So, the Oompa Loompa from Kuala Lumpur finally did what everyone knew was coming, and sent Malky Mackay home to count a few million quid pay-off before he gets snapped up by another club. As dark clouds descend on the servant quarters in the Juno household all I can hear are the sad eulogies for the great accomplishments of the departing Malky, interspersed with expletive-laden remonstrations against the ‘clueless son of satan‘ who is holding the world’s greatest club to ransom. One thing is for sure, football fans have very little sense of perspective when it comes to reflecting on their own team.

The first embarrassment of Malky and Cardiff City FC came when the owner sacked Iain Moody as the experienced head of recruitment, and replaced him with a 23-year old Kasakh work experience painter and decorator. I am unreliably informed that the home team and supporters may find yet another surprise from Kazakhstan managing them in today’s crunch match:     

As for today’s game, the big question is what happens when you throw a bunch of black cats amongst the wounded bluebirds?

        Sunderland FC have been known as the Black Cats since their 1997 move to their Stadium of Light home, with connections with such images over the last 200 years of history in the city. This can only cause conflict, huffs and recriminations in ‘Juno Central’; as I can sympathise with my ‘misguided servant-folk‘ and their persistence with lost causes, but I have to lend a roar to my kindred spirits.

History favours the Bluebirds… of 56 games Cardiff won 23, Sunderland won 19, with 14 draws. But history means nothing when the home team are in such disarray. The Black Cats are arriving on the back of ‘licking the toffee’ (and that is not a euphemism for anything, it is a surprise win away to Everton!). The Bluebirds are home again immediately after a ‘saintly slaying’, losing meekly to Southampton. My ‘resident lost cause‘ tries to suggest that current form counts for nothing, and the home team will raise their game in salute of the departing Malky Messiah, and in any case teams often win on the rebound to losing their manager, and in any case… blah, blah, blah!

With the locals in turmoil and the visitors in that unenviable ‘bottom of the table at christmas’ position this game has 0-0 bore draw written all over it in common footy parlance.