Cardiff City vs. Liverpool: John Henry's Winning Ways

In February 2002, John Henry closed the deal to become the principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and I could not have cared less.  I was in my Junior year at Villanova University and I barely followed the Philadelphia Phillies, my home town Major League Baseball (MLB) team.  Baseball could never really hold my attention; I far preferred National Football League (NFL) and men's college basketball.

Towards the end of the MLB 2002 season, in which the Red Sox failed to make the playoffs, I was fortunate enough to meet my future wife who is a lifelong Massachusetts resident.

Due in no small part to my new relationship, I watched every Red Sox playoff game in the 2003 season.  That year they beat the Oakland Athletics in the American League Division Series by fighting back from a 2 game deficit to win 3 games to 2.  The Red Sox went on to face the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series (ALCS).  Boston blew a three-run lead in the eighth inning of game seven and were eliminated.  

It was my first season following baseball with any remote interest and I felt like I had been sucker punched.

The following year, the Red Sox won the World Series.  The Series itself was boring, but the preceding ALCS against the Yankees was the most incredible sporting event I've ever seen.  If you have 16 minutes to spare, check out the season highlight video produced by Dailymotion here (safe for work).

Ending the Red Sox 86-year title drought was John Henry's explicit goal when he purchased the team.  All it took was three years, a pile of cash, and hiring the genius who mastered "moneyball".

I moved to the Boston area in 2005 and began going to games on a regular basis.  John Henry's organization would go on to add a second title in 2007.  The man is a billionaire and a winner.  I suspect he pisses excellence.

At the end of 2010, John Henry decided to branch out from baseball and became majority owner of Liverpool.  The Reds were approaching bankruptcy and underperforming by their own historic standards.  Henry was greeted with cautious optimisim.

Back in Boston, some Red Sox fans were worried that this hobby project of John Henry's would siphon money away from their baseball team.  But for the most part, locals found this new venture to be amusing.  Boston Magazine ran tongue-in-cheek features such as "A Masshole goes among the Thugs" and "A Red Sox Lover's Guide to Liverpool" (both links are safe for work).

When I was shopping for a Premier League team to follow, my affiliation with Boston would have made Liverpool an obvious choice.  But the lure of the underdog was too strong and without any regrets I chose Cardiff City.

Which catches us up to this weekend and the Bluebirds second clash of the season with the Reds...

Cardiff City 3 - Liverpool 6

• Mutch (CAR) 9'
• Suarez (LIV) 16'
• Campbell (CAR) 25'
• Skrtel (LIV) 41'
• Skrtel (LIV) 54'
• Suarez (LIV) 60'
• Sturridge (LIV) 75'
• Mutch (CAR) 88'
• Suarez (LIV) 96'

I could give you the play-by-play and detail how Cardiff City went from a promising 2-1 run in the first 40 minutes to a 1-5 beating in the last 50+ minutes.  I could do that, OR I could just show you an adorable pug in a Liverpool jersey...

In the future, I would like all of my bad news to be delivered by Chopper Fox (Liverpuglian).

Thanks to Sarah Dunn for providing the photos.  You can follow her and find more photos of Chopper Fox in Sarah's Instagram account @xsarahjdunnx".

Despite the loss, I think this was a performance of which Bluebirds fans can be proud.  The fact that they were able to score three goals against an opponent such as Liverpool is a triumph.  I am optimistic for the remainder of Cardiff City's season because they have now scored 3 goals in two of their past 3 matches.  Prior to that run, they had only scored 3 goals in exactly 1 of 28 matches.

Ole must be doing something right, even if the league standings still look dreadful.

Consider that Liverpool have the two highest goalscorers in the Premier League on their squad:  Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge...

(Image Credit:  Getty Images)

Sturridge has an impressive 20 goals so far this season, but his performance is eclipsed by that of Suarez.

The record for most goals scored by a player in a single (38-match) Premier League season is jointly-held by Alan Shearer and Cristiano Ronaldo at 31 goals.  After this match, Suarez has 28 goals and he still has 8 matches left to play.

Fun fact, guess who brought Suarez to Liverpool?  That's right, John Henry immediately after he acquired the club.  His Red Sox won their third World Series title in 2013.  It's entirely possible that Liverpool will win their first in 24 years under his supervision.

I've heaped a lot of praise on Liverpool in this post.  It's worth highlighting that Cardiff City's Jordon Mutch and Fraizer Campbell are both having excellent seasons at 6 goals a piece...

(Image Credit:  WalesOnline)

Modest goal totals for sure, but I believe enough ammunition to advance beyond the other relegation candidates.

