Only one winner for me – Cardiff

<div id="three-col">http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/footballnation/football-columnists/2008/03/31/only-one-winner-for-me-cardiff-91466-20696858/ <h1>Only one winner for me &ndash; Cardiff</h1> <p class="article-date"> Mar 31 2008 by David Giles, South Wales Echo </p>

LET&rsquo;S cut through all the psychological guff &ndash; if both teams play to their potential at Wembley next Sunday there is only one winner.</p>

Cardiff City are head and shoulders above Barnsley as a football team.</p>

Put simply, they have better players, and no amount of protesting from Tykes supporters &ndash; Dickie Bird and Parky included &ndash; can alter that.</p>

City on song play with fizz, verve, creativity and doggedness. There is no better team at Championship level.</p>

Which brings us on to the prime challenge that has faced all visitors to this arena for decades: that of playing to their potential on the big occasion.</p>

Wembley is no respecter of status. Liverpool, Leeds, Arsenal, virtually all the big guns, have found that out to their cost in times past.</p>

So while the Bluebirds are very definitely the favourites this coming weekend, Dave Jones still has to make sure they go out and get the job done. That&rsquo;s the worry I have.</p>

City, results-wise at least, appear to be running into form at the right time and victory against West Brom tomorrow will see them just three points off the play-offs.</p>

But I would argue that over the course of the season the team has not added up to the sum of its parts, even though the squad is thin.</p>

In fact, if they don&rsquo;t make the top six it will be a golden opportunity wasted because the standard of the division is poor.</p>

We saw that proved again at Ninian Park on Saturday. Southampton dominated large periods in terms of possession, but they wouldn&rsquo;t have scored had they still been playing now.</p>

I hope City do make the play-offs and I&rsquo;d love to see them get to the Premiership.</p>

But I&rsquo;m sorry: whoever goes up via the play-offs is going to come straight back down because there is just too much of a gulf in class. They would have to spend not just millions, but tens of millions, strengthening their squad.</p>

Otherwise they would probably end up doing a Derby and it would be heartbreaking to have to go through a season like the Rams have endured.</p>

But back to the semi-final...</p>

I hope that the international experience that is in the City squad &ndash; I&rsquo;m talking about people like Ledley, Rae, McNaughton and Parry as well as the obvious one in Hasselbaink &ndash; might just help them deal with the magnitude of the event better than Barnsley.</p>

And we are talking real magnitude here.</p>

I&rsquo;ll be honest with you, I&rsquo;m still pinching myself that City are in a Wembley FA Cup semi-final. It&rsquo;s totally surreal.</p>

I&rsquo;ve had my fill of Cardiff City &ldquo;fans&rdquo; moaning that they can&rsquo;t get Wembley tickets.</p>

What was the attendance for the Southampton game a week before the big one? 12,900 or so, an absolute disgrace, especially when Southampton brought a fair contingent with them.</p>

Around 33,000 people will be in the City end at Wembley on Sunday.</p>

Well, where the hell are they when it really counts on a wet Saturday afternoon when fourth from bottom of the league are in town?</p>

The true Bluebirds fans are different class and deserve their big day out.</p>

But if you don&rsquo;t go to Ninian Park week in, week out then you have no right to expect to be at Wembley.</p>

echo.sport@mediawales.co.uk</p> </div>

 

i'll have one of whatever he's been drinking.

 

Wouldn't really expect anything else from their local paper, and I'll take being overwhelming underdogs....didn't do us any harm in the last round. But as for them being "head and shoulders above Barnsley as a footballing side"...not from what I saw when we played them earlier in the season otherwise they wouldn't have needed to try to kick us off the park! And their league position is down to the team not being the sum of it's parts whilst ours is just because we aren't any good! Aye....ok!

 

That's what Liverpool and Chelsea thought as well .......

......... despite what any of the media say or speculate about, it's all on the day, the team that turns up, is least affected by the pressure, crowd and surroundings, plays the best football on the day, and has the majority of the luck will win, it's as simple as that!

 

It's the local rag, don't get roped in

...one minute we're the best thing since sliced bread, next we're the worst since Thatcher. No middle ground with them, they'll print any old garbage just to sell copy.

Got to agree with him though (wicked)

 

RE: It's the local rag, don't get roped in

Hope Cardiff are leaving the hooligans at home!

 

this is all good motivational stuff for the barnsley players, personally think its 50-50

 

Me too mate, it's all about who's up for it on the day.

 

RE: It's the local rag, don't get roped in

There's been no trouble from our lot in ages tbh. Mind you, with 33k going, it's bound to include a few beauties - same as yourselves.

 

RE: It's the local rag, don't get roped in

I suppose there will be some idiots but we had no trouble at Wembley last time, in factthe Ipswich supporters were a pleasure. Hope Cardiff will not live up totheir trouble causing reputation.

 

RE: It's the local rag, don't get roped in

Conko, Cardiff arent as bad as they used to be. As Bluebird said with 33K going from each club there are bound to be a few idiots from either team going.