Return of the Bluebirds: A Cardiff City AFC Dynasty

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Return of the Bluebirds:
A Cardiff City AFC Dynasty


15 minute halves - Slow - No simming
Sliders: Matt10's: http://www.operationsports.com/forum...4-sliders.html

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Re: Return of the Bluebirds: A Cardiff City AFC Dynasty

Breaking News: Tan Out!

In a shock move that will please many vocal fans, Vincent Tan has tonight announced the sale of Cardiff City FC to an American business consortium. Tan refused to answer questions from the press, choosing instead to release an official statement in which he labeled his ownership of the club and relationship with the Cardiff supporters as "untenable," and cited a desire to spend more time with his family and vast fortunes.

The new owners have vowed to return the club to the traditions of Cardiff City AFC, including changing the club's colors back to blue.

"We do this to honor the history of this great club," the new owners said in a statement issued soon after the announcement, "not to distance the club from the proud heritage of Wales. We will keep the red kits Mr. Tan introduced, but use them as an alternate third kit, after the club's traditional blue home kits and yellow change."

The new owners wasted no time in naming a new manager, choosing a little-known American coach named Thomas Shepherd.

"It is truly an honor," Shepherd said in his introductory press conference. "I will do my best to keep this team up as we face the challenges of our inaugural season in the Premier League. But I want to be clear: my goal, and the goal of the board, is to build a club, not just a team. This will take time, so I urge patience from the fans and the media."

As his first act as manager, Shepherd has announced the hiring of the Russian Mikhail Govorov (3*/4*) as the club's lead scout. Mr. Govorov will be scouring England over the next six months, trying to find the best young English talent willing to come train in Wales.

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Re: Return of the Bluebirds: A Cardiff City AFC Dynasty

Cardiff City: Return of the Bluebirds
Season Preview: 2013/14

Season Objective: Avoid Relegation
Cup Objective: Round of 16
Predicted Finish: 17

Budget: £5,500,000*
Available Wages: £40,000


* £2,975,000 of the initial budget was spent on the 3*/4* scout, Mikhail Govorov.

[djc7677]

Re: Return of the Bluebirds: A Cardiff City AFC Dynasty

Cardiff City Announces Lescott Signing, Two Other Moves

In the first significant transfer of the Shepherd era, Cardiff City today have announced the signing of England international defender Joleon Lescott, 30, from Manchester City. The £1,500,000 deal sees defender Juan Cala head in the opposite direction.

When asked why he would trade a promising younger defender for one heading toward the end of his career, the Cardiff manager had a ready answer.

"Experience," Shepherd said. "We've got a number of young defenders in Caulker, Theophile-Catherine, Fabio, and several promising boys like Declan John, Ben Nugent. I wanted to bring in an experienced central defender who could help guide the back four. Joleon's a champion. He's been in this league for many years. I'm thrilled we could get a player of his class and expertise."

In the same press conference, Shepherd announced one of those promising young defenders, the Uruguayan Maximiliano Amondarain, 20, will join Barnsley on a season-long loan to gain more experience in English football.

Finally, Shepherd announced the acquisition of Spanish goalkeeper Ruben Blanco, 17, from Celta Vigo in a swap for 'keeper Joe Lewis.

"We wish Joe all the best," Shepherd said. "He's done well by us. Ruben offers some amazing skill for such a young keeper, and we're very excited to watch him develop over the coming years. This season, he will be the primary understudy to David Marshall."

When asked about rumors linking Cardiff to former youth academy player Adam Matthews, Shepherd admitted they had made approaches to Celtic. "Adam's a great player. We made contact to see if there was any chance we could convince him to come back to Cardiff. His club rate him highly, as they should, so there was no way we could afford his price."

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Preseason Wrap-Up

2013 Preseason Friendly Wrap-Up

Cardiff City 4 - 0 Catania
Medel 23', Mutch 29', Bellamy 45', Noone 83'

A great debut for the new manager. "We played well," Shepherd said afterward, "showed really class out there, not only in attack, but also in defense. Give the players all the credit, they made the most of every opportunity they were given.

Monaco 2 - 1 Cardiff City
Rodriguez 19', 84'
Daehli 62'

Despite the loss away to Monaco, new manager Shepherd remained upbeat about the performance of his players, particularly since he made 11 changes to the lineup that beat Catania. "No one likes to lose, even in a friendly," Shepherd said. "But I thought we played well, particularly some of the younger guys. There are no moral victories in football, but to keep a player of Falcao's quality from scoring on you is no small feat.”

