Cardiff City were handed a plum FA Cup tie with the runaway leaders of the Premier League at home and it’s now up to Cardiff boss Neil Warnock to come up with a plan to progress further in the competition.
There will be a sell-out crowd the biggest ever at the Cardiff City stadium with the game live on the BBC and shown worldwide it’s like the old days of the welsh clubs short visit to the Premier League a number of seasons ago. The club, manager, and fans have been calling for fans to return to the stadium where fans numbers have been relatively low with Cardiff in promotion form. The down side of that was the old ‘plastic’ claims were soon awash on social media, which really depresses me just get on with it, there is a game to win.
I have read our leader Warnock is playing down our chances on winning if that is tactics so what I believe every Bluebirds fan should trust over 90minutes to play that we can win. We have had them over in the FA Cup before, who can forget that Nathan Blake goal in 1994. Most recently in season 2013/14 our first home game in the Premier League saw us beat Manchester City 3-2 the same score line later today would be nice.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s claimed Cardiff were “a long-ball team” but he has vowed to play a strong team but that is to be seen when the team sheet is released later. They had trouble overcoming our Championship rivals Bristol City over two legs in League Cup while this game is a one off they are not easy to predict. Who would have thought Newport County at half time would go in with a 1-0 lead over Premier League club Tottenham and finish the game 1-1 and a replay at Wembley and their bank manager will be happy.
Cardiff will put out their best team and still have plenty of first team squad members on the treatment table the likes of Lee Peltier, Aron Gunnarsson, Craig Bryson, and Danny Ward remain out of contention. Despite the push for promotion, Cardiff have hit a bit of a blip over the festive period winning two from just eight games and seeing Derby County nip in ahead of them into second place. The Welsh side would dearly love to provide their fans with a day to remember with an unlikely win over City, I believe they can give them a game.
The 69-year-old Cardiff manager said: “The FA Cup is just special because you don’t know what’s wrong around the corner, do you? I remember when I was at QPR we played Chelsea and everyone said we had no chance – and we ended up beating them 1-0.
“They had two men sent off and lost their rag; I’m not saying that will happen with Man City but things happen in football and it’s produced these results.
“I think my biggest scalp was when I was with Notts County in 1991 and we beat Man City in the fifth round at Meadow Lane.
“The snow was six foot high at the time and the fans were clearing it off the pitch. I didn’t take my players training, we went sledging – it was only after I realised how close to a disaster I was because my two keepers, Kevin Blackwell and Steve Cherry missed a massive tree by about quarter of an inch.
“That could have finished me off but instead we created the shock. Look, Man City are the world’s best team and I’d tell the fans not to put money on it.
“But things happen and I know one thing I’m to enjoy it and wont be anywhere near as nervous when there’s points at stake, when your stomach is going and you have your last meal at 10 in the morning.”
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