Yeah, if he doesn't start Saturday, feel free to freak out, but Cardiff rotated their entire starting lineup from the Sunderland match. The right back made his senior debut, and the left back made his 3rd senior appearance. The only teams that care less about the League Cup than those in the Prem are promotion chasers throughout the Football League.
Using the League Cup to give #2 keepers PT is SOP for Premier League and most Championship sides, certainly in the early rounds. It might as well be renamed the Rotating Keepers Cup. Some coaches don't like it, of course, and start their first choice in every game but not rotating is seen as a vote of no confidence in the reserve keeper. It was also against a lower League One side (finished 15th last season). A tie with "safe for rotation" written all over it
Since it finished 5-0 to Burnley, it doesn't look like there's anything good about today's display by anyone in blue. That said, the Burnley opener was a howler from Ethan, letting the a pretty routine backpass slip under his foot and into the net. How he responds in the next game will say a lot about his resilience
Video from the game's, ahem, "highlights" is up. Here's the opening howler in all its horror. Right "up" there with Ethan's worst. Genuine "Scottish Save of the Month" material. https://www.skysports.com/football/...tys-goalkeeper-howler-gives-burnley-easy-goal There wasn't much he could have done on the other goals and maybe nothing on some of them, but to concede an opener like that after only 9 minutes is deeply problematic. His mental toughness will be on trial for the next few months
And that's why I've never trusted Horvath. He does things like this several times a season. Why would he try to trap the ball with the underside of his boot? Just bad technique.
Because that's the way coaches want GKs and defences to play: keep the ball on the deck, control it and build from the back. Nothing wrong with it, of course. Then again, there's nothing wrong with putting your big toe through the ball either.
I'm very aware that so many coaches want GKs to keep the ball on the deck and play out productively. But trying to put your foot on the ball like an 8 year old in 1980s youth leagues in the US doesn't cut it.
The Good : Koleosho keeps looking good. The Bad : Horvath was terrible, it's as if he were begging for the bench. The Ugly : Koleosho is playing well enough, so he will keep picking Italy.
Yeah, this can't be good: Ethan Horvath has "full support" of Erol Bulut heading into South Wales Derby - SBI Soccer
I'm pretty sure this is just the Matt Turner story line from last season. Writers are getting lazy. . .
They don't call it the 'dreaded vote of confidence' for no reason. From Google, in the traditional context ... "When there is regular speculation in the media over the future of a struggling manager, a club will always issue the dreaded vote of confidence. This process allows the club's directors to find a new manager while stressing their 'complete faith' in the hapless incumbent."
In plain English: "Look, every GK drops a clanger from time to time and commentators need to keep this fact in mind, along with the plain fact that . . . he's on 750k a season, 40% more than Alnwick - who's got one foot out the door already - and the whole club stuck its neck out to bring him here. If it's his annual howler, he's still a good GK and we move on. If it's his recurring attack of the yips, we move on too - without him."
Started: 🔢Two full league debuts - Robertson and Daland! Come on you #Bluebirds! 💙#CityAsOne pic.twitter.com/pf2uOVs6QS— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) August 25, 2024 Down 1-0 at the half. Game is streaming on CBS Sports Golazo, available for free on PlutoTV.
Finished 1-1, with Ethan playing well, and in the South Wales Derby too! He had two good saves and wasn't at fault for the Swansea goal: there was a great reaction save but a Swansea player bundled in the rebound. However, there was an incident late, late on when he came for a high ball, was fouled and dropped the ball. He did get the free kick, but he looked hesitant and uncertain in coming for the ball, reshuffling his feet 2-3 times before the jump. Doesn't look good IMO but then YMMV. It's at minute 9.08 in these extended highlights. Short package here. https://www.skysports.com/football/...city-1-1-cardiff-city-championship-highlights
Horvath wisely sidestepped today's EFL Cup match, allowing Alnwick the pleasure of conceding 5 goals, the last two in stoppage time, in a 3-5 defeat to Southampton.
Middlesbrough are serious promotion candidates this season. It'll be a real test of Ethan's credentials