Cardiff City 1 - 1 Evian
Bellamy 66’
Blanc 74’

Cardiff City finish the preseason friendlies with a 1-1-1 record after a 1-1 draw at home to Evian. Shepherd fielded a Cardiff side full of under-21s and players more likely to find the bench than the pitch this season, though it was substitute Craig Bellamy who finally broke the deadlock. Newly signed ‘keeper Ruben Blanco let in his third goal in two matches, but Shepherd was generally pleased with his team’s performance, saying the preseason friendlies have “set the tone” for the coming season and shown the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

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Matchday 1

Bluebirds Fight Back for 1-1 Draw at West Ham


Man of the Match: Gary Medel

Cardiff City looked destined to lose the new regime's first match after Andy Carroll put West Ham United in front after 15 minutes until Gary Medel's stoppage time equalizer earned the Bluebirds a point.

In the fifteenth minute, Carrol brought down a long lob pass and left new signing Joleon Lescott rooted to his spot, dribbling around the former Manchester City man before slotting the ball into the bottom corner past the Cardiff goalkeeper.

From there, West Ham were able to park the bus and frustrate the Cardiff attack. Cardiff dominated possession but could find no space in the middle of the pitch, particularly in front of goal. This seemed to please West Ham, who continually drew Cardiff in, regained possession, and bombed it downfield to Carroll.

"Route 1 football is frustrating to face," Cardiff manager Thomas Shepherd conceded afterward. "It's hard to defend, particularly against a talented poacher like Andy Carroll."

Cardiff were able to repel West Ham's many counterattacks, but could find no purchase in the final third. They managed 12 shots, but merely 2 on target, before Medel brought the traveling support to their feet in stoppage time.

Craig Noone found some space down the right flank before wrong-footing his defender and cutting inside. He slotted a pass to Medel who stood at the edge of the penalty area. Medel took two dribbles to his left before unleashing a vicious strike with his weaker foot which beat the diving Adrian.

"Give the lads all the credit," Shepherd said in his post-match interview. "They never gave up, never quit, kept pushing, kept willing something to happen. To pick up a point here is huge."

Up next in Shepherd's home debut is a visit from high-powered Manchester City.

Aug 17, 2013 - West Ham United vs Cardiff City
TEAM	1	2	SCORE
West Ham United (0-0-0)	1	0	1
Cardiff City (0-0-0)	0	1	1

Team Stats Comparison
West Ham United		Cardiff City
1	Goals	1
9	Shots	13
2	Shots on Target	3
45	Tackles	55
2	Fouls	2
0	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
0	Injuries	0
22	Shot Accuracy	23
85	Passing Percentage	82

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Matchday 2

Negredo the Hero, Lescott the Goat as City Rout Cardiff



Man of the Match Alvaro Negredo

Alvaro Negredo scored the first hat trick of his Manchester City career, while Joleon Lescott contributed an embarrassing own goal as his former employers routed Cardiff City 2-5.

Negredo opened the scoring on 12 minutes when he put his head to a James Milner cross and found the corner of the net. David Silva doubled the visitors' lead nine minutes later with a beautiful display of close dribbling, turning two Cardiff defenders inside out before nutmegging a third and placing a finesse shot into the bottom of the goal.

Cardiff seemed to have regained some momentum as Frazier Campbell equalized with goals on either side of halftime. City seemed stunned by the equalizer in the 55th minute, and the Cardiff fans shook the stadium, but their joy was very short lived as a minute later Lescott scored a goal for his former employers. Silva tried to pick out a ground cross in front of goal, but Lescott got a foot to it. The ball came off the newly Cardiff signing and straight past his 'keeper and into the net.

Cardiff's hopes were obviously crushed, and from there Manchester City never looked back. Negredo completed his debut hat trick with goals in the 77th and 90th minute, and Manchester City earned an entirely deserved three points.

All was not well for the Citizens, however, as Yaya Toure went down in the second half with what is being called a broken elbow. Initial reports indicate City will be without their midfield engine for two months.

Cardiff manager Thomas Shepherd was obviously disappointed with the result. "Losing is the worst feeling, but it's even worse when you lose in front of the home crowd. And to lose by three goals? I thought the result was a little harsh, given how well we were able to hang with them for the first 60 minutes, especially when you compare the size of the two squads’ bank accounts."

