Cardiff City vs. Manchester United: United, We Draw

Hi. I’m new here. Be gentle. Let’s get started.

Back in early September, Mark examined the frequency of a tie match from the most recently completed Premier League season. And because I’m new to the web log, I’ll start off my own entry by copying and pasting from one of his earlier ones:

Just for kicks, I did a little digging into the 2012/13 season results.  Apparently, 216 of 380 (57%) matches ended in a tie.  Alarmingly, 35 of 380 matches (9%) ended in a 0-0 tie.

I want you to digest that for a moment, then I want you to imagine the NFL having 57% of its games end in a tie, then I want you to take some Rolaids so you don't get ill.  

If ANYONE is confused about why soccer hasn't taken off as a professional sport in America, this is the reason:  ties are shameful things that happen and we never speak of again.

Keeping all of that in mind, I was prepared to say that a 2-1 Cardiff City LOSS to reigning Premier League champion Manchester United was a moral victory. To that point in the match, Cardiff City played hard and looked like they belonged in this game (and certainly in the top tier of play). At no point did they look out of their league. In the day’s early match, Tottenham got embarrassed by Man City (6-0, ouch Spurs). A 2-1 loss to Man U was respectable. Noble, even. This outcome seemed like reality when we entered stoppage time, and Man U needed only to play four minutes of good defense.

So. When Kim Bo-kyung SCORED AN EQUALIZER IN THE FIRST MINUTE OF STOPPAGE TIME VERSUS THE REIGNING CHAMP, it felt like MORE than a moral victory. It felt like an actual victory. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s start at the beginning.

Before the beginning: one of Mark’s terms in my contract for writing this blog entry was that the piece had to be pro-Cardiff. Before watching the game, I wondered if this would be a problem. By a happy accident, I also negotiated the use of one Emily Dickinson quote. Here’s the quote I picked:

“The heart wants what it wants – or else it does not care.”

So was it hard to root for Cardiff?

(Full Disclosure: I don’t really have a Premier League team; I’m still on the market, waiting for one of them to sweep me off my feet.)

Anyway, as I learned very quickly, the heart does not want to cheer for one of the most successful sports franchises in the world. The heart wants to root for the unlikely underdog, the scrappy upstart. It’s the American way. Unfortunately, the underdog is less likely to get preferential treatment from the refs. 

"Wayne Rooney will stop you from catching the golden snitch using any means necessary! And Wayne Rooney will only get a yellow card for his trouble!" (Image Credit:  Getty Images)

Especially when the opposing manager casts a confundus charm on said referee.

Man U manager Gilderoy Lockhart wrote the book on deceiving people. 

Wayne Rooney’s assault happened in the 8^th minute of play. Wayne Rooney scored the first goal of the match seven minutes later. Wayne Rooney is lucky. And now, not only is Cardiff City the lovable underdog, they’re also the victims of poor refereeing. At this point in the match, the heart wants Cardiff to destroy Man U. But the heart will settle for some sweet passing by Gary Medel and Jordon Mutch. Fraizer Campbell is the recipient of a few perfect touches, and buries the ball in the back of the net, tying the score in the 33^rd minute. This is the type of play that keeps me coming back to the sport. It was stunning.

Fun fact! Fraizer Campbell used to play for Manchester United. For the purposes of the narrative, he was the perfect person to score that goal. 

“Revenge is a dish best served with a side of goal against your former employer.” (Image Credit:  Getty Images) 

It looked like that would be the last goal scored in the first half. At this point, I’d like to pause briefly and look at the match stats:

This reflects how the match felt, as well. Time of possession felt even. Shots on goal felt even. The refs certainly favored Man U when they handed out cards. The stats generally bear all of this out. The biggest difference was the amount of corner kicks. I don’t know if some teams are better at forcing corner kicks. I assume it reflects a successful offense keeping possession in the opponent's half of the field. I do know that the only shot guaranteed to not go in is the one you didn’t take. Man U took eight corners. Wayne Rooney played one perfectly in the 45^th minute of the first half. It found its target in Patrice Evra’s head. Patrice Evra’s head directed the ball over the goal line. And Man U entered the half with a 2-1 lead, mostly thanks to a goon who should have been sent off eight minutes into the game. Rooney! I shake my fist at you!

