The last few years for the Cardiff City FC, Bluebirds, have been tough for the fans, with lackluster performances and suffering relegation in the 2024/25 season. However, Cardiff was given a bright new start under Brian Barry-Murphy; they not only survived the infamously dreaded league one, but placed second, securing their promotion back to the championship immediately, and leaving fans optimistic for new beginnings under a promising young manager.

Whilst the season hasn’t begun the way the club would’ve hoped, sitting at 19th after eleven games, does the table truly reflect the ability of this squad?

The season began with the heavily anticipated Welsh Derby between Cardiff City and the box office Wrexham, who had a fantastic season the year prior finishing just outside the playoff positions; Cardiff surely knew this would be no easy task. After suffering early into the match, conceding a goal from ex-Cardiff striker Kieffer Moore, the Bluebirds managed to hang on and find form, playing the attractive football they were known for back in league one. It was anybody’s boxing match. However, with Wrexham seemingly about to claim bragging rights, in the dying moments of the game, Rubin Colwill stepped up and equalised with a superb free kick into the top left corner, sending fans into a frenzy. The game ended 1-1.

After proving a point against ‘Disney FC’, fans believed they would carry on with this momentum — unfortunately, this was not the case.

Their following fixture proved that their style of play could result in goals, taking the lead twice against Derby with goals from Cian Ashford and Yousef Salech. However they were clearly lacking defensively, conceding every time they scored, finishing at 2-2. A similar story could be seen in their game against Sheffield: scoring two, yet conceding yet again. This raised concerns over their back line and performance under pressure. After the game, a deflated Barry-Murphy claimed his newly promoted side “should have won”, that they were the better team, and that it was Cardiff who threw the game away.

Unfortunately, Cardiff City had a run of poor results following this statement, with two losses and two draws throughout September. Thankfully, the Bluebirds took all three points against Charlton Athletic in a dominant 3-1 win, proving that the squad still had the ability to play the expansive, possession-based football the coach had envisioned.

Heading into the international break, Cardiff City would be sure to reflect on recent games and look to silence their constant critics.

Returning to championship football, Cardiff suffered another tough defeat in a close match against Blackburn Rovers, with Callum pulling one back in the second half, yet amounting to nothing.

With pressure mounting, Cardiff took on Watford, another team struggling in the lower ends of the table, a game the Bluebirds could not afford to lose. While Cardiff was expected to gain all three points, no fan would’ve predicted the thrashing that took place on 13th October at Cardiff City Stadium. A brace by Moylan, a precise finish into the corner by Tanner, and a lucky own goal by Watford’s Pollock allowed the Bluebirds to head into the second half with a comfortable 4-0 lead. The game finished at 5-1; by far the best performance we’ve seen from Barry-Murphy’s side, proving that the talent and ability is there, the team simply needs to find consistency.

Whilst their most recent result was another draw, 2-2 to Middlesbrough, it proved that they could get a result against any team in the division whilst playing the football they want to play.

Do not write them off just yet!