There was very little between Cardiff City and Luton on Monday. The main difference appeared to be that one side had a purpose and the other did not.
Luton are having a remarkable season, by far exceeding their miniscule budget to compete amongst the top six, despite an escalating injury crisis. More players limped off against Cardiff, but they dug deep and managed to fashion the only goal of the game. They appear to be propelled forward by the momentum of their own achievements, while Cardiff find themselves in the rare position of having very little to play for.
That is a situation of their own creation, with both good and bad repercussions. The fact that Cardiff are safe and comfortably so is due to the hard work of Steve Morison and his players. They dug themselves out of a mighty hole and had they not, Cardiff would have still had plenty to play for and these games would have been incredibly tense.
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Achieving that goal also earned Morison a longer-term contract, which was deserved and also removed another layer of uncertainty. After a tense few months, no one would begrudge Cardiff finally being able to take a breath, but that does not necessarily lend itself to a fiercely contested final few games.
There is also the long-running saga of a wealth of expiring contracts. Morison recently stated that he knows who will be staying and who will be going. With five loan signings and as many as 10 permanent players departing, it is only natural that their attention may start to drift towards the summer and what the future may hold.
It’s encouraging to hear that these decisions have already been made because in the recent past, this has not always been the case. There has been a tendency for these things to drag on into the summer, with players often not receiving the send-off their service deserved. If these situations have been resolved behind the scenes, I hope they will be publicly clarified before the season ends to allow players the opportunity to say farewell.
As it stands, both Joe Ralls and Sean Morrison could be moving on and they’ve been significant players during their time at the club. Ralls has given 10 years of sterling service and is presumably due a testimonial, while Morrison, who is currently sidelined, is not far behind him. These situations and decisions should be handled sensitively and respectfully, in a timely manner.
Cardiff have four games left, with two teams still fighting for promotion and two that have nothing left to play for. Sheffield United and Middlesbrough away back-to-back are two of the toughest games you will have to play all season and Cardiff will have to be much improved if they are to get anything out of those matches. Birmingham at home is a dead rubber and Derby, who Cardiff travel to on the final day, have already been relegated to League One due to their insurmountable points deduction.
There is sure to be plenty more rotation, with different combinations tried, but that is often a double-edged sword. This has been a truly gruelling season and I sometimes have trouble remembering my life before it, so there is sure to be some very heavy legs and tired minds in that squad. Turning over the squad will help with that, but sweeping changes every game can be the enemy of continuity. It has certainly felt like all the changes for the last couple of games has curbed momentum.
The stench from the derby continues to linger and three defeats in four is a cause for concern. Cardiff cannot afford to let the season fizzle out and undo their hard work ahead of such a pivotal summer.
The pattern that has emerged in recent years is for Cardiff, after a difficult season, to finish strongly and raise hopes, only to quickly dash them at the start of the following campaign. Ending the season well is important because that goodwill extends across the post-season break, whereas completing the season with a run of bad results tends to fester until you play again. If that continues into a new season, then a crisis tends to ensue.
With such a huge turnover of players forthcoming, you would have to expect that it will take them some time to bed in and find their feet, so patience will be required and that can be built up over the final four games.
I appreciate how hard it must be to avoid going through the motions at this stage of the season because I feel like I am as a supporter. I know some would rather the football never ended, but I always look forward to the break. I find it nice to put football to one side for a few weeks and allow my excitement to build back up.
I share Morison’s enthusiasm for the task ahead and the opportunity to rebuild the squad, but it also leaves me rather anxious because I understand and appreciate the difficulty of the challenge that awaits. The prospect of a leaner, hungrier collective is certainly something that appeals to everyone and is something to root for, but it is a huge undertaking. A strong end to the season and the goodwill that comes with it would certainly make the task a lot easier.
