Cardiff City

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Cardiff City will have to handle the player who has arguably been the Championship’s star this season if their upturn in fortunes is to continue against Norwich City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Bluebirds will go in search of a fourth win in seven matches under interim boss Omer Riza when the Canaries come to the Welsh capital.

But facing Riza’s rearguard – who have conceded only once in five games – this weekend will be Borja Sainz, the Spanish forward who is the second tier’s leading scorer with 10 goals in 12 games.

Sainz, 23, netted twice in Norwich’s 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough last weekend to take his overall goal tally for the season to 11 from 14 appearances.

He scored eight goals in his debut Championship campaign, but has really come to the fore this season in a Norwich side who are eighth in the table having lost only one league game since the opening weekend of the campaign – though they have had six draws.

Sainz - who joined Norwich from Turkish side Giresunspor - operates primarily from the left flank.

With Perry Ng missing through suspension this weekend, his replacement on the right of Cardiff’s defence may face a testing afternoon.

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Nathan Blake says Cardiff City's owners should take note of the style of football the Bluebirds are currently playing under interim boss Omer Riza.

Cardiff have gained 11 points from six Championship matches since the departure of Erol Bulut, scoring 10 goals in that period.

They have also kept three successive clean sheets under Riza, the most recent of which came in a goalless draw with promotion hopefuls West Bromwich Albion.

By contrast, they netted just once in six league games under Bulut this season and failed to keep a single clean sheet.

Former Cardiff and Wales striker Blake feels the Bluebirds should continue as they are at present following a significant improvement under Riza.

"You do need some sort of consistency. When a manager gets a job permanently, it does change the mindset of players," he told Call Rob.

"I think they need that stability going forwards. You've got to take your hat off to him (Riza) , from where they were and how they were playing, they've totally changed around.

"I did the game against Portsmouth, and what I'd say to the ownership is that, going forwards, when people talk about the philosophy of Cardiff City and how they play, just watch what's going on at the moment and you'll understand.

"For me, he's done a really good job in a difficult circumstance.

"What Cardiff's owners need to do is make sure they don't try to start controlling things.

"Just step out and let people who can do the job do their job well."

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Danny Gabbidon feels Cardiff City should be in no rush to appoint a new permanent manager given the way the club are progressing under Omer Riza.

The Bluebirds were rock bottom of the table having collected just one point from their opening six Championship fixtures of the season.

Erol Bulut was subsequently sacked by the club, but Cardiff have significantly improved under interim boss Riza - who has seen his side claim 11 points from six league outings.

Given the club's improvement under Riza, former Cardiff and Wales defender Gabbidon says the Bluebirds' hierarchy should allow the caretaker manager to continue to focus on helping the team steer clear of the relegation zone.

"While they're winning, why do you need to rush into making a decision?" he told the BBC's Radio Wales Sport

"They've got some big games coming up, Norwich and Luton, those are the games where his credentials as a manager will be tested.

"While they're winning, I don't think there's any rush to do anything or make it permanent.

"If they were losing games still then yes, there's a quicker need to maybe change things or bring someone in.

"While it's going at the minute, just let him go on, see how the team does, let him build the confidence in the players, and if they keep picking up results then he will deserve to get the job."

Mark Hudson and Steve Morison are among those to be given the Cardiff job permanently on short-term deals having had stints as interim manager with the Bluebirds.

However, both failed to last beyond a year in the role, and Gabbidon - who was briefly joint-caretaker boss of the club alongside Scott Young following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's departure during the 2014-15 campaign - has urged the Bluebirds to learn from previous mistakes.

"We've seen Cardiff City go down that road of a caretaker manager coming in, getting some results and you're quick to give him a contract and once he's got the job, things go pear shaped," added Gabbidon.

"At the moment, there's not too much pressure on him (Riza). Just let the manager manage. No rush for me."

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Iwan Roberts believes the future is bright for Cardiff City after they extended their unbeaten run with a goalless draw against promotion hopefuls West Bromwich Albion.

The Bluebirds have not lost in five matches under caretaker boss Omer Riza and kept a third successive clean sheet during the stalemate with the Baggies.

"They weren't great in the second-half, but I thought they played as well as West Brom - who are a good team and among the favourites to go up from the Championship - in the first-half," ex-Wales striker Roberts told BBC Radio Cymru's Dros Frecwast.

