MATCHWATCH : Cardiff City (a)

[leon]

The table doesn't lie by October,

Couldn't find the exact match but here's an early October table from last season.
It's definitely not telling the whole truth at this stage.

17 - Rotherham (13)
18 - Bristol R (22)
19 - Northampton (19)
20 - Leyton Orient (6)
21 - Crawley (21)
22 - Burton (20)
23 - Shrewsbury (24)
24 - Cambridge (23)

The season before, we were bottom of the table in late October.

It's like the last four to five seasons just didn't happen.

It’s near spot on except Orient who everyone at the time said were outperforming their results. We’re not.

Yeah with 6 out of 8 after October actually finishing in the bottom 8 at the end I'm not sure papes has filled me with confidence at all.

[stealthpapes]

if the table 'doesn't lie', then all I need is one, and there's three there.

Throw in the season before when at least one of the teams in that position in October was us.

I'll have a look at managerial changes in the last few seasons tomorrow.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Couldn't find the exact match but here's an early October table from last season.
It's definitely not telling the whole truth at this stage.

17 - Rotherham (13)
18 - Bristol R (22)
19 - Northampton (19)
20 - Leyton Orient (6)
21 - Crawley (21)
22 - Burton (20)
23 - Shrewsbury (24)
24 - Cambridge (23)

The season before, we were bottom of the table in late October.

It's like the last four to five seasons just didn't happen.

It’s near spot on except Orient who everyone at the time said were outperforming their results. We’re not.

Yeah with 6 out of 8 after October actually finishing in the bottom 8 at the end I'm not sure papes has filled me with confidence at all.

At the same time, most bottom 8 teams will be those with lower budgets and quality in the squad. We're a bad team full of good L1 players so have much more potential to climb.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

It’s near spot on except Orient who everyone at the time said were outperforming their results. We’re not.

Yeah with 6 out of 8 after October actually finishing in the bottom 8 at the end I'm not sure papes has filled me with confidence at all.

At the same time, most bottom 8 teams will be those with lower budgets and quality in the squad. We're a bad team full of good L1 players so have much more potential to climb.

Yes, exactly.

That's why we need a change of direction in coaching/tactics.

Hunt has had long enough.

[MR. CYNICAL]

When : Saturday 18th October, 3pm
Where : Cardiff City Stadium, Leckwith Road, Cardiff, CF11 8AZ
Capacity : 33,280



After so many years of being Championship relegation fodder Cardiff finally succumbed last season but unlike Reading after their relegation Cardiff have adjusted favourably fairly quickly (being 3rd in the table with just 2 losses in the league so far) though much of that is down to keeping together a fairly decent squad for this level - amazing what only being a minor basket-case club means.

It's been 2 weeks since Cardiff last played (a 4-3 defeat of Orient at home) so they should be reasonably fresh and raring to go. They've been a little unsure of things at home so far with a mixed bag of results ranging from stuffing Plymouth 4-0 to being turned over 1-0 by Burton so I would presume they've learned to be patient and wary of opposition by now so Reading's management team will need to be on the ball, able to motivate and and show astuteness in this one.


The threats come in the shape of international Welsh attacking midfield brothers Joel & Ruben Colwill and forwards Yousef Salech and Callum Robinson (10 goals between them all).


Referee


Lee Swabey

Previously

15 Mar 25 > Reading 1-1 Stevenage
16 Sep 23 > Reading 1-0 Bolton Wanderers


Historically

It’s the 34th trip to Cardiff in the league and it's a reasonably level time of things so far with 10 wins for Reading against Cardiff's 14.

Recent seasons have seen Reading actually not doing too badly at all in this part of Wales with just 1 defeat in the last 6 trips in all competitions though you have to remember both clubs were at various levels of basketry during this time. The downer is that that 1 defeat was on the last visit back in February 2023.



How to follow the game

1. Listen to Radio 5 Live and/or a myriad of other radio stations for score flashes
2. SKY
3. Ring/text a mate for updates
4. Get a ticket and travel
5. Use a RoyalsTV subscription
6. BBC Radio Berkshire (FM : 104.4, 104.1 or 95.4 depending where you are in the area)

Don't think it will be on sky

[Snowflake Royal]

if the table 'doesn't lie', then all I need is one, and there's three there.

Throw in the season before when at least one of the teams in that position in October was us.

I'll have a look at managerial changes in the last few seasons tomorrow.

Well exactly. Last season the table lied for 1 in 4 of the teams in the bottom 8.

Two years running it has lied for at least one in four clubs in the bottom four.

[Hound]

if the table 'doesn't lie', then all I need is one, and there's three there.

Throw in the season before when at least one of the teams in that position in October was us.

I'll have a look at managerial changes in the last few seasons tomorrow.

Well exactly. Last season the table lied for 1 in 4 of the teams in the bottom 8.

Two years running it has lied for at least one in four clubs in the bottom four.

take Rotherham out (who went up a mighty 4 places from 17 to 13 which is barely any different and isn’t exactly lying) and it’s 1 in 7

6 out of the bottom 7 finished in the bottom 7

Where did we finish the season before? It was 17th wasn’t it? So still fair indicator