Cardiff City underwhelmed by manager candidates but risk backlash amid five huge days
The Bluebirds are coming up to four weeks without a permanent manager
People’s attention will be drawn back to Championship football this weekend.
With the conversation after a draw with Bristol City bordering on ugly prior to the October break, many Cardiff City fans will have welcomed the break.
Following the dismissal of Erol Bulut nearly four weeks ago, Cardiff’s executives were reportedly taking their time choosing the new manager, wanting to get it right because the threat of relegation to League One was considerably more serious than a doomsday, pipeline concern.
However, compared to before the international break, we are no closer to identifying Cardiff’s next permanent manager. With rare exceptions, Cardiff’s top management is reportedly satisfied with interim manager Omer Riza taking over for a few more games because they are generally unimpressed by the quality of the contenders on the market; if they were, they would have hired one of them by now.
Although there was little chance that the team’s performances would deteriorate further—though never say never!—Riza has managed to improve the team’s performance. In his three games as manager, Cardiff has earned four points, which is a respectable return considering the situation.
The current situation, however, is that after nine games, Cardiff is at the bottom of the league and has scored the fewest goals, three fewer than Preston North End, who are next worst with seven.
Over the next several days, they have two enormous home games. Plymouth Argyle is the first opponent on Saturday lunchtime, while Portsmouth, who are one spot ahead of Cardiff in 23rd place on goal differential, will be the second opponent the following midweek.
The fact that they are both at home is important since you will be informed if the outcome is favourable. Vincent Tan will also be keeping an eye on things in Malaysia.
Furthermore, Riza is not entirely to blame for Cardiff’s predicament. Naturally, he bears some of the responsibility because he was a member of the coaching staff for the first six games, but Bulut was ultimately responsible.Subscribe to our Cardiff City newsletter by clicking this link.
Riza took over a team that lacked self-assurance, objectives, and even a sense of identity, all of which take time to develop. However, we are now heavily reliant on results-based decision-making, which puts further strain on Riza. These next two games will tell us a lot about him as a potential manager and much more about his qualifications if he is being considered as a real contender for the position.
If Saturday’s game goes poorly, Cardiff may have to make some snap decisions. Fans everywhere will undoubtedly protest and decide against hiring a permanent manager during the international break if City loses and falls further behind at the bottom of the standings. That’s just a given.
City supporters will be encouraged by a victory, which might even lift them off the bottom of the table. After another victory over Portsmouth, we might suddenly be looking at escaping the relegation zone. Although we are still early in the season, it sounds strange to say this, yet Cardiff and Riza have five important days ahead of them.
Some candidates have received discussion, but others whose names have been in the media are not regarded as significant contenders. Although Ryan Lowe, Ruben Selles, and Slaven Bilic have all been discussed, there are still unanswered questions regarding them.
The main problem is that Cardiff is unsure of their desired course of action. Would they like to find the next big thing—a young, talented manager? There are many at the club who do, but when has it actually happened at Cardiff?
This season, how about an older person leading them to safety and starting over in the summer? Is it premature to be so pessimistic about the season? Feeling the weight of being at the bottom of the table, many say no. With an interim manager, is this squad too excellent to waste? Once more, most likely not after a lacklustre transfer window and a team that was primarily assembled through free transfers or tiny fees.
What happens if Riza surprises supporters with a few outcomes? Few people appear to be thinking about that alternative.
Who knows? Perhaps Riza will keep improving on what he has already begun and help Cardiff move up the ranks. In the last three games, Cardiff has scored three times as many goals as they did in the season’s first six games. Although there has been some inexperience, he has them playing more offensive football. On defence, it requires serious effort. If Riza is to be the man leading this side for the upcoming months or possibly until the end of the campaign, he also needs assistance and clarification. This is why the five days beginning on Saturday seem so long.
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