"Maybe it was the worst half under Omer Riza in the second-half, but Callum Robinson missed a great chance to steal all three points.

"But it was a good point away from home.

"They haven't lost in five, three clean sheets in a row, the first time they've done that in more than a year. Things are looking good."

Cardiff collected just one point from their opening six Championship matches under Erol Bulut but have gained 11 points from the same number of games under Riza.

The Bluebirds sit 20th ahead of their contest against Norwich City at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

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Cardiff City will have a hole to fill at right-back when they host Norwich City next Saturday after Perry Ng picked up a fifth yellow card of the season.

Ng was booked in the first half of this weekend’s 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Albion.

The 28-year-old has played in all 12 of Cardiff’s league games to date this season.

Interim manager Omer Riza had defenders Will Fish and Jesper Daland on the bench at The Hawthorns.

Calum Chambers, who has been playing centre-back, has spent much of his career operating on the right side of defence.

Cardiff will look to extend their five-game unbeaten run when they face the Canaries.

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Cardiff City interim manager Omer Riza remains in the dark about his chances of getting the job permanently.

The Bluebirds continued their resurgence under Riza with a creditable goalless draw at Championship promotion hopefuls West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

That was Cardiff’s third successive clean sheet and took the 44-year-old’s tally to 11 points from his six games in charge, after the Welsh side had picked up just one point from their first six games of the season under Erol Bulut.

Riza has made it clear he wants the job permanently but, despite regular telephone conversations with owner Vincent Tan, Riza has had no steer either way from the Cardiff board.

“It’s not something for me to answer anymore. It’s down to the board,” Riza told BBC Sport Wales.

“They’ll answer any questions regarding it. I’m just happy to be doing my job and hopefully doing it well and us showing what we can achieve. I think we’ve kickstarted that.”

Asked if he expects to be in charge when Cardiff host Norwich City next Saturday, Riza added: “I’d like to think I would be but I don’t know.”

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Rubin Colwill is ready to "reach for the stars" after proving he is willing to graft and produce consistent high-level displays for Cardiff City, says interim manager Omer Riza.

Wales international Colwill excelled in the wins over Plymouth Argyle and Portsmouth as the Bluebirds climbed out of the Championship's relegation zone.

It comes after the 22-year-old has consistently struggled to nail down a regular starting berth under a number of managers in the Welsh capital.

He came off the bench in the first four league matches of the campaign under Erol Bulut but has started all five of the Bluebirds' games under Riza so far.

And the interim boss feels Colwill's willingness to identify and learn from his weaknesses is starting to show on the pitch.

"He's hungry. He wants to improve and reach for the stars," said Riza.

"I think he can do that, he's got all of the attributes. He does need to do certain things to get to that, and he's starting to put those things in place.

"The danger with Rubin at times is, if he finds things too easy, he starts getting sloppy in certain areas, and he knows that.

"We'll continue to work on that, he's a young lad, if there's stuff he can't work on at his age, still, then we're not doing our jobs properly.

"You've seen him in the last five games, he's played all of them. Now it's about how much can he do."

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David Turnbull admits he finally feels like a Cardiff City player having been handed a prominent role under interim boss Omer Riza.

The midfielder joined the Bluebirds from Celtic in January and initially was a regular under Erol Bulut.

However, he has endured a tough start to the current campaign, with a combination of injury and non-selection seeing him play just once in six games under Bulut - who was sacked after a 2-0 defeat by Leeds United.

Turnbull featured as a substitute in Riza's first two matches as caretaker boss and has started the wins over Plymouth Argyle and Portsmouth.

The 25-year-old admits he is grateful to Riza for the faith the former Leyton Orient boss has shown in him.

"Even when I wasn't playing he kept me involved, the same with the other boys so he's been brilliant in that way," said Turnbull.

"In the past few games, I feel like a Cardiff player now. 

"I know I can play at this level, I know I can impact games and I think that's what you're starting to see and I just hope for many more to come."

Cardiff have picked up 10 points from their last four matches to climb out of the Championship's relegation zone.

Turnbull feels the clarity and methods offered by Riza have been pivotal in the Bluebirds' upturn in form.

"Since Riza has come in, he's given us a kind of style of football that the boys want to play, and he wants to play," he added.

"Everybody knows what they're doing, to a man, and it suits the boys. It's good football, good on the eye and it's working so far."