With this loss, the Bluebirds are in 19th place with 6 wins, 7 draws, and 18 losses.  The table below captures the full Premier League standings as of 03/25/14.  The table columns are:  Current Position (POS), Last Position (LP), Club Name (CLUB), Matches Played (P), Wins (W), Draws (D), Losses (L), Goals Fielded (GF), Goals Allowed (GA), Goal Differential (GD), and Rankings Points (PTS).

There has been no movement in the ranking of the bottom five clubs.  Luckily, there is still a path out of the relegation zone for the Bluebirds.  Let's see where things stand.  The following clubs cannot be relegated:

• Chelsea
• Liverpool
• Manchester City
• Arsenal
• Tottenham Hotspur

Next week these are the results that we need:

• Everton to beat Fulham
• Liverpool and West Ham United to beat Sunderland (they place twice in next week)
• Chelsea to beat Crystal Palace

If those outcomes take place, a win against West Bromwich Albion next week would move the Bluebirds back into 18th place.

Ok, it's time to "Meet a US Bluebird"!

Meet Barry Scanlon (@druidbar, 03/22/14)

Where do you live and where are you from originally?:  I live in Sebastian, Florida.  It is a sleepy old town on the coast about 150 miles north of Miami. I was born and brought up in Fairwater, Cardiff, St Mary’s Canton and St Illtyds, Splott and later Llanrumney. I moved to London in the 70’s.

How long have you been following the Bluebirds and how did you become a fan?:  I’ve been a fan for about 50 years. My dad used to take me down to Ninian Park. We would stand on the Bob Bank.  I remember huge crowds, of course it was pretty much all standing then and City were in the old 1st Division. I played rugby in the morning and went ‘down the city’ in the afternoon. I’ve never been a rabid fan but went to as many games as I could.  A City scarf at Christmas was a big thing.  

What is your most favorite Cardiff City memory and why?:  I have 2 actually, I’ll never forget the night City beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the old Cup-Winners Cup, 1971 I think, the place was wild….talk about atmosphere. 

The other fond memory I have is taking my Dad down to Ninian Park to watch a 2nd division game a few years ago…one of the Sheffields I think. He was in his 90’s. We did it up and taxi’d it there and back, lunch and half-time in the Directors Club, Clark’s Pies, the whole bit. Great seats. Even met some of the players. I think City lost but it didn’t matter he had a blast.

Who is your most favorite current Cardiff City player?:  I haven’t seen every game but I think Gary Medel would be my favorite, he quietly works hard, not much gets by him and he is a very good distributor of the ball. 

What makes Cardiff City important to you?:  It’s hard to say really isn’t it? It’s just there.  I know that a win puts me in a great mood for a few days but a loss gives me a downer. From a personal point of view it gives a connection with my hometown too.

What is your favorite US sport and team?  Do you follow any MLS clubs?:  

I love American Football, once you’ve learned the finer points and understand that it’s not just a bunch of big guys slamming into each other you appreciate the skills of some great athletes. 

I lived in Chicago for many years and became a huge Chicago Bears fan, they’re a lot like City in so much as it wouldn’t be the Bears/City if they didn’t break your heart on a regular basis.

I keep an eye on the MLS but I don’t follow any club in particular. I know that’s it’s getting stronger though and producing more home grown players. 

The US national team are now regulars in the World Cup and none of the ‘big boys’ want them in their group.

One day they’ll win it all and really annoy all the traditionalists

Do you think Premier League is growing in popularity in the US?  What can NBC or the League itself do to grow its popularity in the US?:  Definitely, more and more people are aware of soccer in general, Americans enjoy any sport that’s played at a high level. NBC do a good job of showing the games.  Every Saturday they have  early and late games live, plus live games during the week. Highlight shows etc.

Maybe both NBC and the Premier League could do more to promote the games during regular TV but 

it’s early days. One thing that I enjoy is that I can watch any game live using NBC’s app, which allows me to watch City even if they’re not the featured game.

I think the Premier League should look at the NFL as an example of how it’s done. Huge viewership allows for everyone to make a lot of money, players, clubs, advertisers etc. They will change the rules between seasons to tweak the entertainment value. Most of all though they have a salary cap, it’s set each year and no team can go over it, however every team must spend a minimum too.This stopped the likes of the Dallas Cowboys basically buying Super Bowls. I think it would be great in the Premiership where only 5 teams have ever won it.

Thanks for the interview, Barry.  When you said, "a win puts me in a great mood for a few days but a loss gives me a downer" I knew exactly what you meant.  In fact, that has been the single most surprising experience for me since I've started following the Premier League.  Never in a million years would I have guessed that the outcome of a soccer match would determine my mood for hours afterwards.  Odd how the game infects you.

