Cardiff City

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Iwan Roberts says Cardiff City should make either Nathan Jones or Dave Challinor their new manager as they look to bounce back from Championship relegation.

Interim boss Aaron Ramsey has suggested the Bluebirds should quickly appoint Omer Riza's long-term successor while indicating that he wants to continue his playing career.

And as Cardiff prepare to play in the third tier of English football for the first time in 22 years, ex-Wales international Roberts says to managers who have done well in League One this season should be on their radar.

Former Luton boss Jones (below), a Cardiff fan, is set for a top-five finish with Charlton while Challinor (above) has led Stockport to third place – as things stand – having won the League Two title last season.

"I have got two names. I am looking at Nathan Jones and what he's done at Charlton and at Dave Challinor, especially Dave Challinor because he's a name that doesn't get mentioned, goes under the radar," Roberts told this week's Feast of Football podcast.

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"The job he has done at Stockport has been absolutely phenomenal. They pipped Wrexham to the title in League Two last season. They were the top scorers, they are third at the minute and are second top scorers.

"He plays an attractive style of football and he has an attacking side to him. If I was the powers that be at Cardiff, whichever one of those two fails in the play-offs, I would be knocking on their door."

Roberts says it "still beggars belief" the Bluebirds have been relegated given the quality in their squad – and believes change off the pitch must now come.

"It's been one calamitous mistake after another and they have not learned their lessons," Roberts added.

"From top to bottom, I would get new people in to run the football club.

"I think people need to leave, people with a footballing brain need to come in and help build the club from top to bottom and give the club an opportunity of getting back up at the first time of asking."

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Aaron Ramsey says he would like to be a manager in the future - but does not believe it is possible to combine the job with playing.

The Wales captain will sign off as Cardiff City's caretaker boss at Norwich City on Saturday, 3 May, having been put in charge for the final three games of the Championship season.

Ramsey was unable to prevent the Bluebirds from dropping into League One, their relegation being confirmed as a result of last weekend's goalless draw with West Bromwich Albion.

The 34-year-old says he has enjoyed his brief spell in charge, but has already distanced himself from taking the job full-time as he targets a return to playing with the 2026 World Cup in mind.

And he is lukewarm about the idea of being a player-manager.

"I've really enjoyed the last couple of weeks," he said. "That's been evident in the way the players have performed.

"One day I would like to be in this position [but] I don't think you can do the both [playing and managing].

"It would be one or the other. We'll see.

"None of that has been discussed. My full focus is on Norwich for now."

Ramsey was asked whether he would ideally need to be playing at a higher level than League One in order to achieve his ambition of playing at the World Cup with Wales.

"I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen," said Ramsey.

"At the moment I'm still in the early stages of rehab [from the hamstring injury] and I'm going to carry on with that.

"Even to go and play golf again I'm going to have to do this rehab to make sure I get my hamstring in a way it can function."

Ramsey says he is looking forward to having the chance to reflect fully on his time in charge, and provide feedback to club bosses as they search for the next permanent manager.

"I haven't really had time to digest it all," said Ramsey, who is hoping to end his spell in charge with a win at Carrow Road after picking up two draws.

"My full focus is on [Norwich], then having a bit of time to reflect.

"Then it'll all hit home - what we've done, what we've managed to get out of the players, the situation the club is in.

"If they want my feedback, I will do. I know what it's like as a player, I know the team, and I've been in here as a manager for a couple of weeks.

"I can give a fair assessment of everything really."

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Former Cardiff City striker Michael Chopra says managing the Bluebirds in League One is the "perfect opportunity" for Aaron Ramsey.

Ramsey has been in interim charge following the sacking of Omer Riza but has been unable to prevent the club's relegation to the third tier.

The Wales captain has indicated he would like to continue his playing career, though his contract with the Welsh club expires at the end of the season.

"I think he's got the pedigree, there won't be much pressure on him in League One," Chopra told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"If Cardiff stayed in the Championship I would have been a bit wary of giving him the job but I think it's the perfect opportunity for Aaron Ramsey and hopefully Chris Gunter because they've got great football knowledge.

