Cardiff City have won back-to-back league games for the first time this season. The victory was Neil Warnock’s sixth since taking charge.
Neil Warnock propels Bluebirds
At 68 years old you could forgive Neil Warnock for losing a portion of love for the beautiful game. In his advanced years, Warnock is every bit as energetic and passionate on the touchline as ever before.
Warnock summed his situation up perfectly after the Servernside derby victory against Bristol City claiming, “At 2-1 down, I was wondering what I was doing here at the age of 68. At 3-2 up, I remembered why I do this for a living.” The experienced campaigner has now taken the Bluebirds to six wins and four draws in 14 league games.
Midas Touch
Warnock has given the Bluebirds an impressive up-turn in fortune after a dismal and disastrous start to the campaign under Paul Trollope. Having been asked about how he “works his magic” in the Championship, Warnock told Wales Online, “If we’d have lost (at Bristol City) we could’ve been in the bottom three. I’m just glad that we’ve got those points and we can look to move on a bit because we’ve got a difficult run of fixtures.
“I know it’s easy for me to say to get your head down, because you’ve got to come back in on a Monday morning and be the one that believes, whatever the situation.
“It’s a horrible job when you’re on a bad run because I’ve had a few in my career. You don’t see a way out and you don’t see your next win. At times I’ve never seen a goal coming in some teams I’ve been at and you have to work hard to get through it.”
Bluebirds Climbing
The Bluebirds now find themselves 18th—a far more comfortable position than when Warnock took over. Cardiff were sat at the foot of the table, devoid of any confidence. Six points clear of relegation—with a game in hand—Cardiff are still 15 points away from the last play-off position. The possibility of pushing for a chance of a play-off spot is extremely slim. A fine run of form would be needed but with Warnock at the helm, it could be less of a hopeless thought.
The goal has to be a push up the Championship in the second-half of the season. Warnock has already stated his intentions to strengthen the squad during this transfer window. He hopes he can ‘persuade’ Vincent Tan to release some more funds for a promotion push next year, “There’s a lot that’s needed sorted and we’re getting there slowly,” added the Cardiff boss.
“It’s a great club and the fans can see what I’m trying to achieve.
“I don’t think we need an awful lot. I just think, when you look at the top six or the top eight, we’ve got to be aiming for that really for the size of the club that we are.”
Squad Strengthening
Despite Kenneth Zohore hitting form and make-shift forward Anthony Pilkington scoring, goals have been few and far between at times. A finishing striker is a must for Warnock in January.
Aberdeen have already rejected an undisclosed offer for winger Jonny Hayes from Cardiff City. With Cardiff keen to strengthen on the wide areas, it is unclear whether they are willing to increase their bid at this stage.
David Marshall has been linked with a return to the Bluebirds by none other than his wife. This follows a terrible return to the Premier League with Hull City, following stern criticism from the Tigers supporters and being dropped from the first team. Michelle Marshall posted a tweet stating:
“Wonder if Cardiff are looking for a wee goalie….”
Cardiff City face Burton Albion at the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday 21st January at 15:00.
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