Cardiff City season review: Bluebirds must do better after brush with League One
- Published
Sabri Lamouchi has been in management since taking charge of the Ivory Coast in 2012
Having to rely on another club being docked points to avoid relegation to League One was not part of the plan at Cardiff City for 2022-23.
But that is the way things panned out for the Bluebirds, who are left licking their wounds after a turbulent term.
The best thing about the season for Cardiff is that it did not end in a return to the third tier of English football, where they last played two decades ago.
For that they must thank Reading, who were deducted six points by the EFL for breaching the terms of an agreed business plan.
The Royals finished 22nd, five points worse off than Cardiff, who were 21st.
It was Cardiff's lowest finishing position since they were promoted to the second tier courtesy of Andy Campbell's play-off final winner against Queens Park Rangers in 2003.
The previous worst finish was 18th, in 2021-22.
That dispiriting campaign prompted a rebuild last summer, with an overhaul of the squad designed to inspire a happier season.
It did not work.
What went right?
Cardiff found a way to get over the survival line, with Sabri Lamouchi masterminding six wins after being appointed in January.
Lamouchi was the club's third manager of the season, after Steve Morison and Mark Hudson.
The numbers suggest there was little between the bosses, with Morison taking an average of 1.1 points from his 10 games in charge and Hudson earning exactly a point per match.
Lamouchi's return of 20 points from 18 games gave him the best record of the three, although not by much.
He deserves credit, though, for delivering results when it mattered most, with a run of three wins in four during February and March and then a return of seven points from three games in April - including that pivotal victory at Rotherham United - proving to be key.
Sory Kaba's contribution was sizeable, with the striker signed in January finishing the season as Cardiff's leading goalscorer after netting eight times in 17 games.
Sabri Lamouchi has suggested Sory Kaba will play in the UK again next season, but it will not be for Cardiff
The pity for Cardiff is that he was only on loan, and seems unlikely to return next season due to the partial EFL transfer embargo which is still in place.
Two more loan signings, Aston Villa winger Jaden Philogene and centre-back Cedric Kipre, who arrived from West Brom, also impressed in difficult circumstances and also seem unlikely to be around in 2023-24.
Mark McGuinness, Callum O'Dowda and player-of-the-year Perry Ng were among the full-time Cardiff players who emerged with credit, while Callum Robinson showed his quality before his season was curtailed by injury.
What went wrong?
The loss of Robinson, who produced seven goals and six assists in 23 appearances, did not help the cause of a Cardiff team that finished the season with just 41 league goals.
Only Wigan Athletic, who finished bottom of the table, scored on fewer occasions in the second tier.
Kion Etete and Mark Harris managed only three goals each, while Rubin Colwill and Isaak Davies did not progress as they would have hoped this season thanks largely to fitness issues.
Even if Kaba was coming back next season, Cardiff's forward line would be in need of reinforcements.
At the other end of the pitch, left-back Jamilu Collins made a fine start to life in the Championship only to be struck down by a season-ending knee injury in August.
He will feel like a new signing all over again come next season, as will another of last summer's recruits, Ebou Adams, who is yet to make his Cardiff debut after a succession of injury problems.
Mark Hudson (left) was assistant to Steve Morison (right) before he replaced him as Cardiff manager
Adams and Collins were among 17 players brought in by Morison, yet he was sacked after the first 10 league game of the campaign.
Hudson was initially appointed on an interim basis before being given a permanent deal in November, only to be fired two months later after a nine-game winless run.
Lamouchi was the club's sixth manager in two years, which is hardly a recipe for success.
What do they need this summer?
Some stability would be welcomed by many Cardiff followers, but, as things stand, the future of their manager is once again up in the air.
The short-term deal Lamouchi agreed when taking over is now up and a decision on whether he stays is step one for Cardiff this summer.
Lamouchi has said he is open to the idea of staying, but it is difficult to know what club owner Vincent Tan makes of the situation.
Should a contract be offered, will the terms satisfy Lamouchi? And just as significantly, will Cardiff's potential power in the transfer market be enough to convince the former France midfielder that he can make progress in the Welsh capital next season?
If not, Cardiff will yet again find themselves looking for a new boss, who would need to reshape the squad without knowing the players.
Should Lamouchi stay, he will lead the search for new recruits - with the options limited to free transfers and loan signings unless the embargo is lifted - who can help ensure next season does not turn into a third successive battle against the threat of relegation.
In short, there is plenty of work to do.