"He knows the area, he's a Cardiff fan. If he's not going to get a chance at Cardiff City, where else is he going to get a chance of being a football manager?"

The Cardiff City Supporters' Trust have called for a meeting with owner Vincent Tan to discuss a number of matters including a "lack of specialist football experience and knowledge at club board level".

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Chopra - who made 145 appearances and scored 65 goals for Cardiff across four spells all under manager Dave Jones - believes the club should appoint a director of football.

And he names Jones (pictured above with Chopra) along with former teammate and Shamrock Rovers sporting director Stephen McPhail as potential contenders.

"You just need someone who knows the club and knows football," Chopra added.

"There are people making decisions, footballing decisions that don't really know what's going on, on the pitch or what needs to happen behind the scenes.

"I get on really well with the people on the board, I like them as people. But to not turn up to football games to follow the team, when you are board members and things like that, I think it's a little bit disrespectful.

Chopra believes the club is missing a philosophy.

"I speak to a lot of Cardiff fans and they hate me saying this but you look at Swansea, they had a philosophy at that football club even when I was playing against them," he said.

"They would play a certain way, a certain type of formation and a certain pattern of play. And no matter what manager came into that football club, they had to buy into that philosophy.

"Now when Cardiff City employ a manager, they want to bring their own players in, they want to change the system and the way the team plays and they've had seven managers in the last four years."

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Robert Earnshaw reckons old club Cardiff City are facing two of their "biggest games ever" as they fight to stay in the Championship.

Second-bottom Cardiff are three points adrift of safety heading into the final week of a miserable season.

Caretaker boss Aaron Ramsey's side host West Bromwich Albion on Saturday before a final-day trip to Norwich City.

Realistically, they need a minimum of four points from the two games to have any chance of avoiding the drop – but it could be that two victories are not enough to lift Cardiff out of the bottom three.

Ex-Cardiff and Wales striker Earnshaw says this weekend's meeting with another of his former clubs is "a must-win" if Ramsey is to oversee a great escape.

"You have got two cup finals, one against West Brom and then the last game against Norwich," Earnshaw told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"You have got to get minimum four points because of the goal difference. Cardiff's goal difference is not good.

"It's two cups finals to keep Cardiff City in the league. Listen, it's going to be two of the biggest games for Cardiff City ever because you don't want to drop down to League One."

Cardiff are in need an upturn in form to give themselves of hope of survival having claimed only one victory in their past 10 league games.

They have won successive matches on only one occasion this season, when they saw off Plymouth and Portsmouth at the Cardiff City Stadium in October.

The Welsh club have not played in the third tier of English football since 2003 – but Earnshaw fears they may be stuck there for a while if they do go down.

"You look at the likes of Portsmouth, Bolton, all of these teams who have been down there for years, teams that were in the Premier League finding it very difficult to come back [up from League One]," he added.

"To be honest it doesn't look good for Cardiff City. I am worried. But I have hope and I am going to be cheering on Cardiff City and Aaron Ramsey."

Having both sacked their managers over Easter Weekend, Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion will meet on Saturday (15:00 BST) with ambitions of staying alive on either side of the table.

The Bluebirds will be under the charge of Wales captain Aaron Ramsey after sacking Omar Riza following their defeat to Sheffield United on Friday.

The Welshman's first game at the helm culminated in a 1-1 draw with Oxford, keeping them afloat in the relegation fight with three points between them and safety.

While former Albion midfielder James Morrison replaces Tony Mowbray, who lost his position after a 3-1 loss to Derby County on Monday, for the first time as the Baggies look to keep their fleeting hopes of the play-offs alive.

• Cardiff are winless in their last seven league games against West Brom (D4 L3), failing to score in five of these matches.

• West Brom have won two of their last three away league games against Cardiff (D1), as many as in their previous 11 visits (D6 L3).

• Cardiff have won just one of their last 10 league games (D4 L5), and are winless in six since beating Blackburn 2-1 in March.

• West Brom have lost five of their last six league games (W1), as many as they had in their previous 30 (W8 D17).

• West Brom are winless in their last 14 away league games (D7 L7). It's their longest run since a run of 15 between September 2017 and March 2018, while they've never gone 15 without a win on the road outside the top-flight.

