Things Get Worse

Changes?
By Chris O'Brien
September 19 2004

It's all gone pear shaped at Ninian Park. The Bluebirds sit 23rd in the Football League Championship and seen inept of ideas. Could Lennie Lawrence be set for the axe following a fourth straight home defeat on Saturday?

With only one win this season, City’s performances have been poor. A woeful pre-season has been followed by Lennie Lawrence’s side taking 5 points from the opening 9 Championship games and improvements cannot be seen. Pressure is mounting on the City manager, and he could well get the axe before next Saturday’s visit to Molineux.

The arrival of Sam Hammam to the Welsh capital in 2000 has seen unbelievable amounts of hype. However, not all promises have been fulfilled and some problems under the surface, such as crippling financial debts, could be starting to take their toll on the team.

It is a fact that the club is over £20million in debt despite the £3million departure of Robert Earnshaw. This figure is increasing with a mammoth wage bill, and decreasing attendances doesn’t help as the novelty of English second flight football starts to dwindle. The 10,606 who watched Watford hammer City 3-0 was the lowest Football League crowd at Ninian Park for 30 months.

Two promotions since Hammam’s arrival is an impressive feat, but there are few clubs who couldn’t have achieved the same if not better with the ridiculous amounts of money that have gone into transfers and player wages. The Lebanese businessman has signed cheques to the value of nearly £10million to sign new recruits in the past four years.

Looking at the City squad, it is surely not relegation material. However, players are underachieving and seem to lack a leader – both Lawrence and Kavanagh have suffered serious scrutiny this season. Changes are evidently needed and this could start with a new man in the boss seat with the majority of fans calling for the head of the Cardiff manager.

It is important City fans keep the faith. Football is a roller coaster ride and the Bluebirds, in my opinion, will bounce back from this start and achieve a respectable league finish. The money from the Earnshaw sale still sits in the bank, but three new players are expected soon despite the financial problems at Ninian Park.

Realism is not a word often heard in Hammam’s vocabulary, but a serious dose of it is currently needed at the club. Talks of a new stadium, Premiership and European football are all nice for the back page of the Echo, but they do not look at the real issues ongoing at Cardiff City. Looking at things as they are, staying up must be the main aim with consolidation the name of the game once again. Displays on and off the pitch so far have constituted a club heading for the drop.

Supporters have been lied to and nothing can be taken for granted anymore. We were promised Earnshaw wouldn’t be sold to anybody but Britain’s elite – but with respect to West Brom they hardly fall into this particular category. Meanwhile, debts continue to rise and the farce of the new ground is am embarrassment.

It’s time to keep things real, but keep the faith. Roll on Wolverhampton…