2011–12 Cardiff City F.C. season

Cardiff City

2011–12 season
Chairman	Datuk Chan Tien Ghee
Manager	Malky Mackay
Stadium	Cardiff City Stadium
Championship	6th
FA Cup	Third round (eliminated by West Bromwich Albion)
League Cup	Runners-up (by Liverpool)
Top goalscorer	League: Peter Whittingham (12) All: Peter Whittingham (13)
Highest home attendance	League: 25,109 vs. Leeds United, 21 April 2012 All: 25,652 vs. Crystal Palace, 24 January 2012
Lowest home attendance	League: 20,366 vs. Hull City, 13 March 2012 All: 6,829 vs. Huddersfield Town, 23 August 2011
Average home league attendance	League: 22,139 All: 22,139
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2010–11 2012–13 →

The 2011–12 season was the 85th season of competitive association football in the Football League played by Cardiff City Football Club. After suffering defeat in the Championship play-off semi-finals to Reading the previous year, Cardiff competed in the second tier of English football for the eighth consecutive year. The season covers the period between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2012.

Malky Mackay was appointed manager at the start of the season and signed 9 players in the summer transfer window ahead of his first season in charge of the club. Cardiff occupied a place in the play-offs for the majority of the season and eventually finished the regular season in sixth position. During the season, Cardiff reached the Football League Cup final, however their first final in the competition ended in defeat against Liverpool.

At the end of the 2010–11 season, following a second consecutive defeat in the play-offs, manager Dave Jones was sacked from his position after an end of season review into the club's performance. At the time of his departure, Jones was the longest serving manager in the Championship having held his post since May 2005.^[1] The club held talks with former England and Newcastle United captain Alan Shearer to replace Jones but he rejected the job despite stating that he was impressed with the "vision, ambition and determination of the owner Dato Chan Tien Ghee and the board".^[2] The Bluebirds instead approached Championship rivals Watford for permission to speak to their manager Malky Mackay, which was initially rejected.^[3] However, after the two clubs agreed a compensation fee, Mackay was officially appointed as Dave Jones' replacement on 17 June on a three-year contract.^[4] Mackay set about reshaping his coaching staff, allowing assistant manager Terry Burton, first-team coach Paul Wilkinson and fitness coach Alex Armstrong to leave the club,^[5] before appointing David Kerslake, Joe McBride and Richard Collinge as their replacements.^[6] Goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson later also left the club to take up the same position at Premier League side West Ham United.^[7] Cardiff also appointed Mackay's former Watford colleague Iain Moody as their new head of recruitment.^[8]

Players released at the end of the season were Martin John and Gavin Rae, while Jay Bothroyd and Chris Burke also left the club after failing to agree new deals. Adam Matthews departed on a free transfer to Scottish side Celtic,^[9] having agreed a pre-contract agreement in February 2011,^[10] and striker Michael Chopra was sold to Ipswich Town.^[11] During the summer transfer window, Mackay agreed deals to sign free agents Craig Conway,^[12] Don Cowie,^[13] Robert Earnshaw,^[14] Rudy Gestede,^[15] Aron Gunnarsson^[16] and Andrew Taylor.^[17] The club also completed transfers for Joe Mason, for £250,000,^[18] Kenny Miller, for a reported £870,000,^[19] as well as signing Slovakian midfielder Filip Kiss on a season-long loan deal from Slovan Bratislava.^[20]

Charlton Athletic v Cardiff City

15 July Friendly	Charlton Athletic	0–1	Cardiff City	Coria del Río
19:30 CEST		Report	Gestede 25'	Stadium: Guadalquivir Referee: Barea Gonzalez (Spain)

Cardiff City v Celtic

20 July Friendly	Cardiff City	0–1	Celtic	Cardiff
19:45 BST		Report	Stokes 34'	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 10,000

Bournemouth v Cardiff City

23 July Friendly	Bournemouth	2–1	Cardiff City	Bournemouth
13:00 BST	Malone 8' Lovell 53'	Report	Taylor 58'	Stadium: Dean Court

Yeovil Town v Cardiff City

26 July Friendly	Yeovil Town	1–1	Cardiff City	Yeovil
19:45 BST	Ehmer 52'	Report	18' Whittingham	Stadium: Huish Park Attendance: 1,377

The opening game of the 2011–12 Football League Championship season saw Cardiff travel to West Ham United, who had been relegated from the Premier League the previous year, with debutant striker Kenny Miller scoring the only goal of the game in the 91st minute to secure a victory for Cardiff.^[21] In the following match, the club progressed through to the second round of the Football League Cup after defeating League Two side Oxford United 3–1 in extra-time.^[22] The team continued their winning start to the campaign in their first home tie, defeating Bristol City in the first Severnside derby match of the season.^[23] Three days later, on 17 August, Cardiff suffered their first defeat of the season, losing 3–1 to Brighton & Hove Albion.^[24] Cardiff ended August with two successive away draws in matches against Burnley and Portsmouth and advanced to the third round of the League Cup after a 5–3 victory over Huddersfield Town.^[25][26][27] On the final day of the summer transfer window, Coventry City defender Ben Turner completed a transfer to the club.^[28] As part of the deal, Cardiff striker Jon Parkin had been expected to move to Coventry but, after he failed to agree terms, the move subsequently collapsed, Turner joining Cardiff in a cash-only deal for a fee of £750,000.^[29]