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Nathan Blake says Cardiff City's transformation under interim boss Omer Riza has been "huge".

The Bluebirds beat Portsmouth 2-0 on Tuesday courtesy of Callum Robinson's fourth goal of the season and an own goal from Wales international Regan Poole.

The win means Cardiff have collected 10 of the last 12 points on offer under Riza, who has stated he wants the job permanently following the sacking of Erol Bulut a month ago.

And former Cardiff striker Blake believes Riza has put himself in pole position to become Cardiff manager on a full-time basis.

“I think the transformation has been huge, why not give the job to Omer Riza," he told BBC Radio Wales.

"Sometimes you can be looking for something that’s right under your nose. People will say that he hasn’t got the experience, but unless he’s given an opportunity, you won’t know.

“On the back of these two performances [against Portsmouth and Plymouth Argyle], it’s like night and day/. The players are clearly playing for the manager. You want to keep this momentum going if you’re Cardiff City - he’s done himself no harm.”

Cardiff were rampant as they raced into a two-goal lead before the break against John Mousinho's Portsmouth, who saw Paddy Lane and Nicolas Schmid leave the pitch through injury to compound a wretched first half.

The game evened out in the second period, although the Bluebirds dug in to keep a third successive home clean sheet.

“Everybody impressed [against Portsmouth], it was all 11 and the subs, it was a dominant performance," Blake added.

"Pompey weren’t in the game. Watching the game you’d think Cardiff City were in the top six and Pompey were bottom.”

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Cardiff City interim manager Omer Riza has called for clarity as he bids to get the job on a permanent basis.

The Bluebirds beat Portsmouth 2-0 on Tuesday to earn a third win from five games under the former Watford coach, who took charge after Erol Bulut was sacked a month ago.

Riza is in regular contact with Cardiff owner Vincent Tan but has not been told how long he will remain in post.

"I have chats with the owner all the time. I spoke to him this morning and he was very nice and polite,” said Riza.

"Clarity is always best because then you can really move forward with the plans the club's got in place or the plans I might have.

"Of course, it would be nice to have some clarity, but in the meantime what's important is that we are going well.

"We are getting the points and we have climbed off the bottom off the table. We're in a better position than we were and that's important, because from there you can always move forward."

Cardiff’s win over Portsmouth – who are now bottom of the Championship – followed their 5-0 hammering of Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

Having scored just four goals in their opening nine league games , the Bluebirds have struck seven in two to climb off the foot of the table up to 19th place.

Tougher challenges await, such as a trip to promotion contenders West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, but Riza says Cardiff will continue to play attacking football.

“We’ll keep trying to play the way we are in possession,” he added.

“But out of possession we will have to be on our game, making sure we don’t lose the ball or, if we do lose the ball, make sure we don’t get hurt.

“We want to create as many opportunities as we can. Once you get that balance, you can apply it really well. The next thing is that teams will not allow us to do this every week.”

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Robert Earnshaw says Cardiff City must start planning on how to become a Premier League club as opposed to regularly changing managers amid relegation battles in the Championship.

Erol Bulut was sacked by the Bluebirds in September after overseeing the club's worst start to a season in 94 years.

Interim boss Omer Riza has put himself in the frame to be named as Bulut's successor having guided his side to two wins, a draw and just one defeat in his four matches in charge to date.

And ex-Cardiff striker Earnshaw believes the club's hierarchy must start to take a long-term view with managerial appointments as the Bluebirds seek to recruit a 12th permanent boss in the 14 years that Vincent Tan has owned the club.

"The bigger question for Cardiff City is, you can't continue to have 12 to 15 to 20 games of a manager and then on to the next one, and the next one. You've got to start fundamentally looking at what the club wants to be in the next two to three years and who is the right man," Earnshaw told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"You've got to have results, but also, if you look at the last two or three years from Cardiff City, it's been below what the performances should be.

"Now it's about, can Cardiff City not be looking at relegation like the start of this season. Can we be looking to build a club that starts thinking about the Premier League?"

Cardiff go into tonight's Championship fixture with Portsmouth (19:45 BST) on the back of a 5-0 thrashing of Plymouth Argyle - their biggest league win since 2017.

But Earnshaw warned the Bluebirds of complacency against a Pompey side that secured their first Championship triumph of the campaign at Queens Park Rangers last time out.

