardiff 0 - 0 Brighton
Cardiff City Stadium; Att: 26,331
Joe Lewis CS (12 in row)
Man of Match: Mark Hudson
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Well Cardiff were slightly off after their victory against Everton whist 3
rd place Brighton tried to do their darndest to not lose after losing to second place Hull last week. The stats show that Cardiff and Brighton were equal in possession, however Cardiff created more opportunities out of their possession kicking 12 shots at goal to Brighton’s 1. It was unfortunate that Cardiff were not able to convert one of those shots into a goal. Joe Lewis has now not conceded a goal in over 1240 minutes of match play.
NEW nPower Football League Championship RECORD SET
Most consecutive games without conceding a goal: Cardiff, 10 as from 23/10/2012
nPower Football League Championship 12/12/2012
Wolves 0 - 1 Cardiff
Molineux; Att: 20,180
Don Cowie (61)
Joe Lewis CS (13 in a row)
Andrew Taylor (5th yellow card)
Man of Match: Roger Johnson (Wolves)
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Cardiff were pretty lucky to win away at Molineux. The Wolves matched the Bluebirds in almost every way, both teams making 12 shots for goal, both looked like they had steady control of the flow of the game. This was truly a spectacle of a match and may be crowned match of the season if nothing else matches it. Although both teams looked to be even Cardiff had possession 57% of the match, which is kind of odd as it felt both teams were level pegging throughout the whole match. Joe Lewis has now attained his 13th consecutive Cleansheet (11th consecutive League CS), clocking up 1330 minutes since the last time he has conceded a goal.
nPower Football League Championship 17/12/2012
Cardiff 3 - 0 Leeds
Cardiff City Stadium; Att: 26,765
Nicky Maynard (42, 53)
Craig Bellamy (78)
Joe Lewis CS (14 in a row)
Aron Gunnarsson (2 yellow cards)
Man of Match: Nicky Maynard
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This was quite the ordinary match. Although Cardiff had possession of the ball 56% of the time not many opportunities were made, Cardiff only make 10 shots. Nicky Maynard is back to playing hot football though, kicking 2 goals and missing another 2 times. Unfortunately Vice-Captain Aron Gunnarsson received 2 yellow cards and was sent off 1 minute after kick off in the second half. However the match was fairly even as Leeds also had a play sent off in the second half. Craig Bellamy also received a ligament injury after scoring his goal. It has been predicted that he will be out for about 6 – 8 weeks. Matthias is not looking forward to the next match, having to dig further into the Reserve roster and possibly even a U18 player to fill up the subs. Fortunately for Cardiff, Bolton are not much competition in the Championship.
It has now been 1420 minutes of match time since Joe Lewis has conceded a goal.
nPower Football League Championship Team of the Week ending 18/12/2012
5. Ben Turner (D L)
nPower Football League Championship 22/12/2012
Bolton 0 - 1 Cardiff
Reebok Stadium; Att: 19,884
Rob Earnshaw (8)
Joe Lewis CS (15 in a row)
Man of Match: Matthew Connolly
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This is not one of Cardiff’s best games. Despite the fact that Cardiff won as the news headlines indicate in the South Wales Echo, Cardiff were fortunate to beat Bolton. Bolton had more possession of the ball and made more shots. After half time Cardiff’s players getting tired, therefore Matthias got them to play defensively and made Kim Bo-Kyung play as a Defensive Midfielder.
Joe Lewis Report: It has now been 1510 minutes since the last time Joe Lewis has conceded a goal.
nPower Football League Championship 26/12/2012
Cardiff 3 - 0 Middlesbrough
Cardiff City Stadium; Att: 22,835
Nicky Mayard (25, 51)
Mark Hudson (38)
Joe Lewis CS (16 in a row)
Man of Match: Nicky Maynard
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A good match at home against Middlesbrough. The Boro had possession of the ball 56% of the match, Matthias is starting to see a pattern of Cardiff not retaining possession of the ball as much as their opposition, however due to the defensive class act of Cardiff, the Boro were not able to score another goal, extending Joe Lewis’s time since conceding a goal to 1600 minutes. Nicky Maynard was accurate in front of goal scoring 2 goals and Mark Hudson managed to score a goal off a corner kick.