The second half seemed largely uneventful, but I can’t be 100% sure of this since I was feeding my daughter lunch. One thing I did learn from the possibly-uneventful-but-probably-nerve-wracking-second half: Ryan Giggs, a man who has spent 20+ years playing for the most-successful club in the Premier League, a man who was seemingly put on this earth to star in a Cialis ad, is from Wales. 

“Is that a bath tub on the beach or are you just happy to see me?” (Image Credit:  Getty Images)

This is the first time in Giggs’ (Giggs’s?) illustrious career that he has played against Cardiff City, the city of his birth. Neat.

Giggs entered in the 73^rd minute. Kim Bo-kyung entered four minutes later, setting in motion the end game. The rest of the match was tense and I was coming to terms with a Cardiff loss. The game got chippy. Three of the six yellow cards were handed out after the 85^th minute, but in an obvious case of the universe righting itself, Medel did not receive any of them, in spite of getting handsy with Fellaini’s face during the set up for a free kick. The same free kick taken by Peter Whittingham in the 1^st minute of stoppage time. The same free kick taken by Peter Whittingham in the 1^st minute of stoppage time that found its way to Kim Bo-kyung. Kim Bo-kyung snuck past Evra and behind Rooney, and headed the ball into the goal, tying the game! Jubilation! Frenzied cheering! Loud noises!

Phew. What a roller-coaster. Cardiff hung on (and survived another scare orchestrated by Rooney), and walked away with the sweetest draw, a draw that felt like a win.

Which brings me back to my original point: will Americans ever embrace a sport that ends in a draw more than half the time?

Ironically, on the same day, an American Football game ended in a tie (Packers versus Vikings, 26-26). This football tie WAS a shameful thing, an exercise in futility played by two teams who couldn’t distinguish themselves from one another. It often appeared that the teams were playing not-to-lose. I would never levy such criticism on either team in the Cardiff/Man U match. Cardiff City didn’t win, but at least they weren’t playing not-to-lose. I embrace that; I may have even been swept off my feet. 

Aston Villa vs. Cardiff City: Of Meat Grinders and Meat Pies

Two weeks ago, my wife and I were in Portland, ME to celebrate our five-year wedding anniversary.  Our cab driver on the way to the 2013 Maine Brewers Festival was English, so I asked him if he followed Premier League.  Apparently he wasn't an avid fan, but he asked what club I supported.  When I told him I supported Cardiff City, I swear it was the moment in the movie when the record screeches and all the bar patrons turn around to gape at you.

"Are you of Welsh decent", he asked.  

"No", I replied.

"Then why on Earth would you support those of whom we do not speak", he flatulated from his mouth.  

He was of course referring to Welsh teams in the Premier League.  I politely explained to him that there is nothing more pleasing or frankly more American than supporting an underdog.  I wanted to tell him, "shove off, you wanker."

I bring this story up not to flaunt my adopted Welshness, but instead as convenient introduction to Pie Quest...  

Om nom nom...

I've been wondering for a while about the meat pies sold in and around Premier League stadiums.  I like meat and I like pie, so this seems like my kind of cuisine.  By some odd coincidence, while at the Maine Brewers Festival I came across a vendor selling...you guessed it...meat pies.

Victory is mine!  Or so I thought.

If you can envision a pie crust, filled with the drained ingredients of Dinty Moore beef stew, baked, left out for a few hours, and then served at room temperature that pretty much sums up the experience.   

I'm not one to be defeated so easily, and this story has a happy ending, which I'll share with you in a moment.  But first let's appreciate that you can't get meat pies without first going through the meat grinder...

Aston Villa 2 - Cardiff City 0

• Bacuna (AVL) 76'
• Kozak (AVL) 84'

This loss was a real let down from the demolition (ok, 1-0 win) of Swansea City last week.  Cardiff displayed the same level of professionalism and skill as they had against the Jacks, however the rivalry-fuelled frenetic energy was noticeably missing.

At the end of the first half, the Bluebirds held a 60% possession lead over the appropriately-nicknamed Villans (sic).  I genuinely felt that this was going to be another Cardiff City victory.  And my current favorite player, Gary Medel had a decent attempt on goal in the 70th minute...

You do not tackle Medel, you tackle yourself and hope you don't disturb Medel.   (Image Credit:  Nick Hayes Photos)

Alas, Medel's shot went wide and the 0-0 match marched on.

A few minutes later Medel received his first yellow card of the season.  Normally, receiving a yellow card isn't that significant of an event.  But this particular instance set up Aston Villa's Leandro Bacuna with a free kick...

