Fixtures and fitted up

It’s the day the fixtures are announced for the forthcoming season. This year it’s difficult for any Cardiff City fan to look forward to them. Not only are we faced with the same old bar a few, our West Walian cousins are preparing for trips to The Emirates, Anfield and Stamford Bridge. I could argue that I’ve been to the aforementioned grounds with Cardiff recently, albeit in cup competitions, but unlike my favourite tipple, I’m not bitter.

Anyway, we are where we are and our 2011/2012 fixtures have been released and I’d like to thank the fixtures people for absolutely f@*k all.

On a personal level there are now four main fixture dates that I look for straight away now that our derby matches have been cruelly taken away from me......opening day fixture, last day fixture and the two Christmas ones. West Ham away, Crystal Palace away, Watford away on Boxing Day, Nottingham Forest away on New Years Eve. Yes, you’ve spotted it, they are all away! What happened to ‘if you’re away in the first game, you’ll be home on the last game’? and visa versa. What happened to the season of good will? The I.T. Services Company in charge of collating the fixtures can do one.

Whilst I sit here preparing my ‘you won’t see me over Xmas’ speech to my wife, I then dwell on the other fixtures. Our sunny south coast visits to newly promoted Southampton and Brighton have been downgraded to the cold, dark midweek slot, as too is that excruciating trip to Peterborough.

I feel hard done by this year but I don’t usually feel sorry for myself so it’s with energetic enthusiasm that I will dust down my pick and shovel and……well you know the rest.

Cardiff City fixtures 2011/12

Saturday, 6 August 2011                      West Ham v Cardiff, 15:00

Saturday, 13 August 2011                    Cardiff v Bristol City, 15:00

Tuesday, 16 August 2011                     Cardiff v Brighton, 19:45

Saturday, 20 August 2011                    Burnley v Cardiff, 15:00

Saturday, 27 August 2011                    Portsmouth v Cardiff, 15:00

Saturday, 10 September 2011              Cardiff v Doncaster, 15:00

Saturday, 17 September 2011              Blackpool v Cardiff, 15:00

Saturday, 24 September 2011              Cardiff v Leicester, 15:00

Tuesday, 27 September 2011               Cardiff v Southampton, 19:45

Saturday, 1 October 2011                    Hull v Cardiff, 15:00

Saturday, 15 October 2011                  Cardiff v Ipswich, 15:00

Tuesday, 18 October 2011                   Peterborough v Cardiff, 19:45

Saturday, 22 October 2011                  Cardiff v Barnsley, 15:00

Saturday, 29 October 2011                  Leeds v Cardiff, 15:00

Tuesday, 1 November 2011                 Derby v Cardiff, 19:45

Saturday, 5 November 2011                Cardiff v Crystal Palace, 15:00

Saturday, 19 November 2011              Reading v Cardiff, 15:00

Saturday, 26 November 2011              Cardiff v Nott'm Forest, 15:00

Tuesday, 29 November 2011               Coventry v Cardiff, 19:45

Saturday, 3 December 2011                 Cardiff v Birmingham, 15:00

Saturday, 10 December 2011               Millwall v Cardiff, 15:00

Saturday, 17 December 2011               Cardiff v Middlesbrough, 15:00

Monday, 26 December 2011                Watford v Cardiff, 15:00

Saturday, 31 December 2011               Nott'm Forest v Cardiff, 15:00

Monday, 2 January 2012                      Cardiff v Reading, 15:00

Saturday, 14 January 2012                   Doncaster v Cardiff, 15:00

Saturday, 21 January 2012                   Cardiff v Portsmouth, 15:00

Tuesday, 31 January 2012                    Southampton v Cardiff, 19:45

Saturday, 4 February 2012                   Cardiff v Blackpool, 15:00

Saturday, 11 February 2012                 Leicester v Cardiff, 15:00

Tuesday, 14 February 2012                  Cardiff v Peterborough, 19:45

Saturday, 18 February 2012                 Ipswich v Cardiff, 15:00

Saturday, 25 February 2012                 Cardiff v Hull, 15:00

Saturday, 3 March 2012                       Cardiff v West Ham, 15:00

Tuesday, 6 March 2012                       Brighton v Cardiff, 19:45

Saturday, 10 March 2012                     Bristol City v Cardiff, 15:00

Saturday, 17 March 2012                     Cardiff v Burnley, 15:00

Tuesday, 20 March 2012                     Cardiff v Coventry, 19:45

Saturday, 24 March 2012                     Birmingham v Cardiff, 15:00

Saturday, 31 March 2012                     Cardiff v Millwall, 15:00

Saturday, 7 April 2012                         Middlesbrough v Cardiff, 15:00

Monday, 9 April 2012                          Cardiff v Watford, 15:00

Saturday, 14 April 2012                       Barnsley v Cardiff, 15:00

Tuesday, 17 April 2012                        Cardiff v Derby, 19:45

Saturday, 21 April 2012                       Cardiff v Leeds, 15:00

Saturday, 28 April 2012                       Crystal Palace v Cardiff, 15:00