At the start of September, prior to an international fixture break, a club record 10 players were called up for international duty by their respective countries.^[30] Due to a close affiliation with the country, Malaysian international Safee Sali attended a two-week trial at the club.^[31] Cardiff played their first match of the month on 10 September, defeating Doncaster Rovers 2–0 after goals from Anthony Gerrard and Robert Earnshaw.^[32] In the following match, a 1–1 draw with Blackpool, Cardiff recorded their third consecutive away draw after Don Cowie had initially given them the lead.^[33] Three home matches at the Cardiff City Stadium, a 0–0 draw and a League Cup penalty shoot-out victory over Leicester City and a 2–1 victory over Southampton,^[34][35][36] ensured Cardiff finished the month of September unbeaten. Striker Jon Parkin left the club on an initial one-month loan move to fellow Championship side Doncaster Rovers^[37] and goalkeeper Elliot Parish joined Cardiff from Aston Villa on a loan deal set to last until January 2012.^[38]

Cardiff suffered their first defeat since mid-August on 1 October, losing 2–1 to Hull City. Youth team graduate Joe Ralls scored the Bluebirds only goal of the game with a volley that was described as "spectacular" in his league debut.^[39] Following a two-week international break, Cardiff recorded a 2–2 draw with Ipswich Town, Peter Whittingham equalising from a penalty after Ipswich had taken the lead through former Cardiff player Michael Chopra who had been sold to the club three months earlier.^[40] Their following two matches saw a total of 15 goals as Cardiff suffered a 4–3 defeat away to Peterborough United on 18 October before recovering with a 5–3 victory over Barnsley four days later.^[41][42] On the same day as their victory over Barnsley, Chief Executive Gethin Jenkins stepped down from his position on the board.^[43] Cardiff defeated Burnley 1–0 in the fourth round of the League Cup following a goal from Joe Mason,^[44] reaching the quarter-finals of the League Cup for only the second time in the club's history.^[45] In their final match in October, Cardiff drew 1–1 with Leeds United, Mason netting for the third consecutive match.^[46]

Cardiff began the month of November with two wins in the space of three days, defeating Derby County and Crystal Palace 3–0 and 2–0 respectively,^[47][48] elevating the team into the play-off places for the first time since the end of September. Following an extended break due to international fixtures, Cardiff recorded a 2–1 win over Reading after goals from Peter Whittingham and captain Mark Hudson.^[49] A second Malaysian international, national team captain Safiq Rahim, attended a three-week trial with the club. Rahim had originally been invited on a trial with his teammate Sali in August but was only able to attend in November.^[50] Cardiff drew 1–1 with Coventry City on 22 November, having gone ahead from a Peter Whittigham goal, before beating Nottingham Forest 1–0 in their final league game of the month,^[51][52] ending November unbeaten having won four and drawn one league match, a run of form that saw manager Mackay awarded the November Championship manager of the month award.^[53] Defender Dekel Keinan left the club on loan to join Crystal Palace on an initial six-week loan deal and Jon Parkin completed his second loan deal of the season by joining Huddersfield Town until January.^[54][55] On 29 November, Cardiff defeated Blackburn Rovers 2–0 in the quarter-final of the League Cup, reaching the semi-final of the competition for the first time since the 1965–66 season.^[45]

A goal from Kenny Miller secured a 1–0 victory over Birmingham City on 4 December as Cardiff continued their good form, reaching third place in the Championship table,^[56] and a 0–0 draw with Millwall saw the side record their ninth consecutive league match without a defeat.^[57] One week later, their unbeaten run came to an end as they suffered a 3–2 defeat at home to Middlesbrough, the team's first defeat since 18 October.^[58] A late own-goal by Watford defender Adrian Mariappa rescued a 1–1 draw for Cardiff to avoid a second defeat in a row on 26 December in manager Malky Mackay's first match against his former side.^[59] Cardiff eventually recorded their first league win since the start of December with a 1–0 victory over Nottingham Forest following a goal from Miller, ending 2011 in fourth position.^[60]

