Cardiff Interim Manager Riza Expresses Desire for Clarity Amid Ongoing Uncertainty

Omer Riza, who has served as Cardiff City’s interim manager since late September, acknowledges that the ongoing ambiguity surrounding the permanent managerial position is starting to affect him, despite his enjoyment of the role, as “you don’t know what’s coming next”. The 44-year-old assumed control following Erol Bulut’s dismissal on 22 September. Under his leadership, Cardiff ascended from the bottom of the Championship table, propelled by a six-match unbeaten streak that concluded on Wednesday at Luton Town. Riza commented, “Nothing has surprised me… I’ve loved every minute of it, I’ve known I can do it, I’m comfortable, but I suppose the level at which you have to perform for people to recognise that you’re good enough or not to do the job, maybe that surprised me a little bit.” He further stated, “It’s in black and white what you’re achieving, you either win, you lose or you draw and your team play a certain way and you’re judged on that.” He concluded, “Just in general I’ve enjoyed the whole thing, I just want to carry on, but it’s hard to carry on when you don’t know what’s coming next.” To date, the Cardiff board has maintained silence regarding the club’s managerial strategy. There has been no communication indicating whether Riza is fulfilling expectations or if an active search for an alternative permanent manager is in progress. Riza further stated: “I have to continue doing what I’m doing, working hard. It would be nice that there was some sort of thing to show that what we’ve done so far over the past six or eight weeks has been good and positive.” He asserted, “I think we’ve proved that – we’ve gone from one point to 15, I think we’re playing a good style of football. We’re winning games, although we won’t win all of them, I’ve said that [before].” The unbeaten streak for Cardiff concluded with a 1-0 loss to Luton Town on Wednesday. This outcome places them 21st, maintaining their position above the relegation zone solely due to goal difference. Riza expressed his eagerness for the opportunity to establish another successful period. He remarked, “My contract is until the end of the season and I’ll continue to work hard. Between now and then, like players are in the shop window I suppose a coach is in the shop window as well.” He elaborated, “That’s the only way I can look at it that I’ll keep working hard. I love what I’m doing here, I love the club, I love the people, love the fans, I love everything I’ve done since I came here.” He acknowledged, “At the same time I don’t have control of what my future is at the moment.” He concluded by stating, “If you win every game there’s not much that people can say, but to win every game is difficult. As soon as you lose a few games it gives the club the chance to say they want to bring someone else in… for me what’s important is I’m doing the right thing for the players and the club.” Cardiff is scheduled to host Blackburn Rovers on Saturday for a 12:30 GMT kick-off. Blackburn Rovers also experienced a defeat on Wednesday night, losing 2-0 at home against Stoke City. Riza commented, “It’s the same for all the teams, it’s a tight turnaround and all the teams have got their squads that they have to deal with, lots of minutes in lots of legs.” He added, “It’s part and parcel of this league, that’s why everyone says it’s relentless, but we’re already working on what we’re going to do… and we’re going to attack the game like we want to win it.” Cardiff anticipates Alex Robertson’s availability for the match against Blackburn. The midfielder was absent from the Luton away game and the previous weekend’s victory over Norwich City due to a hamstring issue. Callum Robinson was substituted during the last 20 minutes of the Luton match. Riza is managing the Republic of Ireland striker’s persistent Achilles issue, but Robinson is projected to be fit for the encounter with Rovers. © 2024 BBC. The BBC disclaims responsibility for material found on external websites. Information regarding their policy on external linking is available.