Look at this picture of Leandro Bacuna, then brace yourself for the sonic boom.  (Image Credit:  The Telegraph)

Bacuna's goal put the Villans ahead 1-0.  And less than ten minutes later, his teammate Libro Kozak scored another.

The game started well for the Bluebirds, but ended in defeat.  Even though Cardiff City ended the game with 57% of the possession, their truly flaccid offense once again let us all down.  The Villans outshot the Bluebirds 17 to 8 (6 on target versus only 2 on target).  

Cardiff City, you need to drink a V8 and go score some goddamn goals!

With this loss, the Bluebirds are now in 14th place with 3 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses.  The table below captures the full Premier League standings as of 11/12/13.  The table columns are:  Club Name, Matches Played (Pld), and Match Points (Pts).

I suppose based on my Fantasy performance this week, I'm in NO position to comment on how to manage a soccer team.  The Cardiff'rent strokes are adrift at sea and in desperate need of a John Belushi-esque pep talk.  I will be giving that aforementioned pep talk to my guys over the next two weeks, and let's see if we can't turn this thing around!  Here's the summary of my FPL status:

• Rank (Last Week):  1,382,968
• Rank (This Week):  1,673,539
• Total Players:  3,054,479

I teased a happy ending to Pie Quest at the beginning of the post, and here it is!

Blog research is exactly like regular research...except that blog research tastes like delicious meat pie

After returning from Portland, I did some digging online and found Thwaites Market in Methuen, MA.  The form factor is a little different than what I had in Portland, but I'm told these are reasonably authentic English pub-style pies.  

I ordered one chicken, one pork, one "cornish" (mix of beef and vegetables), and daringly one "gyoza" (i.e. a japanese appetizer).

Far and away the best pie was the chicken.  The pork and chicken were tied in second.  The gyoza was a little odd, so let's politely say that was a distant third.

This was a much better experience than the pastry-covered sadness I ate in Portland.  Go check out the Thwaites Market website or visit them yourself if you live in the area.  I think you need to call in advance to order some things on their menu, but it's worth your time.

That's it for this week.  There will be no blog post next week, because the Premier League is on break while its players participate in their home countries' World Cup qualifier matches.  Cardiff City's next match is home against Manchester United on November 24th.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

I will be away on vacation and unfortunately will miss the Manchester United match.  Fear not, gentle readers!  I would never expect you to slog through your Tuesday without my humble contribution to the gelatinous blogosphere.

My friend John has agreed to guest blog for Dragon and Bluebird in my absence.  John is an avid soccer fan and is also in the Fantasy League with me.  He will be your Premier League sherpa as you join the Bluebirds in this particularly tricky portion of their ascent.

If you always go for the two point conversion in NFL Blitz, and if your heart burns with passion when you read Dickens, then you'll enjoy John's post next week.

Thank you as always for reading Dragon and Bluebird!  You can find me on Twitter as well, @dragon_bluebird.

Cardiff City vs. Swansea City: Swan Song

I must admit, I have been looking forward to this past week's match since the day I picked Cardiff City as my Premier League club.  If you have a single competitive fiber in your body, then you really don't need to care one ounce about soccer to appreciate a match between rivals.  And for those of you who don't know me, my body composition is 85% competitive fiber.

The other 15% is a Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast meatloaf called "scrapple".

If you're a Premier League newcomer and haven't been following Dragon and Bluebird, you can read my earlier post on the Cardiff City-Swansea City rivalry.  The one minute version is that Cardiff and Swansea are the two most populous cities in Wales.  Their respective clubs, the Bluebirds and the Jacks, are the only non-English members of the Premier League.  Whenever these two clubs meet, it's referred to as the "South Wales Derby".

Oh...and the fans of these two clubs HATE each other.

This is why we can't have nice things.  (Image Credit:  PA)

I knew that in the past, fan violence had been a severe issue when these two clubs met.  What I didn't know were the measures that Welsh police have put in place to prevent future eruptions from occurring.  Here is an excerpt from an NBCSports ProSoccerTalk article describing the police tactic known as "the bubble":

"On the day of a game between Swansea and Cardiff, fans of the visiting team are not allowed to use public transport to get into the segregated section in which they're sitting or have tickets.  For instance this Sunday, Swansea's fans will have to board specially policed buses in Swansea.  No matter if you're a Swansea fan living in Cardiff, you will have to drive 40 miles to Swansea to get on the bus.  When you're on that bus, the doors are locked, your ticket is handed to you and the 2,000 or so Swansea fans are given police escort along the M4 several hours before kick off, with police helicopters, vans and motorcycles guiding them along the short stretch of road to Cardiff.  Then they're ushered inside the stadium, locked in, and the same process will occur to get out of Cardiff an hour or so after the final whistle and Cardiff's fans have been ushered away."

