Preview of Reading game

Well after a two week break I can’t wait for 3 o’clock Saturday and the return of some ‘proper’ football. This weekend the Royals face Cardiff, a team that we beat over two legs just six months ago to reach Wembley. A lot has changed in that time and Cardiff have started this campaign the better of the two teams but Reading’s recent form gives us cause for hope. Ahead of the game, Cardiff Simon Richards has again kindly helped us out with his usually brutally brilliantly honest thoughts about the how he sees the game going.

How have you rated your season so far?

During a pre-season meeting at a rain soaked, sodden field the coach told us the terrible truth that our son’s football games would now kick off at 2 on a Saturday afternoon. A Saturday afternoon? Who the hell organises kids to kick off on a Saturday afternoon? He must have been a Liverpool fan.

However in truth this little bit of news was somewhat of a relief to me. After last seasons beautiful failure and the season before’ s and the season before’ s and the seas…(repeat to fade)…….a chance to break the unflinching circle of desperation that enveloped the club at every final hurdle came as a welcome break. I can only liken it to that feeling you get when giving up smoking. You know you’re going to miss it, it’s been a big part of your life for so long – but you can’t wait to run through lush green meadows, blinking in the sun and breathing in lush fresh air. I thought finally I can take a step back and not get engulfed in the hopes and dreams of promotion only to see them slip away – I’d be a safe distance, still interested but not engulfed.

Just my sodding luck then that Jones has upped sticks and left a wirly, charismatic Scotsman in charge.

Stupendously hardworking, marvellously full of effort this new dressing room is thankfully no longer busting at the seems with the leading light ego’s of last season’s gut wrenching capitulation.

The men whose shoulders were heavy with the burden of gigantic gambling bills, England caps and bottles of Crystal left and in came a new beast. An animal seldom seen at the Cardiff City stadium (apart from in opposition teams), an animal that fights, bites and never gives up in the single minded search for the ball and 3 points.

It’s been an impressive start to the campaign, far more impressive than most dreamed. I’m sure most City fans would have been happy with mid table mediocrity in return for a picture of the back end of Jones and his overpaid darlings. However we’ve shown our selves to be a side that has a fair amount of attacking flair, and while our defensive backbone creeks with every billowing attack we have exciting options and goal scorers across the front 6.

So while I may be watching my son take on the bruisers of Bargoed FC Under 11’s this weekend I will secretly be refreshing my twitter feed hoping to read a ‘It’s only bloody Miller time again’ tweet. I might just have a drag or two before May.

Has there been a big change now that the Dave Jones era is over?

Everything has seemingly changed. Malky doesn’t stop shouting on the touchlines – while Jones would have stood there arms crossed.

Malky has a high tempo in training – while Jones would have stood there arms crossed.

Malky talks to the Welsh media with the Charm and wit of a performer – while Jones would have stood there arms crossed.

In short Malky has bought a positive new vibe to the place, he doesn’t want big name players and neither do we. He’s a no nonsense, baulchy Celt just like us and he clearly loves the game just like us.

Best memories of Cardiff v Reading

I remember arriving late at an evening kick off during Ninian Parks ill- fated final season and finding the Bob Bank terracing jammed to the rafters.

We had just signed a speed king called Wayne Routledge and were starting to play some blinding football.

Routledge, who was to become the perfect pantomime villan at the club after jumping ship for QPR and finally signing for Swansea, lit the touch paper with run after run at the Reading back 4. He scored his first for the club after only 10 mins after great work from Chopra.

The game ended 2-2 after a Bikey sending off and Hunt equaliser but it was a fantastic advert for football and a great tub thumping atmosphere.

And the worst.

It could have been an episode from Mr Bean. A howler from the Keeper, players sitting on their arses and 3-0 home defeat in the play-offs second leg.

Who should Reading look out for on Saturday

Got to say the man that makes us tick is Whittingham. He has been faultless this season and indeed added the dimension of tackling to his game.

He pulls the strings in a midfield that should also contain a fair measure of Slovakian and Icelandic Steel.

Upfront Miller has hit a fine patch of form, culminating in a fantastic goal for the Scots last Friday night, however don’t ignore a young buck called Mason. A £250,000 steal from Plymouth the youngster has been a revelation this season.

Who will Cardiff fans worry about.