The club's first match of 2012 ended in a 3–1 victory over Reading following goals from Miller, Mason and Aron Gunnarsson.^[61] With the winter transfer window opening at the start of January, Cardiff completed their first signing with Elliot Parish joining the club on a permanent basis having been on loan since September.^[38] In the third round of the FA Cup, Cardiff were knocked out of the competition by Premier League side West Bromwich Albion after suffering a 4–2 defeat.^[62] On the same day, Cardiff saw a £400,000 bid rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion for winger Craig Noone.^[63] Three days later, Cardiff played the first leg of the League Cup semi-final against fellow Championship side Crystal Palace, losing 1–0 at Selhurst Park.^[64] Cardiff returned to league action for the first time in two weeks with a 0–0 draw with Doncaster Rovers on 14 January.^[65] Cypriot investment banker Mehmet Dalman joined the board, replacing U-Jiun Tan as a director.^[66] Cardiff failed in a second attempt to sign a winger after Blackpool rejected a £800,000 bid for Matt Phillips.^[67] In the club's last two league matches in January, they recorded a 3–2 victory over Portsmouth and a 1–1 draw with Southampton.^[68][69] On 24 January, in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final, Cardiff defeated Crystal Palace 1–0, following an own-goal from Palace defender Anthony Gardner, leaving the tie at 1–1 after extra-time, resulting in a penalty shoot-out. Cardiff goalkeeper Tom Heaton saved two penalties and Palace's Jonathan Parr missed his penalty to give Cardiff a 3–1 shoot-out victory, Miller the only Cardiff player to fail to score his penalty,^[70] reaching the first League Cup final for in the club's history.^[45]

In the closing days of the winter transfer window, Cardiff completed their second transfer, signing winger Kadeem Harris from League Two side Wycombe Wanderers for an undisclosed fee^[71] and allowed Hungarian defender Gábor Gyepes to leave the club after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.^[72] Jon Parkin left the club for a third time during the season on loan, joining Scunthorpe United,^[73] and Solomon Taiwo completed a loan move to Leyton Orient.^[74]

Having not lost a game since 17 December, Cardiff opened February with two defeats, losing 3–1 at home against Blackpool, after conceding three goals in the final 11 minutes of the match,^[75] and 2–1 to Leicester City,^[76] the first time during the season that Cardiff had suffered consecutive defeats.^[77] A 3–1 victory over Peterborough United in their following match saw Cardiff briefly return to third place,^[78] before a third league defeat of the month against Ipswich Town dropped them back into fourth.^[79] Despite suffering 3 defeats in their previous 4 matches, Malky Mackay was handed a three-and-a-half-year contract extension, keeping him at the club till June 2016.^[80] On 26 February 2012, Cardiff played Premier League side Liverpool in the 2012 Football League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, the first League Cup final in the club's history. The Bluebirds took a surprise lead in the opening 20 minutes through Joe Mason but a second-half goal from Liverpool defender Martin Škrtel took the tie into extra-time after 90 minutes. Dirk Kuyt gave Liverpool a 2–1 lead in the 18th minute of extra-time but pressure from Cardiff saw Ben Turner score a late equaliser with two minutes left of the match to take the game to a penalty shoot-out. After 4 penalties for either side, the shoot-out stood at 2–2 before Glen Johnson gave Liverpool the advantage by converting his penalty. Cardiff defender Anthony Gerrard took the final penalty for Cardiff, needing to score to avoid defeat, but hit his penalty wide to hand victory to Liverpool.^[81] Despite suffering defeat, Mackay stated that the Cardiff players' performance had "done the club proud".^[82]

At the start of March, Cardiff returned to league competition, losing 2–0 to West Ham United, suffering consecutive league defeats for the second time in the space of one month and dropping out of the Championship play-off places for the first time since November 2011.^[83] A late goal from Sam Vokes saw Cardiff draw 2–2 with Brighton & Hove Albion in their next match, having led 2–1 going into the final stages of the game.^[84] Cardiff claimed a second Severnside derby victory of the season in the following match, beating Bristol City 2–1 with both goals coming from own goals scored by Bristol players.^[85] After a defeat to Hull City, Cardiff embarked on run of four consecutive draws, three of which came at home, that left them outside the play-off places in eighth position.

Entering April with a four match unbeaten streak, Cardiff continued their form, avoiding defeat in the remaining six matches of the season. This included victories over Middlesbrough, Barnsley, Derby County and Crystal Palace to finish the season in sixth position, securing the final spot in the Championship play-offs.^[86] Cardiff were drawn against West Ham, who had finished the season in third position, in the play-off semi-finals. Two goals from Jack Collison gave West Ham a 2–0 advantage in the first-leg and Cardiff were unable to mount a comeback in the second-leg, suffering a 3–0 defeat to lose the semi-final 5–0 on aggregate.^[87]

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Source: ^{[citation needed]}

