Fireside Chats: Dougie & Malky's Cardiff City Breakdown

Let's visit what Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay had to say first,

To be honest we do feel hard done by, yes. decisions change games. We were in control first half. They never had a serious attempt on our target, We scored and they had to come out and have a go for it.

Alright, this is going a bit far Malky. Yes, it's true that Bolton didn't have a serious attempt on target, but neither did Cardiff, until their fluky goal in the 40th minute

"They got a penalty out of nothing. There was incredibly minimal contact and Ngog is already diving when he is touched. The referee gives it, fair enough, but if he gives that he has to give Mark Hudson's penalty. It was unbelievable. He either gives neither or he gives both. Hudson was attempting to head the ball and Warnock's arm is around him.

"That got them back into the game and then they got the second goal and they had their tails up. We had balls across the box at the end and it was backs to the walls time for them. There was a lot of bodies in the box. But decisions change games and the referees has changed that one. I do hope the referee has a look at his decisions and the lineman, too.

Perhaps Cardiff City were a bit unlucky, but over all they didn't do much to distinguish themselves from Bolton, and the game honestly could've gone either way."

Dougie Freedman had somewhat of a different perspective on the match,

"I didn't think we deserved to be a goal down at half time, but we responded in the right manner and asked a lot of questions of Cardiff as soon as the second half started. Overall I thought we deserved to win that match of football.

"Our players have got to get to know that because of the demands of this league we will be making use of the whole squad. It was certainly the squad that won us this game tonight.

"Cardiff are a top team. They've spent a substantial amount of money and added some quality players.

"We passed the ball quite well in the first half without ever really hurting them. The game doesn't have to be won inside the opening half. We stuck to our game-plan and as the match wore on we grew stronger. I knew having played against Cardiff a lot, that if we could keep the tempo up in the second half we'd get chances.

"Now there's no use in us opening the champagne and celebrating thinking we're going to be okay. We've now got to respond on Monday morning in training. Hopefully the players will come in with a smile on their faces ready to go again.

"Overall, I think it was a good performance from the whole squad and coaching staff. The fans played their part, particularly in the second half, in getting behind the side. It's all about momentum both on and off the pitch and today the supporters gave us a real boost. They were vocal and it's good to send them home happy."

It's so refreshing to see a realistic take on the game. Instead of bemoaning unfair calls, he only touches on the fact that the halftime score didn't really reflect the first 45, and then emphasized his use of tactics. It's clear that Dougie actually does have a game plan, unlike Coyle, and while it's too early to tell, it seems to be effective too.