In Fantasy news, the Cardiff'rent Strokes have resumed their winning ways.  Thanks in no small part to Daniel Sturridge!

• Rank (Last Week):  1,011,416
• Rank (This Week):  931,757
• Total Players:  3,199,411

Well that's it for this week, readers.  Cardiff City's next match is on March 29th away at West Bromwich Albion.

Thank you as always for reading.  You can follow me on Twitter @dragon_bluebird.  And feel free to leave some comments on my posts via Blogger or Twitter.  Would love to hear your thoughts on the season so far and I'm always open to suggestions for features or topics you'd like to see on this blog.

Everton vs. Cardiff City: In the Mouth of Madness

I started this blog with a single question in mind.  "Can an average American sports fan learn to like professional soccer?"  It only took me a few months to answer that question and the answer is a resounding "yes."  

Even asking this question must seem ridiculous elsewhere in the world, but let me share some stats with you that might help explain the situation.  Recently Harris conducted its 30th annual sports popularity survey and for the 30th year in a row professional football is America's favorite sport.

Here is the full breakdown of the 2014 "Most Favorite Sports of Americans" according to the survey:

• 35% Pro football
• 14% Baseball
• 11% College football
• 7% Auto racing
• 6% Men's pro basketball
• 5% Hockey
• 3% Men's college basketball
• 2% Men's golf
• 2% Men's soccer
• 2% Swimming
• 2% Boxing
• 2% Men's tennis
• 1% Bowling
• 1% Horse racing
• 1% Track & field
• 1% Women's tennis
• 1% Women's college basketball
• < 0.5% Women's soccer
• < 0.5% Women's pro basketball
• < 0.5% Women's golf
• 3% Not sure

Note that Men's soccer (including all foreign and domestic professional leagues) is in a five-way tie for eighth most popular sport in America.  So I probably wasn't alone, coming into this season, in having never watched a minute of professional soccer.  Hopefully, the popularity will increase with NBC's commitment to broadcasting Premier League in the US, and with the increasing quality of our domestic league.

Why do I bring this up now?  Well if you'll draw your attention to the sport that is a meager one percentage point higher in popularity than Men's soccer you will find Men's college basketball.  

Mid-March is the peak of popularity for this sport and America is now in the grips of what we call "March Madness".  Hopefully I'm not patronizing my readership, as best I can tell from this 2013 Guardian article US college basketball has only a modest (but growing) popularity in Europe.

"The Tournament" is a three-week, single elimination competition between the top sixty eight college basketball teams in our country.  One in ten Americans will fill out at least one tournament bracket.  $2.5 billion US dollars will be wagered.  As a single event, this level of gambling is second only to the Super Bowl at $8 billion USD (all stats courtesy of NBC news article).  

If you've never seen The Tournament before, I believe that it will be broadcast in Europe via ESPN America.  Games start on Thursday and if you're shopping for a team, I highly recommend that of my alma mater - the Villanova University Wildcats.

Mid-March in England (and South Wales) has its own form of madness.  Just like in US college basketball, the 2013/14 Premier League season is in its final act.  The clubs have between eight and eleven matches left to play.  Depending upon where you sit in the ranking table, the goal for the remainder of this season is very different.

• The top four clubs are in a tight race for the Premier League title
• The top five clubs (plus potentially three others) are hoping for a spot in future European competitions
• The bottom three clubs are doing whatever they can to avoid relegation

Coming into this week, Cardiff City were in 18th place and there was light at the end of the tunnel.  So did this week's match against the Toffees of Everton help or hurt the Bluebirds' chances of survival?

Everton 2 - Cardiff City 1

• Deulofeu (EVE) 59'
• Torres Ruiz (CAR) 68'
• Coleman (EVE) 93'

This was a heartbreaking match result.  Going into the half with the score still 0-0, you could clearly see the confidence on the faces of the Cardiff City players.  Even when down 1-0, after a goal buy Everton's Gerard Deulofeu, the Bluebirds stayed strong.

When Cardiff City's recent acquisition Juan "Cala" Torres Ruiz evened the score I felt like maybe all of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's rotations and training had finally paid dividends.

With less than one minute left in the match, it really looked like the Bluebirds were about to pull off a second unexpected draw against the Toffees.  And then Everton's Seamus Coleman yanked the rug out.

   

(Image Credit:  Getty Images)

As much as one can be...I can't say "pleased"...content with a loss, I am content with this loss.  Everton had 68% of the possession and double the attempts on goal.  And yet Cardiff City were in this match for 92 minutes.  And more impressively, the Bluebirds fought back from a 1-0 deficit which would normally have left them deflated.