No.	Name	Position (s)	Nationality	Place of Birth	Date of Birth (Age)	Club caps	Club goals	Int. caps	Int. goals	Signed from	Date signed	Fee	Contract End
Goalkeepers
1	David Marshall	GK		Glasgow	(1985-03-05)5 March 1985 (aged 27)	65	0	5	0	Norwich City	12 May 2009	£500,000	30 June 2013
22	Tom Heaton	GK		Chester	(1986-04-15)15 April 1986 (aged 26)	54	0	–	–	Manchester United	16 June 2010	Free	30 June 2012
29	Elliot Parish	GK		Northampton	(1990-05-20)20 May 1990 (aged 22)	–	–	–	–	Aston Villa	3 January 2012	Free	30 June 2013
30	Jordan Santiago	GK		Calgary	(1991-04-03)3 April 1991 (aged 21)	–	–	–	–	Academy	1 June 2010	Trainee	1 July 2012
Defenders
2	Kevin McNaughton	RB/LB/CB		Dundee	(1982-08-28)28 August 1982 (aged 29)	207	2	4	0	Aberdeen	26 May 2006	Free	30 June 2013
3	Andrew Taylor	LB/LM		Hartlepool	(1986-08-01)1 August 1986 (aged 25)	–	–	–	–	Middlesbrough	4 July 2011	Free	30 June 2014
5	Mark Hudson	CB		Guildford	(1982-03-30)30 March 1982 (aged 30)	79	2	–	–	Charlton Athletic	2 July 2009	£1,075,000	30 June 2014
6	Anthony Gerrard	CB		Liverpool	(1986-02-06)6 February 1986 (aged 26)	49	2	–	–	Walsall	2 July 2009	£200,000	30 June 2013
12	Dekel Keinan	CB		Rosh HaNikra	(1984-09-15)15 September 1984 (aged 27)	20	2	20	0	Blackpool	21 January 2011	£300,000	30 June 2013
14	Paul Quinn	RB/CB		Wishaw	(1985-07-21)21 July 1985 (aged 26)	56	1	–	–	Motherwell	4 June 2009	£300,000	30 June 2012
18	Lee Naylor	LB		Bloxwich	(1980-03-19)19 March 1980 (aged 32)	31	2	–	–	Celtic	19 August 2010	Free	30 June 2012
21	Jonathan Meades	LB/LM		Cardiff	(1992-03-02)2 March 1992 (aged 20)	–	–	–	–	Academy	1 June 2009	Trainee	30 June 2012
23	Darcy Blake	CB/RB/DM		New Tredegar	(1988-12-13)13 December 1988 (aged 23)	90	0	2	0	Academy	1 June 2005	Trainee	30 June 2014
25	Ben Turner	CB		Birmingham	(1988-08-21)21 August 1988 (aged 23)	–	–	–	–	Coventry City	31 August 2011	£750,000	30 June 2014
31	Alex Evans	CB		Blackwood	(1991-05-03)3 May 1991 (aged 21)	–	–	–	–	Academy	1 June 2011	Trainee	30 June 2012
Midfielders
4	Filip Kiss	DM/RM		Dunajská Streda	(1990-10-13)13 October 1990 (aged 21)	–	–	–	–	Slovan Bratislava	21 July 2011	Loan	30 June 2012
7	Peter Whittingham	CM/LM/RM		Nuneaton	(1984-09-08)8 September 1984 (aged 27)	211	55	–	–	Aston Villa	11 January 2007	£350,000	30 June 2014
8	Don Cowie	RM/CM		Inverness	(1983-02-15)15 February 1983 (aged 29)	–	–	3	0	Watford	1 July 2011	Free	30 June 2014
11	Craig Conway	LW/RW		Irvine	(1985-05-02)2 May 1985 (aged 27)	–	–	2	0	Dundee United	23 June 2011	Free	30 June 2014
13	Liam Lawrence	LM/CM		Retford	(1981-12-13)13 December 1981 (aged 30)	–	–	15	2	Portsmouth	2 March 2012	Loan	30 May 2012
17	Aron Gunnarsson	DM/RB		Akureyri	(1988-04-22)22 April 1988 (aged 24)	–	–	23	0	Coventry City	8 July 2011	£350,000	30 June 2014
24	Solomon Taiwo	CM/RM		Lagos	(1985-04-29)29 April 1985 (aged 27)	10	0	–	–	Dagenham & Redbridge	25 August 2009	£250,000	30 June 2012
27	Kadeem Harris	LW/RW		London	(1993-05-29)29 May 1993 (aged 19)	–	–	–	–	Wycombe Wanderers	30 January 2012	£150,000	30 June 2016
28	Aaron Wildig	CM/LM		Hereford	(1992-04-15)15 April 1992 (aged 20)	21	1	–	–	Academy	15 April 2009	Trainee	30 June 2012
32	Ibrahim Farah	CM		Cardiff	(1992-02-24)24 February 1992 (aged 20)	–	–	–	–	Academy	1 June 2011	Trainee	30 June 2012
37	Stephen McPhail	CM/LM		London	(1979-12-09)9 December 1979 (aged 32)	193	3	10	1	Barnsley	13 June 2006	Free	30 June 2013
52	Joe Ralls	CM/LM		Aldershot	(1993-10-13)13 October 1993 (aged 18)	–	–	–	–	Academy	30 September 2011	Trainee	Undisclosed
Forwards
9	Kenny Miller	CF		Edinburgh	(1979-12-23)23 December 1979 (aged 32)	–	–	55	14	Bursaspor	26 July 2011	£870,000	30 June 2013
10	Robert Earnshaw	CF/RW		Mufulira	(1981-04-06)6 April 1981 (aged 31)	205	105	54	16	Nottingham Forest	6 July 2011	Free	30 June 2013
15	Rudy Gestede	CF		Essey-lès-Nancy	(1988-11-10)10 November 1988 (aged 23)	–	–	–	–	Metz	26 July 2011	Free	30 June 2014
16	Jon Parkin	CF		Barnsley	(1981-01-30)30 January 1981 (aged 31)	13	1	–	–	Preston North End	1 January 2011	£100,000	30 June 2013
20	Joe Mason	CF/LW		Plymouth	(1991-05-13)13 May 1991 (aged 21)	–	–	–	–	Plymouth Argyle	10 July 2011	£250,000	30 June 2016
33	Nathaniel Jarvis	CF		Cardiff	(1991-10-20)20 October 1991 (aged 20)	–	–	–	–	Academy	1 June 2010	Trainee	30 June 2013