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Defender Calum Chambers has "every belief" that Cardiff City can still retain their Championship status but says they must win their final two games of the season.

The Bluebirds are three points from safety with West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City still left to play.

A win at home to West Brom would take Cardiff's relegation fight to the final fixture at Carrow Road. A draw will mean they will have to rely on other results to prolong their season, while a defeat will almost certainly see them relegated because of their goal difference.

"We know what we need to do and what's required," said Chambers.

"All our focus is on the next game [against West Brom] and it's a must win for us to get three points.

"As a group, we all know that is the game we need to go and win, so we are all focused on that and that's what we are doing our best to do.

"I have every belief in this team and squad, the whole season I've been saying the same thing. It's unfortunate the situation we are in, it's down to us now to put it right and go out and win the remaining two games we've got - that's all we can do."

Chambers says everyone at the club takes "accountability" for the Bluebirds' predicament but says there is no single reason for the poor campaign.

"You can't point your finger at one thing," added Chambers.

"It's a collective, there are things that haven't gone right for us throughout the season, there's not one thing you can say that it's down to - it's a collective of things.

"Everyone has to take accountability for that. We are all aware of where we are, so no one needs telling in the dressing room or around the club.

"We are just doing everything we can to get it right."

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Iwan Roberts says Aaron Ramsey should manage Cardiff City next season regardless of what division the Bluebirds are in.

Cardiff are fighting to stay in the Championship having won only one of their past 10 league games.

Ramsey was named caretaker boss following the sacking of Omer Riza last weekend but has suggested he wants to continue playing beyond this season.

The Wales captain led Cardiff to a 1-1 draw with Oxford United in his first match in charge on Monday.

That result leaves Cardiff deep in relegation danger in 23rd, three points behind 21st-placed Derby with only Saturday's home game against West Brom and a trip to Norwich City remaining in what has been a miserable campaign.

Former Wales striker Roberts says that regardless of what happens in the final week of the season, 34-year-old Ramsey should take charge for the long term.

"He still wants to play – is his body going to allow him [to do that]? I think this is the natural progression for Aaron with all the injuries he has had for quite a long period," Roberts told this week's Feast of Football podcast.

"I think he's ready made to be a head coach. He is ready to go. Whatever happens, I would love him to be in that technical box for Cardiff next season, in the Championship or League One."

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Roberts says that despite his lack of managerial experience, former Arsenal and Juventus player Ramsey has "all the attributes" required to be Cardiff boss.

"He looks like a manager, he sounds like a manager, he talks like a manager," he added.

"He is an intelligent young man. He is in the process of getting his coaching qualifications.

"He has played for some outstanding managers at the clubs he's been at. I think he's definitely one for the future."

Roberts believes Ramsey could yet guide Cardiff to safety – but reckons only two victories will give them a survival chance.

"It's become desperate," he said.

"The daft thing is, I think if they can win their last two, I still think they have got a chance of staying up."

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It will be a case of caretaker bosses all round as Cardiff City attempt to save themselves from relegation to League One over the next two weekends.

Wales captain Aaron Ramsey is attempting to find his feet in the Cardiff dugout, having been parachuted in for their final three games of a miserable season following the departure of Omer Riza.

Ramsey's brief spell as interim manager began with a home draw against Oxford United on Monday, which leaves Cardiff deep in trouble heading into the final week of the Championship season.

The Bluebirds are three points adrift of safety, meaning they may need wins in both their remaining fixtures – at home to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday and at Norwich City seven days later – to preserve their second-tier status.

In what or may not be good news, Ramsey will be up against two other rookie bosses in both those matches.

West Brom will be led by former Albion and Scotland midfielder James Morrison (above), who has been placed in caretaker charge following the dismissal of head coach Tony Mowbray earlier this week.

And when Cardiff go to Carrow Road, Ramsey will pit his wits against his old Arsenal midfield colleague Jack Wilshere (below).

The former England international is at the helm for the final two games of Norwich's underwhelming season after head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup was relieved of his duties on Tuesday.

Remarkably, therefore, Ramsey will be the most experienced manager in each of Cardiff's two remaining games, given that he already has one game under his belt.

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