How does Cardiff City’s record after 38 games in 2021/22 compare to last season?

It’s certainly been a difficult season on the whole for Cardiff City but supporters will be looking forward to next year with cautious optimism, having seen a pretty decent turnaround under Steve Morison.

The Bluebirds started this campaign with the hope that they would be challenging for the play-offs in the Sky Bet Championship, but some rotten early form under former manager Mick McCarthy cost him his job and, realistically, cost them a chance of making the top six – with them instead focused on beating the drop.

Of course, they’re not going to be getting relegated now as they head for a mid-table finish but let’s compare where they are at this stage of the season compared to the same time last year, with 8 games to go.

After 38 matches played last season, Cardiff were in the thick of a play-off hunt. Mick McCarthy had arrived earlier in 2021 and overseen a real purple patch in form, that got the Bluebirds into contention for the top six.

With 8 games to go, Cardiff were 4 points outside the play-offs, with Reading sat in 6th, having won 16 games, drawn 10 and lost 12 up to that point.

Cardiff had a goal difference of +18 and, naturally, the hope was that they would sneak into the top 6 by the end of the year.

Ultimately, of course, they fell short but last season fuelled hopes that this campaign would be the one where they got into the play-offs, and that’s why things have been so disappointing this time around.

Cardiff this year, with 38 played, currently sit in 17th place, 15 points off of the play-offs, having won 13 games, drawn 7 and lost 18, with a goal difference of -11.

In fairness, their matches won tally isn’t too different to last year and that is a plus, but they’ve lost six more games and that is why