nPower Football League Championship 29/12/2012
Cardiff 4 - 0 Ipswich
Cardiff City Stadium; Att: 26,409
Joe Mason (7)
Mark Hudson (34)
Andrew Taylor (53)
Peter Whittingham (70)
Joe Lewis CS (17 in a row)
Man of Match: Peter Whittingham
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Cardiff outplayed and outgunned Ipswich. According to Matthias Cardiff had the ball for a sheer majority of the match and created many opportunities with the possession, making 21 shots unlike Ipswich with their dismal 1. Defenders Mark Hudson and Andrew Taylor scored a goal each from corners whilst Peter Whittingham dominated the game with his possession and passing skills, he too managed to bag a goal. Matthias Schmidt was quoted saying the following; “Ipswich were lucky to lose only by 4”. Meanwhile Joe Lewis picked up his 17
th consecutive clean sheet, being 1690 minutes since the last time Joe Lewis has conceded a goal.
nPower Football League Championship Team of the Week ending 1/01/2013
3. Andrew Taylor (D C), 2. Mark Hudson (D C) and 4. Liam O’Neil (D R)
End of the Month and Mid-Season Report
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The month ends with still 2 teams remaining undefeated thus far. Championship commentators as well as Cardiff fans are heaping praise on Cardiff but are wondering when Cardiff’s undefeated run will end. Cardiff pass mid-season with 21 wins, 5 draws and 26 games undefeated. They are however 4 points ahead of Hull who have 2 less wins then Cardiff. The month has been great for Cardiff, with the team performing very well in all matches, including in the 0-0 draw against Brighton, although Matthias would’ve rather that Cardiff scored in that game.
One thing Matthias can look back on looking back on the past 26 Championship games and 5 Capital One Cup games is that he was able to rely on rotation squad players when required of, and in fact a special mention goes to Craig Noone who originally played in the reserve squad at the start of the season, who now gets a regular call up to the first team. In saying that Cardiff has faced a lot of injuries especially Joe Mason who has been injured 3 times for a total of 10 weeks. Thankfully reserve lsted Rob Earnshaw and senior player Heidar Helguson have been not only able to fill in the gap but score quite a few more goals, in Earnshaw’s case more goals then Joe Mason himself, the person he is supposed to be acting in place for. With that said Matthias is pondering taking part in the next transfer window which is open between the 1/01/2013 to 31/01/2013. He is also pondering whether or not to sell Joe Mason at the end of the season?
Player Contract Status
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The following contracts are set to expire in the next 6 months (31/05/2013)
Kevin McNaughton (D C) Wage: $10,000 p/w Value: $1.4 M
Rob Earnshaw (ST) Wage: $15,250 p/w Value: $375k
Elliott Parish (GK) Wage: $1,500 p/w Value: $140k
Heidar Helguson (ST) Wage: $15,250 p/w Value: $140k
Stephen McPhail (MC) Wage: $9,250 p/w Value: $100k
Jesse Darko (ST) Wage: $750 p/w Value: $22k
Ibrahim Mansaray (DM/M/AM C) Wage: $375 p/w Value: $16k
Dane Griffiths (ST) Wage: $85 p/w Value: $6k
Luke Coulson (D R) Wage: $450 p/w Value: $6k
Dave Richards (GK) Wage: $85 p/w Value: $4.5k
Youth Players
Declan John (D LC) Wage: $85 p/w Value: $45k
Jaye Bowen (AM/ST RC) Wage: $85 p/w Value: $35k
Josh Yorwerth (D C) Wage: $85 p/w Value: $24k
Kane Owen (D L) Wage: $85 p/w Value: $14k
Gethyn Hill (ST) Wage: $85 p/w Value: $14k
Ronnie Hawkins (DM/M LC) Wage: $425 p/w Value: $10k
Rhys James (ST) Wage: $85 p/w Value: $7k
Bradley Williams (D/DM/M C) Wage: $85 p/w Value: $7k
Liam Matthews (GK) Wage: $85 p/w Value: $4.5k
Red = Manager will let go when contract lapses
Red * = Player has no desire to stay at club
Green = Are in negotiations
Orange = Negotiations fell through, will negotiate at a later date
Black = Will negotiate at a later date
Unfortunately talks fell through when negotiating with Rob Earnshaw and Kevin McNaughton. Although Rob is an old player I myself like his style of play and Matthias likes Rob as a Manager because he feels he is a great rotational substitute and was great for filling the gap when Joe Mason has been injured. Unfortunately Matthias felt he asked for too much and kept pushing for a lower deal eventually Rob's agent stormed out. As for Kevin McNaughton for the Matthias did not have much of a connection, just felt there was a need to keep him in the team as a rotational defender. Unfortunately he asked to be paid $29,000 p/w, something Matthias felt was too much for someone of his age (30) as well as the skills he brings to the team. Matthias is thinking of giving McNaughton a lucrative deal and selling him to an interested party as McNaughton does have a few suitors whom have been scouting him, especially QPR.
