Installed as favourites to earn a quick return to the top flight, a season that promised so much for Cardiff City quickly fizzled into one of their most mediocre campaigns in recent memory.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tinkering proved too much for owner Vincent Tan in September, as a run of poor results and lack of style forced the Bluebirds to look elsewhere.
In came Russell Slade who, while hardly winning over the hearts of those supporters who opposed his appointment, did manage to settle the ship over the remaining months of the season.
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It is off-the-pitch matters for which this underwhelming campaign will best be remembered, however, due to Tan's rather reluctant decision to finally switch the Welsh club's home colours back to blue.
A big summer now awaits, but for many supporters the lacklustre showings witnessed over the past five months or so offers little optimism ahead of next term.
Five key results
Cardiff City 0-1 Middlesbrough, September 16, 2014: Sitting two goals to the good against Norwich City in their last league outing, all seemed to be rosy once more in South Wales. A collapse of catastrophic proportions in the second half, in which four unanswered goals were conceded, led to boos ringing around the Cardiff City Stadium at full time. It meant that the pressure really was on Solskjaer heading into this clash, which Kike's early goal decided. The Norwegian would step down two days later after just nine disappointing months at the helm.
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Blackpool 1-0 Cardiff City, October 3, 2014: Following three league games without a manager, the Bluebirds finally appeared to find their man as Slade watched on from the Bloomfield Road stands. If he did not realise the magnitude of the task at hand already, then he certainly did after watching this performance closely. A first win of the season for the Tangerines, at the 10th time of asking, left City with a promotion mountain to climb just two months into the campaign.
Cardiff City 3-1 Ipswich Town, October 21, 2014: Many may have been against the appointment of Slade, citing his lack of experience at this level as the reason why they could not fully get behind him, but things started off in a promising fashion. Three points from his first official game in charge against an in-form Nottingham Forest side was quickly followed up by another impressive win at home to Ipswich Town. Not only that, but Slade also appeared to be getting the best out of the likes of Peter Whittingham and Federico Macheda.
Cardiff City 0-0 Rotherham United, December 6, 2014: The feel-good factor soon evaporated, however, and it was not long before even more of those in the stands began to slowly turn against the former Leyton Orient chief. A truly dire game of football, which saw little in the way of goalmouth action at either end of the pitch, was a sign of truer things to come. This would be the second of five goalless draws under Slade during his time at the helm.
Nottingham Forest 1-2 Cardiff City, May 2, 2015: Perhaps tellingly, this is the only game from 2015 to feature in this list. The reason behind that is because so little happened between December and May, as Cardiff went from one game to the next with next to nothing to compete for. Slade insisted throughout, until it was mathematically impossible at least, that his side could still reach the playoffs. However, there was very little to catch the eye until the final day, when City produced a fine team performance to see off Forest. A false dawn, maybe, but those in attendance will pray that there is more of this slick passing football to come.
Best Player - Bruno Ecuele Manga
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It would not be doing too much disservice to Cardiff to suggest that not a single player truly stood out throughout a disappointing nine months. For all of Solskjaer's many strange purchases, including splashing out a combined £9m on centre-back duo Sean Morrison and Manga, only a couple of those who still remain may have more to offer.
Kenwyne Jones ended the season as the club's top scorer, despite being shipped out on loan to promoted Bournemouth, while another of those aforementioned purchases in Manga also made a lasting impression. The Gabon international looks destined for the Premier League, even if his side do not, as long as he can iron out a few errors that appear to occasionally pop up in his game.
Most Improved Player - Joe Ralls
Cardiff fans have been starved of seeing youngsters truly break into the team since academy products Aaron Ramsey and Joe Ledley departed the club, so witnessing Ralls - a youth signing from Farnborough - given a true chance at Championship level does provide some hope for the future.
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Many would have liked to have seen more of the academy stars break into the first team this year, especially with little to play for in the final five months or so. That is something Slade will look to improve, no doubt, and while Ralls still has plenty of improving to do, he certainly appears to have the ability to now push on in the coming years.
Best Signing - Matthew Kennedy
Having spent £13m on new acquisitions last summer, it really is slim pickings in terms of a standout performer. Manga did of course produce a number of decent displays, but that is something you would expect from a £5.5m full international signing, who has plenty of experience of playing in the top flight.
Instead, it is arguably youngster Kennedy who has shown the most signs of promise, thanks to his keenness to make something happen out wide. Eoin Doyle, a £1m capture from Chesterfield in January, also looks as though he could make an impact in the long term, although far more depth will be needed if a promotion challenge is to be mounted next time out.
Best Goal - Alex Revell vs. Brentford
Revell is another of those cost-cutting purchases brought in who was hardly given a chance by spectators in the stands. While he ultimately failed to prove his doubters wrong, he did score the Welsh outfit's goal of the campaign in a rare away victory at Brentford. Played in by Macheda, the former Rotherham United forward still had plenty to do from a wide angle, but after David Button raced off his line the decision was made for Revell, who delicately lofted the ball home.
Must Do Better - Peter Whittingham
An incredibly harsh choice, granted, considering the Englishman played a part in more goals than any other player. Yet Whittingham, who for the past few years has been utilised in a deep-lying midfield role, must do more to put his foot on the game and make things happen. So often matches passed him by last term, with his assists tally being made up almost entirely of set-piece crosses. Plenty of players need to improve, but if Cardiff can get their key creator more involved in the big games, they may just be able to mount a push for the top six.
End-of-season grade: C
A mediocre season in every sense of the word, which left City's fanbase counting down the days until the summer. Worryingly, Tan now appears to be reluctant to splash the cash, which may actually prove to be a blessing in disguise for a club that has come so close to extinction in the past. A few more years of lingering in middle ground may not be all that bad, yet supporters will be praying that does not mean more abject, dull performances when things get back underway in August.
Daniel Lewis