Kebe is always a worry, Federeci tends to have stunners against us and your Welsh contingent will be up for it. Don’t like the look of your Number 13 though.

With 4,000 Cardiff fans making the trip I think they’ll be more worried that the Bar Manager has ordered a few extra barrels of Brains than anything else.

Match Predictions.

Probably a draw but I have to go for a 3-1 Cardiff win

Miller x 2, Conway x 1

God I hate footie

I wrote this for a Reading Blog after Cardiff City's disasterous defeat against Reading in the play-offs last year

Before the play-offs got started we asked a Cardiff Fan Simon Richards what he expected from the ties. Now, Simon has kindly agreed to give us his reflections on what might have been for Cardiff and what Reading fans can expect at Wembley.

Firstly congratulations and enjoy Wembley – after 3 visits I’m sick of the place and can only thank our inept team of bottling primadonners for ensuring I don’t waste my money on another trip up the M4 and to glory. Sincere congratulations and enjoy the day – it’s a truly awe inspiring place.

Something quite strange has happened to me over the past couple of weeks. Something that’s only happened to me a few times in my life. The first time was when, after weeks and weeks of begging, I opened my brand new BMX bike on Christmas morning only to discover that what looked like red paint in the catalogue was in fact bright pink – I was 11.

The second time was when I was snogged under the bridge by Sandra Sandy  – she had diamond cut braces. And the third was when one of my flatmates at Uni turned up on the Jeremy Kyle show, to ask his mother to stop stripping on buses.

I am lost for words. I don’t mean I don’t know what to say, no I actually can’t scrabble around in my head to find meaning from our last 2 home performances. If this was the first time this sort of thing had happened then I’d be able to laugh it off jauntily, blame the god of football and happily shout ‘we’ll do it next year Sandy’. But no – worse than losing is the realisation that exactly the same thing will happen again next year, at least under Jones

Football is a game of winners and losers, sometimes you celebrate, sometimes you commiserate that’s the contract we all enter.  As a fan you’ll happily sit through hours of painful dirge for that one flashing moment of glory, that one celebration when you embrace strangers and cheer in perfect harmony. But it’s meant to have an element or randomness about it. You’re not meant to be able to look at the fixture list in July and say ‘Well we’re gonna lose 5 in Novemeber but win all our matches there and in May we’ll f@@k it up in an almighty good fashion’ – there’s no fun in knowing the ending before you go to the cinema (he’s already dead).

Last week Neil Lennon pleaded with his Celtic team ‘Don’t do a Cardiff’ before they, rather predictably, did a Cardiff and lost to lowly Inverness. I would put money on the phrase ‘Do a Cardiff’ entering the dictionary in 3 years time.

‘I tell you mate, I was carrying the pane of glass all the way upstairs when right at the last minute I tripped and did a Cardiff’.

Legend has it that a witch was told her coupons were useless in the Costco opposite the stadium and placed a curse on the pitch. The only way to rid it to force Dave Jones to eat sheep testacles. Sam Hamman has volunteered to cook them and it looks like he’s been practising on Chopra who is quite literally twice the man he was last season.

Sorry I can’t talk about the games – you won, we were awful – but I have banished them from my memory for my sanity’s sake, and placed them in a box deep in my sub-conscious.

Onto Wembley – get the £65 tickets as they’ll grant you a great view – eat loads before you get there and don’t stay in room 76 of the IBIS – that’s where my daughter was conceived prior to the FA Cup final , it’s still talked about to this day.

Cardiff fans all over are desperate for you to win, not just because of bragging rights but a Jacks victory could have a negative effect on our club for generations. It would ensure they got the best local youngsters, all the floating support and obviously a huge war chest.

Swansea are a very good team, but don’t get put off by the radio pundits who verbally masturbate about their passing game ‘Arsenal of the Championship’ they scream in crowing unity. Bollocks -  Like Arsenal they don’t like it up them. If a team chases, harries and tackles like their lives depended on it they retreat, play aimless balls and become blunt.

If there was one team I would choose to face them it would be you guys (well no actually it would be Barcelona but let’s be realistic). If Cardiff had 10% of you team work ethic we’d have finished in the top 2.

Enjoy your day, win and make sure you haven’t got memories to hide in that little box. I don’t want people to say ‘Yeah he did a Reading’ in years to come – that’s our special little skill.

Thanks again to Simon and you can follow him @SJRichards79