As of 7 May 2012

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Championship		FA Cup		League Cup		Play-offs
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	SCO	David Marshall	48	0	45+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	2+0	0
2	DF	SCO	Kevin McNaughton	48	0	41+1	0	0+0	0	4+1	0	1+0	0
3	DF	ENG	Andrew Taylor	52	1	42+0	1	0+0	0	7+1	0	2+0	0
4	MF	SVK	Filip Kiss (on loan from Slovan Bratislava)	33	1	13+13	1	1+0	0	2+3	0	0+1	0
5	DF	ENG	Mark Hudson	44	5	38+1	5	0+0	0	3+0	0	2+0	0
6	DF	ENG	Anthony Gerrard	25	2	18+2	1	1+0	0	3+1	1	0+0	0
7	MF	ENG	Peter Whittingham	55	13	46+0	12	0+0	0	5+2	1	2+0	0
8	MF	SCO	Don Cowie	53	7	44+0	4	0+0	0	7+0	3	1+1	0
9	FW	SCO	Kenny Miller	50	11	41+2	10	0+0	0	4+1	1	2+0	0
10	FW	WAL	Robert Earnshaw	22	4	8+11	3	1+0	1	1+0	0	0+1	0
11	MF	SCO	Craig Conway	38	5	24+7	3	1+0	0	5+1	2	0+0	0
13	MF	IRL	Liam Lawrence (on loan from Portsmouth)	15	1	12+1	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	0
14	DF	SCO	Paul Quinn	5	0	0+1	0	1+0	0	3+0	0	0+0	0
15	FW	FRA	Rudy Gestede	31	3	5+20	2	1+0	0	4+1	1	0+0	0
17	MF	ISL	Aron Gunnarsson	50	5	41+1	5	0+0	0	5+1	0	2+0	0
18	DF	ENG	Lee Naylor	6	0	2+0	0	1+0	0	2+1	0	0+0	0
20	FW	IRL	Joe Mason	46	12	24+15	9	0+1	1	4+0	2	2+0	0
21	MF	WAL	Jonathan Meades	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
22	GK	ENG	Tom Heaton	10	0	1+1	0	1+0	0	7+0	0	0+0	0
23	DF	WAL	Darcy Blake	28	0	9+11	0	1+0	0	3+2	0	1+1	0
25	DF	ENG	Ben Turner	43	3	36+1	2	0+0	0	4+0	1	2+0	0
27	MF	ENG	Kadeem Harris	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
29	GK	ENG	Elliot Parish	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
30	GK	CAN	Jordan Santiago	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
31	DF	WAL	Alex Evans	1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	0+0	0
32	MF	WAL	Ibrahim Farah	1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	0+0	0
37	MF	IRL	Stephen McPhail	27	0	11+8	0	1+0	0	3+2	0	1+1	0
38	DF	ENG	Adedeji Oshilaja	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
40	MF	WAL	Theo Wharton	1	0	0+0	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
52	MF	ENG	Joe Ralls	14	1	5+5	1	0+0	0	2+2	0	0+0	0
Players currently out on loan:
12	DF	ISR	Dekel Keinan (at Crystal Palace)	4	0	0+1	0	1+0	0	2+0	0	0+0	0
16	FW	ENG	Jon Parkin (at Scunthorpe United)	2	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	1	0+0	0
24	MF	NGA	Solomon Taiwo (at Leyton Orient)	2	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	0+0	0
28	MF	ENG	Aaron Wildig (at Shrewsbury Town)	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
33	FW	WAL	Nathaniel Jarvis (at Newport County)	1	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+1	1	0+0	0
Players featured for club who have left:
	DF	HUN	Gábor Gyepes	2	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	1	0+0	0
	MF	SVN	Haris Vučkić (on loan from Newcastle United)	5	1	2+3	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0

The following players have been named in the most starting line-ups. This line-up may differ from the list of players with most appearances.

No. Pos. Nat. Name MS Notes 1 GK David Marshall 48 Tom Heaton has 9 starts 2 RB Kevin McNaughton 46 Darcy Blake has 14 starts 5 CB Mark Hudson 43 Anthony Gerrard has 22 starts 25 CB Ben Turner 42 3 LB Andrew Taylor 51 Lee Naylor has 5 starts 17 DM Aron Gunnarsson 47 Stephen McPhail has 16 starts 8 RM Don Cowie 51 11 LM Craig Conway 33 Filip Kiss has 16 starts 7 AM Peter Whittingham 53 20 ST Joe Mason 30 Rudy Gestede has 9 starts 9 ST Kenny Miller 47 Robert Earnshaw has 10 starts

Marshall Hudson Turner McNaughton Taylor Gunnarsson Whittingham Cowie Conway Mason Miller

No.	P	Name	Country	No. games	Notes
5	DF	Mark Hudson		43	Club captain
2	DF	Kevin McNaughton		4
7	MF	Peter Whittingham		4
14	DF	Paul Quinn		3
37	MF	Stephen McPhail		3

Last updated: 18 February 2012
Source: Competitive match reports.
Competitive matches only
Matches started as captain only
Country: FIFA nationality; No.: Squad number; P: Position; Name: Player name; No. Games: Number of games started as captain.

