Cardiff City

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Cardiff City midfielder Aaron Ramsey has suffered a setback in his bid to return from a hamstring injury.

The Wales captain, 33, has not played since sustaining the injury during his country’s Nations League win in Montenegro in September.

Having originally been scheduled to be back playing after two months, Ramsey had returned to training with Cardiff before the new problem occurred.

"Aaron has picked up a slight problem as well with the injury so it might be a bit further down the line," said the Bluebirds’ interim manager Omer Riza.

"We’re waiting for the medical team to clarify that. We have to be guided on that."

Striker Kion Etete, who has not played at all this season due to a hamstring injury, has also seen his return date pushed back.

"Kion had a little setback in the Brentford game [friendly during this month’s international break] so he’s been put back a couple of weeks. That was more cautionary," said Riza.

But there is better news for forward Callum Robinson and midfielder Joe Ralls, both of whom are fit again and in contention for Saturday’s Championship trip to Sheffield Wednesday.

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A couple of Cardiff City's international players have returned to Wales having had similar experiences during the final break of 2024.

Manolis Siopis, of Greece, and the Republic of Ireland's Callum O'Dowda return to club duty having each been part of heavy defeats to England.

Midfielder Siopis played 82 mins of Greece's 3-0 home loss to England last Thursday.

That result meant England were in pole position going into the final round of matches in Group B2, and they pressed home their advantage in a 5-0 mauling of O'Dowda's Irish side at Wembley last Sunday.

O'Dowda played the first 67 minutes against England, having played the full 90 in the Republic's 1-0 win over Finland last Thursday.

Siopis, meanwhile, came on for the final 15 minutes of Greece's 2-0 win over the Finns on Sunday.

There was only one other Bluebird on international duty during this break, Wales' Rubin Colwill.

The attacking midfielder is enjoying a positive season at club level, but he was left on the bench throughout the draw in Turkey and home victory over Iceland.

Luca Muzzupappa
BBC Sport Wales

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Cardiff City return to Championship action at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday hoping to claim a first away win since early April.

The Bluebirds are back in the relegation places after their revival under interim boss Omer Riza was halted by back-to-back defeats prior to the international break.

With pressure on once more, this weekend would be the ideal time for Cardiff to improve their underwhelming away record.

Just three of the 15 points Cardiff have banked in 2024-25 have come away from home.

They are one of only six clubs in the three English Football League (EFL) divisions who are yet to win on the road in the league this season, with only Oxford United and Plymouth Argyle (two each) claiming fewer away points than the Welsh side.

Cardiff are without a victory in seven league games on their travels this season, but the winless run stands at nine including the tail end of last season.

The last time Cardiff waited this long for an away success at the start of a campaign was in 2019-20, when they triumphed at the 10th time of asking at Nottingham Forest in late November.

Despite the slow start outside Wales, they finished that season in the Championship play-offs.

Sheffield Wednesday will look to make it successive home wins on Saturday having overcome Norwich City in their last game at Hillsborough, though they had gone three matches without winning on their own patch before that.

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Cardiff City Women survived a scare in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup second round against Cascade before winning 2-1 with a late Molly Kehoe goal.

Megan Waite put the Genero Adran South side ahead just before the half-hour mark.

Cascade had knocked out Cardiff's fellow Adran Premier team Cardiff Met in the Genero Adran Trophy round of 16 last week and another upset against a top-flight side looked in the offing.

But midway through the second half Nieve Jenkins bundled home the ball following a corner to bring Cardiff level, before Kehoe grabbed a dramatic winner deep into time added on to clinch a place in the quarter-finals.

Bute Energy Welsh Cup second round

North

Felinheli 0-10 Wrexham

Llandudno 0-6 The New Saints

NFA 0-8 Aberystwyth Town

South

Cardiff City 2-1 Cascade

Johnstown 0-3 Pontypridd United

Caldicot Town 2-2 Barry Town United (Barry win 4-2 pens)

Penydarren 1-11 Briton Ferry Llansawel

Carmarthen Town 0-3 Swansea City

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There is no word yet on how productive – or otherwise – Omer Riza's talks with Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan have been this week.

Riza has flown to Malaysia to meet Tan and discuss the future for Cardiff, where he has been in interim charge since the dismissal of Erol Bulut on 22 September.

Tan could not be accused of rushing into a decision on who should be Bulut's permanent successor – and this is not the first occasion on which he has taken his time over a big call.

