Portuguese stalemates and a guide to the alphabet.

By: Martyn | July 19th, 2008

Another friendly, a draw being the result of this one. I’ll discuss my thoughts on tactics and team selections in the next week or so.

Anyway… Owing to a shortage of frankincense, myrrh and gold, I gift you instead with an A-Z of Cardiff City’s upcoming 2008/09 campaign. An analysis of how things are shaping up, whether some things will have changed shape from last year, and what factors can influence the highly malleable nature of the season’s potential shape. Learn, enjoy, or both!

A is for arrivals. Most specifically, will there be anymore, and are they good enough to take the squad to the next level?

B is for Brown and Blake. Will messrs Jon or Darcy make the breakthrough this year?

C is Capaldi, Tony. Will the much sought after Northern Ireland left-back prove to City fans why he was brought in?

D is for derby of the South Walian variety. Let’s hope arrests are minimal, but goals aren’t.

E is for earnings. The club has tied down a number of players on new deals: Will they prove they’re worth the increase in earnings?

F is for Free-Kicks. Will we see a consistent standard of delivery into the box, delivery that puts the opposition under pressure? Or – and chance would be a fine thing – several sailing into the net?

G is for Goalkeeper. Will this position lose the curse?

H is for Hedge-Funds, and all forms of finance related to the club. Last year saw Jonesdale fly out to Barcelona for talks with potential investors. Will talks become dotted I’s and crossed T’s this year?

I is for inconsistency. The periods of non-winning must be banished, and the team must develop and display more bouncebackability and backbone.

J is for jersey. Yes, another new one.

K is for Keepmoat Stadium. One of two new grounds we’ll take in this year, the other being the Liberty Stadium.

L is for Langstone. This company could yet spell the end for us.

M is for McPhail, Stephen. Will he become as fearsome a dictator on the football field as Pol-Pot was in the Cambodian political field?

N is for Ninian Park – the last season in the heritage and rust rich stadium.

O is for officials. After a few rotten ref’s in the past few seasons, will a long overdue consistent set subsist throughout?

P is for promotion. Well, you never know!

Q is for queuing. Fingers crossed, but with this being Ninian Park’s swansong, 14k+ season tickets sold, and the fact our profile has been raised on the back of last season’s cup heroics, one would hope chronic car parking and queues around the block will be a picture of matchdays!

R is for Round 3. Such is Sod’s Law, this is the round we will exit the FA Cup in. Probably to someone like Burnley away.

S is for Scimeca, Riccardo. Will he show just why it is we missed him?

T is for training facilities. Can we reap the benefits of a full season spent in some proper ones?

U is for UEFA Cup. A competition we’ll cast an envious glance over, especially should Pompey immediately land a plum draw against a team of the calibre of AC Milan or Borussia Dortmund.

V is for Vans-Direct. Our newest sponsor, and the logo set to adorn replica tops Glamorgan-wide this year.

X is for exciting, exhilarating, and all other adjectives and synonyms that involve the inclusion of the alphabet’s sexiest letter. They relate, most hopefully, to the kind of suffixes that will get attached to our name when the media drool over our sumptuous and scintillating showings.

Y is for youth teams. After a highly impressive run in the cup, and dealing teams such as Manchester United hammerings last season, can the young guns continue their inspiring form and get more of their stars rattling the knob on the first team’s door?

Z is for ZZZ – Letter patterns hopefully not representative of the football every visiting army will bring to the Battles of Ninian Park this season.