No.	Pos.	Name	Championship		FA Cup		League Cup		Play-offs		Total
5	DF	Mark Hudson	7	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	8	0
2	DF	Kevin McNaughton	5	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	7	0
7	MF	Peter Whittingham	6	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	7	0
8	MF	Don Cowie	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
6	DF	Anthony Gerrard	4	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	6	0
17	MF	Aron Gunnarsson	5	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	6	0
4	MF	Filip Kiss	4	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	5	0
3	DF	Andrew Taylor	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
25	DF	Ben Turner	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	4	0
23	DF	Darcy Blake	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	3	0
13	MF	Liam Lawrence	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
1	GK	David Marshall	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
9	FW	Kenny Miller	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	0
37	MF	Stephen McPhail	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
11	MF	Craig Conway	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
32	MF	Ibrahim Farah	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
15	FW	Rudy Gestede	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
33	FW	Nathaniel Jarvis	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
12	DF	Dekel Keinan	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
20	FW	Joe Mason	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
18	DF	Lee Naylor	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
16	FW	Jon Parkin	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
14	DF	Paul Quinn	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
52	MF	Joe Ralls	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
Total			58	0	1	0	15	0	0	0	74	0

Date	Matches Missed	Player	Reason	Opponents Missed
25 October	1	Anthony Gerrard	5×	Leeds United (A)

Key: (H) = League Home, (A) = League Away, (FA) = FA Cup, (CC) = League Cup

No.	P	Name	Country	Level	Caps	Goals	Notes	Source
1	GK	David Marshall	Scotland	Senior	0	0		[1] Archived 7 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
2	DF	Kevin McNaughton	Scotland	Senior	0	0		[2]
4	MF	Filip Kiss	Slovakia	U-21	3	0
8	MF	Don Cowie	Scotland	Senior	7	0
9	ST	Kenny Miller	Scotland	Senior	5	2
10	ST	Robert Earnshaw	Wales	Senior	4	0
11	MF	Craig Conway	Scotland	Senior	1	0
12	DF	Dekel Keinan	Israel	Senior	1	0
17	MF	Aron Gunnarsson	Iceland	Senior	5	0
19	MF	Haris Vučkić	Slovenia	Senior	1	0
20	ST	Joe Mason	Ireland	U-21	2	0
21	MF	Jonathan Meades	Wales	U-21	1	0
23	DF	Darcy Blake	Wales	Senior	7	1
31	DF	Alex Evans	Wales	U-21	1	0
52	MF	Joe Ralls	England	U-19	1	0

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	Status	Contract length	Expiry date	Source
21	MF		Jonathan Meades	19	Signed	1 year	June 2012	Official Site
30	GK		Jordan Santiago	20	Signed	1 year	June 2012	Official Site
7	MF		Peter Whittingham	26	Signed	3 years	June 2014	BBC Sport
33	FW		Nathaniel Jarvis	20	Signed	1 year	June 2013	[3]
5	DF		Mark Hudson	29	Signed	2 years	June 2014	Official Site
15	FW		Rudy Gestede	23	Signed	2 years	June 2014	Official Site
20	FW		Joe Mason	20	Signed	4 years	June 2016	BBC Sport

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	EU	Moving from	Type	Transfer window	Ends	Transfer fee	Source
11	MF		Craig Conway	26	EU	Dundee United	Free transfer	Summer	2014	Free	Official Site
8	MF		Don Cowie	28	EU	Watford	Free transfer	Summer	2014	Free	BBC Sport
3	DF		Andrew Taylor	24	EU	Middlesbrough	Free transfer	Summer	2014	Free	Official Site
10	FW		Robert Earnshaw	30	EU	Nottingham Forest	Free transfer	Summer	2013	Free	Official Site
17	MF		Aron Gunnarsson	22	EU	Coventry City	Free transfer	Summer	2014	£350,0001	Official Site
20	FW		Joe Mason	20	EU	Plymouth Argyle	Transfer	Summer	2014	£250,0002	Official Site
9	FW		Kenny Miller	31	EU	Bursaspor	Transfer	Summer	2013	£870,000	BBC Sport
15	FW		Rudy Gestede	22	EU	Metz	Free transfer	Summer	2012	Free	Official Site
25	DF		Ben Turner	23	EU	Coventry City	Transfer	Summer	2014	£750,0003	Official Site
52	MF		Joe Ralls	17	EU	Youth system	Promoted		2015	Youth system	Official Site
29	GK		Elliott Parish	21	EU	Aston Villa	Transfer	Winter	2013	Free	Sky Sports
27	MF		Kadeem Harris	18	EU	Wycombe Wanderers	Transfer	Winter	2015	£150,0004	Official Site

