Struggling Solskjaer leading Cardiff straight to the bottom

Another Premier League gameweek, another disappointing result for Cardiff as Hull took all three points with a 4-0 thumping at the home of the Bluebirds, who are now 3/10 to be relegated this term.

New messiah Ole Gunnar Solsksjaer is proving no such thing, as the Welsh-capital club have taken just four points from the 21 that were on offer during the seven matches the Norwegian has been in charge for so far.

‘The Baby-faced Assassin’ gambled during the transfer window, bringing in three players who had never made a Premier League appearance prior to joining Cardiff and three more who were out of favour at their top-flight clubs.

Fellow former Molde men Mats Moller Daehli, Magnus Wolff Eikrem and Jo Inge Berget have shown little thus far to suggest they belong in the Premier League, while Wilfried Zaha, Fabio and Kenwyne Jones have only been effective in flashes.

Cardiff are now just one point ahead of rock-bottom Fulham and the fixture list facing the Bluebirds, allied with the relative experience of their nearest rivals’ coaches, points to a bet on Solskjaer’s side occupying 20th spot at 13/8 when the campaign concludes.

Felix Magath’s Cottagers can consider themselves unfortunate not to have leapfrogged Cardiff already, after Ashkan Dejagah’s first-half effort had them in front at the Hawthorns for 58 minutes until keeper Maarten Stekelenburg let West Brom’s Matej Vydra’s shot sneak under him for a late equaliser.

Magath led Bayern Munich to a Bundesliga/German Cup double back in 2004/05 and earned the nickname ‘the fireman’ in his homeland, after steering Werder Bremen, Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart to safety during the last 15 years.

Having watched Cardiff surrender to the Tigers, the 60-year-old will be confident his new side can secure a result in south Wales when they visit in a couple of weeks, while West Brom are unbeaten at home under veteran Spanish boss Pepe Mel and host Solskjaer’s side at the end of March.

Before that, the Bluebirds must travel to Spurs and Everton, who are unlikely to prove generous given their battle for European places.

With Liverpool also due at the Cardiff City Stadium before April Fool’s Day, it’s hard to see last year’s Championship winners accumulating enough points to avoid a swift return and they look the best value at 13/8 to finish the season as the top-flight’s basement boys.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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