Why Cardiff City has a great shot of making play-offs following excellent recent form under Neil Harris?
The Bluebirds defeated Luton Town courtesy of a moment of magic from Lee Tomlin — and are now just four points off the play-off places, after finding a purple patch of form in the Sky Bet Championship.
Neil Harris’ side are currently five games unbeaten in the league; after being thumped 6–1 by Queens Park Rangers on New Year’s Day.
Since that game, though, Cardiff has found a way to grind out results, without playing pretty football — but that is key in a league as competitive and grueling as the Championship is.
There is a glimmer of hope now that the Bluebirds can make the playoffs this season and the fans are starting to believe it can happen, too.
In recent weeks, the football has improved gradually, as well. Cardiff were superb in their victory over West Brom, where they battled vigorously to beat the league leaders 2–1, thanks to another moment of sheer class from Tomlin, who scored a sensational free-kick to send the Bluebirds faithful into delirium to earn them a crucial three points in the Welsh Capital.
They backed this performance up against Reading and they were dominant in large parts against the Royals in the league, but they couldn’t quite cut through their stubborn back-line as they drew 1–1 with Mark Bowen’s men, with Callum Paterson and Danny Ward causing problems throughout.
The improved performances have given fans optimism for perhaps the first time this season and Albert Adomah, signed on-loan from Nottingham Forest on deadline day could be crucial between now and the end of the season.
He proved he has the quality in the win over Luton Town when he provided the assist for Tomlin’s goal at Kenilworth Road and he and the rest of the team will hope to back this up when they travel to face Huddersfield Town on Wednesday evening.
So, has Neil Harris made a difference since being appointed Bluebirds manager?
In one word, yes. You can certainly make a case for that. Cardiff’s performance levels have certainly increased and the form of Tomlin has been key to this current run of form the Bluebirds are in.
The former Peterborough playmaker has three goals in his last four games and scored some vital goals throughout this season.
If Cardiff are to have any chance of achieving that final play-off spot, they must keep their star man fit at all costs. It's not just Tomlin who has improved, though.
Harris has started to turn to Callum Paterson following the poor run of form Robert Glatzel has endured following his £5.5 million summer move from German outfit, FC Heidenheim in the summer and the versatile Scotsman has been terrific.
He is what every fan loves because he chases lost causes and gives teams something different to think about and he is certainly another player that they will need to keep fit between now and the end of the season; especially taking into account the injury problems he has faced for the Bluebirds in the past.
There are also several other players who have stepped up to the plate since Harris’ introduction and the defensive partnership of Curtis Nelson, signed from Oxford United in the summer and Sean Morrison, has been a hugely positive sign for the former Millwall manager; with Cardiff struggling to keep clean sheets throughout this campaign.
He has also introduced Alex Smithies as his new number one and he has been superb all in all, producing one of the saves of the season in the process in their recent 2–1 home victory over promotion-chasing West Bromwich Albion.
He has been bold, of course — but in general, apart from the nightmare performance at Queens Park Rangers, Harris has been a good appointment so far and he has got the Bluebirds playing some neat football.
It's simple but very effective. Cardiff will not dominate games, but they are gradually improving under the guidance of Harris.
He has more than played his role in getting this Cardiff team to improve and they are slowly starting to adapt to the way Harris wants to play football in the Welsh Capital.
This is a team with a lot of quality, and with the Sky Bet Championship wide open — this is a great opportunity for Cardiff to make a statement, with winnable games coming up, against Huddersfield Town, at the Kirklees Stadium, on Wednesday — before hosting Paul Cook’s Wigan Athletic on Saturday afternoon.
After that, they face tricky tests against in-form Stoke City, at the bet365 Stadium, before hosting high-flying Nottingham Forest and Brentford respectively, at the Cardiff City Stadium.
But there is no better time to pick up points than now. Cardiff are in great form but they need to continue playing with this sort of intensity to grind out results when they need them most, starting with their clash in West Yorkshire, against Huddersfield Town, on Wednesday evening.
