Cardiff City
2011–12 season
ChairmanDatuk Chan Tien Ghee
ManagerMalky Mackay
StadiumCardiff City Stadium
Championship6th
FA CupThird round
(eliminated by West Bromwich Albion)
League CupRunners-up
(by Liverpool)
Top goalscorerLeague:
Peter Whittingham (12)

All:
Peter Whittingham (13)
Highest home attendanceLeague: 25,109 vs. Leeds United, 21 April 2012
All: 25,652 vs. Crystal Palace, 24 January 2012
Lowest home attendanceLeague: 20,366 vs. Hull City, 13 March 2012
All: 6,829 vs. Huddersfield Town, 23 August 2011
Average home league attendanceLeague: 22,139
All: 22,139

The 2011–12 season was the 85th season of competitive association football in the Football League played by Cardiff City Football Club. After suffering defeat in the Championship play-off semi-finals to Reading the previous year, Cardiff competed in the second tier of English football for the eighth consecutive year. The season covers the period between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2012.

Malky Mackay was appointed manager at the start of the season and signed 9 players in the summer transfer window ahead of his first season in charge of the club. Cardiff occupied a place in the play-offs for the majority of the season and eventually finished the regular season in sixth position. During the season, Cardiff reached the Football League Cup final, however their first final in the competition ended in defeat against Liverpool.

Background and pre-season

Malky Mackay was appointed as Cardiff manager at the start of the 2010–11 season.

At the end of the 2010–11 season, following a second consecutive defeat in the play-offs, manager Dave Jones was sacked from his position after an end of season review into the club's performance. At the time of his departure, Jones was the longest serving manager in the Championship having held his post since May 2005.[1] The club held talks with former England and Newcastle United captain Alan Shearer to replace Jones but he rejected the job despite stating that he was impressed with the "vision, ambition and determination of the owner Dato Chan Tien Ghee and the board".[2] The Bluebirds instead approached Championship rivals Watford for permission to speak to their manager Malky Mackay, which was initially rejected.[3] However, after the two clubs agreed a compensation fee, Mackay was officially appointed as Dave Jones' replacement on 17 June on a three-year contract.[4] Mackay set about reshaping his coaching staff, allowing assistant manager Terry Burton, first-team coach Paul Wilkinson and fitness coach Alex Armstrong to leave the club,[5] before appointing David Kerslake, Joe McBride and Richard Collinge as their replacements.[6] Goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson later also left the club to take up the same position at Premier League side West Ham United.[7] Cardiff also appointed Mackay's former Watford colleague Iain Moody as their new head of recruitment.[8]

Players released at the end of the season were Martin John and Gavin Rae, while Jay Bothroyd and Chris Burke also left the club after failing to agree new deals. Adam Matthews departed on a free transfer to Scottish side Celtic,[9] having agreed a pre-contract agreement in February 2011,[10] and striker Michael Chopra was sold to Ipswich Town.[11] During the summer transfer window, Mackay agreed deals to sign free agents Craig Conway,[12] Don Cowie,[13] Robert Earnshaw,[14] Rudy Gestede,[15] Aron Gunnarsson[16] and Andrew Taylor.[17] The club also completed transfers for Joe Mason, for £250,000,[18] Kenny Miller, for a reported £870,000,[19] as well as signing Slovakian midfielder Filip Kiss on a season-long loan deal from Slovan Bratislava.[20]

Preseason fixtures

15 July Friendly Charlton Athletic 0–1 Cardiff City Coria del Río
19:30 CEST Report Gestede 25' Stadium: Guadalquivir
Referee: Barea Gonzalez (Spain)
20 July Friendly Cardiff City 0–1 Celtic Cardiff
19:45 BST Report Stokes 34' Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium
Attendance: 10,000
26 July Friendly Yeovil Town 1–1 Cardiff City Yeovil
19:45 BST Ehmer 52' Report 18' Whittingham Stadium: Huish Park
Attendance: 1,377

Review

August–September

A man with a shaven head wearing a blue football jersey, white shorts and blue socks. He is standing on a grass pitch
Kenny Miller scored Cardiff's first goal of the season in a 1–0 victory over West Ham United