As it stands, in fact, Riza has not waited as long as Mark Hudson did to find out if he would get the Cardiff manager's job on a permanent basis.

Hudson was placed in caretaker charge on 18 September, 2022 following the departure of Steve Morison.

It was not until 14 November – 57 days later – that the former Bluebirds captain was appointed manager on full-time basis.

As it stands, Riza's spell at the helm has lasted 54 days.

Morison was another who initially stepped up to be a manager on a temporary basis, after the sacking of Mick McCarthy in October 2021, yet the former Wales striker needed only 20 days to convince Tan he was worth a permanent deal.

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Of course, it did not end particularly well at Cardiff for Morison, who departed in October 2022, while Hudson was dismissed just two months after being handed a permanent deal.

There have been other caretakers during Tan's 14-year spell with the Bluebirds.

Dean Whitehead took the reins after Hudson left but made way for Sabri Lamouchi after 13 days.

A decade ago, Danny Gabbidon and Scott Young were made joint-caretaker bosses following the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, lasting 17 days before Russell Slade took charge at the Cardiff City Stadium.

And in the 2013-14 season, David Kerslake spent a mere six days holding the fort after Malky Mackay's exit before Solskjaer was appointed.

Tan's decision on the way forward was swift on that occasion, but that has been the case less often in recent years.

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We asked for your views on Cardiff City's managerial situation and plenty of you have had your say.

Should the Bluebirds make interim boss Omer Riza their permanent manager? Perhaps they should they stick with the temporary arrangement in place since Erol Bulut left the club in September, or should they look elsewhere?

There could be some news in the pipeline after it emerged that Riza has travelled to Malaysia for talks with Cardiff owner Vincent Tan.

Here are some of your opinions on the current situation.

Andrew: Great improvements under Riza, but need to see a response to two losses now and the goals have dried up again. Suggest wait until after Christmas, and if still positive then offer a one- or two-year contract with another year based on performance, but let Riza know this is the plan.

Jack: Give Riza the chance now.

Mary: Yes, keep him. Tough on players to keep changing managers with different styles and expectations each time.

David: Without doubt Riza should get the job!

Chris: The inertia is damning. Either give the guy the job or appoint someone else. Make a decision!

Robin: While this man has been in charge we have seen a vast improvement in City’s performances. Yes we have lost two, and 1-3 at home [to Blackburn last weekend] is not good. But who are we going to bring in? The board have failed with everyone they have brought in, sacked all of them. Give the man a chance, the players all like him, give him the job for this season.

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Mike: Should give Riza until January transfer window then decide based on his results and future thoughts for transfers etc. The team are definitely playing better but still room for improvement.

Martin: Time for change - Mark Robins for me.

Tom: The silence from the board has become deafening. Full credit to Omer for what he has done in the interim, in difficult circumstances, not helped by key injuries. Can the board please make a decision and communicate this to us stakeholders? The club need to be planning ahead for the January window - continued uncertainty is doing none of us any good.

Phil: A decision needs to be made one way or another so everyone, particularly Riza, knows where they stand. The club has treated him appallingly and [it] is indicative of the shambles that is Cardiff City. No plan, no strategy, no communication. It's no wonder that fans have voted with their feet and attendances have fallen off a cliff.

Darren: I think Riza has done enough to get the job until the end of the season. The players seem to trust and enjoy his methods. A new coach would have to get to know the players and figure out what we need in the transfer window in January. Riza probably has ideas already in place and irons in the fire. Omer Riza is the right man for the job.

Clive: Either give Riza the job now or get Mark Hughes in.

Edge: I think it would be better to make a decision one way or another now for everyone, team and fans. The football style is much better now to watch.

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Rod: Whichever way we twist, the manager needs some decent investment in the squad. We have three strikers who need moving along and need more firepower to complement Callum Robinson. Any new appointment is doomed to fail without this and bringing through talented academy players is imperative too.

Jordi: Under Riza, we look like we're finally playing flowing, attacking football for the first time in a while. We got our biggest win in six years under him when we beat Plymouth 5-0, the players like him and he's got a good reputation with the fans. As a passionate season ticket holder, I say keep him around, we surely can't do any worse than before!

Iain: The board have taken far too long to come to a decision and it is undermining all aspects of the club, from fans to players and the staff. Based on this inability to decide they should take the simple and perhaps easier option and give the job to Omer until the end of the season and then review. It may not work out but it would end the uncertainty.

