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Crystal Palace thump Cardiff City as Iain Moody returns to former club Crystal Palace thump Cardiff City as Iain Moody returns to former club
(about 1 hour later)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said beforehand that Cardiff would be relegated if they lost this one, so presumably he can start planning for the Championship – if he is allowed to stay that long. Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer said beforehand that Cardiff would be relegated if they lost this one, so presumably he can start planning for the Championship – if he is allowed to stay that long.
Palace were always the superior, better-organised team in this crucial six-pointer, and were in no way flattered by the result. He wasn't prepared to admit it last night, saying only that miracles do happen in football, but his demeanaour told another story. He has tried every formation in the coaching manual and changed players with bewildering regularity but come up short time and again.
Joe Ledley, a Cardiffian who began his career with his home-town club, set up the first goal and scored the second. A local boy made good, he declined to celebrate his part in his former club's demise. Vincent Tan's mind is a closed book, but the Welsh club's autocratic owner must be thinking he should have appointed Tony Pulis, who was out of work when the Malaysian money man first fell out with Malky Mackay early this season.
The third, driven home by Jason Puncheon in the 88th minute, rendered the scoreline as embarrassing as the performance for the Welsh team. Instead Tan went for Solskjaer, whose inexperience has been all too apparent of late, with 20 goals conceded in the last seven games. Under the Norwegian novice Cardiff have taken just eight points from his first 13 matches and, six points adrift from safety with five games left, they are set for an early return whence they came after their promotion as champions last season.
Palace took the lead in the 31st minute, Ledley supplying Puncheon, who scored with a low shot from a central position, 15 yards out. It was the sort of strike that David Marshall would normally expect to save, but he was unsighted by those in front of him as the ball skidded in. In contrast Pulis, a Welshman who followed Cardiff in his youth, took charge at Palace when they were anchored to the bottom of the table with four points from their first 11 matches, and now has them 14th and out of danger with 27 points from his first 20 games.
Cardiff were a poor second best, Solskjaer's deployment puzzling. Fraizer Campbell, his best striker, was on the left, seeking to join Kenwyn Jones from a wide position – a tactic that never looked like working. Craig Bellamy, who was on the bench, is more familiar with, and better suited, to such a role. Solskjaer's record compares unfavourably with that of the man he replaced. Mackay had Cardiff 12th in the table at one stage and managed four wins to his successor's two.
Wilfried Zaha was restored to the starting lineup against his old club, whose chairman, Steve Parish, annoyed Cardiff in midweek by saying he would like to re-sign him from Manchester United at the end of his loan spell in Wales. On this showing, he may well have changed his mind, Zaha's flicks and step-overs accomplishing nothing of consequence before he was substituted in the 62nd minute. To the mortified disbelief of their biggest attendance of the season, Cardiff's were even worse than in their 4-0 defeat at home to Hull recently. They managed only one decent goal attempt, by Fraizer Campbell.
Another source of animosity here was the return, as a Palace employee, of Iain Moody, whose sacking as Cardiff's head of recruitment brought to a head the fall out between Malky Mackay and Vincent Tan. Moody was refused a seat in the directors' box on Saturday and was forced to sit among the away fans. Palace arrived with the fewest goals in the league, but filled their boots in impressive fashion. They were always the superior, better organised team and were in no way flattered by the result.
Cardiff threatened midway through the first half, when a cross from Jordon Mutch enabled Campbell to get in a header that had keeper Julian Speroni scrambling low to his left – but, after that, the Palace defence was untroubled and it was all over as a contest in the 71st minute. Joe Ledley, a Cardiffian who began his career with his home-town club, set up the first goal and scored the second. A local boy made good, he declined to celebrate his part in the Bluebirds' demise.
Puncheon's long free-kick was met by Marouane Chamakh on the edge of the six-yard box and, although the substitute's header was saved by Marshall, using his legs, the ball ran to Ledley who nudged it home, almost apologetically. The third, driven home by Puncheon in the 88th minute, rendered the scoreline as embarrassing as the performance for Solskjaer and his team.
For the third, Puncheon, the man of the match, evaded Steven Caulker before beating Marshall with a rising drive from 20 yards out. Palace took the lead in the 31st minute, Ledley supplying Puncheon, who scored with a low shot from a central position, 15 yards out. Cardiff's deployment puzzling. Fraizer Campbell, their best striker, was out on the left, seeking to join Kenwyn Jones from a wide position â€" a tactic which never looked like working. Craig Bellamy, who was left on the bench for 72 minutes, is more familiar with, and better suited, to such a role.
Wilfried Zaha was restored to the starting line-up against his old club whose chairman, Steve Parish, annoyed Cardiff in midweek by saying he would like to re-sign him from Manchester United at the conclusion of his loan spell in Wales. On this showing Parish may well have changed his mind. Zaha's flics and step-overs accomplished nothing of consequence before he was replaced in the 62nd minute. Another source of discord was the return as a Palace employee of Iain Moody, whose sacking as Cardiff's head of recruitment brought the fall out between Malky Mackay and Vincent Tan to a head. Moody was refused a seat in the directors' box yesterday and forced to sit among the away fans.
Cardiff threatened only once, midway through the first half, when a cross from Jordon Mutch enabled Campbell to get in a header which had Julian Speroni scrambling low to his left. After that the Palace defence was untroubled and it was all over as a contest in the 71st minute. Puncheon's long free-kick was met by Chamakh on the edge of the six-yard box and although the substitute's header was saved by David Marshall, using his legs, the ball ran to Ledley who nudged it home, almost apologetically.
For the third Puncheon, the man of the match, evaded Steven Caulker before beating Marshall with a rising drive from 20 yards.
Solskjaer, sounding very much like a man in denial, said: "If we do produce a miracle at Southampton next Saturday we might be back in with a chance. Miracles sometimes happen in football. I know things will have to change, but I've been here three months and I‘ve got more energy and fight than ever."
Maybe, but it seems the same cannot be said of his feeble team.