The opening game of the 2011–12 Football League Championship season saw Cardiff travel to West Ham United, who had been relegated from the Premier League the previous year, with debutant striker Kenny Miller scoring the only goal of the game in the 91st minute to secure a victory for Cardiff.[21] In the following match, the club progressed through to the second round of the Football League Cup after defeating League Two side Oxford United 3–1 in extra-time.[22] The team continued their winning start to the campaign in their first home tie, defeating Bristol City in the first Severnside derby match of the season.[23] Three days later, on 17 August, Cardiff suffered their first defeat of the season, losing 3–1 to Brighton & Hove Albion.[24] Cardiff ended August with two successive away draws in matches against Burnley and Portsmouth and advanced to the third round of the League Cup after a 5–3 victory over Huddersfield Town.[25][26][27] On the final day of the summer transfer window, Coventry City defender Ben Turner completed a transfer to the club.[28] As part of the deal, Cardiff striker Jon Parkin had been expected to move to Coventry but, after he failed to agree terms, the move subsequently collapsed, Turner joining Cardiff in a cash-only deal for a fee of £750,000.[29]

At the start of September, prior to an international fixture break, a club record 10 players were called up for international duty by their respective countries.[30] Due to a close affiliation with the country, Malaysian international Safee Sali attended a two-week trial at the club.[31] Cardiff played their first match of the month on 10 September, defeating Doncaster Rovers 2–0 after goals from Anthony Gerrard and Robert Earnshaw.[32] In the following match, a 1–1 draw with Blackpool, Cardiff recorded their third consecutive away draw after Don Cowie had initially given them the lead.[33] Three home matches at the Cardiff City Stadium, a 0–0 draw and a League Cup penalty shoot-out victory over Leicester City and a 2–1 victory over Southampton,[34][35][36] ensured Cardiff finished the month of September unbeaten. Striker Jon Parkin left the club on an initial one-month loan move to fellow Championship side Doncaster Rovers[37] and goalkeeper Elliot Parish joined Cardiff from Aston Villa on a loan deal set to last until January 2012.[38]

October–November

Cardiff suffered their first defeat since mid-August on 1 October, losing 2–1 to Hull City. Youth team graduate Joe Ralls scored the Bluebirds only goal of the game with a volley that was described as "spectacular" in his league debut.[39] Following a two-week international break, Cardiff recorded a 2–2 draw with Ipswich Town, Peter Whittingham equalising from a penalty after Ipswich had taken the lead through former Cardiff player Michael Chopra who had been sold to the club three months earlier.[40] Their following two matches saw a total of 15 goals as Cardiff suffered a 4–3 defeat away to Peterborough United on 18 October before recovering with a 5–3 victory over Barnsley four days later.[41][42] On the same day as their victory over Barnsley, Chief Executive Gethin Jenkins stepped down from his position on the board.[43] Cardiff defeated Burnley 1–0 in the fourth round of the League Cup following a goal from Joe Mason,[44] reaching the quarter-finals of the League Cup for only the second time in the club's history.[45] In their final match in October, Cardiff drew 1–1 with Leeds United, Mason netting for the third consecutive match.[46]

Cardiff began the month of November with two wins in the space of three days, defeating Derby County and Crystal Palace 3–0 and 2–0 respectively,[47][48] elevating the team into the play-off places for the first time since the end of September. Following an extended break due to international fixtures, Cardiff recorded a 2–1 win over Reading after goals from Peter Whittingham and captain Mark Hudson.[49] A second Malaysian international, national team captain Safiq Rahim, attended a three-week trial with the club. Rahim had originally been invited on a trial with his teammate Sali in August but was only able to attend in November.[50] Cardiff drew 1–1 with Coventry City on 22 November, having gone ahead from a Peter Whittigham goal, before beating Nottingham Forest 1–0 in their final league game of the month,[51][52] ending November unbeaten having won four and drawn one league match, a run of form that saw manager Mackay awarded the November Championship manager of the month award.[53] Defender Dekel Keinan left the club on loan to join Crystal Palace on an initial six-week loan deal and Jon Parkin completed his second loan deal of the season by joining Huddersfield Town until January.[54][55] On 29 November, Cardiff defeated Blackburn Rovers 2–0 in the quarter-final of the League Cup, reaching the semi-final of the competition for the first time since the 1965–66 season.[45]