Viv: Riza should stop talking about whether or not he’s retained and get on with job. It’s hard without a fit, consistent striker, and with a poor subs' bench, but in that Blackburn game we were as bad as under Bulut.

Jarrad: I think they should give Riza the job until the end of the season and evaluate from there. Performances and results have been far better, and players like him and seem far happier than they were under Bulut. Reports have already suggested the Cardiff hierarchy have been underwhelmed by available candidates so let’s just stick with what we’ve got

Dave: I strongly believe City should appoint Mark Robins, who is available. He has an impressive track record having led Coventry from League Two to the brink of Premier League status. He was also close to beating Manchester United in the FA Cup last season. He’s made these achievements on a relatively low budget. Go get him Vincent Tan. This is an opportunity not to be missed.

Another international break, another fortnight of uncertainty for Omer Riza and Cardiff fans.

Unless, of course, Cardiff use this two-week window to make a call on Riza after nine games as their interim manager.

Give him the job on a permanent basis? Or keep him in limbo for the time being to see how he does over a longer period of time?

It was beginning to look like Riza's job to lose after six games unbeaten and a huge improvement in performances from his predecessor, Erol Bulut.

But have back-to-back defeats against Luton Town and Blackburn Rovers spoiled the 45-year-old's chances of landing the job full time?

After the Blackburn loss, Riza admitted he does not know if he will still be in charge come the end of the break, saying he will “prepare as I normally would” ahead of the trip to Sheffield Wednesday on 23 November.

Some pundits, including former Bluebirds striker Nathan Blake, say Cardiff need to make a decision now on whether to stick with Riza or head in a different direction.

However, Ian Walsh believes owner Vincent Tan should hold fire on the decision, saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

What do you think about Riza's position, Cardiff fans? Does he deserve a decision one way or another? You can have your say by sending your views here, external.

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Alex Robertson's international future appears to be the subject of considerable debate in Australia right now.

The Cardiff City midfielder is missing from the Australia squad for World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in this international break.

Robertson has been capped twice by Australia, though he is yet to feature in a competitive game and is therefore eligible to switch allegiances to a different country.

The 21-year-old could represent Scotland as he was born there, while he also qualifies for England and Peru.

Australia boss Tony Popovic has said Robertson made himself unavailable for this month's games, adding that it is down to the former Manchester City youngster to change that.

Australian international forward Kusini Yengi, meantime, has said this week, external his former Portsmouth team-mate is "confused" about what he wants – but added that he remains hopeful Robertson will wear the Socceroos jersey again.

It seems it is up to Robertson, who has impressed since joining the Bluebirds in the summer, to decide what happens next in his international career.

While the player makes up his mind, Cardiff will surely see it is a boost that he is with them preparing for a trip to Sheffield Wednesday on 23 November, as opposed to travelling to the other side of the world and back.

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The second south Wales derby of the season has been moved to an earlier kick-off.

But the Cardiff City Stadium encounter does remain a Saturday showdown as Swansea City look to avoid a second successive defeat at the home of the Bluebirds.

The game between the two rivals has been selected in the latest round of television picks from the Championship, with the game taking place at 12.30 GMT on Saturday 18 January.

The Swans were beaten 2-0 on their last trip to Cardiff in September 2023 - only to rally after Luke Williams replaced Michael Duff and win the return tie at the Swansea.Com Stadium by the same scoreline in March 2024.

The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in Swansea in August, then-Cardiff manager Erol Bulut being sent off during the game which secured the only point he picked up this season before being sacked the following month.

Both sides have seen three other games moved in the period that covers up to the end of February.

Swansea's game at Norwich City a week after the derby on Saturday, 25 January is also now a 12:30 GMT kick-off.

The Swans' game against Bristol City at Ashton Gate has been moved to a midday start Sunday, 9 February, meaning the home game with Sheffield Wednesday has been pushed back 24 hours to Wednesday 12 February (19:45 GMT).

Cardiff see their game at Millwall on Tuesday, 21 January moved to a 20:00 GMT kick-off, while their Severnside derby game has Bristol City travel to Cardiff City Stadium for a 12.30 GMT kick-off on Saturday, 15 February.

Finally, the Bluebirds game at Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle has also been brought forward to lunchtime, with the Saturday, 22 February fixture at Home Park now kicking-off at 12.30 GMT.

