When water continually circles a drain, there comes a point when there's nothing left but for it to surge down the pipework.

Having twice swirled around the plug hole of late - scratching all 360 degrees of the perimeter before Reading stepped in to smother them in a comforting towel in 2022-23 - Cardiff City looked to have got themselves into steadier waters under Erol Bulut.

The Turkish boss guided the Bluebirds to 12th place in his sole full campaign at the club, but - two south Wales derby results aside - the Cardiff faithful have predominantly endured nothing since but misery.

Bulut's protracted contract saga last summer typified a club that is lacking alignment where it's needed most.

The top chiefs on the ground in the Welsh capital often find themselves at loggerheads with the club's owner - whose approach seemingly involves asking himself if a decision made by himself makes sense before agreeing that it does and ploughing on.

Having wasted precious time to resolve the managerial situation, Tan then pulled the trigger little more than three months on from handing Bulut a two-year deal, after what was Cardiff's worst start to a season in 94 years.

Warning signs have been ignored and lessons have not been learned.

It has led to Omer Riza's side being a point adrift of safety with only four matches remaining, and with a wretched goal difference of -21, they are effectively a further point back.

The run-in is far from inviting, either.

READ MORE: Omer Riza Admits Cardiff City Need To Scale A Mountain To Survive

Despite the Blades' run of three successive defeats, a trip to third-placed Sheffield United on Good Friday offers little hope. 

Surprise packages Oxford then visit Cardiff City Stadium, before play-off chasing West Brom head to south Wales - with a trip to Norwich awaiting Riza's side on the final day.

Cardiff City's remaining fixtures
Sheffield United (A) - April 18 (17:30)
Oxford United (H) - April 21 (15:00)
West Brom (H) - April 26 (15:00)
Norwich City (A) - May 3 (12:30)

But for too long it's been the bigger picture that has caused the most concern.

This is a club that posted a pre-tax loss of £11.66m in the last financial year (2023-24).

READ MORE: Cardiff City vs. Sheffield United FA Cup

The player wage bill was up by 40% to £19.9m, meaning contracts are likely to be a significant issue for the club to resolve, even more so should the unthinkable happen.

For all of his obvious faults - and there are clearly many - few people can criticise the financial commitment made by Tan, with the Malaysian pumping copious amounts of money into the club over a lengthy period.

Unfortunately for him, his involvement with Cardiff has seen him lose a huge portion of that cash.

But such is the way Cardiff have been run under Tan, the Bluebirds remain heavily reliant on the businessman, with the club saying in their recent accounts that its future would look "much more precarious" without the 73-year-old's input.

Regardless of the division they're operating in, will any clubs from higher up the football pyramid or from the top tiers across Europe be clamouring to sign any members of the Cardiff squad at the end of this campaign?

Alex Robertson - formerly of Man City - will have suitors.

Yousef Salech, perhaps? The striker has impressed since joining from Swedish side IK Sirius in January, scoring six times in all competitions.

READ MORE: Omer Riza Insists Cardiff City Can Escape The Drop As Clock Ticks Down

Isaak Davies would likely have admirers, while Rubin Colwill would be the obvious talent - although this is the same Rubin Colwill who has failed to score a goal or claim an assist in each of his last 29 Championship games.

Financially, the club's position is far from pretty. 

The playing squad is lacking, assets are few and far between, while the manager is clearly not up to the required standard.

The club boasts a proud and loyal fanbase that sways from feelings of anger and exasperation to apathy and disillusionment, with some supporters chanting 'you're not fit to wear the shirt' towards players in the aftermath of the gut-wrenching 1-0 loss to Stoke on Saturday.

So where do Cardiff go from here?

It could well be League One, although survival is certainly not beyond the realms of possibility. 

But whatever the outcome of this wretched 2024-25 Cardiff campaign, the same problems surrounding Tan will persist.

And even if they are a Championship side next season, the Bluebirds faithful will continue to live in trepidation given the club's alarming inability to build with the future in mind.