• Total spending: ~ £2,370,000

Notes

¹Despite being a free transfer, Cardiff paid £350,000 compensation fee for Gunnarsson because he is under 24.^[88]
2Although officially undisclosed, BBC Sport reported the fee to be around £250,000.^[18]
3Although officially undisclosed, South Wales Echo reported the fee to be £750,000.^[89]
4Although officially undisclosed, South Wales Echo reported the fee to be around £150,000.^[90]

No.	P	Name	Country	Age	Loan club	Started	Ended	Start source	End source
4	MF	Filip Kiss		21	Slovan Bratislava	21 July	31 May	BBC Sport	BBC Sport
29	GK	Elliot Parish		21	Aston Villa	23 September	3 January	Official Site	Sky Sports
19	MF	Haris Vučkić		19	Newcastle United	10 February	12 March	Official site	BBC Sport
13	MF	Liam Lawrence		30	Portsmouth	2 March	21 May	Official Site	Sky Sports

N	P	Name	Country	Age	Type	Moving to	Transfer window	Transfer fee	Apps	Goals	Source
27	DF	Adam Matthews		19	Transfer	Celtic	Summer	Free	48	1	BBC Sport
11	MF	Chris Burke		27	Contracted Ended	Birmingham City	Summer	Free	121	16	Sky Sports
26	DF	Martin John		22	Contract ended	Free agent	Summer	N/A	1	0	Official Site
4	MF	Gavin Rae		33	Contract ended	Dundee	Summer	Free	153	8	South Wales Echo
8	FW	Michael Chopra		27	Transfer	Ipswich Town	Summer	£1,000,0001	162	65	BBC Sport
9	FW	Jay Bothroyd		28	Contract ended	Queens Park Rangers	Summer	Free	136	46	BBC Sport
19	DF	Gábor Gyepes		30	Contract terminated	Free agent	Winter	Free	74	5	CCFC Official Site

EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; N = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); Age = age on the day of the signing; Moving from = only indicate the club the player was playing before start playing for this club in this season, for the type of the moving see Status column; Moving to = only indicates the club the player is going to play next, for the type of the moving see Status column; Ends = when the player's current contract ends; n/a = Not applicable.

• Total income: ~ £1,000,000

Notes

¹The fee was officially believed to be £1.5 million, Ipswich Town manager Paul Jewell revealed the fee to be £1 million.^[91]

No.	P	Name	Country	Age	Loan club	Started	Ended	Start source	End source
33	FW	Jarvis		20	Newport County	9 September	25 November	Official Site	South Wales Echo
16	FW	Parkin		29	Doncaster Rovers	21 September	24 October	Sky Sports	BBC Sport
28	MF	Wildig		20	Shrewsbury Town	8 November	30 June	Official Site
12	DF	Keinan		27	Crystal Palace	21 November	2 January	Official Site	BBC
16	FW	Parkin		30	Huddersfield Town	23 November	23 January	Official Site	HTFC Official Site
32	MF	Farah		19	Tamworth	24 November	1 January	BBC Sport	BBC Sport
33	FW	Jarvis		20	Newport County	1 January	30 June	[4]
24	MF	Taiwo		27	Leyton Orient	26 January	30 June	BBC Sport
16	FW	Parkin		30	Scunthorpe United	31 January	30 June	CCFC Official Site
12	DF	Keinan		27	Bristol City	22 March	30 May	BBC Sport

West Ham United v Cardiff City

7 August 1	West Ham United	0–1	Cardiff City	London
13:00 BST		report	90+1' Miller	Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 25,680 Referee: Howard Webb

Cardiff City v Bristol City

14 August 2	Cardiff City	3–1	Bristol City	Cardiff
15:00 BST	Hudson 18' Conway 23' Earnshaw 36'	report	82' Maynard	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 22,639 Referee: Graham Salisbury

Cardiff City v Brighton & Hove Albion

17 August 3	Cardiff City	1–3	Brighton & Hove Albion	Cardiff
19:45 BST	Whittingham 90' (pen.)	report	39', 63' (pen.) Barnes 87' Hoskins	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 23,013 Referee: Keith Stroud

Burnley v Cardiff City

20 August 4	Burnley	1–1	Cardiff City	Burnley
15:00 BST	Austin 2'	report	40' Earnshaw	Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 13,428 Referee: Anthony Bates

Portsmouth v Cardiff City

27 August 5	Portsmouth	1–1	Cardiff City	Portsmouth
15:00 BST	Kanu 80'	report	76' Taylor	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 14,354 Referee: Andy Woolmer

Cardiff City v Doncaster Rovers

10 September 6	Cardiff City	2–0	Doncaster Rovers	Cardiff
15:00 BST	Gerrard 52' Earnshaw 70'	report		Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 21,863 Referee: Kevin Wright

Blackpool v Cardiff City

17 September 7	Blackpool	1–1	Cardiff City	Blackpool
15:00 BST	K Phillips 62'	report	49' Cowie	Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 12,798 Referee: Jon Moss