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Cardiff City will play a behind-closed-doors friendly this week as Omer Riza looks to make the most of his international window down time.

That will include hoping some key players begin to return to fitness, top scorer Callum Robinson among them.

The Bluebirds slipped back into the bottom three of the Championship as a result of Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat by Blackburn Rovers.

Questions remain over whether interim manager Riza will be offered the job permanently, with the 44-year-old admitting he does not know if he will still be in charge come the end of the break.

Riza says he will “prepare as I normally would” during the window as Cardiff look ahead to the tip to Sheffield Wednesday on 23 November.

With only three players – Rubin Colwill (Wales), Callum O’Dowda (Republic of Ireland) and Manolis Siopis (Greece) – away from the training base over the next fortnight, Riza admitted: “[The internationla window] won’t impact us too much - we have three players away and we’ll prepare this week; we’ll be training Monday and Tuesday, we have a friendly on Wednesday and after that we’ll look at a couple of days’ rest ready to come back in ahead of the Sheffield Wednesday game.”

The wait for the next fixture also provides a chance for players to return with captain Joe Ralls set to be back after the international fixtures having missed the last six games with an unspecified leg injury.

Robinson, meanwhile, has been nursing an Achilles problem that caused the five-goal striker to sit out at the weekend, but Riza said: “He now has a good 10-12 days to get himself back to a suitable level to start playing again.”

Calum Chambers was also absent against Blackburn because of illness, with Jesper Daland filling in.

Riza said Daland's lack of recent games - after an ankle problem - showed in the defeat, but added that the Norwegian will benefit from the minutes.

And despite at one stage hoping to have Wales captain Aaron Ramsey back by now, Riza said the midfielder is “two, maybe three” weeks away from returning to the squad.

“We will have more to select from, it’s not all doom and gloom,” the former Watford coach added. “We’ve come from so far behind to get where we are now, it is credit to the boys.

“It is a hard task to climb off from one point. Yes, we’re in a position where you lose a game and you can drop back in, but that’s why I can’t look at the table. I have to look at results, performances and us believing what we’re doing – that is still there and is not going to change.”

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Cardiff City need to make a decision on whether to stick with interim manager Omer Riza or head in a different direction, according to two BBC Sport pundits.

Former Bluebirds striker Nathan Blake told BBC Radio Wales Sport that he feels Cardiff should use the upcoming international break to make a decisive decision on Riza’s future.

Cardiff lost 3-1 at home to Blackburn on Saturday as Riza’s excellent start as interim boss suffered a blow.

"It feels like time to make a decision," Blake said on BBC Radio Wales.

Riza has admitted he "doesn't know" what his future holds, but Radio 5Live pundit Chris Sutton feels the Cardiff board have now reached the point where they need to make a decision imminently having sacked previous boss Erol Bulut in September.

"Cardiff are really interesting. Omer Riza the interim manager, when are the hierarchy going to make a decision on when he gets the job or not," Sutton said on Radio 5Live.

"He’s done a brilliant job. Surely they have to make a decision? Give him the job or move on.

"What is the plan at Cardiff City?"

However, Ian Walsh believes owner Vincent Tan should hold fire on the decision, telling BBC Radio Wales "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

The former Wales and Cardiff striker said on the Call Rob phone-in: "If the club had a bit of heart and soul, in this situation I would say let the guy keep on doing what he's doing.

"Don't change anything. You're the interim manager, you're under contract to me as a football club anyway and just see how it goes.

"Now then, if come January, February he has maintained this standard of play and he's pushing the team up the league, then it's a different conversation, but don't jump in too soon."

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Cardiff City interim boss Omer Riza admits he "doesn't know" if he will remain the Bluebirds boss through the international break.

After a run of impressive results, Cardiff have been beaten in their last two league games and Riza admits that could impact his future.

The stand-in boss, who has been endorsed by several of the Cardiff players, had talks with Cardiff's owners last weekend before their 2-1 win over Norwich City.

However, no agreement has been reached to keep Riza in charge on a permanent basis and he admits he is in the dark over the plans of the club, especially after two losses.

When asked about his future, he told BBC Sport Wales: "Regarding what it looks like, I don't know. It's every international break is a chance to bring in another manager.

"We have always said that when you are winning it's more difficult, when you are losing it's easier.

"It depends what the club wants to do moving forward, only they can answer it.

"What I'm worried about is not winning games. The pressure is there if you don't win games and then the opportunity is there for anything to happen. I'm not going to say whether I want the job, you already know the answer to that."