December–January

A goal from Kenny Miller secured a 1–0 victory over Birmingham City on 4 December as Cardiff continued their good form, reaching third place in the Championship table,[56] and a 0–0 draw with Millwall saw the side record their ninth consecutive league match without a defeat.[57] One week later, their unbeaten run came to an end as they suffered a 3–2 defeat at home to Middlesbrough, the team's first defeat since 18 October.[58] A late own-goal by Watford defender Adrian Mariappa rescued a 1–1 draw for Cardiff to avoid a second defeat in a row on 26 December in manager Malky Mackay's first match against his former side.[59] Cardiff eventually recorded their first league win since the start of December with a 1–0 victory over Nottingham Forest following a goal from Miller, ending 2011 in fourth position.[60]

A man with short dark hair wearing a red football jersey, black gloves and black shorts. He is standing on a grass pitch.
Kadeem Harris was one of two signings made by Cardiff during the winter transfer window.

The club's first match of 2012 ended in a 3–1 victory over Reading following goals from Miller, Mason and Aron Gunnarsson.[61] With the winter transfer window opening at the start of January, Cardiff completed their first signing with Elliot Parish joining the club on a permanent basis having been on loan since September.[38] In the third round of the FA Cup, Cardiff were knocked out of the competition by Premier League side West Bromwich Albion after suffering a 4–2 defeat.[62] On the same day, Cardiff saw a £400,000 bid rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion for winger Craig Noone.[63] Three days later, Cardiff played the first leg of the League Cup semi-final against fellow Championship side Crystal Palace, losing 1–0 at Selhurst Park.[64] Cardiff returned to league action for the first time in two weeks with a 0–0 draw with Doncaster Rovers on 14 January.[65] Cypriot investment banker Mehmet Dalman joined the board, replacing U-Jiun Tan as a director.[66] Cardiff failed in a second attempt to sign a winger after Blackpool rejected a £800,000 bid for Matt Phillips.[67] In the club's last two league matches in January, they recorded a 3–2 victory over Portsmouth and a 1–1 draw with Southampton.[68][69] On 24 January, in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final, Cardiff defeated Crystal Palace 1–0, following an own-goal from Palace defender Anthony Gardner, leaving the tie at 1–1 after extra-time, resulting in a penalty shoot-out. Cardiff goalkeeper Tom Heaton saved two penalties and Palace's Jonathan Parr missed his penalty to give Cardiff a 3–1 shoot-out victory, Miller the only Cardiff player to fail to score his penalty,[70] reaching the first League Cup final for in the club's history.[45]

In the closing days of the winter transfer window, Cardiff completed their second transfer, signing winger Kadeem Harris from League Two side Wycombe Wanderers for an undisclosed fee[71] and allowed Hungarian defender Gábor Gyepes to leave the club after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.[72] Jon Parkin left the club for a third time during the season on loan, joining Scunthorpe United,[73] and Solomon Taiwo completed a loan move to Leyton Orient.[74]

February–March

Cardiff City and Liverpool players rest before the start of extra-time during the 2012 Football League Cup Final