Every week I could just copy and paste phrases like, "David Marshall is Cardiff City's most elite player" or "without David Marshall Cardiff City would have spent the entire season in 20th place."  But in this match more than any other, the man truly deserves kudos.

I'm not joking when I say that this match score could have easily been 6-1 in Everton's favor.  So let's take what solace we can from this match and move onward and upward.

With this loss, the Bluebirds are in 19th place with 6 wins, 7 draws, and 17 losses.  The table below captures the full Premier League standings as of 03/20/14.  The table columns are:  Current Position (POS), Last Position (LP), Club Name (CLUB), Matches Played (P), Wins (W), Draws (D), Losses (L), Goals Fielded (GF), Goals Allowed (GA), Goal Differential (GD), and Rankings Points (PTS).

I mentioned in last week's post that Cardiff City needed help from friends in low places.  Well they didn't get any.  Fulham beat Newcastle, Crystal Palace drew against Sunderland, and Swansea City lost to West Bromwich Albion.  Sigh.

So where do we stand in the relegation battle?  The following clubs cannot be relegated:  

• Chelsea
• Liverpool
• Arsenal
• Manchester City

Next week, these are the results we need to help excavate us from our hole:

• Manchester City to beat Fulham
• Norwich and Liverpool to beat Sunderland (they play twice this week)
• Newcastle to beat Crystal Palace

If those outcomes take place, a win against Liverpool this week would move the Bluebirds back into 18th place.

Ok, it's time to "Meet a US Bluebird"!

Meet Paul Noble (@pgnoble, 03/14/14)

Where do you live and where are you from originally?:  I live in the Washington DC suburbs now.  Been here for nearly 12 years.  Originally from Newport which is about 10 miles from Cardiff.

How long have you been following the Bluebirds and how did you become a fan?:  21-22 Years.  First job out of school, I started working with a few City diehards and went to Ninian Park with them.  I caught the bug straight away.  It was a relatively successful season but it wasn't the football that gripped me.  It was the atmosphere at the games.  Ninian Park could be incredibly hostile and menacing back then and I loved it.

What is your most favorite Cardiff City memory and why?:  There have been plenty of highs and lows.  Beating Man City and Leeds in the FA Cups when I was back there.  Beating QPR and Leicester in the playoffs since I have been here.  Reaching 2 Cup finals recently has been great but ultimately disappointing.  Beating Swansea is always enjoyable too.

Who is your most favorite current Cardiff City player?:  Currently it would be either Kevin McNaughton or Peter Whittingham.  Both have been great servants to the club and fans favourites.  I'd consider letting McNaughton shag my wife, but after much deliberation would say no! [Author's note:  Paul is the fifth Bluebirds fan I've heard openly admit they have a man-crush on McNaughton.  I've added a picture below, you be the judge]

Kevin McNaughton - Silver Fox (Image Credit:  WalesOnline)

What makes Cardiff City important to you?:  Blue.  It's not the same since the emperor's new (red) clothes.  Vincent Tan is responsible for splitting the fan base and causing some painful divisions.  Some folks would take the Red as long as we are competing at the higher levels.  Most I suspect though would prefer Blue no matter what league we played in.

What is your favorite US sport and team?  Do you follow any MLS clubs?:  I suppose US Football.  I'm not passionate about US sports, but like to see the local DC teams do well as it lifts the place.  May go to my first DC United game this season as I have been promising a friend that I will check them out for the last few seasons.

Do you think Premier League is growing in popularity in the US?  What can NBC or the League itself do to grow its popularity in the US?:  Without a doubt.  In my local bar alone I notice that people are taking more notice and I can only see it growing further.  Folks who would only be interested in talking about The Yankees or Red Sox ask me how Cardiff are doing and some have started to watch Premier League games regularly.  I suppose more US Players in the league would boost it's popularity even further.

Thanks for the interview, Paul!  

I won't lie, I've made a concerted effort to not talk about the rebranding on this blog.  And yet, it is one of the defining storylines of the season and recent events warrant dusting the topic off.

In a recent BBC Sport interview, Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan claimed that the color change from blue to red was supported by 90% of fans and only a vocal minority opposed it.  Tan went on to suggest that opponents of the rebrand owe him an apology.  

In contrast to Tan's opinions on fan support of the rebrand, there is the recent survey conducted by the Cardiff City Supporters Trust (of which I am a member).  You can find the full survey question and result list here.  The tagline of note from the trust has been that "85.21% (847) of supporters who responded to the annual fans’ survey said the Trust should continue to campaign against the rebrand.  Just 2.41% (24) of all those polled supported the rebrand."  For completeness, 12.37% (123) disagreed with the rebrand but reluctantly supported it.

So who is correct?  Do 90% support the rebrand or do 85.21% oppose it?