Staff Contract Status
There are currently 15 backroom staff members whom have their contracts expire on 30 June 2013, including Matthias’s contract as Manager.
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Manager Matthias Schmidt $9,750 p/w
Reserves Manager Kevin Cooper $1,800 p/w
Goalkeeping Coach James Hollman $1,500 p/w
Chief Scout Iain Moody $1,500 p/w
Head Physio Adam Rattenberry $525 p/w
Scout Martin Hodge $1,100 p/w
Scout Mark Stow $1,100 p/w
*Scout Adam Atteo $600 p/w
Physio Sean Connelly $1,400 p/w
Under 18s Coach Lee Skyrme $925 p/w
Under 18s Coach Jason Fowler $925 p/w
Under 18s Coach Danny Thomas $1,000 p/w
Under 18s Coach Geraint Twose $925 p/w
Under 18s Coach Mark Neville $600 p/w
Under 18s Physio Neil Lewis $750 p/w
Red = Manager will let go when contract lapses
Red * = Staff member has no desire to stay at club
Green = Are in negotiations
Orange = Negotiations fell through, will negotiate at a later date
Black = Will negotiate at a later date
As a note, there are quite a lot of under 18s staff, may seem excessive however Cardiff has a very strong youth academy and training up players from within seems to be a mantra Chairman Ghee brought to the team after buying them out a few years ago. Although it is a lot of staff it seems to be paying off as I have used at least 3 players from the under 18s squad to back fill when rotation players were injured and they did okay and the Cardiff under 18s team is coming second in their group. With that said the limit for coaches has been breached (The game had Cardiff with 7 coaches when the Chair set a limit of 4). Matthias is hoping with good performances and gaining promotion into the Premier League the Chairman may raise the limit, therefore ensuring Cardiff can sign on the under 18 coaches.
Injury list
Craig Bellamy, Strained Ankle ligaments 6 weeks – 2 months
Simon Lappin, Torn Hamstring 5 - 8 weeks
Returning to the squad in January
Filip Kiss
Craig Conway
Board Confidence Update
The Board are very pleased with Matthias’s overall leadership of Cardiff. It has been underlined by the fans delight at Cardiff’s convincing 3 – 0 Championship victory over Leeds Utd. The club is currently in a financially secure position overall and made a profit of $1,680,000. The board were that happy with Matthias that they decided to give him the option to change his goal objectives. Although the option was tempting to change, Matthias felt that Hull posed a serious threat to Cardiff and wouldn't want to be caught with his proverbial pants down if Hull Wins the Championship.
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Budget outlook;
Turnover
Monthly Turnover: $6.34 M
November 2012: $4.29 M
Main Income: TV Revenue $3.75 M
Expenses
Monthly Expenditure: $4.66 M
November 2012: $3.76 M
Main Expenditure: Player Wages $1.98 M
End of month Balance: $13,974,154
nPower Football League Championship Ladder
Cardiff and Hull have been undefeated in December, Cardiff lead Hull by 4 points due to having 2 more wins then Hull. Blackburn are the big jumpers for the month jumping from 12
th to 7
th on the ladder over the month of December whilst in a reverse of form, the Wolves were the big dipper dropping from 7
th to 14
th on the ladder.
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nPower Football League Championship Manager of the Month
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Steve Bruce (Hull) - 7 wins 1 draw
Matthias Schmidt (Cardiff) - 6 wins 1 draw
Nigel Clough (Derby) – 5 wins 2 draws
nPower Football League Championship Player of the Month
In my opinion I am surprised David Nugent did not get a higher avg player rating, getting 6 goals in 7 games is an achievement on it’s own.
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Jason Shackell (Burnley) – 7.91, 7 app
Mark Hudson (Cardiff) – 7.76, 7 app, 2 goals
David Nugent (Leicester) – 7.70, 7 app, 6 goals
nPower Football League Championship Young Player of the Month
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Nathan Delfouneso (Blackpool) – 7.50, 7 app, 5 goals
Liam O’Neil (Cardiff) – 7.39, 7 app
Aiden White (Leeds) – 7.27, 7 app and 2 goals
Team Player of the month
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1. Joe Lewis (GK) – 8 Cleansheets, 22 saves – avg rating 7.16
Once again Joe Lewis earns Cardiff player of the month award, especially for his performance against Everton, saving 6 shots. He has yet to concede a goal in over 1690 minutes of match play.
Next Report: Wide World of Football News Update