As another season draws to a close, it is time for Cardiff City fans everywhere to take a good, long look at how their team has fared over the last 9 months.
Close inspection will confirm what fans everywhere seem to be saying, this has been a frustratingly poor season that whilst occasionally peppered with sporadic moments of real hope; the true story is one riddled with inconsistency and a distinct lack of excitement on the pitch.
Let's go back to May 2016.
Paul Trollope unveiled as the next Cardiff City manager, May 2016
It would be fair to say that the air of excitement surrounding the new season was in the very least tainted with disappointment when Paul Trollope was announced as the new permanent manager of Cardiff City FC.
The escapades of the Welsh national team which involved the new manager as a coach, seemed to placate some fans who were pleased to hear the new man promise that he was looking to implement the "Wales Way" of playing with fast full-backs in a 5-3-2 formation.
I was one of the lone voices on social media that begged fellow bluebirds everywhere to give the man a chance and get behind him, something that a lot of fans did do especially when the team won a pre-season tournament in Germany; it seemed the good times were back to stay. Sadly I couldn't have been more wrong...
Less than 5 months later and the Welsh dream turned into a nightmare, only 2 wins in 11 games and a series of abject performances on the pitch had left the club floundering in the relegation places in danger of getting pulled into a real relegation battle, Cardiff had a difficult choice to make, or did they?
Neil Warnock hired as new Cardiff City manager, October 2016
The immediate popular choice was affable Yorkshireman Neil Warnock who had been out of work since finishing the rescue job at Rotherham in the previous season. Here was a manager with a proven pedigree but it would be fair to say that his appointment was not met with universal approval, the questions began immediately.
- Could Neil Warnock work with the enigmatic owner Vincent Tan?
- Could Cardiff City FC afford to hire him and his staff?
- What about the long-term plan Cardiff City FC were hoping to implement?
Radio phone-ins and social media were littered with people questioning the above, not to mention, would Mr Warnock want to come to Cardiff? The answer was swift and authoritative, he would love to be given a chance to manage the Welsh capital. Within 24 hours it was a done deal, a new dawn had begun.
Just two weeks and 3 new free-signings later and Bristol City arrive in Cardiff on the crest of a wave, looking to maintain their playoff place and further compound their Severnside rivals...
Sol Bamba scores the winning goal for Cardiff City on his debut
Much to the Robins' chagrin, and much to Warnock's delight, his City side was off to a dream start, Bamba had become a cult-hero and Bristol were about to plummet down the table faster than a Clarkes pie on the Ninian Stand.
It would be fair to say that the first half of the season had become a battle to ensure the Bluebirds would not be caught up in a relegation battle, the second half of the season was to see the emergence of a player that almost no one had seen coming....
Albin Kenneth Dahrup Zohore or "Big Ken" to the bluebirds had signed on a 3 year deal (without much fanfare) in pre-season and most fans had consigned him to the rather large vat of failed strikers at Cardiff City FC, how wrong we all were.
With 13 goals to his name and a player of the season nomination, bluebirds everywhere finally have someone to believe in for the 2017-18 season.
Whilst Warnock has restored hope and many bluebirds are now looking forward eagerly to the new season, there can be no denying that the 2016-17 season will be consigned to the history books as "the one that got away".
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