Well unfortunately I think that Tan and the Trust are not comparing apples to apples.  The difference lies in their definition of "support".

Tan sees that on match day 25,000 people are sitting in the home fan seats.  He estimates maybe 10% of them are wearing blue.  Sure there are people who gave up their season tickets, but those seats got filled by someone else.  Therefore, Tan concludes that the remaining 90% support the rebrand.

The Trust on the other hand asked questionees what stance they wanted the Trust to take.  Here, "oppose the rebrand" means "what should the Trust do with its own time and resources."  A vote to "support the rebrand" means the Trust should spend its time and resources elsewhere.

This difference in definition is important.  What people do with their own money and resources speaks louder than what those same people want someone else to do with their money and resources.  I am NOT saying that Tan is right and that the majority support the rebrand.  But I am saying that as long as fans continue to attend the matches, Tan will continue to perceive that as implicit support for the rebrand.

The Trust could have received a 100% response of "Continue to oppose the rebrand" and as long as the stadium is filled, Tan would continue to say to the Trust respondents, "you are the 'vocal minority'".

I never followed the Bluebirds while they wore blue so it is awkward for me to burn an effigy of Tan.  I do respect the history though.

I suspect the majority of fans if asked would say, "I oppose the rebrand, but I will give you my money, sit my ass in this stadium, and begrudgingly watch them play in red until we get a new owner who will listen to us."  

I really hate this topic, it is the pimple on an otherwise perfect ass of a season.  I am however glad that Paul brought it up and I agree with him that most supporters would prefer blue no matter what league Cardiff City played.

In other news, last week I achieved my admittedly underwhelming goal of breaking into the top third of all Fantasy Premier League competitors.  But glory is fleeting and after only one week I'm back among the huddled masses.  This performance stung particularly bad because last week I managed my second best performance of the year with only eight active players.  This week I had my absolute worst performance of the year with a full roster.  Go figure.  

• Rank (Last Week):  893,668
• Rank (This Week):  1,011,416
• Total Players:  3,196,738

Well that's it for this week, readers.  Cardiff City's next Premier League match is on March 22nd at home against Liverpool.

Thank you as always for reading.  You can follow me on Twitter @dragon_bluebird.  And feel free to leave some comments on my posts via Blogger or Twitter.  Would love to hear your thoughts on the season so far and I'm always open to suggestions for features or topics you'd like to see on this blog.

Cardiff City vs. Fulham: Friends in Low Places

Of all the things I expected to observe this weekend, in the meeting between the 20th-ranked Cottagers and the 19th-ranked Bluebirds, a stadium of dead silent fans was not one of them.  I'm not kidding when I tell you that in my confusion I checked the television volume with my remote.  But everything was in order.

I was not expecting the silence at the start of this match, but after a moment I understood it.  I knew what was happening because I was feeling the same tension as the 26,796 fans sitting in that stadium.  This match was not a must win for Fulham or for Cardiff City.  It was a MUST, must win.

And you know what?  For the first time since February 1st, the Bluebirds did just that.  They won.

Cardiff City 3 - Fulham 1

• Caulker (CAR) 45'
• Holtby (FUL) 59'
• Caulker (CAR) 67'
• Riether (FUL, own goal) 71'

(Image Credit:  Getty Images)

A few minutes after kickoff, the tension in the stadium eased and the Cardiff City fans found their voices.  The Bluebirds looked like a team in control.  Even a brief scare, when Cottager Ashkan Dejagah hit the side of the net, wasn't enough to shake the sense that there was nothing about which to worry.

In fact, but for an impressive save by Fulham goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, Cardiff City should have taken the lead after only 16 minutes.  Instead, the goal that had eluded the Bluebirds for 445 minutes of Premier League play was finally delivered by Cardiff City captain Steven Caulker.

(Image Credit:  Getty Images)

If we're being honest with each other, I don't think I could say that the performance of either squad was stellar.  But with as much objectivity as I'm capable of exercising, I can tell you that the Bluebirds wanted this win more than the Cottagers.  

Ok earlier I said I had the sense that their was nothing about which to worry.  But perhaps I did sweat a bit when Lewis Holtby scored his goal early in the second half...

(Image Credit:  AFP/Getty Images)

...nonetheless, I still felt like Cardiff City were there to ruin Fulham's black tie affair.  Please excuse the metaphysics, but this weekend, I truly believe that Steven Caulker willed the Bluebirds to win...

(Image Credit:  Huw Evans Picture Agency)

With just over 20 minutes left to play, and with the only team in the league they could hope to beat ahead two goals to one, the Cottagers threw in the towel.

