Fulham vs. Cardiff City - Three Questions

Once again, I took questions from you to pass on. Due to the quick turnaround needed after the cup game, I didn't get the response I'd like. Be sure to keep those questions coming as I'd love to have other questions than my own.

Also be sure to go over to to see what they think about the game.

CC: Being that I'm an American and we get almost zero Championship games televised, I know next to nothing about Cardiff City. Especially since even now that they're in the Premier League, they've only graced my TV once (in the 1-0 lost to Tottenham). What can you tell me about the style of football they play?

Paul Evans: Cardiff fans got used to watching their side playing attacking football in their latter years in the Championship - especially at home. However, the style of play has changed this season with us operating more defensively both home and away. We now play more of a counter attacking game and the concern I have is that, apart from the amazing 3-2 win over Man City, we have only scored once in four Premier League matches.

It has to be said mind that our home games in particular have seen us playing sides currently in the top six who many say will still be there at the end of the season. Man City, Everton and Spurs are formidable opponents to have in out first three matches at Cardiff City Stadium and the four points we got from those matches is an endorsement of the tactics used so far, but it's the results we get against the lesser lights which will determine our season and I hope and trust we will see a more attacking approach when we face them in home games in particular.

CC: The one thing that did make news even here, was the re-branding that the ownership did. Hull City is now doing something possibly even more extreme. With the influx of foreign ownership, this seems like something that might be accelerating (here's hoping Fulham's new owner wants no part of it). How did the fans take to the re-branding and was it worth it in exchange for all the investment that got the club to the Premier League?

PE: At the time I argued that the change of colours (I'm still not too bothered about the change of badge) would be worth it if it meant the end of financial problems, but in the 17 months since the story first broke I've found that our blue kit meant more to me than I thought it did and so I'm much more anti red now than I was. This is quite a complex subject though because I believe you see more people wearing blue to games now than you did this time last year and the opposition to the red kit has grown in terms of there now being an organised body representing against the change, but, apart from a maximum of 2,000 I'd say who have stopped going to matches since the change, the overwhelming majority are prepared to tolerate the re-brand (the carrot of top flight football for the first time at Cardiff in fifty one years helps there mind!).

The real issue for me is that I still don';t see any reason why it was needed - Vincent Tan has the financial clout to have ensured that Cardiff could have achieved all they have done since last season if we still played in blue. There's been no business investment that was dependent on us playing in red that I'm aware of and it's still hard to avoid the feeling that the thing which has caused as much division and bad feeling amongst Cardiff fans as anything I can remember is completely unnecessary.

CC: What goals do you have for the club this season and what do you think is a realistic place for them to finish this year? Is any position not being relegated going to be seen as a success, or do you have higher ambitions?

PE: The season will be deemed a success by me if we aren't in the bottom three at the end of it and I believe most Cardiff fans would say the same thing. Given the opposition we've had so far, I'd say there is some potential for us getting ourselves into the twelfth to fifteenth area, but seventeenth will do me fine - I'm not sure Vincent Tan feels that way mind and I fear that he'll be looking to change things if we find ourselves in the bottom five come November (looking at our fixtures up to then, I believe there is every chance that will be the case)

I reckon we don't have many players capable of making opposing fans notice them. Our goalkeeper David Marshall was brilliant against Spurs last week, but if I had to go for one player it would be South Korean International Bo-Kyung Kim (Kimbo) who has been the Cardiff player most likely to open up opposing defences so far this season.

Key players, projected lineup, and score prediction

PE: I reckon we don't have many players capable of making opposing fans notice them. Our goalkeeper David Marshall was brilliant against Spurs last week, but if I had to go for one player it would be South Korean International Bo-Kyung Kim (Kimbo) who has been the Cardiff player most likely to open up opposing defences so far this season.

I don't see too many changes from last weeks starting line up - I wouldn't be surprised if Peter Odemwingie starts mind, I think we might line up as follows;.

Marshall

Theophile-Catharine Caulker Turner Taylor

Medel Gunnarsson

Bellamy Kimbo Whittingham

Odemwingie

As for a prediction, I think Fulham really needed that victory over Everton in midweek and I'd say a win for them is more likely than one for Cardiff, but I'll go for a 1-1 draw.