This is NOT your high school's annual Thanksgiving football rivalry.

Swansea City may have reached the Premier League first, but now Cardiff City have arrived and are their equals once again.  The South Wales Derby would be broadcast to a global audience for the first time in its history...no better opportunity for one of these two clubs to stake a claim as the "one team in Wales".

In the Premier League, as in every major league in America...it's the eye of the tiger.  It's the thrill of the fight.  And by now you must all be wondering, did the Bluebirds rise to the challenge of their rival?

You're goddamn right they did.

Cardiff City 1 - Swansea City 0

• Caulker (CAR) 62'

For the first fifteen minutes of the match, Swansea City seemed composed and Cardiff City seemed anxious...timid even.  The Jacks weren't particularly aggressive, but they were clearly on the attack and easily stuffed the Bluebirds repeatedly in the midfield.

Then starting in the second fifteen minutes, Cardiff City seemed to calm down and looked more professional than I had ever seen them this season.  Every pass seemed controlled and every offensive action by Swansea City was blunted.  

At the end of the first half, the score was still 0-0.  I was starting to feel frustrated that despite a superb performance so far, the Bluebirds might now start playing not to lose.  Then Cardiff City captain Steven Caulker proved my fears unfounded.  

Steven Caulker, Bluebird rising (Image Credit:  BBC)

Cardiff City went up 1-0 over Swansea City and I saw fans screaming, hugging, and I swear even weeping.  And while the remaining thirty minutes were tense, the Jacks were unable to mount a credible challenge.

This was a low-scoring match, but one piece of the drama was particularly awesome.  Towards the very end of the match, Swansea City's goalkeeper Michel Vorm made a last ditch attempt to stop an imminent Fraizer Campbell goal by kicking the Cardiff City forward right in the chest.  Vorm got a red card and was ejected.  

You know darn well what you did!  (Image Credit:  RTE Sport)

At this point, a club would normally substitute in their backup goalkeeper.  Unfortunately for the Jacks, they had already used all three of their allotted substitutions for the match.  So down to just ten men, and not allowed to bring on their reserve goalkeeper, Swansea City were forced to hand over the gloves and jersey to defender Angel Rangel.

It's raining, we're losing to Cardiff, and now you want to make ME the goalkeeper?!  (Image Credit:  PA)

If this replacement had occurred any earlier in the match, Cardiff City would have been up 12-0.  But with only minutes left, and admittedly some skill on Rangel's part, the match ended at 1-0.  Cardiff City were the first champions of the Premier League edition of the South Wales Derby.  

The Bluebirds walk away with bragging rights and three critical points that put the Bluebirds in 12th place with 3 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses.  The table below captures the full Premier League standings as of 11/05/13.  The table columns are:  Club Name, Matches Played (Pld), and Match Points (Pts).

We're 10 games into the 38-game season, so this seems like a good point to talk about what these standings mean in the larger context.  

In my earlier post on classmates, I mentioned that the average number of points needed to avoid relegation (over the past 21 seasons) is 37.  Clubs have survived with as few as 31 points and in some seasons have needed as many as 43 points.

After their first 10 matches, Cardiff City have earned 12 points. Projecting to the end of the season, at this same level of success, this would put the Bluebirds at 45.6 points.  Enough historically-speaking to avoid relegation.

I have the formula worked out for the "magic number" (i.e. exact number of points needed to avoid relegation), but it's way to early in the season to worry about it.  I'll do this same projection again after 19 and 29 games.  Then starting after game 30 (or sooner if something goes horribly wrong) I'll breakdown exact scenarios needed to stay up.

It was a mediocre week for the Cardiff'rent Strokes.  Here's the summary of my FPL status:

• Rank (Last Week):  1,297,995
• Rank (This Week):  1,382,968
• Total Players:  3,044,193

That's it for this week.  Cardiff City's next match is away at Aston Villa on November 9th.  Thank you as always for reading Dragon and Bluebird!  You can find me on Twitter as well, @dragon_bluebird.