"I don't think anybody saw what happened on Saturday with that 5-0 win happening," added Earnshaw.

"It's going to be a very tricky game tonight because you win 5-0, sometimes it's like 'oh yeah, we've arrived' so I think that's the worry for Cardiff City."

Despite urging caution, Earnshaw added: "They've been very good in the last four games, picking up points, a couple of wins and a draw in there."

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Cardiff City midfielder Alex Robertson will be looking to continue his excellent recent form when he is reunited with Portsmouth on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old joined Cardiff from Manchester City in the summer after helping Pompey win promotion from League One last season during a loan spell at Fratton Park.

Robertson was man of the match as the Bluebirds thrashed Plymouth Argyle 5-0 on Saturday to move off the bottom of the Championship table.

Next up for Cardiff is a home fixture against Portsmouth, who are one place below them in 23rd.

"I loved Portsmouth, it's a great club," said Robertson.

"It will be good to see some familiar faces. I've got a few really good friends still there."

The Australia international could have made his loan at Portsmouth a permanent move but opted to join Cardiff.

"There were quite a few clubs that I had conversations with," Robertson added.

"I was just drawn to Cardiff, the club, the team, everything about it I loved. I'm really enjoying my time here so far."

Despite Cardiff's early-season struggles, Robertson is settling in well in central midfield with his creativity and crisp passing.

He opted not to join Australia's squad for this month's international window as he looks to concentrate on matters at Cardiff City Stadium.

"[It was] just that I want to focus on my club football. I'm loving it here at the minute," Robertson said.

"We're not in a sticky situation here but, obviously where we are in the table, we want to climb it.

"I'm fully focused on my club and our team, trying to get us up. So the international has... I've not parked it, but I'm just focusing on my club at the minute.

"To be fair, I didn't hear anything from the last camp so I'm not sure what happened on that end.

"The previous camps I said wanted to focus on the club. I'd come back from a big injury, so that left me out for a long time."

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Aaron Ramsey might be unavailable for Cardiff City because of injury - but the captain is being put to use in a new role.

Ramsey, 33, was sat in the stands for Saturday's 5-0 thrashing of Plymouth Argyle and sharing his tactical analysis with interim manager Omer Riza on the touchline.

The Wales skipper has already been tipped for a coaching future by his international boss, Craig Bellamy.

Ramsey - who already has his Uefa A licence, one below the Pro licence needed to work at the highest levels - has been tipped to take over the Bluebirds as a player-coach.

Those rumours have been played down, but Riza was grateful to have the former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder's support against Plymouth.

"We had Aaron Ramsey upstairs today casting an eye down to give us some information and it all came together well today," he said.

"I said to Aaron yesterday that I'd like him to go up there, cast his eye over the game and if he had anything of importance to come down.

"To be fair, when he came down and mentioned a couple of things, it was what was in our minds anyway which is nice, so we're all on the same page.

"It's important when you've got players like Rallsy [Joe Ralls] and Aaron who are experienced and aren't playing, you have to try and use them in a different way and we did that today."

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Plymouth Argyle manager Wayne Rooney believes Cardiff City's Perry Ng was "clever" in the role he played in Ibrahim Cissoko's red card during the Pilgrims' 5-0 thrashing in south Wales.

Cissoko was sent off for shoving Ng to the ground with his team already 2-0 in the first half on Saturday.

The Plymouth forward was retaliating after Ng had kicked the ball at him as he lay on the ground having been tripped by Bluebirds winger Ollie Tanner. Ng was given a yellow card after Cissoko saw red.

"He [Cissoko] has reacted, the player's [Perry Ng] been clever and very dangerous," said Rooney, who had to watch from the stands at Cardiff City Stadium as he served a one-match touchline ban having been sent off during last month's win over Blackburn Rovers.

"He kicked the ball at him on purpose, that could have been a different colour to what he got, Ibs [Cissoko] has reacted in the wrong way.

"The emotions of the game sometimes, you get those reactions and unfortunately that's happened to us today."

Cardiff were already in control and leading 2-0 when Cissoko saw red, and the Bluebirds took advantage of his dismissal to more than double their goal tally for the season in a thumping win which lifted them off the bottom of the Championship table.

"We have to give Cardiff a lot of credit," former England captain Rooney added.

"They deserved to win the game, they were the better team."