There appears to be a phone at the club and when it rings, you know what to do. If the order is shoot, you fire. Mark Hudson received his marching orders last night, a mere two months after getting the gig on a semi-permanent basis and if timing is everything, then Hudson was both late to the party and the first to leave.
Having been asked to deputise after the very unpopular sacking of Steve Morison, Hudson went from good cop to chief of police and like the two managers before him, left to dangle without a long-term contract or any sign of a plan. By the time he finally got the job, he had six defeats in eight games under his belt, which typically constitutes sacking form at Cardiff. By the time he was axed, he was instead on a run of one defeat in seven.
Cardiff have spent so much time and effort to rid themselves of their transfer embargo and as soon as they do, ahead of a pivotal final fortnight of the transfer window, they sack the man tasked with bringing in new faces. With the chances of an imminent replacement slim to none, who now undertakes that task and why would any self-respecting player or considerate club allow a transfer to a managerless, failing side?
Cardiff may feel like they deserve better than Hudson, but they don’t. Hudson deserves better than Cardiff. An honest, principled man, he led the team with distinction as a player, only to be accused of deliberately scoring own goals. He returned to the club as a rookie coach, to assist a rookie manager, stepped up when required and failed in a seemingly impossible job.
In retrospect, the Blackburn defeat was probably the game that proved to be the point of no return. It was a terrible performance and a damaging defeat, but Callum Robinson’s reaction to being substituted has even more harmful. When your best player shoots you a ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ look, you’re fighting a losing battle.
The irony is that Hudson clearly did know what he was doing in that instance, he was risking short-term pain for long-term gain. A lesser man would have flogged Robinson to save his own skin, but had the gamble paid off, they would have been perceived as a better manager. Hudson took the hit and ended up looking like a chump.
The Leeds performance represented a significant improvement and bought Hudson more time, but not enough to oversee the replay. The Leeds line-up was thrown together and largely dictated by absences, but it was fluid, purposeful and effective. More or less that group then looked thrown together, disjointed and short of ideas for the pivotal visit of Wigan yesterday. Both games ended with a cruel, late sting in the tail, but the real pain was inflicted over the phone a couple of hours later.
What is clear is that this squad is currently less than the sum of its parts. It may lack in star power and game changers, which you would expect with their budget, but there is surely enough talent to ensure a comfortable life in the Championship. The potential is there, but it is infrequently realised. There has been a naivety under Hudson that we’ve not seen since the brief tenures of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Paul Trollope. If it ever clicks, it will be great, but it never quite does.
Hudson is a noble man with good intentions, but it did at times feel like his stock answer to any problem was to throw on another attacker. There were games where the defence and midfield were creaking, but the priority always appeared to be bolstering the onslaught. It is not uncommon to see Cardiff enjoy large periods of territorial possession, but their opponents fashion all the chances. That feels like an impossibility, but it has become reality a couple of times every week.
Cardiff’s idealism and soft underbelly will not keep them in the Championship, so it may now be time to make that other call. You know the one. Whoever does inherit the crown, I can’t say I envy them.