Having not lost a game since 17 December, Cardiff opened February with two defeats, losing 3–1 at home against Blackpool, after conceding three goals in the final 11 minutes of the match,[75] and 2–1 to Leicester City,[76] the first time during the season that Cardiff had suffered consecutive defeats.[77] A 3–1 victory over Peterborough United in their following match saw Cardiff briefly return to third place,[78] before a third league defeat of the month against Ipswich Town dropped them back into fourth.[79] Despite suffering 3 defeats in their previous 4 matches, Malky Mackay was handed a three and a half-year contract extension, keeping him at the club till June 2016.[80] On 26 February 2012, Cardiff played Premier League side Liverpool in the 2012 Football League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, the first League Cup final in the club's history. The Bluebirds took a surprise lead in the opening 20 minutes through Joe Mason but a second-half goal from Liverpool defender Martin Škrtel took the tie into extra-time after 90 minutes. Dirk Kuyt gave Liverpool a 2–1 lead in the 18th minute of extra-time but pressure from Cardiff saw Ben Turner score a late equaliser with two minutes left of the match to take the game to a penalty shoot-out. After 4 penalties for either side, the shoot-out stood at 2–2 before Glen Johnson gave Liverpool the advantage by converting his penalty. Cardiff defender Anthony Gerrard took the final penalty for Cardiff, needing to score to avoid defeat, but hit his penalty over the bar to hand victory to Liverpool.[81] Despite suffering defeat, Mackay stated that the Cardiff players' performance had "done the club proud".[82]

At the start of March, Cardiff returned to league competition, losing 2–0 to West Ham United, suffering consecutive league defeats for the second time in the space of one month and dropping out of the Championship play-off places for the first time since November 2011.[83] A late goal from Sam Vokes saw Cardiff draw 2–2 with Brighton & Hove Albion in their next match, having led 2–1 going into the final stages of the game.[84] Cardiff claimed a second Severnside derby victory of the season in the following match, beating Bristol City 2–1 with both goals coming from own goals scored by Bristol players.[85] After a defeat to Hull City, Cardiff embarked on run of four consecutive draws, three of which came at home, that left them outside the play-off places in eighth position.

April–May

Entering April with a four match unbeaten streak, Cardiff continued their form, avoiding defeat in the remaining six matches of the season. This included victories over Middlesbrough, Barnsley, Derby County and Crystal Palace to finish the season in sixth position, securing the final spot in the Championship play-offs.[86] Cardiff were drawn against West Ham, who had finished the season in third position, in the play-off semi-finals. Two goals from Jack Collison gave West Ham a 2–0 advantage in the first-leg and Cardiff were unable to mount a comeback in the second-leg, suffering a 3–0 defeat to lose the semi-final 5–0 on aggregate.[87]

Football League Championship

Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
4 Birmingham City 46 20 16 10 78 51 +27 76 Qualification for Championship play-offs
5 Blackpool 46 20 15 11 79 59 +20 75
6 Cardiff City 46 19 18 9 66 53 +13 75
7 Middlesbrough 46 18 16 12 52 51 +1 70
8 Hull City 46 19 11 16 47 44 +3 68
Updated to match(es) played on 28 April 2012. Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Result round by round

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundAHHAAHAHHAHAHAAHAAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHHHAHAHAHHA
ResultWWLDDWDDWLDLWDWWWDWWDLDWWDWDLLWLLDWLDDDDWDWWDW
Position71787666699138954433335443333343488678888666666
Updated to match(es) played on 28 April 2012. Source: cardiffcityfc.co.uk
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Notes: Hover over letter A for ground's name, letter H means playing at Cardiff City Stadium.

Kit

Supplier: Puma
Sponsor(s): Malaysia

Home
Home Alternate
Away
Away Alternate
Away Alternate 2
Third
GK Home
GK Away
GK Alternate

Source:

Squad

No. Name Position (s) Nationality Place of Birth Date of Birth (Age) Club caps Club goals Int. caps Int. goals Signed from Date signed Fee Contract End
Goalkeepers
1 David Marshall GK Scotland Glasgow 5 March 1985 (aged 27) 65 0 5 0 Norwich City 12 May 2009 £500,000 30 June 2013
22 Tom Heaton GK England Chester 15 April 1986 (aged 26) 54 0 Manchester United 16 June 2010 Free 30 June 2012
29 Elliot Parish GK England Northampton 20 May 1990 (aged 22) Aston Villa 3 January 2012 Free 30 June 2013
30 Jordan Santiago GK Canada Calgary 3 April 1991 (aged 21) Academy 1 June 2010 Trainee 1 July 2012
Defenders
2 Kevin McNaughton RB/LB/CB Scotland Dundee 28 August 1982 (aged 29) 207 2 4 0 Aberdeen 26 May 2006 Free 30 June 2013
3 Andrew Taylor LB/LM England Hartlepool 1 August 1986 (aged 25) Middlesbrough 4 July 2011 Free 30 June 2014
5 Mark Hudson CB England Guildford 30 March 1982 (aged 30) 79 2 Charlton Athletic 2 July 2009 £1,075,000 30 June 2014
6 Anthony Gerrard CB England Liverpool 6 February 1986 (aged 26) 49 2 Walsall 2 July 2009 £200,000 30 June 2013
12 Dekel Keinan CB Israel Rosh HaNikra 15 September 1984 (aged 27) 20 2 20 0 Blackpool 21 January 2011 £300,000 30 June 2013
14 Paul Quinn RB/CB Scotland Wishaw 21 July 1985 (aged 26) 56 1 Motherwell 4 June 2009 £300,000 30 June 2012
18 Lee Naylor LB England Bloxwich 19 March 1980 (aged 32) 31 2 Celtic 19 August 2010 Free 30 June 2012
21 Jonathan Meades LB/LM Wales Cardiff 2 March 1992 (aged 20) Academy 1 June 2009 Trainee 30 June 2012
23 Darcy Blake CB/RB/DM Wales New Tredegar 13 December 1988 (aged 23) 90 0 2 0 Academy 1 June 2005 Trainee 30 June 2014
25 Ben Turner CB England Birmingham 21 August 1988 (aged 23) Coventry City 31 August 2011 £750,000 30 June 2014
31 Alex Evans CB Wales Blackwood 3 May 1991 (aged 21) Academy 1 June 2011 Trainee 30 June 2012
Midfielders
4 Filip Kiss DM/RM Slovakia Dunajská Streda 13 October 1990 (aged 21) Slovan Bratislava 21 July 2011 Loan 30 June 2012
7 Peter Whittingham CM/LM/RM England Nuneaton 8 September 1984 (aged 27) 211 55 Aston Villa 11 January 2007 £350,000 30 June 2014
8 Don Cowie RM/CM Scotland Inverness 15 February 1983 (aged 29) 3 0 Watford 1 July 2011 Free 30 June 2014
11 Craig Conway LW/RW Scotland Irvine 2 May 1985 (aged 27) 2 0 Dundee United 23 June 2011 Free 30 June 2014
13 Liam Lawrence LM/CM Republic of Ireland Retford England 13 December 1981 (aged 30) 15 2 Portsmouth 2 March 2012 Loan 30 May 2012
17 Aron Gunnarsson DM/RB Iceland Akureyri 22 April 1988 (aged 24) 23 0 Coventry City 8 July 2011 £350,000 30 June 2014
24 Solomon Taiwo CM/RM Nigeria Lagos 29 April 1985 (aged 27) 10 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 25 August 2009 £250,000 30 June 2012
27 Kadeem Harris LW/RW England London 29 May 1993 (aged 19) Wycombe Wanderers 30 January 2012 £150,000 30 June 2016
28 Aaron Wildig CM/LM England Hereford 15 April 1992 (aged 20) 21 1 Academy 15 April 2009 Trainee 30 June 2012
32 Ibrahim Farah CM Wales Cardiff 24 February 1992 (aged 20) Academy 1 June 2011 Trainee 30 June 2012
37 Stephen McPhail CM/LM Republic of Ireland London England 9 December 1979 (aged 32) 193 3 10 1 Barnsley 13 June 2006 Free 30 June 2013
52 Joe Ralls CM/LM England Aldershot 13 October 1993 (aged 18) Academy 30 September 2011 Trainee Undisclosed
Forwards
9 Kenny Miller CF Scotland Edinburgh 23 December 1979 (aged 32) 55 14 Bursaspor 26 July 2011 £870,000 30 June 2013
10 Robert Earnshaw CF/RW Wales Mufulira Zambia 6 April 1981 (aged 31) 205 105 54 16 Nottingham Forest 6 July 2011 Free 30 June 2013
15 Rudy Gestede CF France Essey-lès-Nancy 10 November 1988 (aged 23) Metz 26 July 2011 Free 30 June 2014
16 Jon Parkin CF England Barnsley 30 January 1981 (aged 31) 13 1 Preston North End 1 January 2011 £100,000 30 June 2013
20 Joe Mason CF/LW Republic of Ireland Plymouth England 13 May 1991 (aged 21) Plymouth Argyle 10 July 2011 £250,000 30 June 2016
33 Nathaniel Jarvis CF Wales Cardiff 20 October 1991 (aged 20) Academy 1 June 2010 Trainee 30 June 2013