I've sat through so many matches where Cardiff City were on the receiving end of a beating and it sucks.  I felt bad for Fulham this past weekend, but no one more so than Sascha Reither...

(Image Credit:  Getty Images)

The above picture was taken just before the ball bounced off of Reither and leisurely rolled into the Cottagers goal.  

Sorry bud.

I should clarify and say that I feel bad for the players of Fulham.  The lazy chump that was sitting in their manager's chair for the ENTIRE match deserved this loss.

Felix Magath...Fulham Manager and Lazy Chump (Image Credit:  London Evening Standard)

You know what happened the last time a manager sat on their ass for an entire match against Cardiff City?  We beat Manchester City.  Here's hoping that the managers of the Bluebirds' remaining nine opponents sit on their asses.  Ass.

With this win, the Bluebirds are in 18th place with 6 wins, 7 draws, and 16 losses.  The table below captures the full Premier League standings as of 03/11/14.  The table columns are:  Current Position (POS), Last Position (LP), Club Name (CLUB), Matches Played (P), Wins (W), Draws (D), Losses (L), Goals Fielded (GF), Goals Allowed (GA), Goal Differential (GD), and Rankings Points (PTS).

It's time to start analyzing the table a little more closely for relegation scenarios.  I think the best way to do this is to break it into two parts.  First, what clubs cannot be relegated:  

• Chelsea
• Liverpool
• Arsenal
• Manchester City

Second, since Cardiff City can no longer guarantee survival even by winning all of their remaining matches, we must look at key matchups of other relegation candidates.  Next week, these are the results we need:

• Newcastle to beat Fulham
• Crystal Palace to beat Sunderland
• Swansea City to beat West Bromwich Albion

If those outcomes take place, the Bluebirds need only draw against Everton next week to be free from the relegation zone.

In summary, if Cardiff City are to survive they're going to need some help from friends in low places.

OK, that's this week's match.  Now let's "Meet a US Bluebird!"

Meet Megan Moore (@OnlyMadeFor1D, 03/09/14)

Where do you live and where are you from originally?:  I've lived in Virginia all of my life, and even going to college now I still live in Virginia, but just farther into the mountains. 

How long have you been following the Bluebirds and how did you become a fan?:  Just for about six months now. For the past couple of years, my friend would always make me watch the Premier League with her. Her favorite club is Liverpool, so for awhile I just liked them, but then I wanted to seriously get into the Premier League. I started watching every team play, and then one week I watched Cardiff. They were the only team that could get me yelling at the TV with excitement. It was meant to be.

What is your most favorite Cardiff City memory and why?:  Probably the first time I saw them, which was in December against Liverpool. We didn't win, but even at the beginning of the game, I could tell there was something special about Cardiff City. I fell in love.

Who is your most favorite current Cardiff City player?:   It's got to be David Marshall.  We'd be nowhere without him.

What makes Cardiff City important to you?:  I think their attitude on the pitch is super important. Sportsmanship is a big deal to me and I feel like they handle themselves very well.

What is your favorite US sport and team?  Do you follow any MLS clubs?:  The only other sport I watch is tennis; my favorite player is Rafael Nadal. Not exactly a US sport. Unfortunately, I don't watch any of the MLS.

Do you think Premier League is growing in popularity in the US?  What can NBC or the League itself do to grow its popularity in the US?:  I think through NBC Sports and games like FIFA, the Premier League is getting more coverage in the US. I know a lot of people at my college that are obsessed with it. The only bad thing is that most US fans only know the big name clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United. I think NBC does a fantastic job with their coverage, but it would be nice to show some other matches. Most weeks they just show one of the big name clubs playing.

Thanks, Megan!  David Marshall is a great pick; he's the only reason we're not 10 points behind Fulham right now.  Regarding NBC, I think it would have been awesome over the summer if they had done a "so you like an underdog" segment and introduced fans to the newly-promoted teams.  Hopefully, Cardiff City will survive and US fans like you, me, and others I've met can help build the following.

It's an embarrassment of riches this week on Dragon and Bluebird.  Not only do I get to write about a Bluebirds win, but my fantasy team also dominated the competition...

• Rank (Last Week):  1,089,255
• Rank (This Week):  893,668
• Total Players:  3,193,536

I have to note that this is a particularly impressive performance (pats self on back) because only eight of my fifteen players were eligible to play this week and I somehow managed to hit my second highest score of the season.  Go figure.

Well that's it for this week, readers.  Cardiff City's next Premier League match is on March 15th away against Everton.  I think this one will be shown live on NBC Sports, but keep a watch on my Twitter feed for confirmation.