Aug 25, 2013 - Cardiff City vs Manchester City
TEAM	1	2	SCORE
Cardiff City (0-1-1)	1	1	2
Manchester City (2-0-0)	2	3	5

Team Stats Comparison
Cardiff City		Manchester City
2	Goals	5
7	Shots	15
4	Shots on Target	12
73	Tackles	28
4	Fouls	1
	Yellow Cards
	Red Cards
0	Injuries	1
57	Shot Accuracy	80
79	Passing Percentage	92

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Summer Transfer Window

Cardiff Makes Several Moves Before Transfer Window Closes


New Signing Callum Chambers

Cardiff City have made several moves before the close of the Summer Transfer Window, though none of the moves were exactly blockbusters.

The only signing on deadline day was that of 18-year-old England international Calum Chambers from Southampton for £1 million. The move for the young right back also sees 25-year-old Matthew Connolly head to the Saints.

"Calum's a talented boy," Thomas Shepherd said. "We're really excited for the potential he brings to the club, but also for the quality he brings to the team right now. We expect him to step in and immediately compete with Kevin Theophile-Catherine and Kevin McNaughton for playing time at right back."

Two of Cardiff's veteran players made moves away in search of more reliable playing time than they were likely to get under the new manager. Defensive back Simon Lappin (30) joined Charlton Athletic for £60,000, while midfielder Tommy Smith (33) sealed a move to Nottingham Forrest for a reported £130,000.

"We wish Simon and Tommy all the best," Shepherd said. "They played important roles in getting this club to the Premier League. Ultimately, though, they wanted - and rightly deserved - larger roles in the club than we were going to be able to guarantee with the level of competition for spots in our starting XI. They chose to move on, and we respect that."

In addition, two youngsters were sent out on loan to gain more experience. Midfielder Kadeem Harris (20) has joined Walsall, while defender Luke Coulson (19) has been sent to Kilmarnock, both until the end of the season.

Here is a roundup of the moves Cardiff City made during the summer transfer window:

IN:
GK Ruben Blanco, Celta Vigo, swap for GK Joe Lewis
CB Jolen Lescott, Man City, £1.5 mil + CB Juan Cala
RB Callum Chambers, Southampton, £1 mil + RB Connolly

OUT:
CB Amondarain, Barnsley, season loan
LB Lappin, Charlton Athletic, £60k
LM Harris, Walsall, season loan
RM Smith, Nottingham Forrest, £130k
RB Coulson, Kilmarnock, season loan


And here's a look at some of the most expensive transfers from around world football this August:

Robert Lewandowski to Real Madrid, £34 million
Thiago Silva to Juventus, £27 million
Mario Mandzukic to Roma, £15 million
Kevin Mirallas to Fulham, £15 million
Giorgio Chiellini to Manchester City, £14.5 million
Javier Mascherano to Manchester City, £13.5 million
Ezequiel Garay to Manchester United, £12 million
Edin Dzeko to Arsenal, £12 million

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2013/14 Squad List

Cardiff City AFC 2013-14 Squad List
Players in italics are out on loan
* Denotes player is loaned in


Goalkeepers

1 David Marshall, 28, 75 ovr (Scotland)
33 Simon Moore, 23, 63 ovr (England)
37 Ruben Blanco, 17, 65 ovr (Spain)

Defenders

3 Andrew Taylor, 26, 66 ovr (England)
4 Steven Caulker, 21, 75 ovr (England)
5 Mark Hudson, 31, 69 ovr (England)
6 Ben Turner, 24, 68 ovr (England)
12 John Brayford, 25, 68 ovr (England)
22 Calum Chambers, 18, 69 ovr (England)
25 Kevin McNaughton, 30, 69 ovr (Scotland)
28 Kevin Theophile-Catherine, 23, 72 ovr (France)
30 Maximiliano Amondarain, 20, 59 ovr (Uruguay)
31 Ben Nugent, 19, 61 ovr (England)
35 Fabio, 22, 72 ovr (Brazil)
38 Joleon Lescott, 30, 79 ovr (England)
42 Declan John, 18, 63 ovr (Wales)
50 Luke Coulson, 19, 54 ovr (England)