Statistics

As of 7 May 2012
No. Pos Nat Player TotalChampionshipFA CupLeague CupPlay-offs
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1 GK Scotland SCO David Marshall 48045+000+001+002+00
2 DF Scotland SCO Kevin McNaughton 48041+100+004+101+00
3 DF England ENG Andrew Taylor 52142+010+007+102+00
4 MF Slovakia SVK Filip Kiss (on loan from Slovan Bratislava) 33113+1311+002+300+10
5 DF England ENG Mark Hudson 44538+150+003+002+00
6 DF England ENG Anthony Gerrard 25218+211+003+110+00
7 MF England ENG Peter Whittingham 551346+0120+005+212+00
8 MF Scotland SCO Don Cowie 53744+040+007+031+10
9 FW Scotland SCO Kenny Miller 501141+2100+004+112+00
10 FW Wales WAL Robert Earnshaw 2248+1131+011+000+10
11 MF Scotland SCO Craig Conway 38524+731+005+120+00
13 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Liam Lawrence (on loan from Portsmouth) 15112+110+000+002+00
14 DF Scotland SCO Paul Quinn 500+101+003+000+00
15 FW France FRA Rudy Gestede 3135+2021+004+110+00
17 MF Iceland ISL Aron Gunnarsson 50541+150+005+102+00
18 DF England ENG Lee Naylor 602+001+002+100+00
20 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Joe Mason 461224+1590+114+022+00
21 MF Wales WAL Jonathan Meades 000+000+000+000+00
22 GK England ENG Tom Heaton 1001+101+007+000+00
23 DF Wales WAL Darcy Blake 2809+1101+003+201+10
25 DF England ENG Ben Turner 43336+120+004+012+00
27 MF England ENG Kadeem Harris 000+000+000+000+00
29 GK England ENG Elliot Parish 000+000+000+000+00
30 GK Canada CAN Jordan Santiago 000+000+000+000+00
31 DF Wales WAL Alex Evans 100+000+001+000+00
32 MF Wales WAL Ibrahim Farah 100+000+001+000+00
37 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Stephen McPhail 27011+801+003+201+10
38 DF England ENG Adedeji Oshilaja 000+000+000+000+00
40 MF Wales WAL Theo Wharton 100+000+100+000+00
52 MF England ENG Joe Ralls 1415+510+002+200+00
Players currently out on loan:
12 DF Israel ISR Dekel Keinan (at Crystal Palace) 400+101+002+000+00
16 FW England ENG Jon Parkin (at Scunthorpe United) 210+000+002+010+00
24 MF Nigeria NGA Solomon Taiwo (at Leyton Orient) 200+100+001+000+00
28 MF England ENG Aaron Wildig (at Shrewsbury Town) 000+000+000+000+00
33 FW Wales WAL Nathaniel Jarvis (at Newport County) 110+000+000+110+00
Players featured for club who have left:
DF Hungary HUN Gábor Gyepes 210+000+002+010+00
MF Slovenia SVN Haris Vučkić (on loan from Newcastle United) 512+310+000+000+00

Starting XI

The following players have been named in the most starting line-ups. This line-up may differ from the list of players with most appearances.

Captains

No. P Name Country No. games Notes
5 DF Mark Hudson England 43 Club captain
2 DF Kevin McNaughton Scotland 4
7 MF Peter Whittingham England 4
14 DF Paul Quinn Scotland 3
37 MF Stephen McPhail Republic of Ireland 3

Last updated: 18 February 2012
Source: Competitive match reports.
Competitive matches only
Matches started as captain only
Country: FIFA nationality; No.: Squad number; P: Position; Name: Player name; No. Games: Number of games started as captain.

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