Thank you as always for reading.  You can follow me on Twitter @dragon_bluebird.  And feel free to leave some comments on my posts via Blogger or Twitter.  Would love to hear your thoughts on the season so far and I'm always open to suggestions for features or topics you'd like to see on this blog.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Cardiff City: Under Armour and Under Pressure

When I was shopping for a Premier League club, one of the first pieces of advice that I read was an article written by ESPN columnist Bill Simmons.  Following the 2006 World Cup, and just prior to the 2006/07 Premier League season, Simmons decided to pick a Premier League Club for himself.  You can read the article he wrote here (safe for work), it's pretty entertaining.

From the beginning, I knew that I was only going to consider one of the newly-promoted clubs.  Simmons, on the other hand, weighed all twenty clubs against a series of criteria that ranged from the reasonable (i.e. title contenders) to the ridiculous (i.e. celebrity fanbase).

Simmons and I did however share two criteria in common.  First, we didn't want to have anybody accuse us of being bandwagon jumpers.  And second, we wanted to pick a club whose jersey wasn't awful.

I think I speak for most Americans when I say that the first impression of Premier League jerseys is that the prominent advertising is off-putting.  Aside from that, only a few of the jerseys are truly hideous (I'm looking at you Crystal Palace, Norwich City, and Newcastle); the majority are just boring.  Cardiff City's jersey falls into the latter category.

In my opinion, the two best looking jersey's in the Premier League belong to Manchester City...

Manchester City's Away Jersey

...and to Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur's Home Jersey

I will admit some bias towards the Tottenham Hotspur jersey.  Every single article of gym clothing I own has the Under Armour logo on it.  I'm sure there's some marketing psychology at work here because damned if I don't feel like a superhero when I think to myself "I'm wearing armor right now".

Alas, underdog trumped Under Armour and thus you will find me on Saturday mornings in my fire engine red Puma jersey.

In case you haven't read his article yet, Simmons ended up adopting Tottenham Hotspur as his club, while I went with my heart and chose Cardiff City.  Which one of us was patting themselves on the back at the end of Sunday's match?

Tottenham Hotspur 1 - Cardiff City 0

• Soldado (TOT) 28'

Damn you, Bill Simmons.

Following last week's ass-kicking by Hull City, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted for an extremely defensive formation against the Spurs.  I don't like that decision, but I do understand it.  The Bluebirds have been outscored 0-7 in their past three games and the defensive issues needed to be addressed.

While Tottenham basically lived in Cardiff City's half of the field for the first quarter of the match, I never felt like there was any serious danger.  That was until Roberto Soldado did this...

(Image Credit:  Getty Images)

(Image Credit:  Sportal)

There was a moment of hope about two minutes later.  Steven Caulker nearly scored a header against his former club...

(Image Credit:  Mitchell Gunn)

Unfortunately, his attempt hit the bar and the first half ended at 1-0.

I found myself thinking, "I suppose this could have gone much worse, but for the love of God can we just get a draw out of this match?!"

No such luck.

The second half was a good defensive performance by Cardiff City, but goals once again proved elusive.  I was happy to see Jordon Mutch back from a recent hamstring injury; OGS brought him on in the 63rd minute.

The match ended at 1-0 with Spurs having twice as many shot attempts and 2/3 of the possession.

In his post-match interview, OGS said, "If you want to win a game you need to score goals.  We practice every day, it's about that dedication, that need, that urge to get on the end of crosses, on the end of things.  You can't blame luck, but I think we're due some soon.  I was very pleased with the performance and with the team effort.  We looked like a team again, a proper team that played for each other.  But we need to score goals."

No shit.

With this loss, the Bluebirds are in 19th place with 5 wins, 7 draws, and 16 losses.  The table below captures the full Premier League standings as of 03/05/14.  The table columns are:  Current Position (POS), Last Position (LP), Club Name (CLUB), Matches Played (P), Wins (W), Draws (D), Losses (L), Goals Fielded (GF), Goals Allowed (GA), Goal Differential (GD), and Rankings Points (PTS).

With ten matches still left to play, there's no point just yet in breaking down specific relegation/survival scenarios.  Especially because some clubs have played one or two fewer matches than Cardiff City at this point.  Here are Cardiff City's remaining ten opponents (note an "*" means opponent is in bottom ten of the table and "W", "D", or "L" is the Bluebirds previous result against them):

• Fulham W
• Everton D
• Liverpool L 
• *West Bromwich Albion W
• *Crystal Palace L
• Southampton L
• *Stoke City D
• *Sunderland D
• Newcastle W
• Chelsea L

If Cardiff City win all of their matches against bottom ten clubs, that puts them up 15 points.  If they repeat their previous performances against these opponents, they'll only gain 12 points.  The Bluebirds probably need 17 or more points to survive.  