Midfielders

7 Peter Wittingham, 28, 72 ovr (England)
8 Gary Medel, 25, 76 ovr (Chile)
13 Bo Kyung Kim, 23, 71 ovr (Korea Republic)
15 Magnus Wolff Eikrem, 22, 71 ovr (Norway)
16 Craig Noone, 25, 72 ovr (England)
17 Aron Gunnarsson, 24, 68 ovr (Iceland)
18 Jordan Mutch, 21, 72 ovr (England)
19 Don Cowie, 30, 68 ovr (Scotland)
21 Joe Ralls, 19, 63 ovr (England)
26 Filip Kiss, 22, 63 ovr (Slovakia)
29 Mats Moller Daehli, 18, 67 ovr (Norway)
34 Jo Inge Berget, 22, 71 ovr (Norway)
*36 Wiflried Zaha, 20, 72 ovr (England)*
39 Craig Bellamy, 33, 73 ovr (Wales)
40 Kadeem Harris, 20, 57 ovr (England)

Forwards

9 Kenwyne Jones, 28, 73 ovr (Trinidad & Tobago)
10 Fraizer Campbell, 25, 72 ovr (England)
20 Joe Mason, 22, 66 ovr (Republic of Ireland)
23 Nicky Maynard, 26, 71 ovr (England)
27 Etien Velikonja, 24, 63 ovr (Slovenia)
46 Rhys Healey, 18, 58 ovr (Wales)

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Re: Return of the Bluebirds: A Cardiff City AFC Dynasty

Looks awesome so far! Keep it up

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Re: Return of the Bluebirds: A Cardiff City AFC Dynasty

Looks awesome so far! Keep it up

Thanks! I really appreciate that. Let me know if you have any suggestions or requests for something else you'd like to see.

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Capital One Cup

Controversial Late Goal Sees Tranmere Past Cardiff in League Cup



Matchwinner Ryan Lowe

A controversial late goal gave the home side an upset victory as Tranmere Rovers advanced in the Capital One Cup at the expense of the heavily-favored Cardiff City.

The match remained deadlocked in the 84th minute, despite Cardiff maintaining 55% of possession throughout the match and taking many more shots than their hosts, though they could do no better than to find the woodwork or force saves from Tranmere 'keeper Owain Fon Williams. The match seemed destined for extra time until Cardiff 'keeper Ruben Blanco went to collect a lobbed through ball. He had the ball in his hands and was bringing it into his chest when Tranmere forward Ryan Lowe crashed into the Spanish teenager, forcing him to drop the ball, which rolled across the goal line. Neither the referee nor his assistant signaled a foul and the goal stood, despite vocal protests from the irate Cardiff manager.

"Absolutely it was a foul," a visibly livid Thomas Shepherd said after the match. "Not a single shiver of a doubt in my mind. Ruben's collecting the ball, bent over to scoop it up, and the other player slams into him like this is ice hockey. That's a foul absolutely anywhere on the pitch, and it should have been a booking when you do it to a 'keeper in a prone position like that. Ruben's lucky it didn't kill him, just ask Petr Cech. I thought there were rules protecting the 'keeper, but I guess these officials never heard of those rules. If they can't get basic, obvious calls like that right, the FA should question their ability to officiate competitive matches on any level. That's my thoughts on the matter, and the FA can fine me if they want, but this result's down to shoddy officiating and nothing more."

No word yet from the Football Association about further actions against Shepherd or the match officials, but sources within the FA make it clear a heavy fine is likely to be handed down to the American manager.

In the remaining minutes, Cardiff threw everything they had at Tranmere but could not find the equalizer. Kenwyne Jones and Jordan Mutch were both unfortunate to rattle the woodwork, while Wilfried Zaha forced Williams into an acrobatic save in stoppage time.

While unfortunate to be eliminated from the League Cup against the run of play, and especially under such controversial circumstances, Shepherd should in some ways be thankful that the Cardiff supporters have match officials to direct their ire against because it deflects attention away from what has been a disastrous start to Cardiff's return to the top flight. Under different circumstances, Shepherd would be under much more scrutiny after losing to such heavy underdogs, particularly after seeming to take the match for granted in selecting a side full of under-21s and over-30s.

The immediate future does not look terribly brighter for the Welsh side as they face Hull City, Everton, and Tottenham in the space of seven days, which should prove a test of the team's depth and fitness, neither of which looks particularly promising this season.

Sep 3, - Tranmere Rovers vs Cardiff City
TEAM	1	2	SCORE
Tranmere Rovers ()	0	1	1
Cardiff City ()	0	0	0

Team Stats Comparison
Tranmere Rovers		Cardiff City
1	Goals	0
9	Shots	15
2	Shots on Target	6
19	Tackles	51
3	Fouls	1
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
0	Injuries	0
22	Shot Accuracy	40
77	Passing Percentage	78

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Re: Return of the Bluebirds: A Cardiff City AFC Dynasty

Cardiff Battle Back for Draw Against Last-Place Hull



Man of the Match: Jordon Mutch

In an early season six-pointer between two bottom clubs, neither Hull City nor Cardiff City could secure a victory, keeping both firmly in the relegation race.