As for a timeline on a permanent successor to previous boss Erol Bulut, who was sacked in September, Riza added: "They are going to make a decision eventually, you just have to wait."

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Cardiff City striker Isaak Davies is not expected to play again until mid-January at the earliest, according to interim manager Omer Riza.

Davies, 23, has suffered a "set-back" during his rehabilitation from the serious hamstring injury he suffered during a pre-season match in August.

The initial prognosis suggested Davies would be fit by November.

"He's working hard in the gym now," said Riza. "He's a focused lad so he'll come through that OK and he'll be a good asset when he's back."

There was more positive news for another long-term absentee as striker Kion Etete scored on his return from injury.

The 22-year-old, another who picked up a hamstring injury during pre-season, found the net for Cardiff's Under-21 side in their 4-1 win over Bristol City on Monday.

"Kion makes me laugh on a daily basis," said Riza.

"He's training hard. He's working hard. He's moaning hard, but it's all in good spirit.

"Good to see him get time with the 21s - [he had] 45 minutes and he scored a goal, which is good for him after such a long time out. And we'll see how he progresses."

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Interim Cardiff City boss Omer Riza says leading scorer Callum Robinson is battling an ongoing Achilles problem.

Robinson has five goals in 12 appearances for the Bluebirds this season.

But the Republic of Ireland international was withdrawn for the final 20 minutes as Cardiff suffered a first defeat in seven league games at Luton Town on Tuesday.

"Callum's carrying a knock, a chronic Achilles at the moment, which stiffens up on him," said interim Bluebirds boss Riza.

"We probably could have got him through the game but for me it was about changing it up and getting a little bit more intensity on the top line, just to freshen it up.

"I think towards the end of the game, we had Luton in their half but just couldn’t do enough to create and score."

Riza says Alex Robertson is set to be available for Saturday's home fixture against Blackburn Rovers after the midfielder missed the Luton trip and last weekend's win over Norwich City with a hamstring problem.

"He has come through the injury well," Riza added. "He will be hopefully training and ready to go on Saturday."

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Former Wales striker Iwan Roberts feels too many Cardiff City players had an "off night" as the Bluebirds' six-game unbeaten run was ended by Luton Town.

Jacob Brown's header in the 57th minute earned the Hatters a 1-0 victory against Omer Riza's side at Kenilworth Road as Cardiff slipped to 21st in the Championship.

It was only the club's second defeat in eight matches under Riza - with Cardiff now sitting outside of the division's bottom three on goal difference.

And Roberts feels the Bluebirds will regret not taking at least a point back to south Wales from Bedfordshire.

"It's not the best of nights," he told BBC Radio Wales.

"You've got to take it on the chin and see it for what it was.

"Not the standard that's been set by Omer Riza. It's not an easy place to come to, Kenilworth Road.

"I just get the feeling, had they been at it tonight, it was a game they were more than capable of going back to south Wales with a point.

"Too many players had an off night. They never really tested [Luton goallkeeper, Thomas] Kamisnki, the best opportunity fell to [Anwar] El Ghazi in the first half."

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Omer Riza says he was unhappy with the officiating during Cardiff City's 1-0 defeat at Luton Town.

Jacob Brown netted the only goal of the contest at Kenilworth Road as the Bluebirds' six-game unbeaten run came to an end.

But interim boss Riza was left unimpressed with referee Matt Donohue after the game in Bedfordshire.

"I wasn't too happy with the officiating today if I'm being really honest," he told BBC Radio Wales.

"I thought it was quite one sided. I felt a lot of stuff given to them was really similar to what wasn't given to us.

"I just couldn't quite understand it at times. I tried to ask the question at half-time and it was difficult.

"That was disappointing for me, to come to a place like this and not be given, as far as I'm concerned, things that should have been given that weren't, which caused us even more of a problem.

"But well done to Luton, they managed to get a win against us today and the boys are disappointed which, for me, shows where we've come to at the moment."

Luton were also left feeling aggrieved in the latter stages of the first-half after referee Donohue failed to award the home side a penalty after an apparent handball by Cardiff defender Calum Chambers.

"I've not had a chance to look back at it, it was handball and it hasn't been given," added Riza.

Defeat to the Hatters was only Cardiff's second in eight outings under Riza.

The Bluebirds fall to 21st in the table, sitting above the Championship's bottom three on goal difference.