Cardiff City v Southampton

28 September 9	Cardiff City	2–1	Southampton	Cardiff
19:45 BST	Miller 56', 63'	report	90+3' De Ridder	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 22,502 Referee: Philip Gibbs

Hull City v Cardiff City

1 October 10	Hull City	2–1	Cardiff City	Kingston upon Hull
15:00 BST	Fryatt 39' Barmby 71'	report	62' Ralls	Stadium: KC Stadium Attendance: 18,305 Referee: Colin Webster

Cardiff City v Ipswich Town

15 October 11	Cardiff City	2–2	Ipswich Town	Cardiff
15:00 BST	Gestede 19' Whittingham 72' (pen.)	report	30' Scotland 52' Chopra	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 21,809 Referee: Dean Whitestone

Peterborough United v Cardiff City

18 October 12	Peterborough United	4–3	Cardiff City	Peterborough
19:45 BST	Boyd 21' McCann 24', 87' (pen.) Taylor 90+2'	report	6' Cowie 60' Whittingham 79' Gunnarsson	Stadium: London Road Stadium Attendance: 6,351 Referee: Nigel Miller

Cardiff City v Barnsley

22 October 13	Cardiff City	5–3	Barnsley	Cardiff
15:00 BST	Miller 10' Mason 34' Gunnarsson 38', 71' Cowie 60'	report	36' Drinkwater 82' McNulty 86' Vaz Tê	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 20,665 Referee: Scott Mathieson

Leeds United v Cardiff City

30 October 14	Leeds United	1–1	Cardiff City	Leeds
13:15 BST	Snodgrass 73'	report	17' Mason	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 20,270 Referee: Phil Dowd

Derby County v Cardiff City

2 November 15	Derby County	0–3	Cardiff City	Derby
19:45 GMT		report	20' Kiss 62' (og) Kilbane 73' Whittingham	Stadium: Pride Park Stadium Attendance: 23,078 Referee: Eddie Ilderton

Cardiff City v Crystal Palace

5 November 16	Cardiff City	2–0	Crystal Palace	Cardiff
15:00 GMT	Miller 69' Whittingham 80'	report		Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 22,032 Referee: Steve Rushton

Reading v Cardiff City

19 November 17	Reading	1–2	Cardiff City	Reading
15:00 GMT	Kébé 77'	report	2' Whittingham 70' Hudson	Stadium: Madjeski Stadium Attendance: 20,361 Referee: Darren Sheldrake

Coventry City v Cardiff City

22 November 18	Coventry City	1–1	Cardiff City	Coventry
19:45 GMT	Jutkiewicz 61'	report	48' Whittingham	Stadium: Ricoh Arena Attendance: 12,317 Referee: Darren Drysdale

Cardiff City v Nottingham Forest

26 November 19	Cardiff City	1–0	Nottingham Forest	Cardiff
15:00 GMT	Mason 70'	report		Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 22,556 Referee: David Phillips

Cardiff City v Birmingham City

4 December 20	Cardiff City	1–0	Birmingham City	Cardiff
12:30 GMT	Miller 68'	report	63'  Davies	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 22,010 Referee: Anthony Taylor

Cardiff City v Middlesbrough

17 December 22	Cardiff City	2–3	Middlesbrough	Cardiff
15:00 GMT	Turner 23' Gunnarsson 44'	report	15' Ogbeche 60' McDonald 76' Haroun	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 23,373 Referee: Graham Salisbury

Watford v Cardiff City

26 December 23	Watford	1–1	Cardiff City	Watford
12:00 GMT	Bauben 62'	report	80' (og) Mariappa	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 14,604 Referee: Patrick Miller

Nottingham Forest v Cardiff City

31 December 24	Nottingham Forest	0–1	Cardiff City	Nottingham
15:00 GMT		report	59' Miller	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 19,750 Referee: Andy Woolmer

Cardiff City v Reading

2 January 25	Cardiff City	3–1	Reading	Cardiff
15:00 GMT	Mason 13' Gunnarsson 19' Miller 36'	report	45' McAnuff	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 23,655 Referee: Chris Foy

Cardiff City v Portsmouth

21 January 27	Cardiff City	3–2	Portsmouth	Cardiff
15:00 GMT	Miller 15' Hudson 69' Conway 90+2'	report	39' Futács 49' Halford	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 22,199 Referee: Steve Tanner

Southampton v Cardiff City

31 January 28	Southampton	1–1	Cardiff City	Southampton
19:45 GMT	Lambert 57' (pen.)	report	36' Conway	Stadium: St Mary's Stadium Attendance: 24,356 Referee: Mark Haywood

Cardiff City v Blackpool

4 February 29	Cardiff City	1–3	Blackpool	Cardiff
15:00 GMT	Mason 59'	report	79' K Phillips 83', 90' M Phillips	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 22,577 Referee: Keith Stroud

Leicester City v Cardiff City

11 February 30	Leicester City	2–1	Cardiff City	Leicester
15:00 GMT	Gallagher 41' (pen.), 71'	report	77' (pen.) Whittingham	Stadium: Walkers Stadium Referee: Mark Hasley