Bottom line the Bluebirds are underperforming, and now more than ever they are under pressure.

Bill Simmons immediately eliminated the three newly-promoted sides and six worst clubs from the preceding season because, "you don't want to be stuck with a team that gets relegated."  I found this funny at the time.  Hopefully that won't come back to bite me in the ass.

Ok, it's that time again.  Let's commence with this week's "Meet a US Bluebird"!

Meet Travis Hefner (@SonOfCrunch, 02/26/14)

Where do you live and where are you from originally?:  I'm from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and still live there.

How long have you been following the Bluebirds and how did you become a fan?:  I've been following Cardiff City for a few years now.  When I was young, 15-20 years ago, the only clubs that were on were big boys like Arsenal or Manchester United.  It wasn't until the Internet really opened up viewing sports (through legal methods and sometimes "alternate" ones) worldwide that I became a hardcore fan of the game and Cardiff City.  I am of Welsh heritage so I was immediately drawn to the team as they represented something my mother had always made important to me.  Cardiff represented the best of Wales for me, so it was an easy choice.

What is your most favorite Cardiff City memory and why?:  It's interesting that I was asked to do this on February 26th because it is the anniversary of my favorite moment.  It's a bittersweet memory obviously, but the 2012 League Cup Final has to be the most special moment for me.  It cemented my devotion to Cardiff City.  I'd been following them as best I could even though the Championship gets next to no coverage in the United States even now, but this let out a tidal wave of emotion.  Ben Turner's equalizer was the highest of highs, quickly replaced by devastation of the PK shootout.  I can't wait to feel something like that again, minus the devastation, of course.  Hopefully surviving relegation will provide such a moment.

Who is your most favorite current Cardiff City player?:  Declan John flat out has been my favorite player this season.  He's been one of the biggest bright spots this year for us playing on the backline fearlessly whether it's taking players on when he's got the ball or tracking back as hard as he can.  Only 18 with an international cap for Wales, I think he has an incredibly bright future if he keeps going this way.  Hopefully it's with the Bluebirds, but we all know how business goes in this sport. 

What makes Cardiff City important to you?:  Cardiff City is important to me because it feels like a connection to my past.  My education is in History, so being tied to my own history is very cool I think.  Every time I put on something Cardiff City related, or watch the boys play, I think about where I come from, my history, and my family.

What is your favorite US sport and team?  Do you follow any MLS clubs?:  I'm a diehard hockey and Pittsburgh Penguins fan.  I'm pretty dedicated to the other major sports teams in Pittsburgh, as well.  In the MLS I'm a big supporter of the Portland Timbers.  I'm a member of their supporter's trust, 107st, and travel to every close by away day I can get to for them such as Columbus, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia.

Do you think Premier League is growing in popularity in the US?  What can NBC or the League itself do to grow its popularity in the US?:  NBC has done an absolutely incredible job with their Premier League rollout this year and it goes beyond just showing the games.  It is amazing that you can watch all of the games with just a cable subscription (as opposed to FOX's Soccer 2Go,) but I think the best part of their programming has been in the studio.  You watch FOX for Champion's League and Europa League and their studio shows have a quick pre-game, halftime show, and post game before shoving you out to something that they're more committed to.  Even when they had the Premier League, only a handful of games were shown.  NBC is committed to showing the leagues they have rights to.  They produce Match of the Day 1 and 2 and have long pre-game and post-game shows that bring a lot of in depth analysis.  I think NBC could not have done better in their first year.

There's very little I'd like NBC to do that I believe would help grow the game.  I think in their first year they've done almost everything they can.  I'd like to see NBC have full match replays On Demand or online that you could go back to anytime and I'd like to see more games on their main NBC station.  That's pretty much it, they really have been incredible.  Though, maybe they should pick up the Championship, we might need that next year, eh?

Thank you for the interview, Travis.  One thing I did not expect this Premier League experience to do is to connect me with fellow Pennsylvanians!

A continuing bright spot in my otherwise gloomy Premier League weeks is the performance of my fantasy team, the Cardiff'rent Strokes...

• Rank (Last Week):  1,146,326
• Rank (This Week):  1,089,255
• Total Players:  3,190,167

I really do think we're on pace to meet my goal of cracking the top 1,000,000.  It will be interesting to see how players change their performance depending upon where their club is in the table.

Well that's it for this week, readers.  Cardiff City's next Premier League match is on March 8th at home  against Fulham.

Thank you as always for reading.  You can follow me on Twitter @dragon_bluebird.  And feel free to leave some comments on my posts via Blogger or Twitter.  Would love to hear your thoughts on the season so far and I'm always open to suggestions for features or topics you'd like to see on this blog.