Hull City shook off two early injuries to go 2-0 up with goals on either side of halftime, but Cardiff were able to rally from behind to level the scores.

[Sorry this is a really short write-up; for some reason I didn't record anything but the box score in my notes, and I played it a few days ago, so I can't remember who scored.]

Sep 15, 2013 - Hull City vs Cardiff City
TEAM	1	2	SCORE
Hull City (0-1-3)	1	1	2
Cardiff City (0-2-2)	0	2	2

Team Stats Comparison
Hull City		Cardiff City
2	Goals	2
6	Shots	20
2	Shots on Target	10
47	Possession	53
3	Fouls	1
2	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
2	Injuries	0
33%	Shot Accuracy	50%
	Passing Percentage

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Re: Return of the Bluebirds: A Cardiff City AFC Dynasty

Cardiff Squander Early Lead Against Everton



Man of the Match: Phil Jagielka

Cardiff City got off to an early lead against Everton when Joleon Lescott lost his marker and scored on a free header in the twelfth minute. The Cardiff fans seemed eager to see their side claim the first victory in their inaugural BPL campaign, but their joy, and the lead, would be short lived.

On 33 minutes, Steven Naismith dribbled past Steven Caulker and found the corner of the net. The two sides would carry the level score into the dressing rooms at halftime.

But within minutes of the second half whistle, Gareth Barry put Everton in the lead after dribbling past several defenders with moves that would have seemed more appropriate from Lionel Messi than they were from the former Aston Villa man.

Twenty minutes later, Leon Osman doubled the visitors' lead, and Cardiff manager Thomas Shepherd cut a forlorn figure on the sidelines. Kenwyne Jones was able to pull one back in stoppage time, but the match was long since decided by that point.

"Not good enough," Shepherd said after the match. "We simply aren't doing enough out there. That's on me. Back to the drawing board."

The manager does not have long to make any tactical changes, however, as Cardiff host Tottenham Hotspur in two day's time.

Sep 18, 2013 - Cardiff City vs Everton
TEAM	1	2	SCORE
Cardiff City (0-2-2)	1	1	2
Everton (2-0-2)	1	2	3

Team Stats Comparison
Cardiff City		Everton
2	Goals	3
14	Shots	6
7	Shots on Target	5
47	Possession	53
2	Fouls	2
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
0	Injuries	2
50%	Shot Accuracy	83%
77%	Passing Percentage	94%

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Matchday 5

Cardiff Records First BPL Win



Fraizer Campbell celebrates the match winner

On a soggy day in South Wales, nothing could dampen the mood in the Cardiff City locker room - or in the pubs - following the Bluebirds' first win in the Premier League.

Cardiff looked destined to record another draw as they could not seem to find any purchase against Tottenham Hotspur. Though they maintained a majority of possession and took 10 shots before the winner, they managed just 3 shots on goal. Fraizer Campbell changed all of this on the 83rd minute when he chased down a beautiful through ball from Magnus Wolff Eikrem and beat Hugo Lloris at the near post.

Spurs seemed frustrated by Cardiff's defensive tactics throughout the match, finding space to take only 3 shots in the 90 minutes, though all 3 forced saves from David Marshall, who was up for the challenge.

"It feels great," the Cardiff manager said following the match. "Mostly I feel happy for the guys. They work so hard every day, and I know it's been frustrating to come away with so few points. I'm going to let them enjoy this now, but tomorrow it's back to work. One win won't see us through."

After the match, Cardiff officials announced they have reached a contract extension with club leader Craig Bellamy, which will keep the 34-year-old at the Cardiff City Stadium until the end of the 2014-15 season.

Sep 21, 2013 - Cardiff City vs Tottenham Hotspur
TEAM	1	2	SCORE
Cardiff City (1-2-2)	0	1	1
Tottenham Hotspur (2-1-2)	0	0	0

Team Stats Comparison
Cardiff City		Tottenham Hotspur
1	Goals	0
11	Shots	3
4	Shots on Target	3
52	Possession	48
2	Fouls	1
0	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
0	Injuries	0
36%	Shot Accuracy	100%
80%	Passing Percentage	87%