Cardiff City: What next after Mark Hudson becomes latest manager to go?

Mark Hudson was assistant to Steve Morison at Cardiff before the former Wales striker was fired in September 2022

Mark Hudson has come and gone as Cardiff City boss, his reign lasting just 118 days.

Hudson was only actually Cardiff's permanent manager for just over half that time, for it was not until mid-November that he was given a contract until the end of the season.

Hudson was initially named interim boss on 18 September, following the sacking of his predecessor, Steve Morison.

By 14 November, he had done enough to convince Cardiff owner Vincent Tan that he was the man to lead the club for at least the rest of the season.

But just 61 days later, Hudson has been sacked.

The brevity of his reign is striking. But at Cardiff, few managers tend to last.

The Bluebirds are now looking for a fifth manager in two years, following Hudson, Morison - who lasted 11 months - Mick McCarthy (10 months) and Neil Harris, who left in January 2021 after 14 months at the helm.

Neil Warnock was the last Cardiff manager to serve for any significant length of time, having been at the helm between 2016 and 2019.

Before Warnock there had been others who only briefly called the Cardiff manager's office home, with Paul Trollope and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer not making it to a year in charge.

Russell Slade made it to 19 months, but the pattern is clear.

And so Cardiff fans find themselves yet again wondering what comes next for their club.

"Nothing surprises me at this football club now," former Cardiff captain Jason Perry told BBC Radio Wales Sport. "It breaks your heart saying it, breaks your heart."

Steve Morison was sacked after 10 Championship games this season, with Cardiff 18th in the table

Will it be an experienced manager next?

Hudson was dismissed within hours of Cardiff's 1-1 draw with Wigan, which stretched their winless run to nine games in all competitions.

The Latics, who are bottom of the Championship, scored in the 96th minute to claim a deserved point.

Would Hudson have been sacked had they held on for victory?

Perhaps not, but the club's popular former captain has gone and the focus now switches to who will replace him.

After two managerial rookies, Hudson and Morison, were given a chance - albeit briefly - to prove themselves by Cardiff, the early suggestion is that the club will go for experience this time.

Chris Wilder was on Cardiff's radar last season and could well be a target again, though whether he would be interested is uncertain.

Dean Smith is another manager with plenty of Championship experience who is available but, again, there is no guarantee he would be willing to take over at a club languishing only three points above the relegation places.

Warnock announced his retirement from management last April, but has been linked with a return to south Wales and that is not inconceivable at this stage.

Other managers with second-tier experience who are available include Grant McCann, Lee Bowyer and Steve Bruce.

In truth, it is not easy to predict which way Tan will turn next.

Vincent Tan has been Cardiff City's owner since 2010

"Cardiff City is a club that reacts, it's reacting now from the scoreboard [against Wigan] because they've got nobody at the level that's needed to look at the whole thing, the big picture, the process," Perry said.

"It's a club that's run without a plan and, when you have that, you go from pillar to post. You just react, you bring different managers in with different styles, different opinions who bring different sorts players in, which costs you a lot of money and makes a debt.

"I'm telling you something now, it won't be as easy as you think to get a manager to Cardiff City because they know it's a circus above them."

Analysis - Rob Phillips, BBC Wales football correspondent:

After more than 30 years of reporting on Cardiff City, nothing should surprise me.

But I really was shocked when news broke of Mark Hudson's sacking.

A decision like this is only made by one man, Vincent Tan.

The next manager appointed will be the 26th in my time covering Cardiff. Yet if the final whistle against Wigan had come a minute earlier, Hudson would still be there.

Listen on back on BBC Sounds and you will hear ex-Cardiff players Ian Walsh and Jason Perry laughing at the news. They were not being heartless, merely reflecting that the club is seen as a laughing stock.

Hudson, a fine servant as a player, deserved better.

Summer recruit Ebou Adams has not yet kicked a ball in anger because of injury and is about to welcome his third Cardiff manager. It is a ridiculous way to run a club, and the turmoil can only benefit Cardiff's relegation rivals.

Everyone knows Cardiff need a philosophy and identity to develop as a club. Steve Morison and Hudson added pace and more creativity - but a lack of end product is the problem.

The hefty summer recruitment was far from perfect, but the aim was clear. Now what? Neil Warnock back?

With respect to Warnock's promotion to the Premier League and his success in bringing the club back together during his time as Cardiff boss, he left a scorched-earth squad and youngsters like Rubin Colwill and Isaak Davies only emerged after he went.

Neil Warnock led Cardiff to promotion to the Premier League in 2018

A director of football would today have a list of potential candidates for a board to peruse - but the club do not have one.

There is no point having one, the way the club is run and set-up. And here - in short - is the issue at the heart of Cardiff.

The key decisions are made by one man, who pays the bills and whose financial commitment is unquestionable.

Tan can ill-afford for the club to be relegated, so he pulls the trigger when that scary prospect looks more likely.

Until he wants to sell or a bidder comes in with a suitable offer, this is the reality - and the asking price would drop significantly in League One.

It is a vicious circle with no sign of a break. Cardiff fans are in a catch-22, helpless as they watch the club flounder in choppy relegation waters.

Should Cardiff recruit the right manager, they may still escape relegation. In truth, Cardiff currently cannot live with Tan, but right now they also cannot live without him.